[Nfbf-l] Fwd: [fcb-l] Tampa Bay Times article on dbs

[Carlos Montas]

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Begin forwarded message:

> From: Carlos Montas <carlos.montas at att.net>
> Date: December 20, 2012, 8:09:10 AM EST
> To: "carlos.montas at gmail.com" <carlos.montas at gmail.com>
> Subject: Fwd: [fcb-l] Tampa Bay Times article on dbs
> 
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> Begin forwarded message:
> 
>> From: "Montas, Carlos" <Carlos.Montas at dbs.fldoe.org>
>> Date: December 20, 2012, 7:42:10 AM EST
>> To: <carlos.montas at att.net>
>> Subject: FW: [fcb-l] Tampa Bay Times article on dbs
>> 
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> Carlos Montas
>> Senior Rehabilitation Specialist
>> Division of Blind Services
>> 1185 Dunn Avenue
>> Daytona Beach, Florida  32114
>> Phone: 386-254-3807 
>> Fax: 386-239-6107
>> Email: carlos.montas at dbs.fldoe.org
>>  
>> From: fcb-l-bounces at acb.org [mailto:fcb-l-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf Of Easy Talk
>> Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2012 5:23 AM
>> To: fcb-l at acb.org
>> Subject: [fcb-l] Tampa Bay Times article on dbs
>>  
>> Four ousted in Blind Services after audit discloses sweetheart deal
>> By
>> Brittany Alana Davis
>> , Times/Herald Bureau
>>  In Print: Thursday, December 20, 2012
>> TALLAHASSEE
>> —Thousands of state workers haven't received pay raises in years, but Division of
>> Blind Services worker Caroline McManus was due for a $97,000 boost overnight.
>> The plan: To quit her $59,000 computer programming position and return the next day
>> as a $156,000 contractor.
>> All the managers approved it. Same job, same desk, more than double the pay.
>> While that sounds like a great deal for the employee, it also violates a rule that
>> bans workers from leaving state jobs and returning within two years for more money.
>> After learning about the ploy from an audit released this week, officials with the
>> Department of Education, which oversees the Division of Blind Services, halted it
>> and fired two employees, suspended two others without pay, and forced two more to
>> resign. One of those forced to resign was the division's director,
>> Joyce Hildreth, who had approved the pay raise for McManus.
>> This is only the latest sign of turmoil at the Division of Blind Services. Last month,
>> a
>> Times/Herald
>>  story revealed Hildreth, a former contractor, farmed out no-bid contracts to her
>> former coworkers that were so loosely worded the groups could charge $58 dollars
>> per hour for driving to a blind person's house or more than $2,000 for a brief phone
>> call.
>> This week's audit, by the Department of Education Office of the Inspector General,
>> said that several workers knew for months about the plan to rehire McManus. But investigators
>> said they didn't object because, in the words of one employee, "This kind of situation
>> happens all the time." A similar case with a second employee is under investigation.
>> "The department will continue to look into (the Division of Blind Services) to be
>> certain that there are no other issues and that the division is doing the best job
>> for the people they serve," Department of Education spokeswoman Cynthia Sucher wrote
>> in an email.
>> The Division of Blind Services operates a $52 million budget and hires private vendors
>> to help 11,000 blind Floridians manage their disability.
>> According to the audit, the Department of Education needs to better follow the rules
>> for contracts and bidding.
>> Case in point: Of the 12 supervisors and employees interviewed in the report, almost
>> everyone seemed unclear on whose responsibility it was to decide whether McManus
>> was eligible for a state contract.
>> Paul Harbin, who requested the contract for McManus, was one of those fired. He was
>> offered the opportunity to resign, but refused because he didn't believe he did anything
>> wrong.
>> Harbin
>>  argues that he's not responsible for knowing and interpreting state law. He thought
>> hiring McManus didn't sound right, but said he had heard of that happening before.
>> Still, he said he consulted with every manager and with Department of Education Attorney
>> Charles Pellegrini — who acknowledged to investigators he gave the wrong advice.
>> Pellegrini was suspended for five days without pay.
>> "My entire career is spotless, integrity is a large part of who I am," said
>> Harbin
>> , a 21-year state employee. "Anyone who has worked with me would tell you I would
>> never knowingly break a rule."
>> McManus told investigators she had no idea she was doing anything wrong when she
>> started her own consulting firm—McManus Business Consulting, Inc.—to cash in on a
>> Blind Services contract.
>> Her desk was mere yards from private contractors who do the same, or less work, for
>> more than double the salary, she told investigators. McManus did not return calls
>> to her home phone.
>> Mary Ellen Ottman, who quit Blind Services in September, said she's not surprised
>> by the report's findings.
>> "I have thought for a long time that contract dealings were not fair," she said.
>> "The problem goes deeper than this one incident. There really needs to be some changes."
>> The spokeswoman for Jeff Atwater, Florida's Chief Financial Officer, urged the department
>> to bolster its hiring procedures.
>> "The mismanagement of contracts and grant agreements in our state can potentially
>> cost
>> Florida
>>  taxpayers millions every year," said Anna Alexopoulos. "It is important to have
>> stronger contract and grant standards in place as well as better training so that
>> managers can spot red flags and correct potential issues before dollars are deployed."
>> Contact Brittany Alana Davis at
>> bdavis at tampabay.com
>>  or 850-323-0353.
>> [Last modified: Dec 19, 2012 07:33 PM]
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