FORT PIERCE — Former Fort Pierce City Manager Nicholas C. Mimms, 53, was convicted of official misconduct, a third-degree felony, following a week-and-a-half trial, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced.
A St. Lucie County jury returned the verdict Oct. 8. Mimms faces up to five years in the Florida Department of Corrections, with sentencing scheduled for Dec. 11, 2026.
The case stemmed from a 2020 public bidding process overseen by Mimms to lease two vacant lots next to the Lincoln Theater in Lincoln Park. Lincoln Park Young Professionals won the lease. Two city employees served on the nonprofit’s board: Caleta Scott, Mimms’ niece, and Vennis Gilmore, who was then an assistant city planner.
The lots had been designated for theater parking, but that restriction was not included in the public bid documents, according to evidence presented in the case. The nonprofit knew about the restriction, while the other bidder did not.
Allegany Franciscan Ministries awarded the nonprofit a $500,000 grant to develop the lots. No construction took place.
“Corruption grows in the dark, and our office is turning on the lights,” Uthmeier said.
He credited Chief Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Jonathan Bridges, Assistant State Attorney Brandon White, State Attorney Bakkedahl and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their roles in prosecuting and investigating the case.
“If public officials try to hide the truth to benefit family or friends, we will expose them and hold them accountable,” Uthmeier said.
FDLE Commissioner Larry Keefe said public officials are subject to the same standards as the people they govern.
“Public trust is the foundation of good government, and to every official in Florida — if you abuse that trust, we will hold you accountable,” Keefe said.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigated the case. Bridges and White, of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit, prosecuted it.
In February 2026, Uthmeier launched the Public Integrity Unit to investigate legislative appropriations and prosecute bribery, kickbacks, embezzlement and other misuse of public funds. Multiple investigations by the unit remain active and ongoing.