Garrett Dennis’ bank accounts garnished after business debt default

Garrett Dennis speaks at Valencia Way. Image via A.G. Gancarski

A Jacksonville City Council member running for the state House is facing a court ordered garnishment after a court decision last month.

Democrat Garrett Dennis, who represents City Council District 9, was subject to a $37,500 garnishment from the Edward Don Company.

Shifting Gears LLC, a company Dennis controls, applied for more than $40,000 credit with Edward Don Company, an Illinois kitchen equipment company, in 2017 and received delivery of various goods, but he did not pay to the plaintiff’s satisfaction, leading to the company to filing its case in the 4th Judicial Circuit earlier in 2021.

The garnishment appears to have come almost entirely out of Dennis’ Shifting Gears account with the local VyStar Credit Union.

That checking account had $74,875 available as of November. Dennis and his family had a number of personal accounts with just over $37 between them with the same financial institution.

Dennis said the economic disruptions created by the coronavirus caused the issues, as his construction company was involved in a number of kitchen build outs when changes came due in 2020.

“Our business just collapsed during COVID,” Dennis related, saying the “construction industry came to a halt” more broadly.

“Everybody was scrambling, we got caught,” Dennis added, noting he had personally guaranteed the loan.

“We pay our debts,” he added, saying the matter is resolved and there aren’t additional judgments lurking.

Dennis is in his second and final term on the Jacksonville City Council. He has already filed to succeed Rep. Tracie Davis in House District 13. Davis is running for Senate.

In his first month as a filed candidate for the Florida House, Dennis raised more than $40,000 between his campaign and political committee. Donors often associated with Republican candidates, such as Ambassador John Rood and the Vestcor Companies, were among Dennis’ early backers.

Changes are coming to House districts, however, which would affect Dennis’ candidacy.

Dennis is in House District 12 in both proposed maps under consideration, a district that could span the St. Johns River and that would be inhospitable to a Democrat in the General Election.

Current Rep. Wyman Duggan, who represents Jacksonville’s Westside, would be drawn into the same district, complicating Dennis’ path further, assuming he doesn’t move to the remapped HD 13.