WTH - Scott Brannon is an "aide"?!!
The fraud examination documented unauthorized charges ranging from minor items like Commissioner Boots McCormick's $7.71 purchase at "Bootlegger's Bar and Liquor," to substantial purchases, such as Nick paying $7,085 for him and his aide, Scott Brannon, to attend the 2020 National Association of Counties Conference.
Nick's spending on the National Association of Counties Conference trip "was inconsistent when compared to other commissioners who attended," the internal auditor's report said. "One commissioner's rooms for himself and his aide was significantly more than the other attendees."
Two rooms booked by Nick rented for $683 per night each. The auditors presented a table with a comparison showing another commissioner's booking of $299 each per night. Nick also paid $811 on the same trip for a plane ride that was originally booked at $299.
"Changes were made to the original flight reservations incurring additional fees of $850. Preferred seating fees of $174.80 were also incurred," the auditors reported. "Justification for the fees in excess of other travelers was not provided, nor was a travel voucher submitted."
County travel policy dictates that a traveling official will find the most economical lodgings available. It also states that the traveler will be responsible for covering the cost of "preferred seating" options and that the county will only reimburse at the coach level flight rate.
Neither Nick nor McCormick have yet submitted documentation rebutting the internal auditor's findings to the clerk's office.
Glidewell, Anderson, McCormick and Nick were all identified in the internal auditor's report as having claimed reimbursement for exercising preferred seating options over the audited time period.
Nick also was found by auditors to have received reimbursement for $182 in charges incurred in December 2019 at the Hilton Sandestin in Miramar Beach. Policy states that in-county travel will not be paid for with taxpayer dollars unless justification for the expense is provided. Nick lives in Freeport.
"No documentation was provided to justify the necessity of the charge," the auditors' report said.
The clerk's office initiated its examination into possible misappropriation of funds in January, according to the report, when an unidentified source reported that commissioners McCormick and Glidewell were abusing their privileges as elected officials by using county vehicles for their personal uses and obtaining mileage payment for their personal vehicles.
The reporting person also accused McCormick and Glidewell of driving their county vehicles to the liquor store and using their county-issued credit card to purchase alcohol.
Auditors uncovered no findings specific to the original allegations, though at a commission meeting McCormick did admit to using his county purchasing card to buy beers with a meal.
Auditors also identified two charges for attending the 2019 Florida Association of Counties Legislative Conference, attributed to Nick, in which the flight times did not correspond with the conference dates.
They identified two charges for attending the 2020 Florida Association of Counties Legislative Conference in which Glidewell provided dates of stay that didn't match up to the dates when the conference was held.
The investigators identified two charges from Glidewell for airline baggage that were incurred by someone who was not a county employee.
A transaction for a hotel room was identified in which no itemized receipt was submitted, the report said. A memo Glidewell provided for support of the charge states that the room was canceled and that the charge would be refunded.
"As of March 2, 2022, a refund has not been received," auditors said.
Glidewell said at Tuesday's meeting that he turned over "290 pages of stuff."
