Records: Joel Greenberg doled out contracts to politicians, strategists tied to figures in Florida's
Before he resigned in disgrace last year, Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg doled out dubious contracts to a number of Republican politicians, political strategists and other allies, many with links to the scandals that have rocked Florida politics this month, according to audit documents, emails and other records reviewed by the Orlando Sentinel.
The records also provide further details of Greenbergs friendships with two of the powerful figures buffeted by the controversies: U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and lobbyist Chris Dorworth. Greenberg, the records show, took a taxpayer-funded trip to Miami to meet with Gaetz and received an invitation from Dorworth to a VIP experience at an event with former President Donald Trump in which Dorworth promised, They will feed us all booze and give us a ride as well as an escort to our luxury boxes.
Viewed together, the records depict a Seminole County Tax Collectors Office that, under Greenberg, turned into a source of money for people either personally close to Greenberg or plugged into GOP politics.
Auditors, hired by Seminole County commissioners to probe Greenbergs spending after he resigned last year, found ample evidence of potential misuse of taxpayer dollars and a series of vague consulting contracts for which they found no evidence of work.
We consider most of these contracts to be either excessive or unnecessary, the auditors wrote.
Among the people who got such consulting deals from Greenberg:
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-prem-ne-joel-greenberg-connections-20210413-j2su54xccffopn6p5trplv5vzu-story.html