SANFORD, Fla. — It couldn't fix the heat, couldn't help its residents and now the Sanford Housing Authority (SHA) is three-quarters of a million dollars behind on its own bills. WFTV reporter George Spencer sat down with the Authority's executive director to get some answers.
Possible criminal charges and a potential management shake-up are brewing at the Authority. The agency has more than $712,000 in unpaid bills right now.
VENDORS OWED: See Who, How Much SHA Owes
"I feel completely betrayed," SHA Executive Director Angel Tua said Thursday.
Tua says trusted employees gave him, and his oversight board, "inaccurate" financial statements all last year. Among the resulting chaos is $170,000 in unpaid bills to R. Miller Architects, $152,000 owed to the city for water and many smaller bills, like nearly $800 in office supplies.
The Authority owes $7,000 to Heather Jenkins of A Better Plumber in Apopka.
"That's a large amount not to get paid! You know? I mean, that's over payroll for us for a whole week," she said.
Eyewitness News has covered sub-standard apartments under the SHA, residents left without heat and others not getting cash assistance they're due. Now, leaders want a federal take-over of the 480 units.
Both Sanford police and the Office of the Inspector General are investigating the accounting.
"It happened on your watch. What is the explanation you would give your tenants?" Spencer asked Tua.
"The truth," Tua said. "Which is what I conveyed to you. We were misinformed. We were misled."
The two employees responsible for finances were let go last month, officially to save money. Tua knows his $78,000 a year job is on the line, too.
"I'm not going to make up any excuses. It's foolish. It's stupid. But it could happen to anybody. It could happen to any good and well-run business," Tua said.
Tua says he has no immediate plans to resign. He says he's focused now on developing accurate accounting so he, or potentially a new director, can bring the agency back to life.