County auditors issue unmodified opinion on Alachua County's FY2024 finances; board accepts ACFR

Alachua County officials and external auditors presented and the board accepted the county's Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) and the independent audit on May 27.

Ron Whitesides, partner at Purvis Gray & Company, told the board the auditors issued an unmodified opinion — the highest level of assurance — on the county's financial statements. "We issued what's called an unmodified opinion. That is the highest form of assurance we can give as your auditors," Whitesides said, noting the opinion included an "emphasis of matter" paragraph related to a newly adopted GASB accounting standard that had little practical effect on the county's results.

Auditors performed single-audit procedures for federal and state major programs; they tested eight major programs and reported two opportunities for process improvements in the SHIP program: ensuring liens are trued up to the actual amounts and ensuring income qualification procedures are consistently applied. In the SHIP instance where assistance exceeded program income limits, the county converted the amount to county funding to maintain compliance.

Todd Hutchison, finance director with the Clerk of Courts office, highlighted key audited results as of Sept. 30, 2024: general fund operating revenues of about $216 million, operating expenditures around $120 million, and a net positive change in general fund balance of $698,000; the reported general-fund fund balance at year-end was about $117 million, of which around $50 million remained unassigned (approximately 90 days of operating revenue in line with best practices). Investment earnings were cited at roughly $11 million during the audited period, a cyclical result of high short-term interest rates and one-time federal recovery dollars in the general fund.

Auditors noted no significant deficiencies in internal controls across the county's financial reporting processes. The single-audit review resulted in normal, limited recommendations rather than systemic control failures. Purvis Gray indicated the county has historically strong preparation and that management responded appropriately to the single-audit findings.

The board voted to accept the ACFR and authorize transmission of the report to the Florida Department of Financial Services and the Auditor General, as required by state law.

The acceptance preserves the county's record of strong, externally validated financial reporting and positions staff to continue work on GASB-related updates to accounting policies ahead of the next audit cycle.