SARASOTA, Fla — A candidate running for Florida House District 73 apologized Monday for claiming that she'd finished her college degree, after the university she attended reported that the diploma displayed in photos on her social media pages appeared to be "inaccurate."
- Melissa Howard claimed she completed marketing degree
- Miami University of Ohio said they had no such degree that year
- Howard plans to remain in primary race
After an online reporting site challenged her academic record, Florida House candidate Melissa Howard posted a photo on Facebook, posing with her mother and what appeared to be a framed diploma from Miami (Ohio) University.
The university, however, subsequently wrote that the diploma could not be genuine. Following that rebuttal, Howard posted this message on her Facebook page:
Earlier on Monday, Donna Hayes, former chair of the Manatee County Republican Party, added her voice to the calls for Howard to drop out of the race for District 73.
"The worst thing is, it's so deceitful to voters," Hayes explained. "The voters are the ones getting hurt."
In addition to asking Howard to drop out of the race, Hayes wrote letters to State Attorney Ed Brodsky and to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, calling for a probe into the matter.
Howard's opponent in the race, Tommy Gregory, called Howard's behavior "dishonorable" and possibly criminal.
"This is not just dishonorable, but also a fraudulent act that may carry criminal charges," Gregory said in a statement.
According to Florida statutes, falsifying a college degree is a first degree misdemeanor.
Since news broke of the challenge to the veracity of Howard's credentials, her campaign website has been shut down, and the photo showing the diploma removed from her Facebook page.