Santa at Florida mall replaced for saying Hillary Clinton is on naughty list

Oviedo mother reports incident to authorities

SANFORD, Fla. – A Santa Claus at Seminole Towne Center in Florida has been removed from his duties after a woman claimed that he told her child Hillary Clinton was on his naughty list.

[PHOTOS:  Scared of Santa: Funny Christmas pictures]

The mother told Towne Center management the incident happened Tuesday night when she brought two of her children to see Santa.

She said when her 10-year-old daughter told him what she wanted for Christmas, he told her she was on his nice list.

She said he then asked her, "Do you know who is on my naughty list? Hillary Clinton." The girl said he then laughed.

The girl's mother called management, and a representative told News 6 that mall officials called the company that hired Santa.

News 6 found out that company is The Noerr Program, Inc., which provides Santas to malls around the country. A spokesman said the Santa in question told them he thought it was a joke, but when the mother called to complain, they removed him from the mall floor.

Spokesman Charlie Russell said his company apologized to the girl's family.

He also said the Santa in question was sent to counseling in human resources.

When asked if the Santa would be returning, Russell said he didn't know.

News 6 on Wednesday night found a replacement Santa waving to shoppers and waiting for someone to tell him what they wanted for Christmas.


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.