Bradenton shelter pledges cooperation with investigation of scandal at domestic violence agency

As HOPE Family Services CEO Laurel Lynch prepares to testify in Tallahassee next week regarding what she knew about exorbitant spending at the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence, HOPE’s board of directors is pledging its full cooperation with the investigation.

On Wednesday afternoon, the board of directors issued a prepared statement touting their work in the community. While acknowledging that the lion’s share of their funding comes from FCADV, they are trying to separate themselves from the scandal.

“HOPE remains a completely independent and stand-alone corporation governed by local board of directors and committed to empowering survivors,” the statement reads.

The board continued by saying the directors, staff and Lynch will, “fully support and are cooperating with the state of Florida’s investigation of potential spending irregularities by FCADV.”

What the statement didn’t address is Lynch’s high-level roles with the FCADV while serving as CEO of Hope Family Services. She was chair of FCADV’s board in 2017 when it gave former FCADV CEO Tiffany Carr several hundred thousand dollars in raises.

Carr is reported to have hand-picked the “compensation committee,” of which Lynch was a member. She received two raises over a two-year period totaling $313,475, bringing her annual salary to $761,561, which was revealed in 2017. Carr, in turn, told reporters at the time that her salary was solely a board decision.

HOPE Family Services board president Rosemarie Fisher told the Bradenton Herald on Tuesday that she has full confidence in Lynch’s leadership despite Lynch being subpoenaed to testify Monday before the Florida House’s Public Integrity and Ethics Committee, which is investigating the FCADV.

Lynch and Carr have worked together for more than 20 years and Carr even sold Lynch a home in North Carolina in 2011 — the sale of which was notarized by the FCADV’s chief financial officer..

Fisher previously said HOPE’s finances are sound and all monies are accounted for internally and through Manatee County.

Manatee County tax dollars only represent about 1 percent of Hope’s overall $2.4 million in revenue, most of which comes from FCDAV. The statewide coalition has sole rights to a Department of Children and Families contract for domestic violence programs due to a Florida statute lawmakers are in the process of repealing.

According to Rachael Taft, Manatee County’s digital content coordinator, the county supports two programs at HOPE. The county’s Neighborhood Services Department provides a little more than $56,000 to help support HOPE’s shelter and an additional $231,315 for counseling services for children who witness domestic violence.

The county did not immediately respond to inquiries about county audits of the funding.

According to a June 2017 through June 2018 audit conducted by Carr, Riggs & Ingram CPAs and Advisors, $1.7 million were obtained through state and federal grants. The HOPE Chest Thrift Store reported earning more than $400,000 and the remaining funds came from donations, miscellaneous grants and other smaller sources.

HOPE claims they spent more than $820,000 in shelter expenses for that fiscal year, more than $486,000 on children’s counseling and protection services and more than $735,000 on victim advocacy as their major expenses.

An additional $216,000 was spent on conferences, repairs and maintenance, supplies, utilities and other expenses.

Traditional annual audits are based largely on the information provided, as noted by the auditors themselves who acknowledge, “During our audit, we did not identify any deficiencies in internal control that we consider to be material weaknesses. However, material weaknesses may exist that have not been identified.”

Lynch, along with a dozen other shelter executives across Florida have been subpoenaed to testify before the House committee.

State Rep. Margaret Good, D-Sarasota, who is a member of the committee, said members have two goals for the hearing Monday. First, she said, is to make sure funding is getting to where it needs to be. Secondly, to acknowledge that this, “Certainly merits a full investigation.”

Lynch has not returned several requests for comment on Tuesday and again on Wednesday.

This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 3:39 PM.