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Deputy Mayor calls for independent review of BizLINK after reported $200,000 judgment
Summary
Deputy Mayor Gibson urged the City Commission to commission an objective, possibly external, fact-finding review of the BizLINK initiative after citing a civil default judgment against Florida Development Corporation for $200,000 and raised questions about public funding and recovery prospects.
Deputy Mayor Gibson urged the City of Lake Wales commission to seek an independent, objective accounting of the BizLINK initiative after citing a civil default judgment he said was entered against Florida Development Corporation for $200,000.
Gibson said the city needs “the objective facts” about what public money was proposed, obligated and actually invested in BizLINK and whether the project is operating, able to recover, or effectively shut down. “I read where there was a civil court default judgment entered against the corporate entity, Florida Development Corporation, for, $200,000,” he said.
Why it matters: Gibson described BizLINK as part of the Lake Wales Connected plan and said questions about the program involve the city’s fiduciary responsibility. He told colleagues a full, objective summary should be prepared and suggested bringing in an outside investigator or other neutral party to avoid conflicts and to preserve public trust.
Gibson proposed a fact-finding process that could include an accounting or audit, and—if necessary—bringing in investigators from outside the local jurisdiction to ensure impartiality. He said he was uncertain whether BizLINK remains operational and asked whether there are means to recover funds or rely on improvements to real property and increased tax increment to make the city whole.
City Manager response: The city manager agreed staff had just received financial projections and that work was underway to translate those into tax-increment estimates. On funding sources, the city manager clarified that those funds were ARPA dollars passed through for an incubator program and that they had to be obligated by Dec. 31, 2024. “Those weren’t local dollars that went into BizLINK,” the city manager said, adding that the CRA funds were not spent on the program.
Next steps: Deputy Mayor Gibson asked for a complete summary of BizLINK’s status, including how much was proposed from different sources, what was actually invested, recoverability prospects and any recommended next steps. He suggested the commission consider authorizing an external fact-finding or audit if necessary.
No formal motion or vote occurred on the request during the meeting; Gibson’s comments were provided during commission remarks.
