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

[Sherri]

Just does not sound good!

Sherri
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Easy Talk
Sent: Thursday, December 20, 2012 5:23 AM
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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