UPDATED: Who is Barney T. Bishop III?

After writing an opinion piece in the Tallahassee Democrat about City Walk Urban Mission, several of our members contact the writer, Barney Bishop, to object to a statement he made in his article.

The article was about the City Walk homeless shelter and whether it had obtained the proper permitting. Instead of focusing on the issue, Barney Bishop, in an effort to get his way, disparaged the shelter because they accept ALL people, including those required to register as sexual offenders. Instead of commenting on an administrative matter, he turned it into a scare piece, writing; “women and children have every right to fear for their safety.”

Who is this guy and what’s with his venomous attitude towards this population that he would rather see people homeless than trying to rehabilitate themselves through City Walk’s program, which “works with the homeless and ex-offenders providing basic human needs and transitional and supportive housing focused on re-entry.“?

Bishop… and we can’t make this up… is the CEO of the “Florida Smart Justice Alliance”, which is ironic because kicking these people to the curb is neither “smart” nor “just”. Trying to find out who this “alliance” is comprised of is confusing because their site lists nobody other than Barney Bishop. It also hasn’t been updated since 2013. What we do know about the “alliance” since then is that it had a mass exodus of it’s board, who tried to fire Mr. Bishop.

A Tallahassee-based advocacy group led by veteran lobbyist Barney Bishop has had a mass exodus of board members in recent weeks, including one who accused Bishop of being motivated by “self-aggrandizement and personal gain.”

As of Monday, group founder and former chairwoman Lori Costantino-Brown and members Pamela Alvarez, Catherine Craig-Myers, Jim DeBeaugrine and Mary Lynn Ulrey had all turned in resignation letters to the Florida Smart Justice Alliance. Copies were provided to FloridaPolitics.com.

Craig-Myers said the resignations were from those who supported a motion to fire Bishop and lost.

And last month, the Internal Revenue Service posted a notice it had “automatically revoked” the alliance’s tax-exempt status. The group is formed as a 501(c)(6), a category for “business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, etc.,” according to the IRS website.

[SOURCE]

We asked around and it turned out the only person with anything positive to say about Barney Bishop… was Barney Bishop.

Based on his responses to our members, Bishop (who is registered as a lobbyist), seems to be just a political hack who cares very little about justice reform advocacy. He also has a personal vendetta against anyone with the “sex offender” label, which anyone claiming to be involved in criminal justice reform should not have. In one response he wrote, “I’m working right now [ ]with Sen. Lauren Book and we’re going to make it even more difficult for a homeless shelter that take in registered sex offenders without properly notifying the surrounding community to do so.”. That seems deeply at odds with the Alliance’s statement that “Any serious attempt to create meaningful change in Florida’s approach to criminal justice must be comprehensive and include all stakeholders.”  I guess some stakeholders he just doesn’t want to hear from.

UPDATED: Barney Bishop is the lobbyist for The Wakulla County Sheriffs Department. Last year Wakulla County had to pay City Walk $160,000 to settle a lawsuit. Think Barney should have mentioned this in his opinion piece. Sketchy!


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38 thoughts on “UPDATED: Who is Barney T. Bishop III?

  • February 23, 2021

    Looking forward to seeing the video. By the way, if we made such a threat as he did we would have LEO’s at our door.

    Reply
  • February 23, 2021

    What a disgusting big government grifter. Living off of taxpayers. They are all crooks, scratching each other’s backs. It would not surprise me in the slightest that there would be kickbacks. No one should trust them. Taxpayers need to demand an end to these grifters. End big government. De-fund.

    Grifter said, “we’re going to make it even more difficult for a homeless shelter that take in registered sex offenders without properly notifying the surrounding community to do so.” Really? So the PFRs that go to that shelter don’t have to Register that address? If only they put their names and address on the big government magic Hit List, then that would surely be perfect notification.

    Obviously people need to understand that it is really important to vote for politicians who do not support big government and big government, do-nothing law enforcement and anyone else who thinks Hit Lists are smart. Everyone who supports big government needs to be tossed.

    Reply
  • February 23, 2021

    Barney Bishop, in a testimony to the Florida House Judiciary Committee on March 3, offered this gem of a comment regarding a proposed 50 year minimum sentence for sex offenses law in committee:

    “We think that very long sentences are warranted; in fact, we’d like longer sentences. And I would just say in closing that with respect to smart justice that maybe what we ought to really be doing is thinking about giving the victims’ families an opportunity to have visitation with the perpetrators and a pair of scissors. That’s our idea of smart justice, Mr. Chairman, not anything short of that.”

    When I emailed him in regards to this statement, he responded:

    “Mr. Logue, you memory is failing you terribly…I have NEVER said anything remotely like that, and I never would…there are many people who testify that use the words Smart Justice, but that doesn’t mean they can speak on behalf of Smart Justice…

    If I ever hear from you again – in any fashion – your will be REPORTED to the authorities and I can assure you that you will suffer the consequences…it sounds like you enjoy jail and being confined and I can help you get that good ole feeling again…

    Just respond to this email, or try to ever contact me again…I’m a former private investigator, and I’m an NRA member, I would NEVER resort to just scissors….and I will find your picture and put it into my Outlook file…you pic will be burnt into my memory…PLEASE contact me again, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Barney T. Bishop III

    Florida Smart Justice Alliance, Inc.
    2215 Thomasville Road
    Tallahassee, FL 32308-0737

    Well, I don’t need a good memory when the video for the 3/3/2014 House Judiciary video is still online for the world to see.

    My offer still stands. I’ll gladly debate this piece of trash face-to-face. Apparently, though, he’s as much of a coward as the Books are and feels the need to make threatening remarks to me, tell me he’ll have me arrested then daring me to respond to him.

    Reply
    • February 23, 2021

      DEREK…..

      ‘Those’ in The Commonwealth of ‘Virginia’, know that HE is a Wanted Piece of DUNG

      ‘THOSE’, are Country-Wide…..

      ‘Those’ are CONCERNED…..HE IS BEING WATCHED!

      Reply
    • February 23, 2021

      Well at least his threat toward you is well documented. Perhaps you should report HIM to the authorities. I suspect that if he is a registered lobbyist with the legislature, he is fair game to contact. Just a thought.

      Reply
    • February 23, 2021

      Ha ha ha ha, what a moron! Moron says, “I’m an NRA member”. BFD. I know people who were NRA members when they were 8 years old. I think what moron really meant to say was, “I have guns and I’ll shoot you.” Typical weak moron.

      At least he proved to you that he’s a liar. As if there was doubt.

      Moron is just another big government grifter. Taxpayers need to demand that big government stop supporting such “people”.

      De-fund big government.

      Reply
    • February 23, 2021

      If you send us the video we will post it.

      Reply
  • February 23, 2021

    Florida must not care how much money they are losing by the law you must register as a sex offender after two days there and be on their registry the rest of your life, even if you don’t live there. We are going to Mississippi on a week long vacation. Screw you Florida.

    Reply
  • February 22, 2021

    As always “ Follow the Money” Kansas City has several programs for helping the homeless some charitable some city financed . The policy is always “no questions asked” they offer advice for those that want it as well as a list of charitable provisions. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be. Are you sure his name isn’t Barney Fife. He is sure giving Florida a bad name.

    Reply
  • February 22, 2021

    Derek, should CROWN this Derelict with a LIFETIME SHIITAKE AWARD!

    He can join the Books and other spineless ones!

    Reply

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