An audit into the spending of Orange County (Fla.) Property Appraiser Rick Singh found nothing illegal, but it wasn’t easy to get even basic documents for the investigation, auditors said.
Exchanges in email between auditors and Singh’s office show he was not initially forthcoming, Orange County Auditor Chris Dawkins told WFTV-TV Channel 9.
“They gave us everything we asked during the course of the audit, but they wanted things done in a particular way,” Dawkins told the station.
At question is $94,000 in expenses over a 30-month period.
Some of the expenses concerned auditors, including extended stays out of the state and meals, Dawkins said.
“We wouldn’t typically see these types of monies for refreshments and food, for items seen in the report,” he said. “It’s not a lot of money, not a lot of instances, but when we selected the samples … we wouldn’t expect to see that in government.”
On July 27, Singh sent a letter to Martha Haynie, the county comptroller, asking for clarification regarding the audit process, writing, “I would like to ease the concern you expressed to me, and clarify that the email sent was not meant in any way to delay your team.”
The audit was launched after a series of reports by the TV station about spending in Singh’s office. In 2015, purchases by the office using taxpayer money for fans, mints and promotional videos with Singh’s picture, name and department logo, came into question.