News & Public Affairs

Audit: Office Depot not scamming Hillsborough listen

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Tags: Hillsborough County, Office Depot, audit

After various localities and states – including Florida – began investigations last year on allegations that Office Depot was guilty of fraudulent pricing and overcharging on government contracts, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin White requested that the county conduct its own investigation to determine whether it had also been ripped off by the national retailer.

But today, a County Auditor said that he had reviewed more than 15,000 transactions for the last six months of last year,...

Iorio weighs in on Buddy Johnson's problems listen

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Tags: Hillsborough County, Supervisor of Elections, Buddy Johnson, Phyllis Busansky, audit

Gov. Charlie Crist said today that he does not believe the state needs to investigate former Hillsborough County Commissioner Buddy Johnson for his alleged misuse of funds.

Hillsborough County officials have sent several state and federal government agencies, including law enforcement agencies, the results of a recent audit that suggests Johnson misspent money and broke state law. Current Supervisor Phyllis Busansky said this week the FBI has seized some of the audit records.

Meanwhile,...

Hillsborough to further investigate Buddy Johnson's tenure listen

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Tags: Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, Buddy Johnson, Phyllis Busansky, mismanagement charges, audit

Hillsborough County Commissioners today voted to forward the results of an audit that details financial mismanagement by former County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson to legal authorities.

The motion was proposed by Commissioner Rose Ferlita. The move arose after Johnson’s successor, Phyllis Busansky, came before the Board today to ask for money to settle an outstanding bill that Johnson left for her. She said the county still owes Premiere Election Solutions, the company who has pr...

PETA wants Lowry Park Zoo investigated listen

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Tags: Lowry Park Zoo, Lex Salisbury, Tampa, audit

Lex Salisbury resigned his position as president of Lowry Park Zoo last week after the zoo’s board asked for his resignation. It came on the heels of a Tampa audit that found Salisbury used resources and animals from the zoo for his own for-profit animal park called Safari Wild.

Over the weekend Salisbury resigned from another post, according to tbo.com. He and Lowry Park Zoo’s director of collections, Larry Killmar, resigned last week from the Zool...

Lowry Park Zoo president resigns listen

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Tags: Lowry Park Zoo, Lex Salisbury, Tampa, audit

Embattled Lowry Park Zoo president Lex Salisbury has resigned. He made the decision this afternoon at a five-hour zoo board meeting at the Mainsail Suites Hotel in West Tampa.

Salisbury has been criticized because of questions regarding his for-profit business called Safari Wild. He came under even more scrutiny following a scathing 60-page audit report released last week by the city of Tampa.

According to the city audit, Salisbury owes the zoo more than $200,000 for such things as $700...