Jacksonville agency to be investigated for potentially noncompliant travel expenses

Has there been questionable spending of your taxpayer dollars? An Action News Jax investigation has uncovered a city probe into the way Visit Jacksonville spends money.

The group is supposed to help increase tourism in Jacksonville, but during a meeting Thursday, council members had serious questions about where the money is going.

According to Assistant City Auditor Kyle Billy, up to 100 transactions made by the group Visit Jacksonville were reviewed. It was found some may not be in compliance with city travel policies, as required by contract.

Billy was hesitant to give an estimate on the amount spent by Visit Jacksonville for travel expenses that aren’t  in compliance with city policy.

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The agency’s current contract ends in September 2017, at that time the city is required to open bidding. City Council President Lori Boyer said she asked for a financial review of the agency, in preparation for that process.

She tells Action News Jax, “I think that there has not been real conscientious oversight of contract compliance.”

Earlier this year an Action News Jax investigation uncovered questionable spending by the taxpayer-funded group “Friends of Hemming Park.”

Its CEO admitted to us he made mistakes and, weeks later, stepped down.

Action News Jax has also learned that Visit Jacksonville’s CFO, Polly Govreau, stepped down right as the review was beginning. Monica Smith, “Visit Jacksonville” vice president of sales, was asked if there was a link between the review and the registration, but she gave no response.

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Cox Media Group