Belvedere Terminals fuel farm CEO and founder Edwin Cothron bribed public official in 1984
Belvedere Terminals Co. LLC's founder, president and CEO is Edwin Alonzo Cothron III, 64, of St. Petersburg, according to legal documents and his company's website.
The company was founded in Delaware in 2012 and began doing business in Florida in 2019, according to the Florida Department of State's Division of Corporations records. However, Cothron's LinkedIn profile says he became CEO in 2009.
Cothron has "a thorough knowledge of the petroleum industry" from his 29 years in "management, training and service-related experience," and he has developed over 50 gasoline convenience and retail centers during his 25 years in commercial real estate, his company website says.
Cothron is a sixth-generation Floridian who studied engineering and computer science at Santa Fe College in Gainesville from 1979-1981, according to company documents.
His LinkedIn profile says he went on to hold these positions; however, some of the information is contradictory and TCPalm could not independently verify his resume:
President and CEO of Alonzo Cothron Investments, a Treasure Island retail strip center developer. The business was incorporated in 2002, state records show, but his profile says it began in 2001. His profile says that ended in 2010, but also in September 2023.
President of Dexron, a Tampa convenience store chain (1995-2001). His profile calls it Dexron, Dexron Investments and Dexron Group. His website calls it the latter.
Sales director of Ten Hoeve Bros., a Tampa petroleum equipment supplier. One place on his profile says 1992-94; another place says 1993-95.
North Florida manager of McKenzie Petroleum in Clearwater (1990–93)
President of Dockman (1989-91). TCPalm couldn't find any records of this company.
Vice president of Alonzo Cothron Inc. in Islamorada. One place on his profile says 1980-89; another place says 1981-86.
Edwin Cothron’s criminal and legal issues
Cothron has had criminal and financial issues, including two bankruptcies and a conviction for bribing a public official, according to court records.
Most of the 1984 bribery case records have been destroyed, but the Miami Herald reported this at the time:
Cothron was 25, living in Islamorada and working for his family’s construction business when he offered a $50,000 bribe for the State Attorney’s Office to drop cocaine trafficking charges against a longtime friend who was still on parole for a former federal conviction.
The Dade County state attorney representative whom Cothron first approached introduced him to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement undercover agent posing as another state attorney representative who could drop the charges.
Cothron gave him an $8,000 down payment in the unusual form of South African gold coins called Krugerrands. Three days later, Cothron was arrested at a U.S. 1 marina while waiting to meet with the public official again.
Cothron was sentenced to six months for the third-degree felony; however, the case was closed two months later and he served only “probation with special conditions,” according to court records.
Belvedere Terminals declined to comment, except to say:
“The entire team at Belvedere has consistently followed every rule and regulation required by the jurisdictions in which we operate. We remain committed to this high standard of excellence in everything we do,” COO Tim Schwarz said in a prepared statement sent to TCPalm by Melissa Stone, CEO of crisis management firm Cavalry Strategies.
Cothron filed for bankruptcy in 1998 and 2012. Public records for the former case have been destroyed, but for the latter case include a 48-page document that details $6.1 million in debts as well as his income and assets.
Descendent of Florida Keys' pioneering families
Cothron's family pioneered the Upper Keys, according to the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center, which documented this history:
The Cothrons have worked in the railroad, farming, seafood, utilities, construction and restaurant industries. They are linked to the historic Tavernier Hotel, Islander Resort, Cheeca Lodge, A&B Lobster House and coral rock Matheson House.
Reynolds Cothron (1866-1928) moved from Georgia to Miami and then to the Lower Keys in 1909 after a hurricane destroyed his home. He farmed and also worked for the Florida East Coast Railway.
His son, Edwin Alonzo Cothron Sr. (1904-1992), was a business owner and commercial real estate developer who married Florence Pinder, also from an Upper Keys founding family originally from the Bahamas.
His son, Edwin Alonzo Cothron Jr. (1929-1987) had one child, Edwin Alonzo Cothron III (1959), according to MyHeritage.com.
TCPalm business reporter Ananya Tiwari and courts reporter Melissa Holsman contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Who is Belvedere Terminals fuel farm CEO and founder Edwin Cothron?
