Orlando Sentinel: Grand jury raps X-way on political fundraising

Orlando Sentinel: Grand jury raps X-way on political fundraising
No one charged -- but changes urged

Christopher Sherman

Dan Tracy and Jay Hamburg, Sentinel Staff Writers

October 10, 2007

An Orange County grand jury filed a sealed report Tuesday criticizing political fundraising that went on within the region's toll-road agency, but the panel did not issue any criminal indictments.

"There are some changes that need to happen at the expressway authority," said Orange-Osceola State Attorney Lawson Lamar, who would not discuss specifics of the filing.

Lamar said he hoped that "this will get some sort of an ethical ball rolling" in Florida. Developers, he said, have too much influence in the political system, and closer attention must be paid to the relationship between donors and those who vote on their projects.

"We can't run the state on a good-ol'-boy network forever," Lamar said.

Tuesday's secret document comes six months after the release of sworn testimony alleging that former expressway Chairman Allan Keen pressured consultants working for the agency to raise money for political candidates he backed.

The grand jury's filing, known as a presentment, is the latest in a string of controversies involving the inner workings of the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority. The Orange County Comptroller's Office is about to finish an audit expected to criticize the agency's financial record-keeping, awarding of contracts and business culture.

The presentment will remain sealed for 15 days after all of those named in it are notified. They will have the opportunity to object and request that it remain sealed or be modified. If unsuccessful, copies will be made public.

According to the testimony released in April, Keen allegedly used his expressway influence to support Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty's re-election bid in 2006. Crotty later replaced Keen as chairman of the authority.

On Tuesday, the mayor denied any wrongdoing.

"I did not make many direct fundraising calls myself," Crotty said. "I never used my position as mayor or a member of the expressway authority to raise campaign" donations.

As for other authority members who raised money via expressway-panel ties, Crotty said that would seem appropriate -- so long as they were legal and not coerced in any way.

"You kind of go to your own contact list," Crotty said.

Criticism 'always welcome'

Keen's attorney, Robert Leventhal, said it was difficult to comment because he did not know what was in the sealed record.

"Allan Keen has stated, and I state, that constructive criticism of any public activity of the authority, whether from the period when he was chairman, now or in the future, is always welcome," Leventhal said.

Expressway-authority Director Mike Snyder said he was surprised by the grand jury's suggestion of political favoritism.

"I've never had a board member -- either directly or indirectly -- say, 'I want you to consider this firm,' or 'You need to give this company special consideration,' " he said. "I don't think there ever should be such influence. It needs to be apolitical."

Snyder served as an expressway-board member from December 1999 to March 2004 by virtue of his former position as district secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation. He left that position to take the executive director's post.

Keen, a longtime GOP fundraiser, was Snyder's first boss at the agency.

Keen also was one of numerous individuals with expressway contacts and ties who were top contributors and fundraisers for Crotty's successful mayoral campaign.

They included former Winter Park marketing consultant Ron Pecora; the agency's former lead attorney, Ken Wright; and the influential former agency right-of-way attorney C. David Brown.

$737,076 for Crotty's run

All told, the 200-plus finance-team leaders helped Crotty amass $737,076 in contributions, county records show. Crotty easily won re-election last year against two lesser-known and underfunded candidates.

Crotty previously told the Orlando Sentinel that Keen brought $20,000 of the $100,000 that Crotty was credited with raising for the 2004 campaign of President Bush.

Bryan Douglas, a former authority employee who once worked for Pecora, testified that it would be hard to find a consultant at the expressway authority who wasn't involved in political fundraising.

Another former Pecora employee specifically mentioned Wright's law firm, Shutts & Bowen, and PBS&J, the agency's general engineering contractor, as consultants whom Keen approached for money.

Pecora would not comment Wednesday. Wright, Brown and Douglas could not be reached. A PBS&J spokeswoman previously told the Sentinel in an e-mail that her company "did not feel any pressure" to give from Keen.

Douglas resigned as the authority's marketing director last year. Along with Pecora and others, Douglas was interviewed under oath by investigators and attorneys working for Lamar and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Areas still under inquiry

The report indicates that, although investigators found areas of concern, they did not have evidence to support formal charges.

Lamar said there are still areas related to the authority that are being investigated and could be brought to a future grand jury.

David Damron of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Christopher Sherman can be reached at csherman@orlandosentinel.com or 407-650-6361. Dan Tracy can be reached at dtracy@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5444. Jay Hamburg can be reached at jhamburg@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5673.

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