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rapunzel

Beach Fanatic
Nov 30, 2005
2,514
980
Point Washington
Isn't the TDC managed by the TDC? It's a council -- the membership of the TDC is spelled out in statute, and there is a position on the Council designated to be filled by a county commissioner. The Tourist Development Council is a committee, and they hire an Executive Director to oversee day to day operations. However, the council members are responsible for the TDC operations by statute.

It seems like there has been a witch hunt at the TDC. I know a few members of the board have been removed. The whole "scandal" about Sonny Mares using a black taxi to go from the airport to his hotel in London (one would presume he had bags and didn't know his way around London) and had a $500 dinner at Seagar's while entertaining a consultant to has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funding to the county. Was there a policy and procedure in place limiting entertainment expenses? It seems a bit unfair to scream "gotcha!" when there has been no policy in place.

There seems to be a huge double standard between public and private money. I recently had a discussion with a conservative friend who claimed to be scandalized by the $500 dinner at Saegar's, but untroubled by FRP Chair John Thrasher's $20,000 bill at a London hotel that was put on a junior staffer's credit card because that was "private money." Well, the Chamber is a private entity as well. Are Dawn Moliterno's expenses going to be audited as well? What policy and procedure is being used by Carr, Riggs and Ingram to determine which expenditures are suspicious? Will they be going back to look at Chris Titus' expenses to verify this was not standard procedure for the TDC to entertain out of town consultants? I think this would be particularly important if there are no specific p&p's regarding reimbursable expenses.

Back during the blue sign hubbaloo, it was easy to find a list of TDC members and their budget through a quick google search. Now, I'm not able to find numbers (or even my post from the spring of 2008 on this forum) for the budget or membership. I remember the tourist tax generating about $12 million dollars. That's a pretty substantial budget to entrust to a private, non-elected entity. And given the position on the Airport board, it might be a bit too much of a concentration of power.
 

GoodWitch58

Beach Fanatic
Oct 10, 2005
4,816
1,921
I certainly think the BCC and the TDC need to look carefully and think transparency here.

I can not believe there is any good to come from having this entire operation changed in such a cavalier way...

And, I have to question the fact that one person can manage all the jobs...at the same time, when before there apparently was a need for a director of each.

What on earth is going on?
 

scooterbug44

SoWal Expert
May 8, 2007
16,732
3,330
Sowal
I know part of it is my perspective, but it seems like we are constantly hearing about suspicious expenditures.
 
yeah, it does some....

what I am puzzled by though is why the County Commissioners- elected to run the County, a local government entity, would think it appropriate to place one ( or two) of its Councils into a private business association?

Is there a reasonable explanation for their thinking?

What am I missing here? Is that even legal? Does the County Commission have that authority? I thought the TDC was governed by statute? No?

(County tourism promotion agencies are clearly designated county agencies by the terms of s. 125.0104(9), F.S.)


GOOD QUESTION: What am I missing here? WAY too big a decision to make on such short notice. At one point Cecelia Jones asked that Scott Brannon be given the power to OK the non-existent contract WITHOUT ANOTHER BOARD MEETING. What??????
 

WCTA

Beach Lover
May 27, 2009
124
120
Walton County
www.waltontaxpayers.org
Walton counties czar !

This stinks to high heaven. There was a well coordinated consortium at the meeting to try to push this through without discussion or citizen input. In fact the first vote was rescinded because there had not been any discussion by citizens. The BCC was asked to vote on an agreement that DOES NOT EXIST. Cecelia Jones made two motions to allow Dawn Moliterno to take over the TDC without the first mention as to how much we, the citizens of Walton Co, were going to pay Ms. Moliterno to manage a county organization that does not need a management company! Larry Jones was the one commissioner who said he wouldn't vote for something he didn't know the details about. What is going on here?


If you were there you heard the discussion about an agreement that was distributed to at least some of the TDC Board last week. After making multiple public record requests and being told that no such document existed - a kind soul provide a copy that they received on last Saturday.

Although it is a draft with certain info to be filled in, it shows that those who claimed that the idea to place the TDC under control of the Chamber was in motion, prior to the HR Directors request for guidance and Commissioner C Jones read her written motion.

The BCC needs to hire a new script writer - this last episode was poorly written and executed. Every punch was telegraphed.

The WCTA was repeatedly told no such document or draft existed by the Legal Department, TDC and Chamber.

It appears that we have a CZAR in Walton County that acts without direction, approval or authority. That same CZAR gave County Commissioners free Medical Insurance and simply sent them an email informing them of his action, has now decided to orchestrate an consolidation of additional delivery of key and vital services under the Chamber umbrella all prior to any county commissioner having knowledge of the plan.


View attachment 16880
 

GoodWitch58

Beach Fanatic
Oct 10, 2005
4,816
1,921
If you were there you heard the discussion about an agreement that was distributed to at least some of the TDC Board last week. After making multiple public record requests and being told that no such document existed - a kind soul provide a copy that they received on last Saturday.

Although it is a draft with certain info to be filled in, it shows that those who claimed that the idea to place the TDC under control of the Chamber was in motion, prior to the HR Directors request for guidance and Commissioner C Jones read her written motion.

The BCC needs to hire a new script writer - this last episode was poorly written and executed. Every punch was telegraphed.

The WCTA was repeatedly told no such document or draft existed by the Legal Department, TDC and Chamber.

It appears that we have a CZAR in Walton County that acts without direction, approval or authority. That same CZAR gave County Commissioners free Medical Insurance and simply sent them an email informing them of his action, has now decided to orchestrate an consolidation of additional delivery of key and vital services under the Chamber umbrella all prior to any county commissioner having knowledge of the plan.


View attachment 16880

Are we citizens of this county really going to stand for this?
 

WCTA

Beach Lover
May 27, 2009
124
120
Walton County
www.waltontaxpayers.org
Isn't the TDC managed by the TDC? It's a council -- the membership of the TDC is spelled out in statute, and there is a position on the Council designated to be filled by a county commissioner. The Tourist Development Council is a committee, and they hire an Executive Director to oversee day to day operations. However, the council members are responsible for the TDC operations by statute.

It seems like there has been a witch hunt at the TDC. I know a few members of the board have been removed. The whole "scandal" about Sonny Mares using a black taxi to go from the airport to his hotel in London (one would presume he had bags and didn't know his way around London) and had a $500 dinner at Seagar's while entertaining a consultant to has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal funding to the county. Was there a policy and procedure in place limiting entertainment expenses? It seems a bit unfair to scream "gotcha!" when there has been no policy in place.

There seems to be a huge double standard between public and private money. I recently had a discussion with a conservative friend who claimed to be scandalized by the $500 dinner at Saegar's, but untroubled by FRP Chair John Thrasher's $20,000 bill at a London hotel that was put on a junior staffer's credit card because that was "private money." Well, the Chamber is a private entity as well. Are Dawn Moliterno's expenses going to be audited as well? What policy and procedure is being used by Carr, Riggs and Ingram to determine which expenditures are suspicious? Will they be going back to look at Chris Titus' expenses to verify this was not standard procedure for the TDC to entertain out of town consultants? I think this would be particularly important if there are no specific p&p's regarding reimbursable expenses.

Back during the blue sign hubbaloo, it was easy to find a list of TDC members and their budget through a quick google search. Now, I'm not able to find numbers (or even my post from the spring of 2008 on this forum) for the budget or membership. I remember the tourist tax generating about $12 million dollars. That's a pretty substantial budget to entrust to a private, non-elected entity. And given the position on the Airport board, it might be a bit too much of a concentration of power.

Maybe it wasn't a witch hunt.

You might find these tax liens interesting.

View attachment 16881

View attachment 16882

View attachment 16883

View attachment 16884

Owner - none other than the then Treasurer of the TDC. If I remember correctly MS Brown was promoting an increase in the bed tax, but fell just a little behind in forwarding those taxes collected by her firm to the State of Florida and TDC.
 

rapunzel

Beach Fanatic
Nov 30, 2005
2,514
980
Point Washington
Wow. Mary Brown wasn't the person I was thinking of, but that is truly shocking. Okay...no witch hunt there.

As for the phantom contract, that is completely unbelievable. Do the Sunshine laws have no teeth at all?

Has any Chamber ever taken on the responsibilities of a governmental entity? And how is this different from the Coastal Vision 3000 group that was thwarted in their attempts to act as an unelected, private group with governmental authority?

I have nothing against the Chamber or it's director, I just think this situation is too odd to be kosher. A Chamber advocates for it's paid members not the general citizenry.
 

Here4Good

Beach Fanatic
Jul 10, 2006
1,269
527
Point Washington
Cecelia Jones provided me with the board members:

Scott Brannon
Don McQuade
Tim Norris
Steven Hilliard
Jennifer Steele Saunders
Ken Gifford
Maurice D. Gilbert
May Jo Tommas
Mike Stange

Their entire budget is $12 million, 31 employees, but I cannot find their specific budget for 2010.

I cannot fathom handing over a $12 million budget on the basis of a page and a half contract.

Oh, wait, we have no attorney right now, so who wrote the contract?
 
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