Embattled Former Brevard County Clerk of Courts Mitch Needelman Dead at 72

Needelman was charged with bribery, conspiracy, bid tampering and official misconduct

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Current Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller Rachel Sadoff announced the death of former Clerk of Court and Comptroller Mitch Needelman in an email on Wednesday at about 5 p.m.:

Good afternoon. I hope this e-mail finds everyone doing well and enjoying the summer heat! All Clerk of Court and Comptroller employees are blind copied.

I wanted each of you to hear from me the news of former disgraced and deceitful Clerk of Court and Comptroller, Mitch Needelman’s passing. He held office from 2011 to 2012.

As many of you are aware, Mr. Needelman was recently found to be competent by the court to stand trial on the bribery, conspiracy to commit bribery, bid tampering, official misconduct, and unlawful campaign contribution.

These were charges filed against him resulting from illegal conduct during his tenure. Last week, I learned that Mr. Needelman sought a continuance in his case due to hospitalization with an uncertain prognosis.

Monday morning I was informed of Mr. Needleman’s passing and I contacted State Attorney William Scheiner. Mr. Scheiner confirmed through Mr. Needleman’s attorney that Mr. Needleman had passed away this past weekend.

Mr. Scheiner has informed me that once his office obtains Mr. Needelman’s death certificate, the charges against him will be dismissed. Unfortunately, there will be no criminal judgment against Mr. Needelman and no restitution paid to this office and the taxpayers of Brevard County by Mr. Needelman.

Though this is not the result I was hoping for, I am proud of the efforts of the many deputy clerks, previous Clerk Scott Ellis, and the State Attorney’s Office in seeking to bring Mr. Needelman to justice.

Please do not hesitate to contact me or schedule a meeting to discuss this further.

Last June, Needelman was ruled competent to stand trial for a second time on charges including bribery, conspiracy, bid tampering, and official misconduct.

Needelman, 72, was found guilty at trial of those charges in 2017.

As he awaited sentencing, a judge threw out his conviction due to a juror’s misconduct, ordered a new trial, and granted his release from jail on bond in March 2018.

Before Needelman could stand trial again, his attorney successfully moved in 2021 to have him declared mentally incompetent due to memory issues.

At a hearing on June 20, State Attorney William Scheiner presented a report from a recent neuropsychological evaluation of Needelman that found no significant mental issues, including any that would prevent him from assisting in his defense.

Circuit Judge Melissa Souto signed an order finding that Needelman “has been restored to competency.”

“The State Attorney’s Office remains committed to the pursuit of justice for all — in this case, the citizens of Brevard County who were taken advantage of by the criminal conduct of Mr. Needelman,” Scheiner said after the hearing.

“This ruling from Judge Souto will allow the prosecution of Needelman to move forward and, I hope, restore some of the public trust that was stolen by Mr. Needelman and his co-conspirators.”

The charges stem from Needelman’s relationship with a software company that received millions of dollars in contracts from the clerk’s office in exchange for contributions to Needelman’s campaign, as arranged by a political consultant.

The consultant, Matthew W. Dupree, pleaded guilty in 2018 to being a principal in bribery and was sentenced to two years in prison followed by 12 years of supervised probation.

The software company’s CEO, Rose M. Harr, was convicted at trial in 2018 of being a principal in bribery and bid tampering and was sentenced to three years in prison, followed by 12 years of supervised probation.

The complete list of charges against Needelman:

■  Bribery, a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000
■  Conspiracy to commit bribery, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine
■  Bid tampering, a second-degree felony
■  Entering a contract resulting from bid tampering, a second-degree felony
■ Official misconduct, a third-degree felony
■ Unlawful campaign contributions in excess of $500, a third-degree felony

Needelman did not attend the June 20 hearing at the Seminole County courthouse in Sanford. His case has been prosecuted in Seminole County to avoid conflicts of interest in Brevard County. Brevard and Seminole form the 18th Judicial Circuit.

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