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Report says foster agency wasted money

A state report says Hillsborough Kids' former leader misspent $23,000 by awarding a contract too early.

By CURTIS KRUEGER
Published January 29, 2005

TAMPA - A state report says Hillsborough County's nonprofit foster care agency wasted $23,000 by awarding a data services contract to Verizon before an existing contract with another company had expired.

But the report concludes that former executive director Chris Card did not show "bias and favoritism" in awarding telephone contracts to Verizon and Alltel.

"I just think it doesn't amount to very much," Card said of the report released Friday by the Department of Children and Families' Inspector General's Office. Card had not read the full report, but said someone had explained its contents to him.

Russ Thomas, chairman of the non-profit organization's board, said the criticisms in the report "were really policy, operational sorts of issues and not items where there was any malfeasance or unjust reward."

Yet the report states that investigators determined possible criminal violations had occurred, and it referred that information to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. An FDLE spokesman confirmed the agency will look into it.

Hillsborough Kids is a nonprofit organization which has a $50-million contract with DCF to oversee foster care and adoptions in the county. Card, an influential advocate who helped launch the company, unexpectedly resigned as executive director earlier this week.

The investigation into Card and Hillsborough Kids began in September, after the organization's former chief financial officer made several allegations to state officials.

The inspector general's report said that Hillsborough Kids mismanaged telecommunications expenses when it awarded a data services contract to Verizon before an existing contract with another company, ITC Deltacom, had expired.

On Friday, Card said he wanted to change data and voice mail contracts because he was getting information that ITC Deltacom was in danger of going bankrupt. Because caseworkers need to use computers and phones daily, "we just couldn't risk having that service fall off for even a day, so we had to change," Card said.

The report also noted that Card received a $6,455 "actor's fee" for appearing in a national Verizon ad campaign. However, Card submitted information showing he had turned over all the money (minus taxes) to Hillsborough Kids.

The report faulted Card for allowing former employees to temporarily keep laptops and cell phones. In some cases, confidential information was available on the laptops.

Curtis Krueger can be reached at 727 893-8232 or krueger@sptimes.com

[Last modified January 29, 2005, 01:02:10]