JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Missing deadlines, poor record keeping, fraudulent transactions that went unnoticed for months, and former employees holding onto active city credit cards - Those are just some of the issues City Council auditors found with the City of Jacksonville’s purchasing card program.
The report, which was commissioned by the Duval DOGE Committee, reviewed more than $2.1 million worth of expenses charged to city credit cards held by 111 city employees in 2024.
The report found 202 transactions totaling $94,000 that year were not fully recorded in the city’s financial system.
Additionally, council auditors found that at least two city credit cards assigned to employees within JFRD were still active more than 60 days after those employees had stopped working for the city.
And while the city imposes restrictions on certain types of purchases, auditors found glaring examples of purchase restrictions not imposed on city credit cards.
“Like internet gambling, timeshares, amusement parks, things like that,” said Council Auditor Kim Taylor.
The issues extended to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as well.
The report noted a compromised purchase card within JSO was used to place 59 transactions totaling more than $18,000 over the course of three months before the fraud was spotted.
While JSO was reimbursed and the issue was resolved prior to the review, Duval DOGE Chair Ron Salem (R-Group 2 At-Large) argued the findings suggest more oversight is needed.
“Someone needs to be monitoring the cards to make sure that the receipts are submitted timely,” said Salem.
And the need for timely record keeping goes beyond the potential for fraudsters to rack up charges on the taxpayers’ dime.
Salem argued that even authorized purchases that aren’t documented in a timely fashion can have big impacts on agency bottom lines.
“You could think you’ve got x-dollars in your budget, but you don’t because the p-card receipts have not been submitted and it hasn’t hit your budget yet,” said Salem.
As the report was presented before the committee, some members suggested doing away with city credit cards altogether and moving to a strict reimbursement model.
Salem said he believes there are situations where city credit cards are justified, like during hurricanes, for example.
He suggested it may be prudent to, at the very least, limit their use moving forward.
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