Charlotte County Airport authority vice chair charged with election fraud

PUNTA GORDA — James Walker Herston, vice chair of the Charlotte County Airport Authority, has been arrested on charges of election fraud, allegedly saying he lived in a district he didn’t reside in.

Herston, elected as a board member representing District 5, is accused of falsifying election documents by misrepresenting to voters he lived in District 5. The by-laws of the Charlotte County Airport Authority require that each commissioner must reside in the district from which the candidate seeks election for at least six months immediately before the time of qualification to run for the seat, according to a statement from State Attorney’s Office in the 20th District, which covers Charlotte, Collier, Glades, Hendry and Lee counties.

Authorities allege that Herston, 69, a Republican who won his seat in 2020 in an unopposed election, never lived in District 5.

Following an investigation by the State Attorney’s Office, Herston was charged with one count each of unauthorized or unlawful acts related to driver’s license or identification card and criminal use of personal identification information, both third-degree felonies. He was also charged with two counts of perjury, both first-degree misdemeanors. Herston was booked March 24 and released, bonded out, later that day, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

“Anyone holding a public office must follow the law and maintain public confidence in their role in the community, to do anything less is to erode public trust in the political process,” State Attorney Amira Fox says in the statement. “Election rules and state laws are in place to assure the political system is just and fair.”

Herston, according to his LinkedIn profile, is president and CEO of Herston Engineering Services. His Charlotte County Sheriff’s booking report lists his occupation as civil engineer. As of March 29, his photo still appeared as on the authority’s website as one of the five commissioners. An airport spokeswoman, in a March 29 response to Business Observer questions about  Herston's status, says the authority is "awaiting further information" and has no official statement.

The Charlotte County Airport Authority operates as an enterprise fund, totally supported by revenue generated from their operations such as rental car concession revenue, parking, fuel sales, hangar leases, building and land leases. The authority exercises authority over the 2,000-acre boundary of the Punta Gorda Airport. It has five commissioners elected at large by the citizens of Charlotte County; one from each of the five districts of the county, each serving four-year terms.