OSCEOLA COUNTY, Fla. — A state committee voted unanimously Monday to launch an audit into Concorde Estates Community Development District in Osceola County.
Dozens of residents allege the district’s board misused hundreds of thousands of dollars.
A community development district (CDD) is like a homeowner’s association but with government-type powers. It can borrow money and charge extra fees to your property tax bill to pay for things like roads, parks, drainage, streetlights, clubhouses, and other shared amenities.
State Senator Kristen Arrington requested the audit that was just approved, saying residents have been asking for transparency from the board for months with no answers about what is happening to their money.
This state committee is not the only group looking into Concorde Estates. Osceola County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it passed its investigation over to FDLE.
“It’s a breath of fresh air to see that the government is seeing what we have been trying to bring to their attention for the longest time,” Audric Madera, a Concorde Estates resident. Madera was alongside many other residents who gathered at the community’s clubhouse, hours after Florida’s Joint Legislative Audit Committee’s vote.
Senator Arrington says her office has received numerous complaints from residents regarding the district’s financial management and transparency — including the alleged misuse of $900,000.
In her letter requesting the audit, it states the Osceola County Tax Collector’s Office deposited nearly $2 million into the District’s account last December, but records indicate nearly half of it was spent within days. The letter says it’s an amount equivalent to the district’s entire operating budget for the previous year.
“There’s been no sufficient explanation from the board regarding the necessity or justification for this level of expenditure,” Arrington writes.
“The money — $900,000 — gone in 20 days, like fast and furious,” said Concorde Estate board member Robin McNeil who asked the committee to approve the audit. “It’s just like — we’re looking for some answers, looking for guidance.”
Arrington states in the letter that residents have also claimed “excessive and potentially unlawful compensation” was paid to the district’s president and his family, allegedly amounting to more than $500,000.
The state senator added in the letter, the district president’s compensation appears to violate Florida law “which limits board member compensation to no more than $200 per meeting a maximum of $4,800 per year, unless otherwise authorized by referendum.”
“We saw checks made out directly to the CDD president in the amounts of $10,000, $15,000, $25,000 — and the largest check we saw was for $120,000, made out directly to the CDD president,” said resident Aidee Velez. Velez has been pulling records and demanding answers from the district for months. Residents like Velez say they began asking questions after district fees increased.
“And did you see why it increased?” Webb asked.
“Absolutely not. Everything was in total disarray. Our parks were not being maintained, landscaping was only done every couple of months, the pool was continuously being closed, and they completely abandoned our volleyball court,” Velez replied.
9 Investigates drove through the community in August to find grass feet high and not maintained.
We have reached out to Concorde Estates and its attorney multiple times. So far, they have declined to comment.
There are several more allegations noted in Arrington’s letter to the committee that we will continue to dig into over the coming days.
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