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Oviedo council approves phase‑1 forensic scoping of Twin Rivers golf course
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Summary
The council approved a phase‑1 forensic scoping engagement with Mazars LLP for the Twin Rivers golf course enterprise fund, authorizing use of $20,000 from the golf course reserve to pay for a scoping review of accounting and operations.
Oviedo — The City Council moved to authorize a phase‑1 forensic scoping engagement with Mazars LLP to review the Twin Rivers golf course enterprise fund, directing staff to transfer $20,000 from the golf course reserve to the accounting and auditing account.
City staff presented the request after a local resident submitted documents raising concerns about the golf course's profit‑and‑loss statements and operational practices. "They've quoted us a price of $20,000 for this engagement," city staff said during the meeting, adding that the resolution includes a budget amendment to fund the work from the golf course reserve.
Bill Lehi, who accompanied Mazars to the meeting, described phase 1 as a scoping exercise. "Phase 1 is really just the scoping where we have several conversations, look at some preliminary documents, and then discuss our preliminary observations," Mazars' Alex Gershner said. The phase identifies areas warranting deeper review; any detailed accounting assessment would occur in a potential phase 2.
Staff told the council that an initial internal review resolved some accounting questions but that operational issues remained. City staff recommended an external, targeted review rather than relying solely on the city's annual financial statement audit, which they said focuses on material items and not the operational nuances the scoping would examine.
A council member moved to adopt the resolution authorizing the engagement and the clerk called the roll. Council discussion noted the city's lack of a recent deep audit of the golf course since acquiring it and framed the work as a transparency measure. The motion was seconded and carried per the meeting record; the clerk was asked to call the roll as recorded in the minutes.
Next steps described by Mazars include interviews with council members, staff, golf management and a walkthrough of operations. Mazars said it could return with recommendations and a better estimate of any phase‑2 work after the scoping phase is complete.
The council's resolution includes authority to waive normal purchasing thresholds to expedite the engagement; the resolution and budget amendment were adopted as part of the meeting record. The forensic scoping is limited to identifying issues and making recommendations; any follow‑up engagements will require separate authorization.
