The Conservative Case Against Alethea Pugh

Alethea Pugh is asking voters in House District 48 to send her to Tallahassee to write Florida's state laws and manage an $117 billion state budget.

Voters should look at how she handled public trust in Polk County before giving her that authority.

Her record is not a matter of political disagreement. It is a documented paper trail in the Polk County courthouse: a guilty plea to grand theft, months spent in county jail for failing to repay stolen money, an appointment to town commission made without a background check, and an overwhelming rejection by the very voters who know her best.

The booster club theft and jail time

In 2010, Alethea Pugh became president of the Haines City High School Athletics Booster Club. The booster club existed for one purpose: supporting high school student-athletes, buying equipment, and funding team travel.

Within months, thousands of dollars began disappearing.

According to the sworn criminal complaint affidavit filed by the Haines City Police Department (Case CF11-005524), Pugh made approximately $11,500 in unauthorized cash withdrawals from the booster club's bank accounts between November 2010 and May 2011. Bank records and teller identifications confirmed Pugh made the cash withdrawals while signing legitimate vendor checks on the exact same days to mask the missing funds.

When the booster club's board discovered the discrepancies in May 2011, they immediately removed her from office. In July 2011, law enforcement arrested Pugh and charged her with felony grand theft.

On June 15, 2012, Pugh pleaded guilty in Polk County Circuit Court to grand theft.

Judge Beth Harlan gave Pugh a clear deadline: pay back the stolen $11,000 by her sentencing hearing on June 29, 2012, or go to jail. When Pugh showed up to court without the money, the judge ordered her taken into custody immediately.

Polk County jail records confirm Pugh was booked into the county jail on June 29, 2012, and remained behind bars until November 14, 2012, spending nearly four and a half months in jail.

As part of her sentence, Pugh was placed on five years of probation. Among the court's mandatory conditions: Pugh was legally prohibited from holding any employment or position that involved handling money, and her bank accounts were placed under ongoing inspection.

The Dundee appointment without a background check

Years after completing probation, Pugh sought a shortcut back into local government.

On December 10, 2024, the Dundee Town Commission voted 3–1 to appoint Pugh to an interim vacancy on the commission.

The appointment sparked immediate public outcry when The Ledger revealed that the town had appointed her without conducting a background check or checking her references. When local citizens presented her grand theft court records to the town council, Pugh declined to comment on her criminal record.

Her time in municipal office was short-lived.

On April 1, 2025, in her very first municipal election, Dundee voters went to the polls and decisively removed Pugh from office. Annette Wilson defeated Pugh with an overwhelming 61.6% of the vote.

Today, Pugh campaigns across House District 48 describing herself as a “former commissioner.” She leaves out that she held an unelected interim seat for barely four months before the voters fired her at the ballot box.

Campaign finance failures

Pugh's mismanagement isn't limited to past decades. It carried right into her current 2026 campaign for state office.

Acting as her own campaign treasurer, Pugh failed to file her first campaign finance report on time with the Florida Division of Elections. The state was forced to issue official delinquency notices and assess a late fine. Pugh filed a formal appeal with the Division of Elections, admitting that she failed to properly submit the required state records.

If a candidate struggles to file basic quarterly campaign disclosures with the state on time, she is not prepared to oversee complex state agencies and multibillion-dollar appropriations.

The choice in House District 48

House District 48 includes Haines City, Davenport, Dundee, Lake Hamilton, and eastern Polk County. It deserves a representative who respects taxpayers, upholds the rule of law, and brings proven executive experience.

The Republican nominee, Jon Albert, is a proven conservative leader, former Frostproof Mayor, and dedicated public servant who has spent years delivering results for Polk County families.

Alethea Pugh took thousands of dollars from high school sports, pleaded guilty to grand theft, served months in county jail, and was rejected by Dundee voters in her only election.

The contrast could not be clearer.

On Tuesday, November 3, 2026, vote for integrity, accountability, and conservative leadership:

Vote Jon Albert for Florida House of Representatives, District 48.

Sources

• Alethea Pugh arrested in theft of $11,500 from Haines City High School Booster Club, The Ledger (July 29, 2011)
• Pugh jailed for not repaying Haines City High School athletics booster club, The Ledger (June 30, 2012)
• Dundee appointed its newest commissioner without a background check, The Ledger (January 24, 2025)
• Florida Division of Elections Candidate Listing, Alethea Pugh (Account 90897)
• Jon Albert, Polk GOP candidate profile
• Polk County Supervisor of Elections Upcoming Elections

Paid political advertisement paid for by the Polk County Republican Executive Committee, 6039 Cypress Gardens Blvd; Box 108, Winter Haven, FL 33884. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.