Broward's Waste "Hiding" in Plain Sight
They tell us there is no waste in Broward. The Sun Sentinel shrugs and says it's impossible to find. But I caught it idling at a red light, purring on taxpayer dollars.
A taxpayer-funded Mustang, wrapped in county decals and handed to bureaucrats while they swear there is no waste. This is the luxury ride of a government that thinks you are too blind to notice they're taking your wallet from 60 to 0 in 3.3 seconds.
The Sentinel's editorial board clutches its pearls and lectures us about how hard it is to find examples of government waste. Hard? You can spot it revving its engine on Broward Boulevard. You can hear it in the growl of a Mustang that no taxpayer ever asked for.
I asked a commissioner about it.
No justification, no righteous defense, just a sheepish, "yeah, I hear ya." That's the sound of Broward politics at work: a wink, a nod, and the keys still in the ignition for the next time the taxpayers get taken for a joyride.
If this is what you can see on the street, imagine what's tucked away in the county garages!
Imagine the shadow budgets and fleet purchases signed off without debate. Waste isn't hard to find. It's hard to admit.
The Sentinel demanded specifics. Here's one, polished and parked at the curb, taxpayer-paid and burning tax money in plain sight. If they cannot see it, maybe it's because they do not want to.
The county administrator, Monica Cepero, needs to answer for this Mustang. Did she personally approve Broward buying a performance sports car for county staff? How many do taxpayers own? If she did, why did she think it was a good idea? And if she did not, then what kind of controls are missing in a government where staff can slip a muscle car into the fleet without notice?
Taxpayers deserve answers - not excuses - for how this Mustang ever rolled off the lot with county plates.