Florida House committee: Misusing leftover operating money was 'multi-year strategy' for UCF

Using leftover operating dollars on construction in violation of state rules was a “multi-year strategy” for University of Central Florida officials to build new facilities, a Florida House committee’s investigation found.

Additionally, UCF leaders failed to clearly disclose the funding sources of construction projects to trustees or the Board of Governors, which oversees the state university system, said the chairman of the Public Integrity and Ethics committee during a meeting Wednesday in Tallahassee.

The session, which also included the Higher Education Appropriations and the Higher Education and Career Readiness subcommittees, was prompted by UCF leaders’ misuse of $38 million in leftover operating funds to build Trevor Colburn Hall. The auditor general’s office discovered the issue during a review of the university’s finances and alerted university leaders in August.

An investigation into the misspending has uncovered the “misdirection” of $84.7 million in leftover operating dollars between 2013 and 2018, said Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach. That total includes $32.7 million that had been set aside for “inappropriate purposes” but had not yet been spent.

“This is an important matter, and there are many with strong feelings about the matter, and there are many with personal and professional reputations at stake,” Leek said.


https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/education/school-zone/os-ne-ucf-finances-house-20190109-story.html