IG report concludes almost $2M of utility cards not used for stated purpose as ANJ first reported

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Action News Jax Investigates has obtained the Jacksonville Inspector General’s report into the Jacksonville Housing Authority.

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It was two weeks ago that Action News Jax Ben Becker learned from a source that the city’s Office of Inspector General was investigating the Housing Authority.

The investigation looked into oversight issues at the agency, including the use of millions of dollars worth of utility cards.

Related Story: Office of Inspector General investigating Jacksonville Housing Authority’s $2M utility card program

The Inspector General report concluded nearly $2 million worth of utility cards intended for Section 8 housing recipients were not used to pay utility bills.

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“Only 13 percent of cards were used for their stated purpose,” the OIG said.

The OIG recommends paying the money for families directly to JEA.

The Jacksonville Housing Authority responded by saying, “It would be an administrative burden to require payment directly to JEA.”

The Housing Authority also said that is was meeting all HUD rules and had not violated any internal regulations or federal policies.

Housing Authority CEO Dwayne Alexander received a $25,000 performance bonus and was offered a six-month contract extension on Monday despite questions about his performance.

It’s after the mayor’s office put a stop to a $60,000 raise after he had already received a pay raise to $250,000.

Related Story: Another OIG investigation into Jacksonville Housing Authority finds COO violated policy

Action News Jax Ben Becker reached out to the mayor’s office and they responded by saying, “We’re going to decline to comment for today. We are gathering more information about the situation.”

The full report can be read below.

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