Jeb rivaling brother in no-bid contracts!

[floridaguy]

So a "scathing" audit says Gov. Bush's technology office gave contracts to "politically connected" lobbyists. Imagine that!
Sorry, can't provide the link, because our on-line paper seems to have decided it wasn't newsworthy. By the way, every elected official in our county & city governments is a Republican.

But a spokesman said the agency has since "changed its ways".
Right?

Let's get on this folks. It's time to turn up the heat.

[teach1st]

1. Here's the link to the story in the St. Petersburg Times

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/29/State/Audit__Tech_office_ca.shtml

By Associated Press
Published July 29, 2004

TALLAHASSEE - A scathing audit says the State Technology Office may have improperly awarded big contracts to vendors who used politically connected lobbyists, but officials said Wednesday the agency has since changed the way it does business.

The 20-page audit said the Technology Office, created by Gov. Jeb Bush nearly six years ago, failed to provide even basic justification for many of the deals.

The audit showed more than three dozen companies had some interest in doing work with the agency, but the contracts appeared to be designed to give an advantage to two - Accenture and BearingPoint - and included clauses that gave them opportunities for price increases and renegotiations.

The audit said "the competitive process may have been circumvented" in awarding contracts to the two companies, which are responsible for a number of state operations, including the state's Web site. Both have longtime Bush friends and political supporters lobbying on their behalf, although those relationships were not mentioned in the audit.

More

[floridaguy]

2. Thanks

We need to do everything possible to make this known.

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. What I wish Florida had:

A special investigative team consisting of private eyes, lawyers and paralegals that would work pro-bono for common citizens who are tangling with the "pillars of their communities." The purpose would be to protect the public welfare, health and safety.

They could get started by reviewing those settlement agreements that contain confidentiality clauses. In Florida, I don't believe a public agency has a right to enter into confidentiality clauses, but it happens. And it generally is included to protect the guilty. Even common citizens make mistakes, but when you have a confidentiality clause, there is no opportunity for reflection and acknowledgement of why exactly everything fell apart.

Going one step further, people desperately need help with their Home Owner Associations in Florida. Sometimes having a corruptible city government is a green flag for people to continue the abuse through their Home Owner Associations.

[floridaguy]

4. We'd need an army in Naples

Good idea though.

[FloridaPat]

5. Don't forget the rumor that public employees were replaced by

private companies who give kickbacks to the repubs. If their name shows up on Democratic donation lists, they loose their contracts.

That never went anywhere either. A lot fo stuff never goes anywhere in Florida - have you noticed???

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. Everything is so tainted in Florida, it just makes people go numb.

And numb is how I feel when bad people are the victims of their own bad karma. Not joy nor sadness. Just numb.