As The Town Turns
If the truth about our town wasn't so important, scrolling through Nextdoor would be like binge-watching a local sitcom—complete with plot twists, quirky characters, and enough drama to make even Tyler Perry’s Madea character raise an eyebrow.
Take Kenneth L., for instance. He’s not just a resident; he moonlights as “Cora C,” a mystery character whose identity is more secretive than the formula for Coca-Cola. Then there’s commission candidate Steve Walters and his wife Marcia, who seem to have taken on roles straight out of an afternoon soap opera. Throw in “Sarah C.” and “Steve W.” — who many suspect is also Steve Walters’ alter ego (cue the dramatic music)—and you’ve got yourself a cast worthy of the Madea movie set.
And let’s not forget “the directors” of this chaotic comedy, aka Nextdoor moderators. Kristi Larson, one such moderator, whose husband Bruce Larson is running for Town Commission—surprise!—might be just a tad biased. Moderator/director Gail Gowdy adds her opinion from her director's chair straight from an LLC shrouded in more mystery than a CSI episode. With other LLC Directors, Charles Leps and Mark McBride lend supporting roles all under the supervision of LLC Director President Ken Lebrato. Deceptively all sharing the same St. Petersburg address while they reportedly all live in the Town of Melbourne Beach. One has to wonder if they’re secretly plotting Town domination—or maybe just trying to keep their online drama ensemble together. CLICK HERE TO SEE LLC FILING
Oh wait! Can we mention Kristi Larson again? She’s moderating on Nextdoor, removing posts from residents that offer any comment that is not in line with her husband, Bruce Larson’s agenda, all while her hubby runs for office. Ms. Larson even tried to “volunteer” at our local precinct for the upcoming election, despite it being against election rules (classic sitcom material!). Once notified that this was happening, Truth and Accuracy Matter reached out to the Candidate Coordinator at the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections office. He clarified that he would pull her application and notify Ms. Larson that, "A spouse on-site at the same precinct of the candidate would be a conflict of interest."
Misinformation and drama run rampant on social media platforms like Nextdoor. Presenting false statements as facts is no different than lying; it confuses residents and polarizes conversations faster than you can say "Good ‘Ole Boys." Meanwhile, our dedicated and transparent group "Truth and Accuracy Matter" is proud to have over 114 citizen activists on our rolls that are interested in supporting truth documented with facts. Currently, our website has received 5300 visits since May, 2025 with various pages being read over 14,000 times, proving that Truth and Accuracy DOES Matter. SEE CHART
Truth and Accuracy Matter wasn’t created for the nefarious reasons implied by Nextdoor contributors Gretchen S. and Steve W. The lies and assumptions that they are asserting is an example of the drama they create. Truth and Accuracy Matter was established and filed in our Town as a Political Action Committee so everyone could have access to our records…. which are all public. Contrary to the misinformation posted by Gretchen S., our PAC has received many small donations from a multitude of concerned citizens, with the largest donation being $500 and most donations were $25 and $50. As of the last reporting period, our Campaign Treasurer’s Report shows a total of $5, 377.05 received in contributions. Conversely, there is no telling who is funding Lebrato’s LLC as there is no transparency nor is it required to file reports showing their financial status. Nextdoor posts: CLICK HERE for Gretchen S. post - CLICK HERE for Steve W. & Marcia
Truth and Accuracy Matter is fully aware that Political Action Committees are regulated by Florida Statute. The maximum contribution that a PAC can make to a candidate is $1,000 per election cycle. For further details on campaign financing, please refer to the Florida Division of Elections website. Sadly, people like Gretchen S. and Steve W. pretend to have knowledge about something they apparently know nothing about… or they are lying for added drama.
One thing Gretchen S. did get right on her post is, “The only reason someone would invest tens of thousands of dollars into a tiny election like this is because they want to influence the votes that will line their pockets…” continuing on to say, “spending of tax dollars on something that only benefits a few residents, it’s definitely NOT representative of government”. Ironically, the only candidate that we are aware of that had a campaign account in the “tens of thousands” was Al Dennington when she ran for Mayor. Perhaps she thought winning the election would help her with her personal lawsuits against the Town of Melbourne Beach. Lawsuits that, dare we say, only benefit her and her family.
The sitcom characters love to replay the age old scene about the stop signs. Signs that have long since been removed. Steve W. and Marcia Walters posted a role play scene stating, “Millionaires will be getting some free stop signs installed if certain people win in November” and, “They will even close the street to through traffic” in a divisive attempt to disparage millionaire neighbors in our town, as if they are bad people. Since when are stop sign placements determined by someone’s financial status? This is pathetic fear-mongering, seeking to cause division amongst neighbors! CLICK HERE
Cut scene one! Whew!! Tune in next week for the upcoming episode of “As The Town Turns”
As The Town Turns Preview of Episode two:
“Did DOGE go out the door when the Town Commission decided to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on hiring more full-time employees on the Fire Department instead?”
Freedom of speech matters—but when open dialogue isn’t grounded in facts and other neighbors want to utilize their freedom of speech, yet the moderators choose to arbitrarily remove their comments, is when collaboration and open dialogue cease to exist. If you're caught up in local disputes or curious about claims flying around your Nextdoor feed—look toward Truth and Accuracy Matter instead of relying solely on your neighbor's hot takes.
So let's prioritize transparency together—and remember: When residents engage factually and moderators remain unbiased —our community will flourish like an unexpected plot twist everyone actually enjoys watching unfold!
To receive News and Updates from Truth and Accuracy Matter, CLICK HERE