Tavares, FL April 17, 2015
This is older news, but a relevant example of local government cronyism, bribery, and waste in Palm Beach County, FL
Source: Orlando Sentinel:
"Lunches, golf outings and vacations involving a Palm Beach County official and government contractors created a potential perception of favoritism in awarding $9 million in publicly funded work, according to the county's inspector general.
The inquiry raised questions about Deputy County Engineer Tanya McConnell's role in directing county contracts to three firms represented by people she described as "friends."
While Inspector General John Carey found that no laws were broken, he did call for changes to the county's contracting process. He also forwarded the case to the county's Ethics Commission for further review, which rules on potential violations of the county's ethics code."
The above article provides an example of how a strong County Director can bluff staff into giving business to favored vendors who are "friends". It is amazing she was that stupid when the County hired an Independent Inspector General several years ago due to political corruption.
Link to Palm Beach Inspector General's website - which has link to the above mentioned 4/16/2015 "Engineering Department" audit.
Vance Jochim
FiscalRangers.com
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/fl-contracting-favoritism-palm-20150416-story.html
