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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025 04 28 Public Input - Documents Submitted by Robert MillerHonorable Robert S. Miller, LtCol, USAF (Ret) Former City Commissioner District 1, Winter Springs (1997-2008) 679 Silvercreek Drive, Winter Springs, Fl 32708 (Cell) 407 346-8977 25 August 2023 Senator Jason W. B. Pizzo Justice Committee and Community Affairs Committee's 3475 Sheridan Street, Suite 211 (Florida District 37) Hollywood, Florida 33021 SUBJECT: Keep your promise to Winter Springs Mayor McCann regarding Brodeur's audit! Dear Senator Pizzo, On January 26, 2023, Mayor Kevin McCann of Winter Springs appeared before your Joint Legislative Auditing Committee in Tallahassee, regarding Senator Jason Brodeur's request for a one year audit of the City of Winter Springs. Mayor McCann repeatedly pointed out to you in Tallahassee on the 26tl1, that the basis for the requested Brodeur audit, was in fact a weaponized attempt by an unnamed local Winter Springs PAC seeking to destabilize the City's Government. Mayor McCann repeatedly asked you not to approve this audit and pointed out that Senator Brodeur's close friend, who also lived near Brodeur in the Tuskawilla district of the city, was County Commissioner Jason Zembower, and that Zembower had used these same weaponized allegations to call for an audit by Seminole County by the County cleric Becoming annoyed with the Mayor's continued petitions you personally assured Mayor McCann, that if there was any truth to McCann's argument, that he had your personal word that you would immediately look into his allegations, and if true you would hold those responsible for their mischief and trouble making. Well Senator Pizzo, the facts and outcome eight months later clearly indicated it is now time for you to keep your promise to Mayor McCann. The Seminole County Clerk's audit was not only unauthorized by County Commissioner Jason Zembower, and found nothing, but also that of Brodeur which is also going nowhere. Several months into the County audit, the Seminole County Clerk admitted while the audit was still in progress, that nothing substantial had been found. Local media noted the Clerk's admission was unprecedented while the audit was still incomplete. Unfortunately many of the City of Winter Springs key personnel, including its city manager, have already resigned over the baseless allegations of wrongdoing in the Brodeur allegations. On July 6, 2023, the current interim City Manager, Phillip Hursh, also wrote a three page scathing letter to the Grant Malloy, the Seminole County Clerk, asking him to cease and desist with his unauthorized audit, enumerated a list of grievous failures by the Clerk. Mr. Hursh concluded: "In closing, despite your office's utter failures to directly communicate the results of the completed audit to the City, my office considers this matter closed." The County had found nothing. 1 - SUBMITTED BY ROBERT MILLER - APRIL 28, 2025 PUBLIC INPUT The State's one year audit of the City of Winter Springs, now entering its ninth month, has also uncovered no serious natters alluded to in that mysterious document handed to Brodeur in early 2023. Brodeur's anonymous source of charges provided to him in Winter Springs are now believed to have been assembled by a group headed by a former City Mayor with a lot of leadership problems, and also many former elected persons known to the previous mayor and also no longer in office. What did Senator Brodeur state about his reasons for his audit request to you Senator Pizzo? I am aware of concerns regarding activities of the current Mayor, City Commission and City Manager. The residents of Winter Springs have compiled extensive material showing rampant mismanagement and even malfeasance which is harming the 38,000 residents of the City of Winter Springs," and, "suspected violations of state ethics laws, a complete lack of transparency, taxpayers funded misinformation campaigns, censoring residents, and possible public corruption and profiteering with a commissioner?" Such a litany of allegations by Senator Brodeur obtained from some local advocacy group now also smacks of Brodeur's Senate Bill 1316, which many in the media referred to as laws seen in South Africa, others behind the Iron Curtain, and those of socialist Ethiopia, where similar weaponization programs have created chaos and destroyed civic society. After many months State auditors in Winter Springs have found little to support Brodeur's stated concerns, or others in Seminole County for that matter. It appears Senator Brodeur was misled, or worse? After the stench of recent Greenberg scandals in Seminole County, more and more residents, according to Scott Maxwell, in a recent article he enquired, "Why local Florida politicians are drawn to such scandals the way dung beetles are to cow patties?" In closing, it is time you to end this charade in Seminole County and please keep your promise to Mayor McCann. Look into this weaponization program described to you by Mayor McCann many months ago. Sincerely, r Hon. Robert S. Miller, Col, USAF (retired) Former Commissioner in Winter Springs (1997-2008) 679 Silvercreek Drive, Winter Springs, FI 32708 Cell) 207- 346-8977 Email) thezormaster@gmail.com Also sent by email to: pizzo.jason@flsenate.gov Honorable Governor Ronald DeSantis Governor of Florida Executive Office of the Governor, Suite LL-10 Tallahassee. Florida 32399-0001 E-mail) DeSantis@EOCmyflorida 27 April 2025 Dear Governor DeSantis, SUBJECT: Florida's Final State Audit Report for Winter Springs? I am concerned that there appeals to have been no real closure to a State Audit two years ago which was introduced at the time as more than just some local problems normally being dealt with by local governments. In the case of this City's audit demanded by JLAC, there were other very serious allegations alluded to. The audit was based on an anonymous document from a prominent member of your Republican Party in Florida. I refer to Mr. Jesse Phillips, the then Republican Party's Vice Chairman for Florida, and a longtime resident of Winter Springs. Mr. Phillips and associates at the time also appear now to have been posing as a non-existent PAC in Florida. They provided an anonymous document to Senator Jason Brodeur in 2022. So troubling were some of his allegations mentioned below, that upon receipt, Senator Brodeur, immediately demanded an official State audit of Winter Springs. At one point Senator Brodeur even falsely alleged the City of Winter Springs was bankrupt. So troubling were JLAC's alleged corruption issues, that Seminole County's Republican Tax Collector also demanded a City audit. At the time, newly elected Senator Jason Brodeur, as the newly installed chairman of Florida's JLAC, summarized his concerns about Winter Springs leadership as follows in early 2023: I am aware of concerns regarding activities of the current Mayor, City Commission and City Manager. The residents of Winter Springs have compiled extensive material showing rampant mismanagement and even malfeasance which is harming the 38,000 residents of the City of Winter Springs," and, "suspected violations of state ethics laws, a complete lack of transparency, taxpayers funded misinformation and campaigns, censoring residents, and possible public corruption and profiteering with a commissioner?" Incredible as it may seem... today, two years later, the State's audit report is still not finalized. And no evidence of any of the foregoing has ever emerged? The City's residents problem today, Governor DeSantis, is that the stench needlessly raised publicly by Phillips and associates, continues to besmirch the good name and reputation of this City. We used to live in a country of laws, but some now wonder? This "Sword of Damocles," still hanging over this City's leadership is still a very serious problem that you need to end immediately. If needed, the Republican Party would also need to censure those in its ranks who needlessly endanger the Party's future in Florida. As I am sure you knew, a decade back, of another local Seminole County lawmaker, Chris Dorworth for example: who aspired to become the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives in Tallahassee. But then a long list of serious concerns emerged about his personal life. The Party rallied around Dorworth, and a short time later, Florida voters overwhelmingly threw Dorworth out of a new District specially created for him... so he could win. (1) But the public, fed up with Party shenanigans... instead chose Jason Brodeur! Local papers on Sunday September 10, 2023, then observed, `In Florida elections, the cheaters often win. " And that Jason Brodeur was: "the beneficiary of `ghost candidate' schemes in which people have already been convicted or pleaded guilty to crimes. Yet Brodeur remains in office." And concluded by observing "Maybe we should all celebrate justice prevailing and the cheaters being exposed — except for the key fact: The cheaters also won. " (2) And then along comes Joel Greenberg, who also gets the nod to run for elected office in Seminole County, from local county and State political power brokers. Greenberg runs for Seminole County Tax Collector in 2017 and wins. Then resigns three years later under a cloud of accusations of misconduct. Courts then finally found him guilty of a host of criminal misbehavior in public office, and gave him eleven years in prison. And some $1,392,000 of taxpayer monies provided to various associates while in office, and still not seriously looked into by local elected officials years later? Shirley Co. 678,000 Aries Consulting Group 263,000 E-3 Ventures 300,000 Public Efficiency Group (Mike Ertel) 45,000 Blue Print enterprises 40,500 Mega Advisory Group 29,000 Community Cultural Consulting 16,000 KI Consulting Group 48,000 And now comes Senator Jason Brodeur and his problematic statements about the City of Winter Springs in January 2023. And then Seminole County Commissioner Jay Zembower also demands his office also conduct an urgent audit of the City of Winter Springs? Did these audits have valid concerns on the part of those requesting them, or were they motivated by others interested in weaponizing the elected government of the City of Winter Springs? Brodeur's allegations so traumatized the City that many employees left to find employment elsewhere. Others resigned in disgust, while efforts to find new employees became a serious problem. The media at the time also pointed out that some 42 other ethics cases had been brought against Florida elected officials elsewhere, but not a single one in Winter Springs. On Wednesday 9 August 2023, the Orlando Sentinel's Commentary again observed that the stench of corruption was back in Seminole County and Tallahassee, but; "Isn't really unusual since Florida politicians are drawn to scandals the way clung beetles are drawn to cow patties." Two days later local papers observed that Joel Greenberg friends in Seminole County, were like, "a criminal octopus because so many people tied to the former tax collector have faced federal charges. " (3 ) A month later a local paper, the Oviedo Community News, for the week of 18 September 2023, reported that two newly elected Winter Springs Commissioners had publicly admitted they had already been in contact with developers with a development interests for the Highlands area of the City. With this and other problematic commentaries about the need for "Sunshine compliance," city residents are increasingly concerned about the city's future belonging only to big developers and behind the scenes local Republican Party interests here. (4) In closing, Governor DeSantis, do something! An explanation is also urgently warranted from your Inspector General, to clear the air on what her final audit report has to say about the host of criminal charges anonymously provided by Mr. Phillips, and then entered into the public record by Senator Jason Brodeur two years ago when lie became the new chairman of Florida's, Joint Legislative Action Committee (JLAC). The residents of Winter Springs are grateful to you for your consideration in this matter. Sincerely, Hon. Robert Miller. Former Winter Springs District 1, Commissioner (1998-2008) 679 Silvercreek Drive, Winter Springs, FI. 32708 References: 1. Orlando Sentinel. Scott Maxwell. "Unpaid Taxes. False Claims. What's Next?" Local and State. Sec 1, p. 3. August 13, 2023. 2. Orlando Sentinel. Scott Maxwell, "In Florida elections, the cheaters often win," Local and State, Section 1, Page 3. September 10, 2023 3. Orlando Sentinel. Opinion. Editorial. "Difficult to understand why DeSantis has delayed valid ethics complaints for years." Thursday September 21, 2023 p.18 4. Oviedo Community News report of Thursday 21, 2023, and Minutes of Winter Springs meeting of Monday 18, 2023