Records: Some had X-way plot

Ashton: Plan was to use agency to their advantage

A handful of politicians, lobbyists and government officials plotted to take over Orlando’s Expressway Authority and use the agency’s $300 million budget to their advantage, according to records and testimony released by the State Attorney’s Office.

The aim was to put their friends in charge of the agency, further their own careers and direct lucrative contracts to associates, say documents and the sworn statements by eight people associated with the Orlando- Orange County Expressway Authority.

Among those allegedly involved were agency board member Scott Batterson, an appointee of Gov. Rick Scott indicted on three bribery- related charges last month; former state Rep.

Chris Dorworth, Batterson’s friend since middle school and now a lobbyist; and state Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad, also a Scott appointee.

The documents released last week reveal a torrent of behind-the-scenes maneuvering — including talk of seizing power and handing out multimillion- dollar contracts over $47 of beer at a Baldwin Park bar.

But the public knew none of it until the turmoil burst into view during an Aug. 28 meeting of the expressway authority’s five- member board. That’s when Batterson joined fellow board members Marco Peña and Noranne Downs in a 3-2 vote to seek a successor to agency Director Max Crumit.

Just two days before that board meeting, Batterson had come to Crumit and told him he should quit because Batterson had lined up three votes to fire him, Crumit claimed. Batterson denied that claim, but it sparked the investigation because board members by law can only discuss agency business in public, not privately.

In a sworn statement to investigators, Crumit said Batterson threatened: “We’re going to vote you off the board, which would be ugly and you don’t want that andwe don’twant that.”

Crumit replied that one of the board members — Downs — was scheduled to miss the meeting because she would be on vacation, meaning Batterson would be a vote short. Less than two hours after Batterson left, Crumit said, he got an email from Downs, who runs the Department of Transportation in Central Florida.

Thee mail read, “Hi, Max. Looks like I will be at this week’s board meeting. See you soon.”

Prasad, the FDOT secretary who is Downs’ boss, later sent another message to Crumit, saying, “I’m very disappointed in you. What became your quest to seek private sector opportunities has turned into a drama. I could have gotten you there, but now I hope it doesn’t get ugly.”

Crumit had been hired two years earlier to improve the image of the beleaguered agency, which had been tarnished in a political fundraising scandal in 2007. Board members had routinely praised him in the past.

Batterson, now suspended from the board, did not return phone calls from the Sentinel.

Prasad issued a statement through spokesman Dick Kane, saying, “Secretary Prasad has fully cooperated with State Attorney Jeff Ashton’s investigation and has provided all the information requested.”

Though the controversy emerged in public at that August meeting, witnesses told investigators that the plotting began much earlier.

For instance, Mark Callahan, a manager for the engineering firm CH2M Hill, told investigators about drinks he had with Batterson one night in July at Caddy Shanks, a bar in Orlando’s Baldwin Park. Also at the bar that night were Dorworth and state Rep. Jason Brodeur, R- Sanford, among others.

Over beers, Callahan said Batterson offered CH2M Hill the chance to get a generalengineering contract now held by another company — but only if Callahan’s firm were willing to hire some of Batterson’s friends. The so-called GC contract pays about $5 million annually.

When Callahan asked how that would be possible, Batterson said he expected to soon became chairman of the authority board and indicated that he controlled three of the five board votes, Callahan told investigators. That included the vote of Peña, a Florida Hospital growth strategist who had just been appointed to the board by the governor. Batterson suggested Peña was “our guy,” Callahan said.

It also included the vote of Downs, the regional FDOT official who, Callahan said, would vote however she was told to by her boss, Prasad, the FDOT secretary. And Batterson added that his friend Dorworth was “very close” to Prasad, Callahan told investigators.

Callahan said he assumed Dorworth and Prasad would pass their wishes through Rebekah Hammond, a government-affairs liaison who works for FDOT. Hammond, 25, is Dorworth’s girlfriend and is paid almost $71,000 a year by the state agency. She would not comment.

“Rebekah would be the connection,” said Callahan, who did not return calls to the Sentinel.

Downs’ attorney, Henry Coxe of Jacksonville, said, “She [ Downs] has never done anything inappropriate either independently or for the secretary and to suggest otherwise is an insult to both of them.”

Dorworth said he has developed awork relationship and a personal friendship with Prasad during the past five years. But he said he has never discussed with Prasad — “directly or indirectly” — any expressway authority board votes or vendor contracts.

“Any suggestion to the contrary is completely false — the conspiratorial speculation of someone I have no recollection of ever meeting and who, by his own admission in his testimony, has no idea how I conduct business,” Dorworth said.

Callahan, who paid $46.88 for the beers, said the group separated when Dorworth ordered a limousine to take himself and others to dinner. Callahan and Batterson opted to walk to a nearby restaurant for sushi.

Ashton’s investigation continues, and he has said more indictments could be issued. Batterson is free on $3,000 bail.

Batterson had also clashed with Crumit before that crucial August board meeting.

Crumit told investigators that Batterson, sometime after becoming vice chairman of the authority board in early2012, said hewanted to change theway the agency solicited competitive bids for cars used by authority staff.

“He said, ‘ Well, we’re a local agency. We should negotiate with local people… I want to introduce you to somebody that, you know, you can just go and negotiate these lease prices for,’ ” Crumit recalled Batterson saying.

Crumit declined, citing authority policies.

“‘Are you telling the vice chairman no?’ ” Batterson responded, according to Crumit.

Batterson, Crumit concluded, “didn’t likemy management style, felt that maybe Iwas too by the book.”

Crumit and current Authority Chairman Walter Ketcham say Batterson, Prasad and Dorworth were set on installing their friend, former state Rep. Steve Precourt, R- Orlando, in the executive director’s job. Crumit quit his post in September, and, about three months later, Batterson, Peña and Downs voted 3-2 to hire Precourt, who resigned his legislative seat to take the job paying $185,000 annually.

Precourt did not respond to requests for comment. He ultimately turned down the executive director’s job when itwas offered only on a month-to-month basis because of the ongoing investigation.

Even before Crumit departed, Precourt was telling people he wanted the job, according to the statements. In fact, Callahan told investigators that Precourt — whom Callahan said he had known for more than 20 years— made it clear to him that he wanted to start the job before his own legislative term ended in November 2014.

According to Callahan, Precourt said “if that job became available sooner [rather] than later, it would be a little bit better for him because then … he could resign his seat and then they could hold a special election, get somebody else in.”

Four days after Precourt quit, former state Rep. Eric Eisnaugle announced his candidacy. Precourt endorsed Eisnaugle, R- Orlando, who then easily won a low-turnout special election. Precourt and Eisnaugle had previously served together in the stateHouse.

Eisnaugle nowis running to become speaker of the Florida House after the 2020 elections — and the early start in office has given him an advantage over much of his competition for the powerful post.

“I just kind ofviewedit all as kind of like a perfect storm,” Crumit told investigators.

In an email, Eisnaugle said, “I’m not involved, and have had no role” in either the expressway authority or the state attorney’s investigation.

Ketcham and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs were thetwoauthority board members to vote against hiring Precourt.

“I felt he would be too receptive to their ... what I perceived to be their game plan of doing things theway they want them done,” Ketcham told investigators.