Our Inspector General Mary Cagle too chummy with the Miami Dade County powerful? By Geniusofdespair

The Miami Herald reported that Auditor James Rosenberg was removed because of his audit and he wasn't NICE enough to staff.

A former top watchdog in Miami-Dade government claims he was ousted over his efforts to expose widespread financial mismanagement in the county.

James Rosenberg used to run audits for the Inspector General office, but says he was fired over his aggressive questioning of how the county was spending its transit tax and other funds. “It’s a case of killing the messenger,” Rosenberg’s lawyer, Bill Amlong, said Friday.

This week, the county’s ethics board (ethics chief worked with Cagle at Rundle's office, I hope he recused himself) rejected Rosenberg’s allegations...

and:

Cagle warned Rosenberg last year that she would fire him in part over his inability “to deal professionally with high-level County officials (WTF? me)

and who do you think the HIGH LEVEL official was:

Gimenez’s spokesman, called Rosenberg’s accusations insulting. (the one who I suspect has ordered the cooking of the books.)

and:

His (Rosenberg) complaint centers around an accounting dispute that was the subject of the June 2016 audit that Rosenberg supervised. The report concluded that over the course of seven years, Miami-Dade improperly charged the transportation tax and other restricted revenue sources for $15 million in overhead expenses, including vacation time. The audit found the expenses should have been charged to the general fund, a more than $1 billion pool of money made up mostly of property taxes.

I was not a fan of Mary Cagle even before she was hired. I was at Mary Cagle's interview in October 2013. One thing she said particularly upset me:

One applicant said they would forge relationships and meet with commissioners (MARY said this). ICK on that one. How about arms length? You might be investigating some of them, hopefully, we don't want you to be their friends. No relationships. If someone is going to spill their guts it is not because you are their friend.

Look at his experience with transit. He was there for 16 years.

This sucks big time. We know this is going on "Budget shell game" with the Transit Sales tax increase you idiots all voted for. Where are all the projects? Stop voting for bonds too.

I wish Rosenberg luck because I believe him. And look around, isn't transit just great?

Who has the Cojones in the County to Call a Bail Out of the Frost Museum A Bad Move? By Geniusofdespair

Apparently the only two people with Cojones are Mary Cagel and Juan Zapata when it comes to calling out VERY BAD DEALS for County Residents.

I had many reservations about Mary Cagle our Inspector General, one of them being her close ties to Katherine Fenandez Rundle and our Ethics Commissioner. They are all out of the same office but Cagle surprised me in a good way with her recent report on bailing out the Science Museum. You must remember, the Science Museum has a good home near Vizcaya and if they needed more room, there was available space at the former MAM museum across from the history museum. Why did we spend millions of dollars to design and build the museum complex by the library only to leave it vacant? The Science Museum didn't have to build in Bicentennial Park. The Science Museum insisted on the move to the Park saying they would raise the funds. Apparently the Frost Couple came through with funds but not many others. Now we have to take care of the damn building.

From the Inspector General report:

OIG DUE DILIGENCE OF THE PROPOSED RESCUE PLAN

As it directly relates to the proposed agenda items, the County has been placed in an untenable position. After having approved the investment of $165 million, the County is now faced with the possible cessation of construction—and the degradation of its investment—due to the Museum’s fundraising shortfalls. The County’s initial investment represented 61% of the $270 million project. With the proposed increase of funding, the County’s investment will increase to $210 million or 69% of the revised $304.4 million project.

County Commissioner Juan Zapata has Cojones

 The vote was 11 to 1 at the County Commission to bail out the Science Museum, County Commissioner Juan Zapata was the only no vote, from the Miami Herald:

Commissioner Juan C. Zapata cast the lone no vote against the proposal. He said he wanted the administration scrutinized over the crisis, which saw Miami-Dade pay roughly $160 million to a construction project only to see Frost unable to provide the private dollars needed to finish it. “We didn’t get here by accident,” Zapata said.

To the rest of you commissioners: It is all Bullshit, we don't need your words we need you to protect our money with your vote. We get that you are all intimidated by Rich People like the Frosts but you are not on the Commission to make them happy and suck up to them. Instead you should have all been hopping angry like Juan especially in light of the OIG report:

This week, the county’s Inspector General office issued a report criticizing the Gimenez administration for allowing almost all of the county’s $165 million contribution to the museum to be spent while the Frost was allowed to save its private dollars until the end of the construction time line.

“What are we telling our kids if people do wrong acts and what we do is just bail them out?” school board member Raquel Regalado, who is challenging Gimenez in the 2016 mayoral race.

Maybe IG Mary Cagle is not as useless as I thought. By Geniusofdespair

Okay this dynamic duo of Katherine Fernandez Rundle and Mary Cagle are uncovering crap going on in the county but hey, $500 and 20 hours of community service. OMG what a waste of time. Previously they reported on the arrest of Ram A. Schratter of the alarm unit. He got a slap on the wrist too.

We want you to go after some elected officials...there are much bigger fish to fry. Step it up you two girlfriends.

Economic Development Fund 124 is Back: Juan Zapata Called it the "Mother of All Slush Funds" in Early July. By Geniusofdespair

LYNDA BELL IS ENDING WITH A VENGEANCE. WHY IS SHE DOING THIS FOR THE MAYOR, SHE BLAMES HIM FOR HER LOSS. WHAT DID THEY PROMISE HER??? IS SHE DOING IT FOR WAYNE ROSEN WHO IS A RECIPIENT? THIS WILL BE HEARD BY BELL'S COMMITTEE ON THURSDAY. THIS ISN'T WHAT WE VOTED FOR IN 2004. WE HAVE BEEN HAD. ALL OF US. CALL THE INSPECTOR GENERAL. TELL HER YOU DON'T WANT THESE LITTLE CRAPPY PROJECTS (favors for campaign contributors), ASK FOR AN AUDIT AND WHO IS VETTING THESE PROJECTS: 305 375-1946.

  Project 124

Read it On Scrib

The Mayor is foregoing rules for some of the recipients/projects (3 at Opa Locka) being pushed by Llorente for starters).  Rebeca, we need you to stop this and go back to the way it was. What is the return on investment on these projects anyway? Are the ROI's positive? Beach sand? Really.

WE VOTED FOR THIS BOND. IT IS OUR MONEY SUBVERTED INTO A SLUSH FUND WITHOUT PUBLIC INPUT:

The current rules tied to the 2004 Building Better Communities bond program limited economic-development grants to $10 million a piece, a restriction aimed at reserving the borrowed funds to businesses and projects large enough to be “game-changing” for the economy, according to a 2010 memo setting rules for the program, see this whistle blower document (at least read the first page):

   Circumventing the Rules - Whistle Blower Documents

Read it on scrib

This is a travesty of our tax dollars, Read the July Doug Hanks Herald Article when Zapata called it the "Mother of all Slush funds" at the meeting:

Miami-Dade commissioners balk at plan for business grants
(read the 43 comments on Eye on Miami)
By DOUGLAS HANKS  (this is the July Hanks column except the parts in red italics)
dhanks@MiamiHerald.com

Miami-Dade commissioners on Thursday stalled an effort to use property taxes to fund about about $40 million in business grants for projects that included a private-jet hangar, charter school complex and production facility.

After harsh questioning by Commissioner Juan C. Zapata, the commission’s economic-development committee voted to delay considering a request by Mayor Carlos Gimenez to rewrite the rules of a dormant program aimed at recruiting large business ventures. The Gimenez administration wants to allow smaller businesses to use $75 million set aside from a 2004 ballot initiative that gave Miami-Dade authority to use property taxes to borrow $3 billion over several decades for a long list of infrastructure and construction projects.

“I think we had a really good idea that turned into something it wasn’t supposed to become,’’ Zapata said. “If we scream ‘jobs’ loud enough, this will somehow make this a good idea.’’

The current rules tied to the 2004 Building Better Communities bond program limited economic-development grants to $10 million a piece, a restriction aimed at reserving the borrowed funds to businesses and projects large enough to be “game-changing” for the economy, according to a 2010 memo setting rules for the program.

By waiving those rules, Gimenez’s staff want to give $5 million infrastructure grants to six businesses, including Miami Ocean Studios, a planned studio and production campus in northwest Miami-Dade and a for-profit medical school planned by Larkin Health in southern Miami-Dade. The money would reimburse businesses for costs tied to roadwork, sewage hookups and other infrastructure expenses, as well as for public parking facilities, according to presentation documents.

“We are trying to deal with the economy now, rather than the economy they were dealing with in 2004,’’ Jack Osterholt, the deputy mayor overseeing economic-development, said after the meeting. “We wanted projects that were sustainable, and would keep people working.”

The proposed grants, along with money tied to a similar BBC program without a $10 million threshold, include backing for projects tied to several influential people.

Improvements in Miami’s Design District, a popular retail destination controlled by Craig Robins, a top art collector, would get $1 million. Miami-Dade would earmark $5 million for a commercial project backed by the foundation of former congresswoman Carrie Meek.

Another $5 million would go to the Orion private-jet terminal, an Opa-locka business partially owned by Leonard Abess, who famously sold City National Bank of Florida in 2008 for $945 million and then gave $60 million of the profits to employees. A charter-school complex in Palmetto Bay backed Wayne Rosen, one of the top contributors to Miami-Dade commissioners’ reelection efforts, would get $5 million.

After the meeting, Rosen said his Parkside at Palmetto Bay project, which includes retail and housing, would bring jobs to the heart of the village.  (Councilman Schaffer spoke for the Village of Palmetto Bay with no authorization to do so and gave inaccurate information to the Committee. The project was rejected at least twice but Rosen sued or threatened to sue to get the project. It is near the Perrine Enterprise zone not in a Palmetto Bay enterprise zone. An expert was brought in and did not see it as a viable money making project, that is for starters, Schaffer never mentioned any of that he said the village was behind the project all the way. Also the city submitted a different project and it was turned down).

“We are the catalyst to get that downtown district started,” he said. “I believe in the redevelopment of their downtown district, and I’m willing to stay the course to get this project under construction, to create jobs and create a downtown district that I can be very proud of.”

Rosen’s venture sparked one of several tense moments during the hearing, with speakers noting he was the top contributor to Commissioner Lynda Bell, who chairs the committee and was running the meeting.

“We have a county commissioner sponsoring this project who is running for reelection and the project would benefit her largest campaign contributor,” Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner said shortly after Bell called her up for a requested speaking slot. Bell said she sponsored the resolution needed to fund the Rosen project only because she represents Palmetto Bay, and that the mayor’s office approved the applicants. “This under the purview of the mayor,’’ she said.

Rosen also dismissed the suggestion that the grant would be related to his campaign contributions to Bell. “My projects are approved on their merits, and there’s no outsiders pushing it,” he said.  (right, Lynda Bell didn't push it at all for her largest campaign countributor Wayne Rosen who gave her campaign and ECO over $23,000.)

The motion to defer voting on the grant proposals passed 3 to 1, with Commissioner Barbara Jordan objecting to the delay. “We have timelines tied to this list,’’ she said.

Thursday’s debate centered on a tiny portion of the 2004 Building Better Communities program, which passed overwhelmingly when voters endorsed eight ballot questions. The words “economic development” didn’t appear on the ballot, but an appendix approved projects tied to the planned bond sales earmarked $75 million for business-grant program.

Despite having 10 years of economic boom and bust, Miami-Dade has yet to tap the borrowing authority tied to the proposed business grants. The Beacon Council, the county’s economic-development arm, hoped to use about $15 million for a major air show near the Homestead air base, but the project failed to win needed backing from the Pentagon.

Frank Nero, head of the Beacon Council from 1996 to 2013, said the new guidelines abandon the original plan’s intent.

“One of the reasons we put in the $10-million threshold was to keep it from being divvied up by commission district,’’ said Nero, who was ousted by the Beacon Council board last year in part over scrapes with Gimenez. “You’re borrowing the money. It better be a significant project because you’re going to be paying off the bonds for 20 or 30 years.”

Along with the business grants, the Gimenez plan would use $18.5 million from the economic-development allocation for beach re nourishment along Miami-Dade’s coast. Thursday’s vote defers taking up the entire recommendation for 30 days.

Dollars for the BBC program come from a countywide property tax reserved solely for debt payments on voter-approved bonds. Commissioners decide when to borrow more money for the BBC program, and Miami-Dade next year will pay about $75 million in debt service tied to the $2.9 billion initiative, according to the latest budget proposal. Projects funded including the Miami Port Tunnel, the Pérez Art Museum Miami, bridge repairs and library construction.

Osterholt said the administration planned to stagger payouts from the proposed business-grant program so that Miami-Dade could avoid increasing debt service tied to the property tax. That would mean the program would have no impact on the tax rate. Either way, the program would have no impact on next year’s budget.

Larry Williams, the current Beacon Council chief, cautioned against dismissing an effort to help smaller businesses grow.

“These are the type of things that lay the foundation for economic development,’’ he said. “These investments can be game changers.”

THIS IS WHY I TELL YOU: DON'T VOTE FOR BONDS.

Inspector General Salary. By Geniusofdespair

Mary Cagle, our new Inspector General, put as her salary requirements $195,000 to $250,000. She wrote that she was flexible. She was asked at her interview if she would take less and she said she would. Her current salary was $120,000. Only Michael Murawski, at the interview I was at, said no, he would not take less. He was asking for $200,000.  Well yesterday Mary was awarded a $190,000 salary. I say it is excessive in light of her willingness to take less in speech and in the written word. I give whomever negotiated her pay a "C-."

Speaking of salaries and ethics agencies read Gimleteye's post yesterday, Stop Crony Capitalism Now:

In Miami-Dade County, low public esteem of the state attorney's office and the county commission on ethics is pervasive. It is a repeated topic in the comments of readers of Eye On Miami.

How to account for the timidity of these entities that nominally protect the public but appear, instead, to reinforce the status quo by virtue of anemic, toothless response to corruption?

Mary Cagle's Salary for Office of the Inspector General. By Geniusofdespair

Whomever is negoiating Mary Cagle's salary, I have her resume:

She was making $120,000. Now she wants $195,000 to $250,000. I DON'T THINK SO. During the interview she said she was open to negotiating on her requested salary, I was there. Her salary had better be $120,000.

Unions are you watching this?

The Fab 3. By Geniusofdespair

The troika is in place. Mary Cagle will be confirmed as the Inspector General at the county commission meeting today. She worked with Katherine Fernandez Rundle for about 2 decades. Joe Centorino,  our ethics commissioner, also worked for Rundle for many years. Too much incest in these 3 separate entities.

Our 3 watchdogs, I predict, will be useless, working together instead of independently. I agree with Joe Carollo today as he expressed anger that his case was dropped by Rundle. Imagine agreeing with Joe Carollo on something!

Mary Cagle new Inspector General. By Geniusofdespair

Kathy Fernandez Rundle told her at the interview that she hit it out of the park. She was with the State Attorney's office for 22 years, I guess she didn't have to do much to impress Rundle.  Not my first choice.  I wrote about this earlier this week.

Inspector General Interviews. By Geniusofdespair

The meetings to interview a replacement for retiring Chris Mazzella started October 4th.  I went to the first interview session and blogged about it.  The questions they asked the candidates are below. I suppose they are now considering who to hire. I don't have much hope we will get someone as good as Chris.

Questions asked of applicants, the last one they should have asked!

Committee reviewing applicants for IG job.

Here is an example of  how MIAMI DADE COUNTY ignored the IG's good advice and audit in the past to get us some revenue from the American Airlines Arena ---AS PROMISED BY THE HEAT IN THE COUNTY AGREEMENT WITH THEM FOR THE FREE LAND. Miami Dade doesn't have money for libraries but they make excuses for the Miami Heat's non-payment (see Lester Sola's press release) even though the team is flush with money:

I Went to the First Interview Session for the Inspector General Job. By Geniusofdespair

I was alarmed I wasn't offered lunch but that is another story. The lunch looked crappy anyway.

I saw applicants Thomas Raftery, Mary Cagle, and Michael Murawski being interviewed for the job of Inspector General -- I wrote about this yesterday. They are the first 3 of 13. It was decided by the selection committee that no one would recuse themselves from the vote even though some of the people on the selection committee knew some of the applicants pretty well. This didn't particularly bother me until one person on the selection committee said to an applicant "You hit a home run" which to me was totally out of line. I didn't think so at all on that applicant. Now I think they should recuse themselves.

I will not divulge the questions to be asked even though I have a copy of them. The county attorney in attendance deemed it a public meeting and let me say, some of the members doing the interviewing were not happy campers when I asked for the questions and the attorney decided I had a right to them. You could see that "damn public" look in their eyes.

I will also not rat on any of the applicants answers as there are more people to be interviewed. I felt the interviewers made an effort to listen carefully to all 3...better than I was listening.

There were two answers by applicants that rattled me:

One applicant said they would forge relationships and meet with commissioners. ICK on that one. How about arms length? You might be investigating some of them, hopefully, we don't want you to be their friends. No relationships. If someone is going to spill their guts it is not because you are their friend.

The second was the refusal of one not to be negotiable on salary. It was very funny to hear people say that County salaries were pretty high compared to State salaries. The salary issue is particularly funny when you consider the brouhaha that Thomas Raftery's proposed salary increase, to a paultry $165,000, caused in Philly (He makes $130).

Anyway, it was not a totally boring experience. My only advice to the Selection Committee: I want you to hire a pitbull not a bureaucrat.

One thing that did bother me besides the lunch snub, they didn't have a question about the public or talk much about us -- the taxpayers. If they want to forge relationships they should forge them with us, the ones that are tired of being robbed, cheated and misgoverned. Chris Mazzella we will miss you. I have a feeling we will get a bureaucrat afraid to take risks.

Everyone on the committee was reminded that their notes were public records. No, I didn't ask for them but you can.

Replacing the Miami Dade County Inspector General. By Geniusofdespair

Michael Murawski

At noon today a selection committee will start sifting through 13 candidates for the Inspector General position: Mary Cagle, Neftali Carrasquillo Jr., Christopher Clark, Joseph DeMarco, Timothy Donovan, Teresa Gulotta-Powers, Richard Lober, Michael Murawski, Robert Carter Olson, Donald Oswald, Thomas Raftery, Jody Weis, James Wright. The only one I know of is Michael Murawski who works for ethics. What is an "ethics advocate" anyway?

According to the Miami Herald:

State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle will chair the selection committee to replace Christopher Mazzella who retired after 14 years at the post.

I would have applied except they required 10 years as either a law enforcement officer, judge, government attorney or managing an investigative public agency (was that added for Ethics Commission Advocate Murawski?).

Apparently the only thing I am qualified for is County Commissioner...and I may run, it might be fun.

In 2012 the Inspector General found that the Miami Heat owed the county $3.1 Million. Why didn't the County collect yet?

While the inspector general did not turn up any fraud by the Heat, Mazzella concluded that a "number of questionable expenses were charged against arena revenues, thus lessening the county's prospects of receiving its proportional share of arena profits."

His nine-month investigation followed a New Times report that despite getting $72 million in taxpayer subsidies to run the Triple A and raking in a fortune since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the franchise, the Heat has avoided sharing any revenue with the county.

Apparently the County pays absolutely no attention to the IG even when it is about money. Do we really need one?

Miami-Dade County Boondoggle with Millions of Our Tax Dollars. By Geniusofdespair

“The big picture here is how the hell did this happen? How could somebody steal this money with minimal excuses? It’s almost ridiculous. It’s mind-boggling.” - Chris Mazzella, Miami-Dade County Inspector General

The Miami Herald reported that an ex-Miami Beach Clinic head was arrested for stealing almost $7 million dollars from a Miami Beach clinic funded with plenty of our tax dollars both County and Federal.

I looked up all the checks that were written directly from the County to this clinic, Miami Beach Community Health Center Inc., since 2008 (when the theft started). You can add it up if you like, I am too lazy. It was 6 pages of checks about 153 were written during this time period.

All the County checks written DIRECTLY to Miami Beach Community Health Center, Inc. since 2008. They also got money from other County entities.

The officers of Miami Beach Community Health Center Inc. are Myriam Notkin of Surfside, Jane D. Gross of Miami Beach, Melvin Deutsch of Miami Beach and Antonio Wong of Pembroke Pines.  RON BOOK is the lobbyist.

The Miami Herald said:

"The center receives about $4 million annually in federal funding. In 2011, the clinics received about $15 million from various county funds, including the Children’s Trust, AIDS support and Jackson Health System."

Who is to blame for this? The Miami Herald reported that Miami-Dade County Inspector General Chris Mazzella said:

He planned to brief the Miami-Dade County Commission as soon as possible because the center had “a total breakdown of fiscal accountability” and “very very lax oversight.”

He said he’ll be “putting the county on notice that there needs to be close oversight of this organization, which spends millions and millions in county funds.”

Mayor Gimenez, who signed all these checks? Some heads at the county should roll over this one. How can you steal almost $7 million dollars of mostly county funds and no one notices? Remember that the Children's Trust money is County money and so is Jackson.

Chris Mazzella you must do audits, audits and more audits to uncover county boondoggle.

Miami-Dade police won't repay "stolen" environmental funds and Mayor Alvarez will pay the price ... by gimleteye

It's only $6 million, according to the Miami Herald, "misspent" by the Miami-Dade police department but it is the brazen culture of snatch and grab politics that will speed Mayor Carlos Alvarez out of office in the general recall election scheduled for March 15.

We are used to the bad cop narrative. A lone policeman goes rogue. This is a different story. The crime begins with the diversion of funds collected as a result of successful environmental prosecutions-- including the U.S. EPA-- to feather the beds of police captains with connections to an official elevated out of the police ranks to Miami-Dade mayor for his reputation for integrity and honesty: Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Alvarez.

Mayor Alvarez and the police department allowed the top cop responsible for the fiasco to retire without consequence except for a severe bruising in the press. According to comments on this blog, he retired with full benefits. (I have not investigated this assertion.) Now the police department has responded to a recommendation by the Office of the Inspector General: no, we will not replenish the "misspent" funds. In the recent Herald report, the Police Director James Loftus says, "... that over the life of the trust funds, the department paid some $27 million out of its general fund for the salaries and benefits of officers and directors working environmental investigations -- that, in sum, the contribution of personnel costs far offset the questioned expenses."

I have a couple of follow up comments to this sad story, that will certainly contribute to recalling Mayor Alvarez. First of all, what was the return on investment of that $27 million spent by Miami-Dade police to investigate and prosecute environmental crimes. In other words, what did the public get for that money spent? Were all those high tech cameras used to stake out "drum dumpers" and how many drums were stopped and how many criminals prosecuted? Did any of those police funds result in prosecutions against developers who have failed to pay either citations or permit fees? I'd like to know. Or, was our drinking water protected from criminals who pollute our drinking water wells in West Dade?

This raises another very serious issue: the US Department of Justice is responsible for prosecutions resulting in fines by the U.S. EPA. Environmental crimes are extraordinarily difficult to prosecute. The $6 million contributed to the Miami Dade Police environmental crimes unit was, in my opinion, token "blood money" for the massive criminal enterprise that government permits to promote economic activity at the expense of our environment. In other words, a successful environmental prosecution is like manna falling from heaven. For the police department to have allowed this money to be squandered is unconscionable.

Years ago, I asked on behalf of local environmental groups, whether they could have access to the funds collected by the U.S. Department of Justice through prosecutions of environmental crimes. It made sense. Why not use fines collected from criminals to help fund chronically under-funded environmental groups? Wouldn't this be fair? Call it a "Robin Hood Fund". Well, DOJ was very uncomfortable with the idea. What they worried about most were the political atmospherics. Environmental groups, the reasoning goes, are too partisan and "too political". So what did DOJ do? They turned the money over to the police. After all, what are the police going to do, steal it?

It is extraordinarily disappointing that Mayor Carlos Alvarez and his administration have brushed off the complaints as though they were lint on a sweater. Perhaps Mayor Alvarez feels aggrieved: that in the public eye he can do nothing right. Why, under this circumstance, even try? But this particular bit of idiocy is just so easy to fix. Make the police department pay the damn money back. Let Maimi-Dade environmental groups chartered as non-profits with environmental missions have access to those funds. But so far, Mayor Alvarez hasn't lifted a finger. I hope that the U.S. Department of Justice sues Miami-Dade County over this mess. I really do.


Posted on Thu, Jan. 13, 2011
Miami-Dade police won't repay misspent environmental funds

BY MATTHEW HAGGMAN
mhaggman@MiamiHerald.com

The Miami-Dade Police Department is acknowledging it misspent funds meant to fight environmental crime on flat-screen TVs, SUVs and firearms.
``Clearly inappropriate,'' Police Director James Loftus says.

But putting the money back into the green funds, as the county's inspector general has requested? Not so fast.

``No, we are not,'' county police spokeswoman Nancy Perez said.

Miami-Dade Inspector General Christopher Mazzella said in a recent memo to Mayor Carlos Alvarez that the police have adopted many of his recommended fixes, following a scathing IG audit that found the police used two environmental trust funds as a kitty for pricey purchases with little connection to environmental crime-fighting.

But the police department is flatly rebuffing two IG recommendations: that it stop using green-fund money to pay expenses such as monthly cellphone and aircard bills, and that it repay the misused public dollars.

``We continue to stand by our original recommendations that the Trust Funds be reimbursed,'' Mazzella said in a Dec. 21 memo to Alvarez.

The police department isn't obligated to follow the IG's recommendations, unless the mayor or the county commission act. And there's little push coming from the county executive's office.

Mayoral spokeswoman Victoria Mallette would only say in a statement that ``administrative procedures have been strengthened.'' When pressed whether the mayor thinks county police should pay up, she referred questions to Loftus and hung up.

The standoff is the latest chapter in a scandal that erupted last year over county stewardship of funds that were meant to combat polluters. Instead, amid ``overall chaotic administration,'' the funds were steered to ``excessive, unreasonable, or unnecessary'' purchases, the IG audit found.

The IG's inquiry, following a Miami Herald series last year that detailed dubious spending, focused on nearly $6 million spent from 2000 to 2009 from two funds: the South Florida Environmental Task Force Trust Fund and Florida Environmental Task Force Trust Fund.

More than $1.1 million was spent on vehicle-related expenses, including the purchase of 23 SUVs and trucks that went to top brass rather than environmental investigators working in remote areas. Another $1.1 million went for cellphones used, in many cases, by officials in non-environmental departments.

Three Sharp 52-inch flat screen TVs were snapped up for about $6,000. Nearly $35,000 was spent on 30 Smith & Wesson M&P-15 rifles and holographic sights. Police justified the firearms on the grounds that an environmental investigator might encounter ``a wildlife poacher armed with a high-powered rifle.''

Three Segways were bought for $25,000. One was used periodically to patrol MDPD's suburban headquarters, and two were found ``sitting unused in a warehouse,'' auditors found.

The episode served as an embarrassment for embattled Mayor Alvarez, who is facing a recall vote on March 15.

Division Chief Frank Vecin, a close ally and supporter of Mayor Alvarez, was in charge of fund spending. At one point, Alvarez was ferried around in a Chevy Tahoe purchased with green-fund money. The county mayor later returned the automobile, saying he didn't know it was bought with funds meant to fight polluters.

The revelations of fund mismanagement prompted the retirement of Vecin.

``The IG believes the funds were managed improperly,'' said C. Michael Cornely, Vecin's attorney. ``It was their opinion. To me, the IG justifies its existence by looking for things and making issues out of things that are not really an issue.''

The two environmental funds, created in 2000 by the county commission and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, were established to help fight polluters in South Florida, which the county has called a ``drum dump capital.'' Funding sources included fines and court judgments.

Police director Loftus -- named to the top job in February, after spending questions were already being raised -- now says new money will not be accepted into the two funds. The remaining balance in the accounts is $1.5 million.

In defending his position that the police department need not repay the misspent dollars, Loftus contends that over the life of the trust funds, the department paid some $27 million out of its general fund for the salaries and benefits of officers and directors working environmental investigations -- that, in sum, the contribution of personnel costs far offset the questioned expenses.

Mazzella responded that the trust fund money was ``to augment, not replace'' general funds.

If they police were to repay for misspending, the precise amount isn't clear, though the August audit provides a road map.

``We left it to the police to determine what was justified, and repay what was not,'' said Mazzella.

Miami Herald staff writer Martha Brannigan contributed to this report.

JESCA: Better Known as Rolle's Non-Profit. By Geniusofdespair

County Commissioner Dorrin Rolle stepped down from the non-profit, JESCA, in 2008 leaving it in financial shambles, all the while collecting a salary of almost $200,000 per year. JESCA filed for bankruptcy in August of 2009. In May 2008, JESCA was advertising for a new CEO:

"JESCA is seeking a leader of unquestioned operational excellence and strong financial acumen as President and CEO. The ideal candidate will have experience working closely with a board, staff, associates and other constituents to achieve ambitious goals in a fiscally responsible manner."
Don't know if the job is still open. We must not forget the 2009 Inspector General Audit of JESCA (results summary are in the two graphics) covering a time when Rolle was still the CEO. We need Rolle booted off the Public Health Trust Board and the Board of County Commissioners. This guy should be banned from all Boards except ironing boards.

Expect him to get a slap on the wrist from the Ethics Commission on his latest shenanigans.

JESCA: It's Back! By Geniusofdespair

County Commissioner Rolle's former cash cow JESCA is in the news again. I complained bitterly for a long time that a lot of questionable charities were getting our tax dollars from the County. My complaint was centered on that the Inspector General was suppose to be doing random audits on charities/non-profits on the discretionary giving list but was told by the IG Office that NO AUDITS HAD EVER BEEN DONE.

Well, it appears the Inspector General FINALLY did an audit of Jesca and here are some of the results (also note: as JESCA went down the tubes, Rolle became one of the richest County Commissioner, worth over a $1,000,000):

Under Miami-Dade Commissioner Dorrin D. Rolle's watch, the James E. Scott Community Association raided employee retirement accounts and diverted charity funds to pay executive salaries and other operating costs, the county's Office of Inspector General found.

The questionable financial maneuvers -- orchestrated in 2006 and 2007 while Rolle was earning nearly $200,000 annually as the charity's chief executive officer -- are prohibited under typical agreements between JESCA and public agencies that fund its programs.

The commingling of funds, detailed in a report issued Friday by Miami-Dade Inspector General Christopher Mazzella, has also caught the attention of prosecutors. Ed Griffith, spokesman for Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernández Rundle, said his office is ``presently reviewing the matter.''

The report sheds new light on JESCA's collapse under the leadership of Rolle, who took over the agency in 1992. He was elected to his County Hall post six years later.

Net worth history of Dorrin Rolle: Dorrin Rolle 6/30/09 - $1,021,184, 6/30/08 - $1,113,254, 6/30/06 - $1,557,461, 6/30/05 - $1,072,851, 6/30/04 - $997,040. (In ‘06 he made $161,000 from Jesca, he made a whopping $190,000 from Jesca in ‘08.)

Miami Dade Drops the Ball: Taxpayers Suffer $175,000 loss. By Geniusofdespair

"Government, as the steward of taxpayer dollars, must exhibit diligence and demand comprehensive and pro-active oversight of money it disburses to ensure that our community benefits in the formation of jobs and businesses rather than con artists." - Christopher Mazzella, Inspector General

Christopher Mazzella, Inspector General, uncovered a small fraud that I think is the tip of the iceberg. For example, the County Commissioners get money to give to charities, non-profits and small businesses. There are suppose to be random audits of these charities/non-profits, but when I asked to see the audits, they told me they had never done one...EVER.

The County should do audits on a regular basis, and as Mazzella suggests, they should monitor the programs they are funding to weed out con artists. If they did their "due diligence" they might uncover more like Mr. Word's scam. He used $175,000 of our tax dollars "to pay debts, travel and buy land in Colorado" instead of buying the Subway franchise he was given the money for from Metro Action Plan. The County should heed what Mazzella said:

"This is where we see a tremendous failure in government to properly monitor the program and to do any sort of due diligence. A simple phone call to Subway, for example . . . would have revealed that Word was not a franchise owner."

February 13th article follows:

MIAMI HERALD
Miami-Dade agency lashed after fraud arrest

The county inspector general detailed how a businessman bilked a Miami-Dade agency of $175,000 -- and how local government failed to detect it.
BY ALFONSO CHARDY
achardy@MiamiHerald.com

The Miami-Dade inspector general chided a local government agency Wednesday for awarding $175,000 to a resident who claimed he was going to open businesses in Overtown -- but used the money to pay debts, travel and buy land in Colorado.

Inspector General Christopher Mazzella said the Metro-Miami Action Plan agency, a community partnership of Miami-Dade County, the city of Miami and Miami-Dade Public Schools, gave the money to Robert Lee Word to open a Subway restaurant and other businesses in the predominantly black Miami neighborhood without verifying how he used the money.

''The lesson here is very simple,'' Mazzella told a news conference at his downtown Miami office, where he announced Word's arrest on fraud charges.

``Government, as the steward of taxpayer dollars, must exhibit diligence and demand comprehensive and pro-active oversight of money it disburses to ensure that our community benefits in the formation of jobs and businesses rather than con artists.''

Bill Simmons, who oversees Metro-Miami Action Plan contracts, declined to comment when questioned about the allegations by Gary Nelson of Miami Herald news partner WFOR-CBS 4. ''I can't speak to that,'' he said. ``That's all part of the investigation.''

Word could not be reached for comment. He was in detention Wednesday afternoon, and no defense attorney was listed for him in public records. Mazzella said his office ''is looking at other grant disbursements, not necessarily tied to Metro-Miami Action Plan,'' but declined further comment.

He noted, however, that investigators were confident there was ''no collusion within government'' with Word -- ``other than sheer incompetence and lack of oversight.''

Mazzella said the case began in January 2005 when Word formed a corporation called BCJ and struck an agreement with Metro-Miami Action Plan for money to open a Subway outlet, an art gallery and an outplacement agency in Overtown. Word claimed he was a Subway restaurant owner and was expanding into Overtown.

Based on those assertions and forged documents, Mazzella said, Word was awarded the $175,000.

Within a year, Mazzella said, Word deposited the funds in two bank accounts and began using the cash for personal items. Among other things, he spent $6,000 on Colorado land, $4,000 in trips, $9,000 toward his wife's mortgage, about $3,000 in delinquent child support, and covered cellphone bills and a $143 Red Lobster dinner.

He also paid about $7,000 in personal debt and made $1,250 in political contributions to local candidates. Mazzella said there was no evidence the candidates knew Word.

''This is where we see a tremendous failure in government to properly monitor the program and to do any sort of due diligence,'' Mazzella said. ``A simple phone call to Subway, for example . . . would have revealed that Word was not a franchise owner.''