Two members of Congress from Florida are told the charges are not out of line, but that won't halt a federal investigation.
By PAUL DE LA GARZA
Published June 14, 2003
TAMPA - MacDill Air Force Base officials on Friday denied that apartment complexes are raising rents unnecessarily for military personnel, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said.
Nelson, D-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Jim Davis, D-Tampa, received an hourlong briefing at MacDill focusing on the off-base housing system. Afterward, they said they were satisfied with the presentation but still want a formal review.
"I don't think we should be afraid to ask questions about, "Can we do this better?' " Davis said.
At Nelson's request, the U.S. General Accounting Office agreed to investigate why taxpayers are paying above market rates for apartment rentals for military personnel at MacDill and other bases nationwide.
Nelson, who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said his office has evidence that apartment complexes were unfairly raising rents for military personnel nationwide.
Hundreds of military personnel on temporary duty at MacDill are living in furnished apartments with rental costs that are significantly higher than market value, the St. Petersburg Times reported last week. In one instance last year, three members of the military were paying $3,600 a month for a furnished three-bedroom apartment.
The base commander, Col. David "Tanker" Snyder, said after Friday's meeting that taxpayers are not being overcharged to house military personnel off the base.
"We highlighted the fact that MacDill is a responsible steward of the taxpayers' money," he said. "We believe off-base facilities are providing outstanding support to the military, giving the best value possible with substantial savings to (the Department of Defense) and the taxpayer."
In interviews last week, officers with the 6th Contracting Squadron at MacDill said they do not seek bids for off-base housing because in a tourist haven like Tampa, business comes to them.
Lt. Col. Richard Fuentes, the 6th Contracting Squadron commander, said MacDill chooses companies with a proven track record and sometimes solicits business at area conferences. He said base officials also search the Yellow Pages, the Internet, and get referrals by word-of-mouth.
Nelson, who was briefed by Snyder and his staff, said he was told Friday that "everything is competitively negotiated."
The GAO said it would investigate whether MacDill is violating a Department of Defense requirement to advertise for services worth more than $25,000. The rents paid by military personnel at MacDill generate between $16-million and $34-million annually.
The rents are calculated using the military per diem for housing, which varies around the country and is $93 a day in Tampa. Military personnel pay the rent, often with government credit cards, and are reimbursed.
In May, MacDill had more than 800 temporary personnel per day in off-base apartments with an average daily cost of $56, Snyder said.
Davis said MacDill "seems to have the situation under control."
He said base officials had successfully negotiated agreements with apartment complexes and hotels to ensure that base personnel get the "protection of collective bargaining power of the entire Air Force base."
Davis said he was pleased by the outpouring of support from the businesses that provide housing to the military in Tampa. He said the housing providers treat the men and women in uniform fairly and give them "the respect and advantages they deserve."
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq, MacDill has run out of space on the base to house military personnel on temporary assignment. The base is home to the U.S. Central Command, which directed the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq, and to the U.S. Special Operations Command, which oversees the nation's commando units.
- Times staff writer Paul de la Garza can be reached at 813-226-3375 or delagarza@sptimes.com
