Palm Coast, FL ”“ The mayoral race in Palm Coast has been charged by controversy after an offensive message containing a racial slur has been circulating on multiple social media platforms.

The screenshot sent to the DC Patriot allegedly shows Peter Johnson responding to a message sent to his campaign Facebook page. Visible is Johnson’s campaign page titled “Peter Johnson For Palm Coast,” The message included a derogatory and racist term directed at a member of a community program to rescue stray cats within Palm Coast. The derogatory language and hostile tone of the message have left many residents shocked and questioning the integrity of Johnson’s campaign. This does not appear to be Johnson’s first confrontation with a member of the volunteer-based Community Cats of Palm Coast.

The organization appears to have a simple mission, which is to reduce the homeless cat population of Flagler County, Florida through spay/neuter efforts. Per Flagler County Sherrif Reports obtained by the DC Patriot, Johnson was investigated for criminal mischief during 2023.

Johnson allegedly dismantled a cat feeding station that he believed to be in violation of a Florida statute. He then allegedly harassed and followed a female member of Community Cats who confronted him.

It then appears that Johnson was messaged on his official campaign Facebook account regarding the incident with the feeder and replied with a racial slur.

In contrast to Johnson’s alleged social media message, he openly admitted to destroying the cat feeding station during his 2023 interview with the local Sherriff’s Office.

Johnson’s reply appears to be in response to being questioned about the initial destruction of community property. Johnson denied any involvement in that event, however Flagler County Sherrif’s records tell a completely different story. Per the reports obtained from the Sherrif, Johnson had become belligerent with multiple females including city employees.

County records show that Johnson is currently an active candidate for Mayor of Palm Coast and has raised just shy of $3,000 in funding.

There has been no official response to these allegations by the Johnson campaign. Johnson has only issued a brief statement claiming that his account was hacked and there is an active FBI Investigation into the alleged hacking. No FBI case number has been provided.

It remains to be seen if the voters of Palm Coast will accept or reject Johnson’s candidacy, but they would be wise to look at the broader picture of Johnson’s actions rather than any promises made while campaigning.

Per Johnson’s own website, he has lived in Flagler County for over a decade and is focused on protecting the pristine environment. It is unknown why Johnson allegedly has such a major issue with a local community group attempting to reduce the feral cat population through humane means.

UPDATE: In a bizarre Direct Message exchange on Twitter Monday night, Peter Johnson reached out to me directly and asked that this story be removed. Despite previously claiming his account had been hacked, he claimed to me that the Facebook direct messages were photoshopped. It is worth noting that the screenshots of the Facebook messages were checked for authenticity before publishing. During the exchange Johnson also confirmed the authenticity of the police reports. Johnson appeared very agitated during this brief exchange via direct message.