SUFA terminates animal care contract

By Steve Estes

Stand Up For Animals, the county’s animal control contractor for the Middle and Lower Keys told county officials Monday that it will be terminating its employment.

The move comes as the organization, and particularly Director Linda Gottwald, has come under fire for alleged financial irregularities.

An audit of the not-for-profit’s books is expected to be wrapped up by the end of the month. A preliminary audit revealed several possible instances of financial irregularities in the agency’s spending including:

The use of SUFA money by Gottwald to pay rent on a house leased by her for three months.

The use of SUFA money by Gottwald to pay personal utility bills.

The use of SUFA money to pay legal fees associated with an animal shelter Gottwald plans to open under the SUFA umbrella in Michigan and build a fence for that facility.

Plane tickets

The initial audit report also stated that Gottwald paid a SUFA employee to transport dogs from the Marathon shelter to the Michigan location using a Monroe County vehicle.

Gottwald has said that she will be presenting an answer to the audit findings.

According to Beth Leto, assistant public works director, there will be no gap in animal control services as a result of SUFA walking off the job.

Though the details are still being worked out, Leto said that the Key West SPCA had agreed to provide service from mile marker 17 to mile marker 60 and the Humane Animal Care Coalition in Key Largo would be providing service from there up the Keys.

“We are working out a transition plan now, and hope to have everything in place by Sept. 1,” said Leto.

SUFA wanted to cancel the contract immediately, but the agreement calls for 15 days notice, well past the Sept. 1 changeover date, and Leto said she feels confident SUFA employees will stay on the job until then.

“We are still working out hours of operation and such,” said Leto.

She said staff wants to get approval from the Board of County Commissioners to send the service out to bids Sept. 8 at the special budget meeting, but may have to wait until the regular meeting Sept. 15.

County Administrator Roman Gastesi said Wednesday morning on US 1 radio’s Morning Magazine that he hasn’t yet made the decision whether to just bid the territory SUFA covered, or go out for one contractor to cover the entire Keys.

Staff’s proposal right now is to bid just the current territory.

If bids are approved by mid-September, Leto said it will take four to six months to have a new contractor in place. The Upper Keys contractor has agreed to pick up the extra area at no charge, and the SPCA will charge only what SUFA would have been paid, about $22,000 per month.

Leto also said that both the Marathon and Big Pine shelters would remain in operation.

“The SPCA has agreed to put an animal control officer at both locations during the interim,” Leto said.

In her termination notice, Gottwald blamed the county’s actions for her need to terminate the contract early.

The county had sought bids for the territory in June. SUFA was the only bidder but asked for 24 percent more in payments to continue the same service. County officials felt the price was exorbitant and staff recommended that the bids be rejected and sent back out for other interested parties.

After some negotiation, SUFA agreed to a three-month extension of the current contract to give both sides a chance to find a suitable compromise.

Gastesi, however, ordered an audit of all three animal control contractors and the SUFA findings came to light.

In August, staff planned to recommend that the SUFA contract be terminated Sept. 1, but Commissioner Mario DiGennaro refused to allow the termination to be added to the agenda as an add-on item. It requires a unanimous vote to add an item the day of the meeting.

When the preliminary audit findings came to light, the county put a freeze on SUFA’s assets, partially releasing that freeze last week to pay bills approved by the county clerk.

Gottwald said that freeze prompted her decision to terminate the lease.

“The county’s and County Clerk’s refusal to allow SUFA to ensure that properly trained and licensed staff are timely paid for their work has resulted in and/or likely will result in their discontinuing employment with SUFA. This frustrates and obstructs the essential staffing duties pertaining to SUFA performing animal control services under the parties’ contracts and agreements. The county and/or its agents are responsible for the consequences,” wrote Gottwald.

If the BOCC approves going back out for bids on the service, there will be some changes to the scope of work for any group servicing the Middle Keys area, although those changes won’t be complete until the bid package is ready.