Payroll records document substantial staff turnover as The Space Coast Rocket examines allegations involving spending and office management. The congressman’s office has not answered nor acknowledged a detailed request for comment or explanation.
U.S. Rep. Mike Haridopolos’ office has experienced substantial staff loss during his first term, including departures from district leadership, constituent services and communications, and even Congressman Posey’s own family as The Space Coast Rocket investigates allegations concerning spending practices, ethics, and the treatment of employees who raised objections.
A Brevard County Sheriff’s Office record also confirms that deputies were requested by Haridopolos’ office to escort one staffer out of the office after he raised numerous concerns with the practices going on internally. The report says the employee gathered his belongings and left without incident.
Haridopolos’ office has not acknowledged or answered a detailed written request from The Space Coast Rocket seeking explanations for the turnover, the circumstances surrounding the deputies’ presence, and allegations involving Chief of Staff Hannah Fraher’s management and expense practices. You can read that entire email listing the details of the allegations at the end of this article.
A review of official House payroll records identified 15 people whose regular compensation in Haridopolos’ office began January 3, 2025. Only five had regular office pay periods covering June 30, 2026, the endpoint of the latest publicly available quarterly records. The other 10 had recorded regular-pay service periods ending before then. The records are published through the House’s Statements of Disbursements.
That opening group included communications director George Alderman, press secretary Annie McCarthy, constituent-services staff Julia Bowers and Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina, and district director Patrick Gavin, whose regular office payroll entries ended during the period reviewed.
The Space Coast Rocket has also received reports that Keith Van Buren, district director Pamela “Pam” Persse and legislative director Valentina Valenta have since left. Those three appeared on the June 2026 payroll.
The broader review identified 28 people across the office’s payroll during 2025 and the first half of 2026. Fifteen had regular member-office pay periods ending before June 30, another employee’s removal from the office is documented by the sheriff’s report, and three additional departures have been reported.
Those categories account for the 19 crossed-out names in the accompanying roster. They do not establish 19 resignations over ethics concerns. The roster covers successive hires, includes some short-term and part-time positions, and does not represent 28 people employed simultaneously. Payroll records alone also do not establish whether someone resigned, was dismissed, or transferred. However, according to information provided by the staff, all but one individual quit or resigned.
The staffing review is occurring alongside an examination of allegations that employees raised concerns about personal credit cards used for official purchases to earn personal rewards, reimbursement practices, nonofficial email accounts and workplace management.
Additionally, The Space Coast Rocket learned Christopher “CJ” Drake resigned after objecting to Chief of Staff Hannah Fraher’s alleged use of a personal rewards/cash-back credit card for taxpayer-reimbursed office purchases.
Former staff alleged that Fraher charged office supplies, expensive furniture and other official expenses to a personal card, received reimbursement and retained the resulting rewards. According to that account, Drake challenged the arrangement and refused to participate in other practices former staff described as unethical. Official House disbursement records show $181,975.84 in non-salary office-expense payments to Chief of Staff Hannah Fraher across 2025 and the first half of 2026. The latest reports from July to present day are not yet available but are likely to bring to total to over $200,000 given her quarterly average of spending.
Staff say that Drake had been brought into the office to monitor other employees and carry out questionable instructions, but declined to cooperate and resigned after only approximately a month. House payroll records identify Drake as deputy district director, with regular-pay service dates from August 4 through September 9, 2025. Those dates are consistent with the reported length of his employment. The Space Coast Rocket reviewed Drake’s formal resignation letter.
Haridopolos’ office was asked whether Drake raised concerns about the arrangement, how management responded and why he resigned. The Space Coast Rocket also officially requested his resignation letter. The office has not answered those questions nor provided any recored requested.
The Space Coast Rocket has received allegations that some employees who objected to office practices faced pressure or adverse treatment. These accounts have not been established by an independent finding, and the available records do not establish a common reason for the departures.
Staff told The Space Coast Rocket that Chief of Staff Hannah Fraher used personal information from district director Pamela “Pam” Persse’s employment paperwork, including her Social Security number, to add her as an authorized user on Fraher’s personal rewards credit card without the employee’s permission.
They alleged that Fraher used the card for office supplies, furniture and other taxpayer-reimbursed expenses, retained the resulting rewards, and accumulated balances that harmed the other employee’s credit. She apparently wanted Pam to use the card at the district office so that she could continue to accumulate rewards for the spending there as well.
The Space Coast Rocket has not obtained the issuer’s account or authorization records, or the affected employee’s credit reports, to independently verify the allegation or the claimed credit impact. Public House spending reports document payments naming Fraher as payee, but do not identify the credit cards used or any rewards received.
The spending records do establish that Fraher was named as payee on $181,975.84 in non-salary expenses charged to 2025 and to 2026 through June. That includes $121,859.58 charged to 2025 and $60,116.26 charged to 2026.
Those figures represent recorded office expenses, not proof that Fraher received that amount as personal income or that the purchases were improper. The published entries do not show the underlying credit-card statements, rewards earned, receipts or complete approval process.
Congressional offices have established alternatives to having employees pay office expenses and seek reimbursement. The House offers government purchasing cards for official supplies and services, with charges paid directly to Citibank, and permits payments directly to vendors. House rules indicate that employee reimbursement is an available payment method, not the only option. The Space Coast Rocket’s review of April–June 2026 spending records found non-travel payments labeled Citibank or Citi purchase card in 390 of 441 member-office accounts examined, approximately 88%. Haridopolos’ office has not explained why substantial and high-dollar expenses were instead processed through Fraher, who approved that purchasing arrangement, or whether anyone received personal rewards from those purchases.
The office was asked to explain why substantial purchases were processed under Fraher’s name, who approved her reimbursements, whether personal rewards cards were used, and how employee objections were handled. It was also asked to provide a current staff roster, identify vacancies and explain how responsibilities had been reassigned following departures.
Place this after the spending and reimbursement section, before the closing discussion of the office’s unanswered questions:
Before joining Haridopolos’ office, Hannah Fraher served as director of House operations for Speaker Mike Johnson, a position documented in a February 2024 Ripon Society account. Her tenure also brought public scrutiny over a dispute with the D.C. Young Republicans. In April 2024, Breitbart published emails reporting that Fraher challenged the organization’s May 2023 endorsement of Donald Trump, argued that it violated the group’s bylaws and demanded a refund of her membership dues. After the organization refused, Fraher responded with profanity, and the group replied with an insult. Johnson’s spokesman declined to comment to Breitbart. The reporting did not establish that the dispute resulted in disciplinary action or caused her subsequent departure from Johnson’s office. The Space Coast Rocket asked Haridopolos’ office about the circumstances of her transition, whether the dispute led to any employment action and the congressman’s reasons for selecting her as chief of staff. Those questions remain unanswered, but we’ve also been informed that Haridopolos is attempting to put together a campaign to replace Speaker Johnson himself.
The unanswered questions extend beyond internal personnel disputes. District staff help residents navigate federal agencies, veterans’ benefits and other constituent matters. The office has not provided the requested information about current casework staffing, backlogs, response times or whether turnover has affected those services. We have witnessed constituents, specifically veterans calling the district office to request to speak to the staff member responsible for veteran services only to be told that the position is vacant and will hopefully be filled soon. To date, it has not and the backlog of constituents seeking help is so extensive that staff have reportedly been instrcuted to refer cases to Senator Debbie Mayfield’s office instead.
The Space Coast Rocket has not established that constituent services were disrupted. It has asked the office for the information needed to assess that question, along with its explanation for the departures and the allegations surrounding them. Haridopolos’ office has not provided a response. Chief of Staff Hannah Fraher links to all social media accounts appear to have been removed since our inquiry.
There will be additional reporting in the near future on the other allegations outlined in our email below.
Correction: a previous version of this article stated that Drake‘s letter of resignation was written to Haridopolos directly. That has been corrected. 
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