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Committee questions film‑commission spending and DEI‑labeled positions as part of state audit review
Summary
Committee members criticized film‑commission expenditures and questioned whether two assistant county administrator roles labeled as DEI positions reflect current duties; staff said the film commission is largely tourist‑tax funded and that one ACA now oversees affordable housing, liaison functions and will assist with a large CDBG allocation.
Committee members used the state audit to press staff for greater transparency about several program expenditures, including the film commission, a $24,000 piano purchase and assistant county administrator positions that the state labeled 'DEI roles.'
On the film commission, members said they had seen evidence of large reimbursements and questioned the return on investment. One committee member said the film commissioner "is getting paid $200,000 a year and he's getting reimbursed" and described extensive travel; staff replied that annual film commission spending is a little over $1 million and that most of it now comes from tourist development taxes, leaving roughly $163,000 from the general fund.
The committee also discussed an example the state flagged — a $24,000 grand piano purchased for the New Tampa Performing Arts Center. Some members said a concert‑grade piano can be a reasonable capital expense with a decades‑long useful life; others worried large purchases without clear documentation invite public criticism.
On DEI roles, staff described two assistant county administrator positions the audit labeled as DEI. One, the assistant county administrator for equity and community impact, was promoted from affordable‑housing director and now also oversees community liaisons and will support the county’s $700 million CDBG disaster‑relief housing allocation; county records show that ACA's salary is listed at $220,000 in the county response. Staff told the committee those liaison roles (African‑American liaison, Hispanic liaison, ADA liaison) have existed for decades and perform outreach and accessibility functions.
Committee members requested job descriptions, current duties and salary details for the positions the audit identified, and asked staff to include those clarifications in the committee’s local report to the commission.
Next steps: staff will provide a funding breakdown for the film commission, documentation for the piano purchase and role descriptions and current salary figures for the assistant county administrators identified in the audit.
