Citizen Confronts Ayscue Over Online Bullying: ‘Do You Feel Tough Behind Your Keyboard?’

By Mike Lednovich/Editor

FERNANDINA BEACH — A city resident publicly accused Vice Mayor Darron Ayscue of using social media to bully and embarrass constituents during a heated exchange at Tuesday’s City Commission meeting.

Mike Sharpe used the public comment portion of the meeting to confront Ayscue over a recent Facebook exchange involving Sharpe and another resident, Christy Kelly, concerning the taxes paid by city and county residents.

“You feel tough sitting behind your keyboard?” Sharpe asked Ayscue. “Trying to bully somebody?”

Sharpe said he had posted on Facebook that Fernandina Beach property owners pay both city and county taxes. According to Sharpe, Ayscue responded by questioning whether city residents pay all the same county taxes as residents living in unincorporated Nassau County.

When Christy Kelly asked Ayscue online what he was implying, Sharpe said the vice mayor responded with a lengthy comment concluding that the claim city residents pay all the same taxes as county residents, in addition to city taxes, “needs to stop” and was “sheer ignorance.”

“Do you think Christy and I are ignorant?” Sharpe asked. “We don’t pay all the county taxes, but we pay a lot. They pay no city taxes.”

Sharpe said Ayscue later responded to another person’s comment by saying Sharpe had already been embarrassed over the tax issue.

“Do you think your goal should be to embarrass your constituents?” Sharpe asked. “Do you really think that because I said city taxpayers pay city taxes and county taxes — and we do — and you point out that we don’t pay all county taxes, that I should be embarrassed?”

Sharpe, who identified himself as a Republican voter for more than 45 years, said Ayscue had turned their policy disagreements into personal attacks.

“You can say whatever you want to me, but you better be careful how you speak to Christy in the future,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe also delivered a broader and sharply personal criticism of Ayscue’s performance as a commissioner. He accused the vice mayor of contributing little to commission discussions and criticized him for previously saying he would not participate in a commission visioning process.

“What are we paying you for?” Sharpe asked.

Sharpe also blamed Ayscue for supporting the unsuccessful effort to recall Commissioners Genece Minshew and Tim Poynter and accused him of encouraging litigation that increased the city’s legal expenses. Those claims were not addressed by Ayscue during the meeting.

Sharpe further criticized Ayscue’s opposition to paid parking, arguing the city should not reject an estimated $1.5 million to $2 million annually from visitors while facing millions of dollars in waterfront and marina expenses.

Ayscue responded during commissioner comments but did not directly address Sharpe’s accusation that he bullied or attempted to embarrass constituents online. Instead, he defended his statements about city and county taxes and blamed misinformation for deepening the community divide over paid parking.

“Paid parking has been the most divisive issue that this community has seen since I’ve lived here for the last 25 years,” Ayscue said. “It’s pitted city resident against city resident. It has torn the city and county apart.”

Ayscue said he had no objection to city residents supporting paid parking. But he said they should not “speak down” to county residents by claiming city residents pay all the taxes county residents pay.

Every Nassau County property owner pays county taxes supporting countywide services, Ayscue said. Residents of unincorporated areas also pay into a municipal services fund for services not provided to residents inside the city, he said.

“To say that we, as city residents, pay all the county taxes, we don’t,” Ayscue said. “And it’s a misnomer that needs to stop.”

Ayscue then broadened his criticism to attack former Mayor Robin Lentz, saying she also did not understand the distinction.

“I don’t know how you sit up in this chair and have no idea how taxes work in your county and city, but yet want to grandstand and divide our community even more,” he said.

Ayscue also cited his previous public criticism of resident and political activist Kelly Yates, describing her as “a major disruptor” and saying he had “no problems calling you out.”

The confrontation was the latest criticism of Ayscue’s social media conduct. In a September 2024 commentary titled “A Cyberbully Wants to Be Our Mayor,” the Observer documented several online exchanges in which Ayscue made personal and disparaging comments about residents and political opponents.

A May 2026 Observer commentary examining why Ayscue drew no opposition for re-election also raised concerns that the prospect of online attacks and personal retaliation was discouraging qualified residents from seeking public office.

Ayscue concluded Tuesday by again blaming misinformation for the community’s political divisions.

“We are having this community absolutely torn apart with misinformation from people who want to look down on their neighbor and their community instead of trying to bring it together,” he said.