Melbourne, FL – – As the political landscape in Brevard County heats up, a disturbing web of corruption and influence-peddling has emerged, centering on the relationship between disgraced former County Commissioner Bryan Lober and Terry Cronin, a candidate vying for a State Representative Seat. Documents from a Brevard County Clerk of Court audit, a Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) investigation, and a formal grievance filed with The Florida Bar paint a damning picture of Lober’s unethical conduct—conduct that appears to be rubbing off on Cronin, who is now facing his own felony investigation. Voters are urged to take a hard look at this troubling alliance before casting their ballots.
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Bryan Lober’s Trail of Misconduct
Bryan Lober, an attorney (at least for now) and former Chair of the Brevard County Commission, has left a legacy of scandal that should serve as a warning to the electorate. The Brevard County Clerk of Court audit revealed Lober’s egregious misuse of public funds, including over $9,000 in questionable purchases made with a county purchasing card. Among these were a $759.50 Steelcase Leap office chair taken to his residence, two $605.00 Bivy Stick satellite communication devices used for personal purposes, and $1,717.00 in woodworking tools from Rockler Companies, all obtained tax-free using the county’s Consumer’s Certificate of Exemption—a third-degree felony under Florida Statute 212.085. Had the statute of limitations not conveniently expired during the investigation, the State Attorney’s Office indicated Lober would have faced felony charges for this fraudulent behavior.
During Covid-19 Lober pushed for policies of closing facilities and many other positions that eventually conflicted Governor DeSantis. He notably refused to take off his gloves during County Commission meetings.Lober-Dispositon-Letter
Lober’s misconduct extended beyond financial impropriety. He allegedly obstructed audits by refusing to cooperate, using personal email accounts to hide transactions, and even donating county-purchased items to avoid scrutiny. His actions led to a formal grievance filed with The Florida Bar on November 27, 2024, alleging violations of rules governing judicial process misuse, incompetence, and dishonesty. The Bar’s investigation is ongoing, but the complaint highlights a pattern of behavior that resulted in Lober’s resignation from the County Commission (on April fools day) amid the pending investigation.
The Lober-Cronin Connection
Despite his tarnished reputation, Lober appears to be pulling strings behind the scenes to propel Terry Cronin into office. Cronin, currently under a pending felony investigation—likely influenced by Lober’s questionable advice—has already begun mirroring his mentor’s troubling behaviors. The Space Coast Rocket recently reported on Cronin’s own legal troubles, drawing parallels to Lober’s past, suggesting a continuation of the same unethical practices before Cronin even takes office. Cronin is alleged to have committed a felony when he changed his voter registration to the business address of his dermatology office. Florida law requires that a citizen register to vote where they live and explicitly states that a business address is prohibited. Despite living in a mansion in District 33 of Melbourne Beach, Cronin, who is running for State Rep in District 32 claimed to live in his doctor’s office which is also in District 32. Florida law requires that upon being elected, a representative MUST reside in the district that they represent.
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After we reported on these felony allegations, Cronin quickly changed his voter registration back to his actual residence while facing investigations from the City of Melbourne’s Code Enforcement, and the Brevard County Property Appraiser for Homestead Fraud allegations. Cronin recently told a group of Republicans at a candidate forum that he didn’t know he couldn’t register to vote at his business office. It’s fair to say that most, if not all citizens (especially a board certified highly educated medical doctor) understand, that your residential address “where you live in FL” is not your business office building. It appears that he took the advice from someone (likely Lober) that he could do this to circumvent the residency requirements for elected office. There’s literally no other logical explanation to do such a thing, and the fact that he changed it back so quickly after we reported it is essentially an admission of guilt.
Adding to the concern, Lober, his wife Rebecca Lober (also an attorney and former in-house counsel for the Brevard County Clerk of Courts), and his father have each donated the maximum allowable amount to Cronin’s campaign. This financial support is tangible evidence of the Lober’s support of Cronin. Additionally, twice failed candidate Josiah Gattle is working for Cronin’s campaign. When Lober resigned from the County Commission in disgrace, he personally recommended that Gattle be appointed by Governor DeSantis to replace him. That request was wisely denied, and the Governor chose to leave the seat vacant over filling it with Gattle. Further evidence behind Gattle’s involvement with Cronin was revealed on Cronin’s own campaign website. When users clicked on a thumbnail to watch a video about Cronin, it instead directed them to a video about one of Gattle’s previously failed campaigns for Rockledge City Council.
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A Recipe for More Corruption
The relationship between Lober and Cronin is a red flag for voters. Lober’s history of exploiting public office for personal gain—coupled with his wife’s involvement in aiding his misconduct and his father’s financial backing—suggests a family enterprise built on corruption. Cronin’s own felony investigation, likely a consequence of taking Lober’s advice, indicates he is already following in those footsteps. With Gattle, Lober’s protégé, steering the campaign, the pattern points to a future of mismanagement and ethical breaches if Cronin is elected. Even while he was still on the County Commission, Lober used his position to “honor” his good friend Cronin formally with a resolution from the Brevard County Commission.
Bryan Lober and Terry Cronin
Prior to this election, Cronin showed no verifiable public interest in running for elected office nor Republican activities. Questions have been raised about his political ideals and positions as what he now claims in his campaign, seems to conflict greatly with his public history on his own social media. Lober himself has a documented history of supporting Democrats over Republicans, and didn’t become a Republican himself until just before running for office himself.
In fact, once recent political advertisement by Floridians for Ethics and Truth in Politics, points out that in his professional capacity, Dr. Cronin led policy groups that pushed for transgender surgeries and puberty blockers for minors. Both of those positions clearly conflict with the legisltative and policy directions of the Republican Party and President Trump’s administration.
Voters must consider whether they want another Lober in office—one who has yet to face full accountability due to expired statutes of limitations and pending Bar proceedings. The evidence suggests Cronin’s candidacy is tainted by the same dishonesty and self-interest that defined Lober’s tenure. Supporting Cronin risks perpetuating a cycle of corruption that Brevard County can ill afford.
