Receipts from Florida Official Show $36K in Taxpayer Dollars Spent on Lavish Dinners, Maker’s Mark and Macallan Whiskey

The Florida Trident reported on Monday that Sarasota County Commission Chair Mike Moran, a Florida official, spent $36,000 of taxpayer dollars on expensive dinners in Las Vegas, California and New York after the paper obtained a public records request of the politician's receipts. The receipts detailed lavish trips, filled with booze-soaked dinners where Moran and his colleagues enjoyed glasses of Uncle Nearest , Jack Daniels, Macallan 12, and other whiskeys. [caption id="attachment_78502" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Commissioner Mike Moran is running for the County Tax Collector position in the Republican primary. (Photo: Commissioner Mike Moran/Facebook)[/caption] Moran is currently running for the position of County Tax Collector in the Republican primary against Charles A. Bear. The public official whose campaign platform hinges on " making the government accountable to taxpayers " didn't stop at enjoying a few drinks. A receipt for a $6,425.75 dinner with a tip of $1,233.95 from Smith & Wollensky was obtained by the Herald-Tribune . Certain line items included 6 New York sirloin steaks, 14 large filet mignons, 6 glasses of Louis Jadot Macon, 1 Bombay Sapphire, 1 Monkey 47 and more. The Trident reported that Moran obtained those travel expenses while working his second publicly-funded job as the Executive Director of the Florida PACE Funding Agency, or the FPFA. The "controversial" agency was formed to help homeowners lacking funds improve their residences with solar panels and wind-resistant roofs. Moran draws a salary from this position, and with his other position as Sarasota County Commission Chair, he earns approximately $299,791 plus bonuses of .20% on each project the FPFA funds.

"I've never heard of a special district compensating an executive director like that," Leon County Attorney Chastity O'Steen expressed according to The Trident. "It's unheard of."

The media's recent findings have drawn attention from non-profit government watchdogs like Integrity Florida.

"It raises a lot of red flags and cries out for an independent audit to take place," Executive Director of Integrity Florida Ben Wilcox said according to The Trident. "He has no sensitivity to how the public would perceive this."

The Herald Tribune reported that Moran argued the expenses were justified and claimed the organization raised $869 million.

"I will gladly take a group of investment bankers to a nice dinner and buy them a glass of wine to bring another billion dollars to Florida and continue carrying out this mission," Moran explained in an email to the Herald-Tribune.

WMNF reported that Moran spent $1,345 of taxpayer dollars in Vegas with his wife and business executives including Jon Mast, the CEO of Suncoast Builders Association. The crew went to a concert and dined at Caesars Palace while booking a $2,300 suite at the Hilton Hotel. The outlet reported that Moran apparently did not provide any form of documentation to justify the expenditures.

More About Florida's PACE Funding Agency: a Controversial Program

The FPFA was founded in 2011, and the company currently has a staff of five — which includes the public official's daughter. She earns a salary of $45,000 and runs the company's social media. In June, the Florida Attorney General's Office claimed the PACE Funding Agency " pulled a fast one ," in that the organization secured a win in the lower courts that allows the FPFA to operate throughout all 67 Florida counties — even if counties don't want the program. The Herald-Tribune reported that the PACE funding is a special district that can issue bonds with private money and offer financing to Florida residents looking to improve their homes. Yet PACE offers the funds after assessing the homeowner's tax bills with a guarantee that the homeowner will pay the company back. If the resident doesn't pay their debt within two years, the collectors can sell the property at auction. Sweeney Law also shared that with certain PACE loans, some property owners might have to pay off the loan in its entirety before being able to sell their property, adding more challenges for homeowners. Moran currently faces a case with the Florida Supreme Court over PACE funding. Other elected officials, like ex-Senator Mike Fasano, expressed their thoughts on the expenditures:

"He's taking money from people who can least afford it and spending it in Vegas," the former senator said according to WMNF. "It's a joke. There's a lot of questionable things he's done along the way that need to be investigated by the Attorney General."

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