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A Florida nonprofit CEO’s $7.5M salary is a wake-up call | Editorial
Gov. Ron DeSantis and state legislators are wise to investigate, and other nonprofits doing the state’s work should be on notice that excessive spending won’t be tolerated.
 
In this Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2004, file photo, Tiffany Carr, executive director of Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, left, speaks at a news conference held by Gov. Jeb Bush, background right, to announce a public awareness campaign designed to prevent disaster-related domestic violence, in Tallahassee.
In this Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2004, file photo, Tiffany Carr, executive director of Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, left, speaks at a news conference held by Gov. Jeb Bush, background right, to announce a public awareness campaign designed to prevent disaster-related domestic violence, in Tallahassee. [ PHIL COALE | AP ]
This article represents the opinion of the Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board.
Published Feb. 27, 2020|Updated Feb. 27, 2020

It is an extraordinary occurrence when the Florida Legislature takes it upon itself to formally investigate anything. Even legislators acknowledged that at the outset of a committee meeting this week questioning board members of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence. There is certainly plenty to question following the stunning revelation that the CEO of the nonprofit, a sole source contractor on domestic violence for the state, took home roughly $7.5 million over three years. Following an executive order by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the state is now wisely taking a second look at similar contracts. When the state outsources its responsibilities, there has to be more accountability.

The coalition’s CEO, Tiffany Carr, was able to exploit her ties to Columba Bush, the wife of former Gov. Jeb Bush. Columba Bush was so taken with the organization that, in 2003, the nonprofit was made a sole source contractor. That gave the coalition the right to disseminate nearly $52 million in state and federal funds to 42 domestic violence shelters across the state. But questions about Carr’s salary first started in 2012, when a state senator whose wife was on the board of a domestic violence shelter noted her salary and then-Gov. Rick Scott said the $300,000 salary was high. In 2018, the Miami Herald reported that Carr made more than $760,000 annually. That led the Department of Children and Families, which ultimately oversees the nonprofit, to call for an audit in August 2018. This process stalled for several months until early February, when it was revealed just how far the breach of trust had gone.

Following the revelation of the more than $7.5 million Carr was pocketing in state and federal funds, DeSantis immediately called for an investigation and the Florida House voted to subpoena 14 executives and board members of the coalition and ask for the board’s resignation. DeSantis wisely issued an executive order last week requiring all state agencies to review any new single-source contracts that have protected status in state statute, which will likely impact less than a dozen private organizations.

Testimony from three former board chairs of the coalition this week in the Florida House raised as many questions as it answered. All three of the board chairs appeared to be completely unaware of agreements they had signed, including giving Carr 360 days of paid time off, which she later cashed out. Legislators noted during the proceedings that there are only 260 work days in a year, excluding holidays. All three board chairs said they were sure they had agreed to 360 hours, not days, and that they believed Carr was suffering from a brain tumor, although they were never given documentation to back this claim up. All three said they were deceived in some way: “The Tiffany Carr that I knew would not have taken all this [paid time off],” said the most recent board chair, Melody Keeth. But the real Tiffany Carr did.

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This is a wake-up call for any nonprofit in the state. Having good intentions will not conceal bad actions forever. Tiffany Carr hid behind her valiant motives: to serve victims of domestic violence in Florida. But ultimately, the truth came out. The main person she was serving was herself.

Editorials are the institutional voice of the Tampa Bay Times. The members of the Editorial Board are Times Chairman and CEO Paul Tash, Editor of Editorials Tim Nickens, and editorial writers Elizabeth Djinis, John Hill and Jim Verhulst. Follow @TBTimes_Opinion on Twitter for more opinion news.