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Tampa's mayor wants the city attorney to investigate allegations facing a city building official and his assistant.
By CHRISTOPHER GOFFARD
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 31, 2001
TAMPA -- Mayor Dick Greco has ordered an investigation into whether a top city building official used his position to obtain a cut-rate deal on an expensive South Tampa home for his girlfriend.
The mayor has asked the city attorney's office to probe allegations facing Steve LaBrake, who runs the city's business and community services department, and Lynne McCarter, one of LaBrake's top assistants in the department.
"We intend to ask Steve LaBrake a lot of questions," Greco said Monday. "I wouldn't prejudge anybody, but we're not going to tolerate any wrongdoing. There are questions that have to be answered."
The controversy focuses on a four-bedroom home at 3608 W Corona St. that McCarter is paying Ryan Construction $120,000 to build, a price drastically lower than other builders charge in the area.
Ryan Construction has received more than $1-million in business through LaBrake's department, which includes work on low-income homes for the non-profit Tampa Hillsborough Action Plan (THAP).
THAP, which has worked closely with McCarter in her role with the city, played a part in the saga of her Corona Street house. A small two-bedroom house used to be on the lot. It was owned by a widow who donated the house to THAP and received a tax credit. THAP director Chet Luney said his group paid $20,000 to move the house, and then refurbished it.
When McCarter bought the Corona Street lot, she was spared the cost of having to demolish the old house. But the THAP director said McCarter had nothing to do with that deal.
In addition to the house deal, the city investigation will explore McCarter's selling of gift baskets to THAP. Apart from her $55,723-a-year city position, McCarter runs a business called So, What's the Occasion? In an October 2000 contract, THAP agreed to pay her $18,750 to supply 150 "congratulations packages" -- containing a pen, calculator, flashlight and other sundries -- to be distributed to new homeowners.
"It's a chuckwagon basket for a first-time homeowner," said Luney, the THAP director. Luney said THAP bought the baskets on behalf of a group of East Tampa non-profits that decided they were a good idea. McCarter got the job, Luney said, because she was a familiar name and her prices -- $125 a basket -- seemed reasonable.
Luney said THAP checked with its attorney at the time, since it recognized the potential for the perception of a conflict of interest because McCarter worked for the city. "We didn't go into this blindly," Luney said. "Our attorney said, "There are no problems on your part."'
McCarter, 31, could not be reached for comment Monday.
LaBrake, her boss, has long taken a special interest in her career advancement. LaBrake has consistently given her outstanding evaluations and recommended her for pay increases. At LaBrake's urging, she got her current job as senior redevelopment counselor in 1995 even though she lacked a college degree and the personnel department ranked her below three other applicants.
Two members of the Tampa City Council expressed dismay at the allegations trickling forth about LaBrake and McCarter. Bob Buckhorn called for an internal audit.
"I think it stinks," Buckhorn said. "I think it does a disservice to our employees who get their promotions the right way."
Buckhorn said the deal with Ryan Construction and McCarter's gift baskets demonstrated a "seemingly cozy relationship between city employees and the people who do business with us ... At the very minimum, it's terrible judgment."
Council member Linda Saul-Sena called the situation "very troubling," adding: "You shouldn't be able to take advantage of your supervisory position."
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement received a formal complaint about LaBrake's office and will look into the complaint, said FDLE special agent Charles E. Guthrie, supervisor of the FDLE's public corruption unit.
State Attorney Mark Ober also referred complaints about the issue to the FDLE.
-- Christopher Goffard can be reached at (813) 226-3337 or goffard@sptimes.com. Times staff writer David Karp and researcher John Martin contributed to this report.