Florida’s youngest mayor is facing a new political fight after a veteran accused him of assaulting her with a campaign sign outside an early voting site in Edgewater. Mayor Diezel Depew, 22, says the allegation is false and calls it an effort to smear his campaign as he seeks another term.
The complaint stems from an incident late Friday outside a New Smyrna Beach polling place, where early voting for the mayoral primary was about to begin, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal. Veteran Donna McDavid, who has ALS, said Depew moved one of his signs close to her after she and another man objected to the mayor being at the public library, which is serving as an early voting location. McDavid said the sign struck the tip of her nose and chest. “He chose to put it against me,” she told the Daytona Beach News Journal. “He knows me personally. … He was pushing that sign into me.”
Depew, who was elected in 2022 at age 18 and became the youngest-ever elected official in Florida history, rejected the accusation outright. He told Fox35, “This did not occur,” and called the complaint a “false police report.” He also told WESH, “This is a totally unfounded political attack.” Depew said McDavid moved toward him and insisted he has never been aggressive. No charges have been filed, and he has not been arrested. A responding officer, according to a New Smyrna Beach police report seen by WKMG, could not confirm that McDavid was struck even though she said she was battered by the sign. McDavid filed a battery report.
