Busted! Feds Audit Jax After Kim Scott Demolition Spree

[sheclown]

City vows changes after HUD review

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A federal review found the city of Jacksonville violated regulations when it demolished homes in Springfield. It owes the federal government more than $160,000 and may have to pay more in fines, if certain issues aren't addressed.

City staffers halted demolitions using federal funds last year, after it was revealed that certain policies and procedures were not followed.

"Based on our review, this lack of communication and compliance resulted in the demolition of fourteen (14) properties that may have been eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places," the team with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wrote in the report.

Activists said they weren't surprised by the findings, as they had alerted officials to the issues over the past few years.

"Across the board, the city needs to a better job of spending federal money," said Gloria DeVall, with Preservation S.O.S. "There's a lot of money that comes into the city every year, hundreds of millions of dollars. Jacksonville has a duty to be good stewards with that money."

Elaine Spencer, Housing and Community Development Division chief, told Action News she met with HUD officials on Thursday to discuss the findings. She said most of the issues, especially those involving environmental reports, predated her tenure.

"All the technical experience disappeared from the division so we did not have that capacity now we do," Spencer said. "And so we're doing everything that we can to conform to the HUD requirements and training is very fundamental in that."

Three of the home demolitions happened during Spencer's time as head of the division. She said her staff moved aggressively to address that issue after determining rules were broken. Five staffers have received training related to environmental reporting.

Other issues found in the review have already been corrected, Spencer said.

"Knowing what we know now, we can be certain that that will not happen again," she said. "We should not have any recurrence."

The city has about two months to file additional reports relating to the demolitions, or else it will face additional fines of $545,000.

Spencer said she is confident her staff will address the issues so that the fines would not have to be paid. She also said that amount may be reduced, even if all of issues aren't addressed in that time frame.

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http://www.actionnewsjax.com/content/topstories/story/City-vows-changes-after-HUD-review/HeOZJyDcvU28yFsQYBx8kA.cspx

[ChriswUfGator]

As to the demolitions, they have been found at fault.  First, they were forced to admit they did not follow proper procedures for two emergency demolition now HUD has officially found 13 demolitions that must be paid back.   Preservation SOS knows of 164 demolitions that the city could also be on the hook for.  However, I suspect HUD would much rather leverage this to insure the city cleans up it's act so here's hoping the city cooperates better with HUD than they typically do with anyone at all.

Will there not be a more thorough investigation to find out exactly how much federal money the city needs to return? I would think there would be an obligation to do this, whether or not the more important end goal is to ensure the city learns from its mistakes. If there are indeed 140+ more demolitions that broke the rules, that's a hell of a lot of free federal money the city gets for bad behavior, if HUD doesn't fully investigate this.

Interesting you'd mention that. The answer is YES.

[sheclown]

Probably the biggest consequence would be the threat in the audit that if measures are not taken, the city will LOSE its federal funding.

That would mean the end of life as we know it in Jacksonville.

100s of millions a year.

[JaxUnicorn]

Don't get me wrong....I do not want the City of Jacksonville to lose Federal Funding.  As sheclown implied, that would be devastating for us.  What I DO want is that the City take responsibility for ALL the mis-use of Federal dollars....take their lumps....straighten up and fly right!

As I posted earlier, there are many, MANY other properties that were demolished without following the Federal rules, and as we've now discovered via the HUD Audit, projects not involving demolition did not follow the rules either. 

The improper demolitions took place under Kim Scott's watch.  And now the City has promoted her to Director of Regulatory Compliance where she has the responsibility to make sure regulations are followed.  Someone please tell me how that makes any sense whatsoever....   

[sheclown]

I would also like to add this.

Clearly Springfield was targeted after the audit by code enforcement. 

Federal audit date:  March 17-21

Code sweep through Springfield:  March 28

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,21163.0.html

City of Jacksonville.  You are on notice.  Here and on all social media.

Any heavy handed action against Springfield will be met with as much force back as humanly possible.  And will be witnessed by all those who read Metrojacksonville and Facebook.

It will be GAME ON.

And if the city should have to answer for anything -- it should have to answer for how it treats its URBAN CORE.

[JaxUnicorn]

I would also like to add this.

Clearly Springfield was targeted after the audit by code enforcement. 

Federal audit date:  March 17-21

Code sweep through Springfield:  March 28

http://www.metrojacksonville.com/forum/index.php/topic,21163.0.html

City of Jacksonville.  You are on notice.  Here and on all social media.

Any heavy handed action against Springfield will be met with as much force back as humanly possible.  And will be witnessed by all those who read Metrojacksonville and Facebook.

It will be GAME ON.

And if the city should have to answer for anything -- it should have to answer for how it treats its URBAN CORE.

YES!  I am 1,000, 000% on board!!    (Anyone notice the significance of that percentage? )

[stephysat28]

City Council backed her promotion to COMPLIANCE OFFICER this past April!
http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2014-04-14/story/jacksonville-council-panel-backs-kim-scotts-promotion-compliance
Considering the FED's stated every file had issues of non compliancy , is this women capable and does she deserve 88K thousand a year when she cannot do the job. How about claw back the fine from her salary?
http://news.jacksonville.com/govtsalaries/index.php?id=326644

[avs]

...and every member of city council knew about these issues BEFORE they approved the promotion, PSOS members informed them BEFORE they approved the promotion - so for any of them to act "shocked" is really insincere and says what they all really think of all of us who vote

[edjax]

With Metro Jax's relationship with Channel 4 don't you have an ear over there with someone that will tell the real story and blow this up day after day with news reports? That may get Ms Scott canned if tied to Skipper Brown as we all know the only time  he does anything is if there is a camera or he starts getting bad press that may now bring down his reelection.

[edjax]

^^ excellent!  Bring her down! 

[Springfielder]

It didn't surprise me that the city council clowns still voted to approve the promotion of Kim Scott...with Denise Lee singing her praises. Then the report comes out and they have the audacity to act surprised...really? It's not like PSOS hasn't been shouting out about all of this. This just shows the lack of real leadership and integrity of COJ.

[Scrub Palmetto]

Springfielder,

Noticing in your signature that it's been 358 days since a demolition. If still accurate, will there be some celebrating on the 365th day? Nice number to see!

Maybe the 365 milestone will be a good time for another Kent Justice piece.

[sheclown]

Ann Schindler on First Coast News.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/2014/06/16/hud-report-slams-city/10637305/

[thelakelander]

Whoa. So all cases randomly reviewed had compliance issues. That's pretty damning. There's a good chance all the demolitions were in violation. What's the Mayor's Office response to this growing fiasco? Paying back the feds for not following the rules is basically a tax increase.

[sheclown]

Whoa. So all cases randomly reviewed had compliance issues. That's pretty damning. There's a good chance all the demolitions were in violation. What's the Mayor's Office response to this growing fiasco? Paying back the feds for not following the rules is basically a tax increase.

We have not found (in reviewing 170+ cases of demolition using federal funds) where a single one was done correctly.  Add in the asbestos issues (improper notification to the authorities to ensure public safety) and you have a regulatory compliance division which lacks the "capacity" to understand how to do their job in all areas.

And these are HUDs words, not ours.