County digs into Palmetto Youth Center’s finances, and this is what they found

Manatee County Deputy Administrator Cheri Coryea on Monday said there are no discrepancies in the Palmetto Youth Center’s finances, particularly related to the two programs for which the county provides funding.

A memo released by Coryea states the youth center has met its financial and other requirements for two county-funded programs, Teen Hype and Foundation for Excellence. In total, the county funds over $396,000 for youth center programming. There are 20 employees dedicated to the FFE program and nine employees dedicated to the Teen Hype program.

“County staff from the Neighborhood Services Department visited the Palmetto Youth Center to review the accuracy of the information provided,” Coryea said in the memo. “Staff confirmed the information was accurate.”

Coryea said the county would continue to monitor the youth center’s funding for the two programs on a monthly basis, but the findings generally put to rest several concerns raised by Manatee County Commissioner Charles Smith in January when Smith publicly called for the resignation of Reggie Bellamy, the center’s director.

The center’s board of directors unanimously released a statement four days later saying it supported Bellamy.

In calling for Bellamy’s resignation, Smith maintained that Bellamy wasn’t working full time, but the documents show he works a “minimum” of 37 hours a week. Smith said Bellamy lost the youth center’s football program to Lincoln Academy, which proved to be untrue. The program did have to suspend the football program last season only while it transitioned over to Pop Warner rules.

Smith requested that Bellamy and youth center board of directors chairwoman Kim Riker appear before the county commission on Feb. 13 to address those complaints and more. By that meeting, Smith’s complaints, one by one, had fallen short of being accurate. Smith then focused solely on how the center was spending funds on its two programs, Teen Hype and Foundation for Excellence.

Commission Chairwoman Priscilla Whisenant-Trace said she couldn’t speak for Smith.

“I have no problem with Reggie’s work,” Whisenant-Trace said. “He has done everything we have asked and as far as the commission is concerned, everything is fine.”

Smith has declined to speak about the youth center to the Bradenton Herald and it remains unclear if he is satisfied with the staff report and whether he will withdraw his demand for Bellamy to resign. Smith has denied his complaints were politically motivated because of rumors Bellamy would challenge Smith in the 2018 elections.

Bellamy has since filed to challenge Smith in the Aug. 28 Democratic primary.

Bellamy also has declined to speak about Smith’s statements against him, saying only that he refuses to drag the youth center into it.

This story was originally published March 5, 2018 at 3:32 PM with the headline "County digs into Palmetto Youth Center’s finances, and this is what they found."