Rick Singh, an Orange county property appraiser, was sued by a lawyer contending Singh routed money from his office’s real estate seminars to a charity headed by his daughter. In the lawsuit filed in Orange Circuit Court, lawyer Wade Vose asked a judge to force Singh to turn over records related to several issues, including any involving Florida Diversity, a not-for-profit run by Singh’s daughter, Amrita.
Vose said in the lawsuit that he asked to inspect and copy the records Sept. 21 and Sept. 23, but Singh’s office has “unjustifiably delayed” producing the documents in violation of state law, as reported by The Orlando Sentinel.
Judge Donald Myers directed Singh to produce the records appear to explain why he has not done so. Singh, who is running for re-election in 2016, claims this suit is politically motivated.
The lawsuit charges that sponsors of real estate events hosted by Singh were directed to make payments not to the appraiser’s office but to Florida Diversity, a charity for which his daughter is president and his wife serves as outreach coordinator. Public records describe the charity’s focus as the arts and humanities.
State law prohibits a public official acting in an official capacity from doing business with an organization in which the official's child is an officer, partner or a director with a material interest, the lawsuit said.