Hernando commissioner apologizes after hot mic insult to constituent
A hot mic at the June 23 commission meeting captured John Allocco insulting Brooksville resident Aja Moore, then forced an apology that spread beyond the chamber.
John Allocco apologized after a hot mic caught him making a derogatory comment about Brooksville resident Aja Moore during the June 23 Hernando County Board of County Commissioners meeting in Brooksville.
The remark landed in the middle of a tense public session at the John Law Ayers Commission Chambers at the Hernando County Government Center, 20 North Main Street. Moore had spoken against the county’s handling of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the document that defines the community’s vision and guides decisions on goals, objectives and policies. The comment was overheard by others in the room.
Moore returned to the podium later in the meeting and directly confronted Allocco, telling him that voters elect local leaders to listen and debate issues rather than demean people. Allocco initially defended himself and said Moore had used profanity and had been rude to commissioners in the past.
By the end of the day, Allocco had emailed Moore an apology. Moore shared that apology publicly, and it acknowledged that the comment was insensitive and hurtful even if it was not meant to be overheard. The county’s meeting portal preserves Board of County Commissioners minutes and supporting documents from 1990 to the present.
Just weeks earlier, on June 2, commissioners and residents debated a proposed moratorium on data centers, including concerns about water use, power supply, zoning and possible health effects. Allocco said he had requested the draft ordinance about a month earlier because he was concerned about data centers across the country, and the debate included discussion of whether the county could legally impose a permanent ban.
The board is the county’s chief legislative body and meets the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month at 9 a.m. in Brooksville, with the first Tuesday reserved for land-use hearings and workshops. County records, meeting videos and comprehensive-plan materials remain available for public review.
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