![]() ![]() Flowers was effectively terminated last December after counteraccusations resulted in a scandalous investigation into inmate abuse and employee morale. Mark Flowers filed a lawsuit in Circuit Court alleging acts of retaliation and a violation of the state Whistle-Blower Act.Īs horrified Volusia County taxpayers will recall, Dr. On Monday, former Volusia County Corrections Director Dr. ![]() Everything is all right now – move along…” We’ve found the culprit toiling away in virtual anonymity in the bottom ranks. The employee is also appealing the dismissal. The veterinary assistant was subsequently terminated by Volusia County for “workplace issues” – “…including using county property for personal gain and unprofessional conduct: slamming doors and cursing at the workplace and at an event.” “I’m glad that senior staff had suspicions and instead of kind of letting that out they went to (the auditor) and did a full investigation, and that does need to be carried out,” Brower said. Robins said whoever was involved needs to be held accountable “to the maximum.” Council Chairman Jeff Brower said he agreed and added it “should have been caught by the supervisor there.” “And I have a hard time believing the staff at the time or possibly the director or the leadership at the time that oversees that did not or could not know about this, and I’m really curious to see the outcome in this investigation.” It was larger than what it was,” Vice Chair Danny Robins said. “It’s just my … feelings: Obviously this was orchestrated. So the county has turned the audit report over to the sheriff’s office for further review.”Īpparently, the largest loss occurred when customers were not properly charged for services by Animal Service employees – including discounted fees, inconsistent billing, and unaddressed situations where an employee had a clear “conflict of interest” – all the result of “weak internal controls” and “a lack of supervisory oversight of daily activities.”Īccording to the News-Journal’s report, Chairman Jeff Brower and Councilman Danny Robins understand the need for accountability: The state attorney’s office filed a notice of intent not to prosecute on March 9.īut more information was uncovered - with a much larger financial loss - during the audit process, County Manager George Recktenwald said. The sheriff’s office forwarded the investigation to the state attorney’s office for possible misdemeanor charges of petit theft and altering records.” “…about 56 invoices where services weren’t properly charged, which cost the county $1,020. This week, the News-Journal’s Sheldon Gardner took a deep dive into a recent report by Volusia County Internal Auditor Jonathan Edwards, who uncovered a year-over-year “alleged fraud” in the Animal Services Division (which, I think, falls under the “Public Protection” bureaucratic umbrella) that has cost taxpayers an estimated $26,000.Ī low-level veterinary assistant who operates a DeLand area nonprofit pet rescue has been singled out for the financial irregularities – which include undercharging, or not charging “…at all for various services for her own nonprofit as well as others.”Īccording to the report, a subsequent investigation by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office found: ![]() Unfortunately, it is now embarrassingly evident that the senior leadership of Volusia County does neither… The brilliant mathematician, computer scientist, and US Navy Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper succinctly explained the difference between people and resources for those holding positions of high responsibility: ![]() Let’s look at who tried to screw us – and who tried to save us – during the week that was: It’s time once again to turn a jaundiced eye toward the newsmakers of the day – the winners and losers – who, in my cynical opinion, either contributed to our quality of life, or detracted from it, in some significant way. ![]()
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