Widow of Hernando deputy a no-show at Scott bill signing
A law named after Penny Mecklenburg’s husband got signed Friday, but she didn’t make it.
She didn’t want her husband’s memory exploited for political gain.
Gov. Rick Scott and Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis said they both wanted her in attendance. Scott personally invited her.
“It breaks my heart that she does not want to come here,” Nienhuis told reporters after Friday’s ceremony.
Scott credited Mecklenburg for passage of House Bill 667, which increases the charges for a suspect who leads police on a fatal vehicle chase. If a bystander or law enforcement officer is killed during the chase, the arrested suspect could be charged with first- or second-degree murder.
The new penalties will go into effect Oct. 1.
In a joint media statement earlier this month, the two Republican lawmakers who sponsored the bill, Sen. Mike Fasano and Rep. Richard Corcoran, also recognized Mecklenburg for her assistance in passing the Deputy John C. Mecklenburg Act.
Deputy Mecklenburg was killed during a high-speed chase the morning of July 3 along U.S. 41. Authorities said he was chasing Michael Anthony when he lost control of his vehicle south of Masaryktown and crashed into a tree.
Mecklenburg, 35, died at the hospital.
Anthony, 36, who wasn’t arrested until after he abandoned his car in Pinellas County an hour after the crash, was charged with first-degree murder. The prosecutor in that case said there was enough evidence to prove premeditation, which opens the door for the maximum charge.
Nienhuis said he feels responsible for Penny Mecklenburg and her two children.
At first he declined to go into specifics about why Mecklenburg didn’t attend, saying she chose not to “for personal reasons.”
The initial plans included having Mecklenburg attend the signing during a private ceremony elsewhere in Hernando.
Nienhuis said he wanted one at the sheriff’s office, one that included the deputies who served with John Mecklenburg. He called that his “number one reason” for making the bill signing ceremony public.
Among those in attendance was Sgt. Brandon Ross, who also crashed his cruiser during the chase. He survived with minor injuries.
Nienhuis was appointed sheriff in December 2010 and took office the following month. This year will be his first election.
Scott attended Friday’s ceremony along with Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll.
He said in the 16 months he has been in office, he has attended 12 funerals for law enforcement officers.
Scott said he personally contacted Penny Mecklenburg and invited her to Friday’s signing. He downplayed suggestions of a rift between her and the sheriff and said bill signings often include both public and private ceremonies.
