The Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office has terminated a contract with the Florida PACE Funding Agency after the Herald-Tribune and the Florida Center for Government Accountability published details of the public agency’s travel expenses.
Mike Moran, Sarasota County Commissioner and executive director of the Florida PACE financing agency, defended the spending, saying it was part of the agency’s public mission, which requires private money to finance home energy efficiency projects designed to help homeowners who don’t have access to traditional lines of credit.
Previous reporting: During his time as head of the Florida government agency, Moran spent more than $30,000 on restaurants and hotels
“I would love to take a group of investment bankers out to a nice dinner and buy them a glass of wine to help bring another billion dollars to Florida and continue this mission,” Moran said in an email to the Herald-Tribune during initial reporting.
Since its creation in 2011 through an agreement with the City of Kissimmee and Flagler County, FPFA has helped finance over $869 million in home improvement projects across Florida.
But the expenses – including thousands of dollars on alcohol, hotels and airline tickets – did not please Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano.
The former state senator sent a letter to FPFA Board Chairman Mike Steigerwald on Thursday informing the agency that his office was “exercising its authority to terminate the Uniform Collection Agreement” for cause.
“This is due to recent and disturbing findings we have received through public records requests that FPFA has used public funds for improper and wasteful personal purposes at the expense of taxpayers,” the letter said.
The letter describes the expenditure as “inappropriate” and states that the tax collector “must withdraw from further business dealings with the FPFA.”
“The agreement is terminated with immediate effect,” Fasano’s letter states.
More: Mike Moran is running for Sarasota County tax collector, but is fighting her in court
Property Assessment: Homeowners receiving financing through PACE funds will be subject to clean energy fees that appear on their tax bill.
The Pasco County Tax Office will continue to collect existing property taxes filed through Sept. 30, as well as all new tax returns. After that date, the tax office will no longer add any new FPFA tax returns to the tax rolls, the letter states.
The Florida PACE Funding Agency did not respond to an email seeking comment Friday morning.
