Palm Beach County Paid $903,000 on the Sheriff's Headquarters Renovation Before Commissioners Approved It, Audit Finds

County employees paid construction manager Kast Construction more than $903,000 for work on the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office headquarters renovation that had not yet received the required approval from county commissioners, according to a new inspector general audit summarized by Red Tape Florida in a report read in full by this desk. In some cases the payments came as much as 355 business days - roughly 16 months - before commissioners formally approved the change orders.

The headquarters building on Gun Club Road in West Palm Beach dates to 1983, and the $54 million renovation includes hurricane protection, a roof replacement, mechanical upgrades and interior improvements, the report said. About $47.7 million of the cost came from the county's voter-approved infrastructure sales tax. Auditors also identified another $223,243 in payments they said exceeded contract terms or lacked sufficient supporting documentation, most of it insurance, bonding and risk-related charges.

County officials disputed the inspector general's reading of some contract provisions and argued that some charges were legitimate, while the county's own review identified a preliminary net overpayment of about $124,478 that officials said could be deducted from the contractor's final payment, according to the report. The inspector general issued seven recommendations on documentation, payment approvals and construction oversight; the county accepted six and rejected one. The report is explicit on one limit of the finding: the audit did not conclude that the $903,000 was stolen or that the work was not performed - the issue was authorization arriving after the money went out.