Anahuac Chamber Fraud Accusations Risk 2026 Gatorfest

By Gloria Way

  Texas Gatorfest has been an annual event held in Anahuac, Texas since 1989. Anahuac proudly calls itself “gator capital of Texas” since it has been estimated that alligators outnumber humans three to one.

  Gatorfest is the largest community event in Anahuac. About 500 residents out of 2,000 volunteer each year to provide a family friendly atmosphere that includes carnival rides, swamp boat rides, entertainment, delicious local cuisine, and of course, the alligator hunt that includes the bragging rights for the longest alligator caught.

  Texas Gatorfest has always been a volunteer-run organization. It relies heavily on the Anahuac Area Chamber of Commerce (AACC) for managerial and organizational experience and assistance in fundraising, etc. Chambers County also provides financial assistance to Gatorfest as the festival brings in hundreds of thousands of dollars in tourism dollars. The county works closely with the chamber and festival to ensure the county parks and services are up to par to handle thousands of visitors and the activities and entertainment the festival provides.

  Unfortunately, it has been discovered over the last few weeks that the financials of the AACC have been under scrutiny for quite a while by members of its board of directors. Apparently, a chamber credit card opened in the name of the former executive director for chamber business was never closed by the new executive director. The former executive director received notices from the bank and credit card collectors that the card was still active with her name on it and it was maxed out at about $20,000.00 and not being paid. She was made aware that her credit score was being affected by the lack of payment and she brought the information from the bank and credit company to the sheriff’s office.

  “We do have an ongoing official investigation,” said Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne. “At this point, we are only investigating credit card fraud tied to the fiduciary duties of the Chamber of Commerce. It appears that the amount is about $20,000.00.”

  In addition to the original credit card in question, sources say the new executive director took out two more credit cards, one in the name of the chamber, and the other in the name of Texas Gatorfest. As with the first card, the two additional cards have been maxed out without payment on either card. The amount owed is estimated to be close to $60,000.00.

  How does this affect Texas Gatorfest 2026? Investigations will be ongoing because it is alleged that funds from the chamber, Gatorfest, and the county, may have been co-mingled. Bank records, financial records and statements will have to be recovered and scrutinized to determine where the $60,000.00 has gone.

  Sources have told me that confidence in the management of the festival is under scrutiny. Funding opportunities are drying up due to the misallocation of funds and there is a general mistrust of “who is in charge”.

  Despite the controversy, several persons associated with Texas Gatorfest 2026 have stated that “until we are told otherwise, we are still planning to hold Gatorfest September 11^th -13^th, at Fort Anahuac Park”.

  The Seabreeze Beacon will keep you updated.