The Lauderhill City Commission voted on Sept. 29 to hire Perry Forensic to conduct forensic audits of two grant streams, selecting the firm from five respondents to a city solicitation.

Why it matters: The audits will examine how federal COVID-era HHS funds and a separate set of neighborhood grant awards (the Lauderhill Health and Prosperity Program, LHPP) were spent and whether city processes complied with grant requirements. The review is both programmatic (policy/process) and financial (transaction-level tracing) and could lead to recommendations or further actions.

What happened at the meeting:
- The commission heard live presentations from four responding firms and a fifth that declined an in-person presentation. After questions and discussion, commissioners signaled preference for awarding both audits to a single firm.
- The commission voted 5–0 to authorize the city manager to enter an agreement with Perry Forensic under Resolution No. 25R09194 to perform both audits. City staff noted the roll-forward procurement process and an in-person selection conversation earlier the same day.

Scope and next steps:
- The selected firm will audit the HHS grant (federal COVID-related funding) and the LHPP grants (local program awards totaling roughly $1 million). The audit will review grant administration, internal controls and financial records, and will trace funds from award to final disbursement.
- City staff said the audit team will meet with finance and grants staff before fieldwork starts to define scope and request documents. Auditors indicated they will use document-analysis tools to review large volumes of records and will hold regular status meetings during the engagement.

Comments from commissioners and staff emphasized the need for independence and thoroughness. Several commissioners said they preferred a single firm to handle both audits for continuity; the motion passed unanimously.

Implementation: City staff will finalize a contracted scope of work for Perry Forensic and begin the audit kickoff meeting with finance and grants staff.