Okaloosa County Commissioner Wayne Harris has hired a Tallahassee attorney to represent him before the state’s Joint Legislative Auditing Committee next week.

The Auditing Committee voted Monday to subpoena Harris when he didn’t attend a hearing at which he and other commissioners had been asked to appear.

“I was not there (Monday) on the advice of my attorney,” he said.

Harris said he plans to consult with his lawyer, Ronald Meyer, to determine whether he will respond to the committee’s subpoena. He declined to make other comments on the Auditing Committee’s actions.

Several current and former Tourist Development Council members also face subpoenas. None of them attended Monday’s hearing despite being asked to by the Auditing Committee.

The promise of subpoenas didn’t sit well with TDC Chairman Warren Gourley or former TDC chairwoman Kathy Houchins. They told media outlets Tuesday at Seacrest Condominiums on Okaloosa Island that they are being unfairly blamed for the misuse of public money under Mark Bellinger, who led the TDC from May 2010 to May 2012.

Gourley and Houchins said they do not plan to hire attorneys and have no problem going to Tallahassee to testify before the Auditing Committee.

“I’d be more than happy to testify,” Houchins said. “I would have been there (Monday), but … I was told there was no reason to go to a public flogging.”

VIDEO: TDC Board member discusses resignation.

Houchins said she is angry that TDC members are being held accountable for Bellinger’s thefts when no county employees have been disciplined in connection with the fraud scheme.

The TDC was an advisory panel that didn’t have the authority to sign checks and never saw invoices for Bellinger’s purchases, she said.

“It was all processed through the Clerk of Court,” Houchins said. “Whoever over there who has been assigned that authority should be gone or held accountable.”

Fort Walton Beach City Councilman Bobby Nabors, who has served on the TDC for almost four years, shared Houchins’ frustration.

He said he didn’t attend the Auditing Committee’s hearing because he wasn’t “directly asked” to go.

“No one from the state ever contacted me and said, ‘Hey, Bobby, we want you to come,’ ” Nabors said Monday evening. “I heard it was just going to be a lot of political grandstanding.”

He said the committee’s decision to subpoena TDC members doesn’t make sense.

“They’re subpoenaing the volunteers who met once a month or once a quarter,” Nabors said. “But what about the full-time employees who spent 40 to 60 hours a week working hand in hand with Mark Bellinger?”

Nabors said he would have legal representation as a city councilman and would testify before the committee if subpoenaed.

The Auditing Committee, which is made up of six state representatives and five senators, questioned county officials about the TDC scandal for more than two hours Monday.

VIDEO: County officials appear before Florida auditing committee.

The committee also ordered a countywide audit of Okaloosa County’s finances as well as the Clerk of Court’s office.

Houchins and other TDC members said they never approved Bellinger’s illegal or unauthorized expenditures.

“Yet we’re the only ones who are asked to resign,” Houchins said. “Isn’t that amazing?”

County commissioners requested the resignations of the county-appointed TDC members on Feb. 5. The nine-member board is comprised of six county-appointed seats. a County Commission liaison and two seats appointed by the Destin and Fort Walton Beach City Councils.

Two of the county-appointed seats were vacant. The other four were held by Houchins, Gourley, Nick Nicholson and Patricia Hardiman.

Houchins, Nicholson and Hardiman have resigned. Gourley, who owns Venus and Seacrest condominiums on the island, has refused to step down.

“There’s no reason for me to resign or the other (members),” Gourley said. “We did nothing wrong but contribute our time and our talents.”

County Administrator Jim Curry said Tuesday he will notify county commissioners of Gourley’s decision. The board will then have to decide whether to remove him from office, he said.

Tim Edwards and Lino Maldonado, two TDC members who resigned before the county’s Feb. 5 request, still could be subpoenaed by state lawmakers.

The Auditing Committee said it would finalize a list Wednesday of county officials and employees to be subpoenaed to appear in Tallahassee.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: TDC members sound off on state subpoenas (VIDEO)

TALLAHASSEE— The state’s Joint Legislative Auditing Committee on Monday ordered a countywide audit of all Okaloosa County finances as well as an audit of the Clerk of Court’s Office.

The action came during a hearing in Tallahassee attended by four of Okaloosa County’s five commissioners as well as Clerk of Court Don Howard.

Commissioner Wayne Harris did not attend the hearing and will be subpoenaed to appear before the committee next week, members indicated. Also facing subpoenas are a majority of the county’s Tourist Development Council members, none of whom attended Monday’s hearing despite being requested to by the Auditing Committee.

Auditing Committee Chairman Sen. Joseph Abruzzo told the county that on Wednesday it would finalize a list of people who are to be subpoenaed to appear before the committee next week.

County Commission Chairman Don Amunds told the committee that four of the TDC members likely did not attend because they were asked by the county to resign Feb. 5 and are no longer on the council.

Abruzzo, D-Wellington, said he was skeptical of the county’s timing and questioned why the board waited until last week to ask for the TDC members’ resignations.

“It seems like a deliberate attempt by your board to ensure they didn’t have to come up and (testify) today. … To me, it looks extremely disingenuous.” Abruzzo said.

Amunds disagreed.

“It was not a deliberate attempt at all,” he answered.

The audits of the county government and clerk’s office will be conducted by the state Auditor General’s Office, the same entity that documented mismanagement of millions of dollars in TDC bed taxes and BP oil spill grants. The Auditing Committee, composed of six state representatives and five senators, has direct oversight of the Auditor General’s Office.

The committee questioned County Administrator Jim Curry, Commission Chairman Don Amunds and Commissioner Dave Parisot about the misuse of the bed tax money and BP oil spill grants for more than two hours during Monday’s hearing. The county officials who spoke at the hearing were sworn in before they were questioned.

Two members of the Northwest Florida legislative delegation — Rep. Matt Gaetz and Rep. Doug Broxson — also attended the hearing and participated in the questioning.

Amunds summarized for the committee the timeline of events that have occurred in Okaloosa County since May 2012, when officials discovered the fraud scheme put in place by former TDC head Mark Bellinger. But his presentation, which included a list of policy changes commissioners have implemented in the past nine months, was interrupted by Abruzzo, who began taking questions from lawmakers.

Many of the committee members questioned county officials about which specific county employees and attorneys approved various expenditures, checks and other payments that later turned out to be illegal or unauthorized. They expressed surprise and frustration when Curry confirmed that no employees have been fired or suspended in connection with the fraud scandal.

“How could this happen? It’s just incomprehensible to me,” said Rep. Gayle B. Harrell, R-Stuart.

In response, Curry said there had been “a catastrophic failure of controls at all levels, across the board” within Okaloosa County government, allowing Bellinger’s fraud to take place.

Gaetz told the committee that the county’s response to the scandal — especially the corrective action plan it submitted to the auditor general — has been inadequate.

“It’s inadequate to the people in my community and to me as a legislator,” Gaetz said.

He said he and Okaloosa County residents have been left to wonder if the fraud is the result of “complete and utter incompetence” or if it indicates “criminal culpability.”

Abruzzo and other committee members said they wanted to understand the broader impact of the scandal on Okaloosa taxpayers.

“We would like to get an overall economic impact of what this cost the residents of Okaloosa County,” he said.

Gaetz questioned Amunds and Curry about the $1 million in promotional debit cards provided to the county by BP after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

“What human being made the decision to give Mr. Bellinger (the debit cards)?” he asked.

When Amunds referred the question to Curry, Gaetz said he found it “somewhat disconcerting” that Amunds didn’t have an answer.

Curry told the committee that he believed the Clerk of Court’s Office received the debit cards and gave them to Bellinger.

“That may have been the route,” he said.

Gaetz asked Amunds about a debit card that was provided to the Special Olympics as a prize for a golf tournament fundraiser. Amunds works part-time for the Special Olympics. He said he didn’t direct Bellinger to give the organization a debit card and didn’t find out about it until after the Sheriff’s Office began investigating Bellinger’s tenure at the TDC.

Gaetz also asked Amunds to explain what he thinks his responsibility should be in the fraud scandal.

Amunds said he and the rest of the board have a responsibility to “oversee Okaloosa County.”

“If you see an issue and you believe it’s wrong, you come up with an action plan, as we have done,” he said.

Abruzzo ended the committee meeting with a harsh rebuke of Okaloosa County leaders, telling them they had an obligation not to take advantage of the “national tragedy” that was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill of April 2010.

“What has occurred here is really a travesty,” Abruzzo said.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari C. Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: State orders audit of Okaloosa finances, clerk's office

Okaloosa County’s Water and Sewer Department is seeking to win a 50-year contract to operate the water distribution and wastewater collection systems at Eglin Air Force Base.

County commissioners last week approved submitting the bid by the Feb. 19 deadline.

“This is probably the most massive, most complex project I’ve been involved with,” Water and Sewer Director Jeff Littrell told the board.

Littrell and his staff are working with Constantine Engineering and Environmental Services Group to draft the proposal.

Okaloosa already handles wastewater treatment for Eglin.

Still, the scope of the latest proposal is huge, and is expected to come with multiple volumes of documents.

“Eglin Air Force Base is a very large base. It occupies a lot of land,” Littrell said.

If it wins the contract over other bidders, the county would provide water and wastewater service to the main base, Santa Rosa Island, Duke Field, Camp Rudder, the Poquito Bayou Housing Area, Camp Pinchot, the Gunter Recreation Area on White Point Road, the Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and numerous test sites and ranges.

The water system would include more than 652,000 feet of pipe, 747 fire hydrants, 82 water wells and 17 elevated tanks.

The wastewater collection system would include more than 398,000 feet of pipe, 1,058 manholes and 83 pumping stations.

Littrell said his department will submit three proposals — one to provide water distribution, one to provide wastewater collection and a third to provide both services.

County Commissioner Nathan Boyles praised Littrell’s team for its work on the proposal.

“I really see you guys looking big picture, and I appreciate that … You’re ultimately saving our rate payers down the road.”

Commissioner Kelly Windes agreed. He said he initially was “worried about the largeness” of the project but was reassured after speaking with the project engineers.

Commission Chairman Don Amunds said he likes the economic development aspect.

“It’s back to creating jobs and it’s a public-private partnership,” he said. “I think this is a step in the right direction.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa to bid on water, wastewater contract for Eglin

After further review of its case against former Okaloosa County Commissioner James Campbell, the state attorney’s office has added eight new criminal charges.

Campbell, who was arrested Sept. 17, 2012, on four counts of official misconduct and four counts of perjury, now faces eight counts of misconduct in office and eight counts of filing a false financial affidavit.

“It is the same charges, just filed a little differently,” State Attorney Bill Eddins said. “We just went back a little further, looked at it and decided these were the correct formal charges that needed to be filed.”

The misconduct charges are felonies. Filing false financial affidavits are misdemeanors.

Read the charging documents for yourself.

The charges stem from Campbell “failing to report income he got for work he did to generate sponsorships” for the city of Niceville’s Boggy Bayou Mullet Festival, Eddins said.

Campbell said Thursday the charges “are not new.”

“It’s the same thing. They just went back to 2004,” he said. “I’m still innocent, period.”

Campbell said he still hopes to avoid a trial.

“I’d rather see this be resolved right now,” he said. “I’m ready to retire and move on with my life.”

He said the past five months have been difficult for him and his family.

“You find out who your friends are. People have been very supportive and I deeply appreciate that.”

Campbell is scheduled to be in court again Feb. 21 for a docket day. His trial is scheduled for March 4.

Eddins said Thursday that Don Dewrell, Campbell’s attorney, has not requested that the case be continued.

Dewrell did not return a phone call seeking comment.

For more than a decade as Niceville’s director of parks and recreation, Campbell received a 20 percent commission for each sponsorship he secured for the Mullet Festival.

As a county commissioner he was obligated to report any income over $1,000 to the Florida Commission on Ethics.

The original charges stated Campbell failed to report payments he received from the Mullet Festival’s coordinating committee in 2005, 2006 and 2010.

Charging documents released Thursday indicate Campbell failed to  properly disclose income he received each year from the time he was elected to the County Commission in 2004 through 2012.

Campbell continues to stand by his explanation that his wife filled out his financial disclosure forms each year and he simply signed them. He said he had not disclosed the festival commissions because that was money he would use for personal hunting expenses.

The documents also state that Campbell’s failure as a public official to accurately report his income was taken “with corrupt intent to obtain a benefit.”

Documents released Thursday were not as specific in outlining the charges against Campbell as those released in September. He was not taken into custody Wednesday after the charges were amended.

The original arrest report stated at least two sponsorships Campbell received money for came from county agencies when he was on the County Commission.

The Tourist Development Council, under former director Mark Bellinger, bought a $10,000 sponsorship in 2010 with BP oil spill grant money.

Campbell also received a significant sponsorship donation from Northwest Florida Regional Airport and took home a commission for doing so, the original arrest report said.

Okaloosa County sheriff's investigators looking into Bellinger’s misuse of county bed tax and BP funds uncovered evidence against Campbell, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

The FDLE and state attorney’s office worked together to follow up on the sheriff's office’s findings.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Kari Barlow at 850-315-4438 or kbarlow@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @KariBnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: James Campbell faces additional charges after case review

The next meeting of the Almarante board of fire commissioners is at 7 p.m. Feb. 14 at the fire station, 3710 Old California Road. Meetings are every Thursday at 7 p.m. 

For more on the Almarante Fire Department, see their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Almarante50.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Almarante fire commissioners board meets Feb. 14

He said he knows going in that House Bill 431 will be controversial, and he’s eager to hear from all interested parties.

“The issue is, are we willing to do our part to be energy-dependence free?” he said.

Read a copy of the bill.

Broxson, R-Midway, could have trouble finding a Senate sponsor. Sen. Greg Evers, who sponsored similar legislation last year, got brutalized when it was learned he owned 150 acres in the state forest.

He said he was accused of looking to legislate himself a windfall, even though he could drill on his private property any time he chooses.

Evers said he has no interest in touching the drilling issue again.

“After the b.s. everyone accused me of last year, I don’t think I’ll even vote on it,” said Evers, R-Baker. “Do I think it’s a good idea? We need oil, we need lower gas prices and the state needs revenue, but from a personal standpoint I don’t know what to do with it right now.”

Broxson said drilling on private land around the town of Jay in north Santa Rosa County has been going on for years “and to my knowledge has not left any environmental footprint.”

Oil was discovered in Jay in 1970. The town is about seven miles from the Blackwater River State Forest.

Kurvin Qualls, Jay’s mayor, said royalties coming to his community from drilling leases “has dropped way off in the last couple of years” but still is $10,000 to $15,000 annually.

Qualls said he and other residents support H.B. 431. They see a potential for business growth if Broxson’s legislation is passed.

“We’re all used to it around here,” he said. “There have been no ill effects from it.”

Broxson said a company called Fairways has spent two years conducting seismic tests around the forest. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission also has studied the issue and found drilling could be done successfully, he said.

Broxson said Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties stand to benefit from royalties if oil is found in the forest.

The legislation, as proposed, would allow drilling only in areas well clear of sensitive waterways and habitat necessary to the survival of endangered species such as the red cockaded woodpecker, Broxson said.

He said he intends to schedule at least one public meeting in Jay to allow all sides of the drilling issue to speak.

Audubon Florida may have been the first group to voice opposition to Broxson’s bill, but has been joined by a Pensacola-based Audubon organization as well as the Sierra Club, according to Audubon Florida spokeswoman Julie Wraithmell.

“The Blackwater River State Forest is a really special place. It protects a lot of watershed for Pensacola Bay, supports some really diverse wildlife and provides habitat for some highly endangered species,” Wraithmell said.

She noted that last year’s bill was much broader in scope than Broxson’s and targeted areas across Florida.

It was “slowly amended” during last year’s session until it focused only on the Blackwater River State Forest, Wraithmell said.

“It’s an important place in Florida,” Wraithmell said of the forest. “So what makes it any less special than other parts of Florida that were taken off the table?”

Contact Daily News Staff Writer Tom McLaughlin at 850-315-4435 or tmclaughlin@nwfdailynews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomMnwfdn.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Broxson proposes oil exploration in Blackwater forest (DOCUMENT)