ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County commissioners will now see major changes in who they can donate free concert and game tickets to after the mayor’s new policy passed on Tuesday.
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Mayor Jerry Demings proposed changes after 9 Investigates reported Commissioner Mayra Uribe gave hundreds of free tickets to her husband’s charity, AllStar Dads.
The tickets were to big games like USA v Brazil and big name acts like Bad Bunny, Travis Scott and Def Leopard.
Demings said he saw “room for improvement” after recent news stories.
Demings told 9 Investigates the changes are aimed at improving transparency and providing more oversight to who commissioners give these free tickets to.
Looking at a seven-month time frame this year, 9 Investigates found Uribe donated more than 160 tickets to Sutton’s charity, worth more than $20,000.
“Do you think it was fair that she gave those tickets to her husband’s charity?” Investigative Reporter Ashlyn Webb asked Mayor Jerry Demings.
“I can’t respond on whether it’s fair or not. But with the policy moving forward, it moves any question about it, whether those behaviors, actions are appropriate,” Deming said.
The mayor’s new policy approved Tuesday will prohibit commissioners from giving those tickets to a nonprofit where a relative is an officer, director, or member.
Read: Questions arise over how skybox tickets given to Orange County commissioners
Also, commissioners cannot donate tickets to a nonprofit more than twice in a year.
The mayor’s new policy reads, “With thousands of IRS-tax-exempt nonprofit organizations in Orange County, skybox tickets can help uplift an organization and provide an overall community benefit.”
Kevin Sutton, Mayra Uribe’s husband, told 9 Investigates that he thought the policy change was “strange,” asking why the county didn’t act earlier if there was a problem.
Sutton said he believed it was fair that Uribe donated the tickets to his nonprofit.
“I wouldn’t say it’s unethical because there’s a point of the tickets aren’t just given out like just because there’s a situation where our nonprofit volunteers at all of her events, our guys come out and help set up tables, pick up supplies, do all the food, drives, the cleanup,” Sutton said.
Read: Mayra Uribe donated hundreds of free county skybox tickets to husband’s charity, records show
The policy change also requires that commissioners verify the nonprofit to they are donating tickets to is tax-exempt.
The IRS revoked All-Star Dad’s tax exemption status in May. Records show Uribe continued to donate tickets to the organization after the revocation.
Sutton told 9 Investigates that he had submitted paperwork to get the tax exemption status reinstated.
9 Investigates reached out to Uribe for comment—since these changes passed. We have not heard back.
She’s up for re-election next week.
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