Jay Operations Manager, Recent City Manager Contender Arrested On Sex Offender Violation

July 21, 2026

The Town of Jay’s operations manager—who was recently considered for the town manager position—was arrested Monday morning during a sex offender compliance sweep.

April Burford Watson, 50, was booked into the Santa Rosa County Jail at approximately 10:47 a.m. She is charged with a felony sex offender violation for failure to register as required. As of early Tuesday morning, she was being held without bond.

Watson’s arrest was reportedly part of a morning targeting registered sex offenders accused of violating state registration requirements.

Watson currently serves as the operations manager for the Town of Jay. Earlier this month, she was under consideration to become the next town manager. However, the Jay Town Council defeated a motion to appoint her to the position in a 4-1 vote on July 7.

Watson’s requirement to register as a sexual offender stems from an August 2009 arrest. At the time, Watson and another former Jay High School teacher were charged with engaging in unlawful sexual activity with three 17-year-old male students during July and October of 2007.

In April 2010, Watson was found guilty on three counts of unlawful sexual activity with certain minors. She was sentenced to 15 months in state prison, serving one year behind bars. Her sentence was followed by 18 months of community control and five years of probation, along with a lifelong requirement to register as a sexual offender under Florida law.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under TOP STORIES