ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County Property Appraiser, Rick Singh, spent $14,000 of your tax money to wrap these vehicles with the agency’s logo. His name was placed on the 30 cars, eight times, including on the front windshield.
We questioned Singh, last week, about whether the cars are rolling billboards for his re-election campaign. “Are you wanting to put a price tag on safety. Tell me what is that price. You got to understand, our employees operate in an emergency environment, Singh said.”
Slideshow: New Orange County property appraiser's vehicles
9 Investigates learned the writing on the front of the windshield is actually illegal. In an e-mail, a Florida Highway Patrol spokesperson told us, “you can not operate a vehicle…with any sign, sun screening material, product or covering attached to windshield.” There are few exceptions, but the writing on the front windshield of the property appraiser vehicles is not exempt.
“He should’ve gotten it approved. I think it’s unethical to be honest,” Orange County Resident Kasie Foreman said.
Singh’s office told us, the writing on the front and back windshield was free, and not included in the overall costs. An employee with the company that did the work, told us, they take responsibility for the mistake. They did not know it was illegal, and offered the extra writing at no cost.
The office couldn't provide written documentation that they spotted the error prior to 9 Investigates inquiry.
However, a spokesperson for Singh said an employee for the Property Appraiser's Office noticed the error during a safety check, Monday, and started work to remove the writing from the front windshield. And it has since been removed from all vehicles, at no extra cost.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs was floored when she saw our report on the new fleet of new vehicles, rolled out by the Orange County Property Appraiser. And now, Mayor Jacobs believes it’s time to get a closer look at the department’s expenses.
“The comptroller says she has audit authority. I think the office should be audited. I understand there are some public records requests made that haven't been honored. So, it's certainly starting to raise some significant questions,” Jacobs said.
Singh’s budget goes through the state department of revenue. Any challenges from the county have to go through the state. For the most part, Singh is free to spend the money in his budget the way he chooses. “It's not only an egregious affront to the voters of Orange County.
It's a presumption that the voters of Orange County are so stupid that they'll fall for this kind of expenditure of their tax dollars,” Fred Brummer said.
He is a former Orange County Commissioner, who now sits on the Charter Review Commission. He plans to propose elected constitutional officers, like the Property Appraiser, be abolished and put under the county charter rules, which could mean more oversight, here in the county.
“You got to get out there and make proposals for radical change,” Brummer said.
In statement a spokesperson for the Property Appraiser said, Mr. Singh, who is out of town on business welcomes the audit, and hopes the Mayor will call for an audit of other county offices. They also pointed out that two previous audits during Singh’s administration have been “error-free.”
WFTV
