A nonprofit accuses Tamarac of misusing funds
TAMARAC — A nonprofit in Tamarac says the city is making it work as a go-between to pay for pet projects — raising its concerns that charitable funds are being misused for political benefit.
The Parks and Recreation Foundation of Tamarac, known as PAROT, says City Commissioner Marlon Bolton made it help host a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway that he presented as his event. And most recently, the nonprofit rejected an unknown city leader’s request for it to give out a iPad Pro to a resident.
Julie Fishman, the nonprofit’s chairperson, says she wants Bolton and any other officials, if they’re involved, to stop making these problematic requests. The funds the nonprofit receives are for playground equipment, not buying turkeys.
“The Foundation has been asked to act as a pass through for Commissioners wanting to make anonymous donations, the latest being an iPad for a resident,” Fishman wrote in a recent email to all the city commissioners. “While these donations may be worthwhile and needed, this is not how we as a Foundation operate.”
The nonprofit’s concerns are the latest to unfold in Tamarac, which has been publicly criticized for how it spends taxpayer money. A series of stories by the South Florida Sun Sentinel over the past year revealed that city commissioners had granted themselves lucrative perks and benefits and that they were considering giving themselves even more retirement benefits. That is, until the newspaper cast light on those efforts.
Fishman said she’s baffled why her nonprofit has become the go-between for personal City Commission projects. Fishman said Commissioner Bolton provided the nonprofit with thousands of dollars, and it then was made to write the checks for the same amount. “I don’t know why the Foundation was used in this manner,” Fishman said.
Bolton could not be reached for comment by cellphone or email.
Dominic Calabro, the CEO of Florida TaxWatch, a nonprofit government watchdog group, said such arrangements are “not in the spirit of charity.” The foundations, which act as supporters of government, must be “disconnected from personal political activities. You give to a charity like you
give to United Way” and then that charity can’t be told “and you in turn give it to Mrs. Smith. You don’t do that. That runs counter to fiduciary responsibility of the charities.”
Seeking the nonprofit’s help
The nonprofit’s money is supposed to be used to improve the parks in Tamarac, including playground equipment, benches and scoreboards. The nonprofit also grants scholarships to pay the fees for low-income children to participate in city-sponsored sports.
Multiple Broward cities have nonprofit foundations so while the city can raise money to supplement the city coffers, it allows the residents who make the donations a tax write-off.
But the nonprofit in Tamarac says it keeps being asked to do things that don’t pertain to its mission. Records show the nonprofit played a key role in a Nov. 13 event that was presented to the public as “Commissioner Marlon Bolton’s Thanksgiving Turkey Big Give.” Fishman said she didn’t realize the nonprofit’s money would be used for Bolton’s Thanksgiving-related personal initiative — until it was too late:
A PAROT check was written for $400 on Nov. 3 to Ackee Tree Jamaican Restaurant, an Oakland Park eatery, according to a copy of the canceled check provided by PAROT. The memo field reads Commissioner “Bolton — Boxed Lunches.” A city email shows the money paid for 50 boxed lunches.
The Great Commission Center and Outreach, a Tamarac nonprofit, got a check from PAROT for $500 on Nov. 2, according to a copy of the canceled check provided by PAROT. The memo field on the check reads “Commissioner Bolton Turkeys.”
On Nov. 9, a check from PAROT for $1,341 was written to Tapatia Supermarket, a Mexican market in Tamarac, according to a copy of the canceled check provided by PAROT. The memo line reads “Comm Bolton - turkeys.”
Peter Richards, the CEO for the Great Commission Center and Outreach, said he had reached out to Bolton to ask for help for the Nov. 13 event. “It was a generous gesture,” he said of Bolton’s response. Richards said he didn’t have the funds to do it himself. “That’s why I called for city assistance.”
Even though Richards sought Bolton’s help, he said it didn’t go as he had planned. He made flyers, but then said Bolton edited them to add his own photo, he said.
Richards said he passed out the boxed lunches that came from the Jamaican restaurant to area homeless and neighborhood residents who came for the assistance. He said the $500 check cut directly to his nonprofit paid for advertisement and flyers for the giveaway. And he used the money written for the Mexican
supermarket to buy 50 gift cards, intended for people to buy their own turkeys for the holidays that accompanied the boxed lunches.
But Richards said he didn’t know more people would be coming to the Nov. 13 event, and that Bolton would be handing out food and he didn’t know how it was paid for.
“We had an awesome time on Saturday at Caporella Park for the Marlon D. Bolton Thanksgiving Big Give Turkey Giveaway!” Bolton posted later that day on Facebook. “Massive success!!! Lots of people came out and they all left with BIG smiles on their faces!!! (and their turkeys).”
“I didn’t know he was going to be doing that, he didn’t tell me,” Richards said. “I don’t approve of this behavior.”
City officials did not respond to questions about which funds Bolton used to give to the nonprofit to pay for the event. Elected officials long ago gave themselves a $25,000 expense account for personal initiatives, but it was unclear Thursday whether Bolton potentially tapped into those funds for the event.