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PAUL DE LA GARZAEven if civilians added the extras like maid service and utilities, their monthly bills are still less than what the government is paying for apartments and hotels.
TAMPA - At the Alta Key Apartments near MacDill Air Force Base, the market rent for a two-bedroom unfurnished apartment is $1,015 a month.
The price for taxpayers is considerably higher.
For a furnished two-bedroom apartment at Alta Key for military personnel on temporary duty at MacDill, the federal government is paying $2,400 a month.
At apartment complexes within an easy drive of the base, taxpayers are paying significantly more than the market rent for hundreds of military personnel tied to MacDill, according to military officials and documents obtained by the St. Petersburg Times.
One-bedroom units in some apartment complexes can rent to the military for up to $2,883 a month. The rent is calculated using the military per diem for housing, which varies around the country and is $93 a day in Tampa.
In at least one instance, three members of the military last year were living in a three-bedroom apartment and paying $40 a day each, or $3,600 a month, said Capt. Ken Hoffman, a MacDill spokesman.
He said that is no longer the case.
MacDill officials would not provide a list of apartment brokers, specific apartment complexes or hotels that house military personnel, citing security concerns. They also would not say how many military personnel live in apartments or hotels while working at MacDill.
MacDill officials defend the rental payments, which are higher than market rates even after accounting for furnishings and maid service. They note military personnel are reimbursed by the government for their rental payments.
"They're not paying anything," said Capt. Derren Burrell of the 6th Comptroller Squadron. "The government's the one that's paying."
Not everybody sees that as a good deal.
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the Florida Democrat who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was stunned to see the numbers.
"My concern is not only for the soldier, but also for the taxpayer," Nelson said Thursday. "For housing that would normally be $800, $1,000, is it justified to be paying up to $2,800 a month?"
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the buildup began for the war on terror, hundreds of reservists and other active military personnel have been dispatched to MacDill. But the sprawling base does not have enough room to house everyone.
The MacDill Inn on the base has about 300 rooms and is often full. The daily rate ranges from $12 to $26, or between $360 and $780 a month.
For off-base housing, MacDill has contracts with about 35 area hotels and 10 to 15 apartment complexes. Documents show the base also has contracts with seven apartment brokers.
When individuals are assigned to MacDill, they report to the housing unit. If there is no space available, they are directed to one of the properties with apartments or hotels with arrangements with the base.
Base officials say there is no bid process to get on the list of apartment brokers or apartment complexes.
Lt. Col. Richard Fuentes, the 6th Contracting Squadron commander, said MacDill chooses companies with a proven track record and solicits business at area conferences.
Base officials, Fuentes said, also search the Yellow Pages, the Internet and get referrals by word of mouth.
"We don't go to top-of-the-line complexes. We get a range of prices," he said, before adding, "We're paying a premium for this, there's no doubt."
Fuentes said taxpayers are saving money because MacDill's agreements with apartment complexes provide some flexibility. For example, he said, military personnel can leave apartments without facing financial penalties for breaking leases early that others would pay.
Capt. Ed Loughran of the 6th Service Squadron said that while some personnel are paying high daily rates in apartments, others are getting much better deals in some hotels. For example, he said, some personnel are paying $44 a night at area hotels, significantly less than the market rate. On a monthly basis, that hotel cost would be $1,320.
But taxpayers are paying a premium for hundreds of military personnel to stay in apartments.
The Alta Key Apartments on S Dale Mabry Highway do not offer much of a view. Across the street from the main entrance is a construction site - the "Future Home of Lowe's" - with mounds of dirt and equipment. Up the street is a thrift store and a Laundromat.
An Army major who arrived in Tampa this week said he reported to MacDill, received his keys and was told to report to Alta Key. He said he and a roommate are each paying $40 a day, or $2,400 a month. He expects to remain at MacDill for about a year.
John Bouser, a marketing representative at Alta Key, said MacDill contracts for 148 units at the complex. He declined to provide further details, saying he did not want to jeopardize the complex's "vendor status."
Competition for the military's business can be fierce.
Outside the main entrance to MacDill on S Dale Mabry Highway, a yellow billboard declares: "Do you need a fully furnished apartment?
Ask for us at the MacDill Inn.
Express Corporate Housing - 839-8858
Refer a friend = Dinner for 2 for you!!!"
The apartment rental prices came to light as the Times reported two weeks ago about delays in reimbursing Army reservists who charge their rent on government-issued credit cards.
While MacDill officials declined to list the apartment brokers they use, documents obtained by the Times list the vendors as Apartment Express, Post Apartments, Oakwood Corp. Housing, Execu Stay, Echelon Comm., ATB Industries, and MainSail Village.
David Lowery, a manager at Apartment Express, which advertises its services on the billboard near MacDill, declined comment Thursday.
Dee Dee Dochin, a spokeswoman for Marriott Execu Stay, which oversees the military contract with The Madison at SoHo, 2330 W Horatio St., said MacDill had instructed vendors not to give out information about the arrangement. She said the base cited security concerns.
Debi Wood, the assistant property director at the Madison at SoHo, said that complex deals exclusively with a broker and not directly with MacDill. She said the complex rents unfurnished apartments and the broker furnishes them. The broker sets the rent price, not the apartment complex, she said. She said she did not know what the markup was by the broker.
According to the Madison's Web site, a one-bedroom apartment rents for $950 to $995 a month. The apartment broker, Execu Stay, charges the government $70 a day for a one-bedroom unit, or $2,100 a month.
An Army captain who rents a two-bedroom apartment at the Madison complex along with a roommate said the total rent on that apartment is $2,600 a month.
- Times staff writer Brady Dennis contributed to this report.