ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County is taking additional steps to recover more than $100,000 it accused a nonprofit of overbilling for teaching seniors technology courses that caught auditors’ attention last year.
From the Heart Charitable Foundation billed the county $250,000 for the series of courses taught at community centers, but should have been paid $148,637.50 because many of the seniors did not complete the full class, Comptroller Phil Diamond’s team said.
From the Heart’s owner, Kietta Mayweather Bracy, told WFTV that she believed she didn’t have to give the money back because Orange County staff members told her how much to bill them. She also claimed the contract was billed per class, instead of per pupil – something auditors dispute.
In a memo dated March 4 sent to the commissioner and senior county leadership, County Administrator Byron Brooks said Bracy continued not cooperating. He did not specify what “legal actions” the county would pursue.
No lawsuits had been filed against From the Heart or Bracy as of Thursday morning, per the Clerk of Court’s website.
Brooks said additional actions have been taken to address other concerns brought up by auditors and the man who tipped them off.
One finding was that the county paid an inflated price for the technology courses, which auditors said could’ve been offered by other entities, including county staff, for several thousand dollars total.
Part of the problem, they said, was the “sole source” nature of the contract, which should have been disallowed. While county staff claimed no other company could have provided the same services, they said one company responded to the request for proposal briefly posted on the county’s procurement website.
Brooks said a former county employee has been found in violation of the county’s policies and the Office of Professional Standards is reviewing communications to see if any further investigations are needed.
Brooks also suggested it could be time for the county to examine its rules around giving contracts to nonprofits, which were established in 1992.
He explained that the policy allows smaller nonprofits to be awarded “sole source” contracts to keep costs down and get resources to needy populations faster.
“We have launched a review of the current policy to identify if its use is still beneficial and relevant given it was adopted more than 30 years ago,” he wrote. “We will report to the BCC with any recommended changes to, or elimination of, the current policy.”
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