Buddy Johnson could face a state probe; criminal next?
January 14, 2009 at 7:10 am by Wayne Garcia
The state’s top elections chief says former Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson’s $2.3 million cost overrun has caught his eye and might warrant a probe:
Secretary of State Kurt Browning said he was surprised when Buddy Johnson’s office told commissioners in December that the office had more than $2.3-million in cost overruns.
Browning said there should be no deficit, considering that Hillsborough received a federal grant meant to cover many of the costs associated with a new voting system.
“We keep hearing that he’s short $2.3-million, and I wonder, ‘What did he spend it on?’ ” Browning said. “I don’t understand.”
Johnson was supposed to provide a full accounting of how he spent the $2.5-million grant by Dec. 31, but Browning said the form explaining the expenditures wasn’t filled out completely. So Johnson’s successor, Phyllis Busansky, has inherited the job of explaining how the money was spent.
Browning said he’ll wait for audits already under way before he calls for a state inquiry. He said he’ll also hold off until Busansky wraps up her own inquiries into the deficit.
The news comes a few days after the St. Petersburg Times called for a criminal investigation into the office.
