NEAR FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WSVN) — Broward County commissioners approved the results of an audit that, they said, will change the way they operate projects going forward, and it will not involve giving full authority to the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
The board said they were “never, ever” going to give full authority of big budget projects to BSO after the final cost of the recently unveiled training facility , which include a wellness center, firing range and classrooms totaled more than double what it was originally supposed to cost.
“The total cost of the training center is $73.7 million, and that had risen from their original estimated project cost of $34 million,” said Broward County auditor Robert Melton.
Melton, who decided to look into the project when the total amount was discovered, told county commissioners that while he understands Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony has a job to do, if the county had more control of the project, they could have saved some money.
Other Broward officials, like Mayor Nan Rich, agreed.
“So, we need to, in my opinion, never, ever do a delegation of authority again,” said Rich.
“We, obviously, we are not going to do that anymore, I hope,” said Broward County commissioner Lamar Fisher.
Melton told commissioners that Tony’s expenses were so big, he used money allocated for salaries toward the building, which the law allows.
“The sheriff reallocated about $8.6 million from other funds to put toward the training center. From that amount, $4.8 million was from salaries. That just emphasizes the importance of staying in control. Since the building is a county building — the county owns it, not the sheriff — the county needs to remain in control,” he said.
The audit also discovered changes to the original plan contributed millions to the original cost. These additions included $500,000 to highlight the current sheriff’s name and picture throughout the facility.
BSO responded to the audit on Thursday afternoon with a statement:
“This audit was initiated prior to completion of this construction project and after BSO requested additional funding specifically because of changes required by county administration that resulted in millions of dollars in additional costs.”
BSOBSO said the money focused on highlighting Tony’s name was to build camaraderie and “to question the appropriateness of branding in a non-public area illustrates a lack of understanding of what drives public safety professionals and why non-elected bureaucrats should not be involved in any public safety decisions that impact the community.”
They emphasized that all the funding was secure.
Melton told commissioners he recommends the county should maintain control of future projects to avoid something like this from happening again, and that way, if there are any budget issues along the way, the county can make the decision.
“You folks have a responsibility to all of the citizens and to all of the taxpayers for a whole bunch of different needs, and so, you all have to balance that with the needs for the sheriff’s office,” he said.
At the same time that the audit was approved, BSO asked the commissioners for a budget increase of about $250 million. Commissioners countered with only a $50 million increase. Tony said that offer was not enough.
BSO said the money would be used to cover general operation costs like improving jails and increasing salaries. Those budget negotiations are ongoing.
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