This is Part 4 in SBG’s EXCLUSIVE series of the inside story on setting up the 2014 Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix race, “The Rest of the Story”.
This is Part 4 in SBG’s EXCLUSIVE series of the inside story on setting up the 2014 Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Grand Prix race, “The Rest of the Story”.
Scroll down to see Parts 1, 2 and 3 below.
Editor’s Note: The following inside story was given to Mr. Scott Andrichak, who provided it to Stop Bad Government in Charlotte County.
The authors stated they wish to remain anonymous out of fear of repercussions from the County Commissioners, County Administration and the Sheriff’s Office.
SBG puts this information before our readers, as the authors write, to give you “the rest of the story”. There are facts and figures here that have not been reported elsewhere.
Mr. Andrichak says the only changes made were to punctuation, clarity, etc. The publishers here at Stop Bad Government made no changes.
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The 2014 Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Race
The Rest of the Story
Part 4 – Facts & Figures
First and foremost, this article is NOT about our county law enforcement officers. The dedication, bravery and commitment to excellence by our sheriff’s deputies is praised and held to the highest esteem by the authors. The men and women that protect and serve are the best of the best.
This article is about the leadership and management of those officers and how greed and arrogance came to play a major role in the demise of the Charlotte Harbor Super Boat Races.
1. The average cost for the TOTAL “security package” at the other five Super Boat Grand Prix race sites in Florida, Sarasota, Clearwater, Cape Canaveral, Key West and Miami was just $5,000 per day. Some race sites paid a little more and some paid nothing to the “government bodies”. The “security package” that we reference includes: Sheriff, Police, Fire, EMS, FWC, Public Works and Private Security.
2. The race was designed to bring in a world-class event and let Charlotte County shine on an international stage.
3. The economic impact to the other race sites and communities ranged from $8 million to $32 million, depending on the number of festival/event days. That is, in fact, more money than Charlotte County has ever experienced for any weekend event. Ever. These figures are available online, on the Super Boat International (SBI) website.
4. We’ve already discussed the defeatist/negative attitude of the County Commissioners and the greed behind the, “I’ll shut you down” attitude of the Englewood Fire Department. If you missed it, go back and read the prior Stop Bad Government articles.
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Charlotte County Sheriff’s Department
1. Our Sheriff’s Department has an operating budget that has grown from $53,800,000 (2013) to the current $61,200,000 (2015/16). Approximately 80% – 83% is for salary and benefits. Look it up. It’s available for one and all to view on line. Yet when meeting with him to discuss security, Sheriff Prummell cried poor. Why?
2. Sheriff Prummell filed a lawsuit against the head of the race committee for unpaid fees. It made great headlines for him and the commissioners, but let’s look at some facts in order to obtain a complete picture.
3. Our Sheriff’s Department bragged about all of the free things provided to the race. What, exactly, was free and to whom was it given?
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Pre-Race Planning
It starts with the incompetence, lack of effort, assistance and guidance that was exhibited by our “safety officials & leaders” at the very first Race Security meeting. Every possible safety department was present. Every department head came prepared with “what if ” questions. A sample: What if we have a tsunami, (yes, a tidal wave)? What if we have a tornado? Does the race committee have an evacuation plan? What is the plan for those that get sunburn? (Really!) What is the plan for those that get too hot? (Hot? In Florida?) Why didn’t the race committee have every possible emergency scenario covered and ready to present at this meeting?
When the race committee had a chance to speak, they asked a few simple questions, in a polite and respectful manner. Since the race committee was only six weeks old, shouldn’t all the “what if” questions be explored and answered by the professionals seated around the table? Isn’t that your expertise and responsibility?”
At this point, Charlotte County Sheriff Prummell glowed red with anger, stood up in a huff and walked out of the meeting stating, “I’ll shut this thing down now. If I have my way, this race will never happen”. This attitude would continue throughout all future meetings with his “command” officers.
It was finally decided that a safety plan would be written. However, NO help in design, wording or structure would be forthcoming by any Charlotte County “safety” department. In other words, the committee was told, “put something down on paper and IF the Sheriff likes it, he’ll sign the permit for the race to go forward”. If not? The committee was on its own.
After numerous requests, a series of questions were provided by the Sheriff’s Department to the Race Committee as “a basis”. However, it was also pointed out that changes could be made by the Sheriff at anytime, so the plan should be considered “fluid”. In other words, even though the committee was charged with authoring a 130+ PAGE SAFETY PLAN, a plan that should have been developed by the people that are responsible for public safety, the race committee could be ordered at any time to make changes. Unbelievably, cost was not to be considered by the Race Committee.
The Charlotte Sun has frequently mentioned the expenses that the race committee turned in within the allotted budget. A large percentage of those expenses were items that the Sheriff’s Department demanded and ordered “at the last minute” such as:
1. “No Parking” signs to be printed and staked “every 15 feet” along both sides of the 2.5 mile Beach Road. No Parking signs were already on every telephone pole, but the Sheriff’s Department stated that they “didn’t want their officers to be troubled with parking tickets”.
2. Flags and Safety Vests for those working the parking areas.
3. Large portable flashing signs along Route 776 warning those of the race and possible congestion.
4. Tape and posts to be used to “fence off” the private beach of those homeowners that didn’t want “people walking on their sand”.
5. Fencing to surround the ENTIRE festival area, also known as the parking area for Englewood Beach. This fencing had to be installed, maintained and removed.
When the race committee inquired if the Sheriff’s Department had any of these above items for use during race weekend, they answered, “Yes,” but it was only for their use. In other words, go buy it yourself, it’s not our responsibility to help you.
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Out of Control Costs
Greed. Or…“What’s in it for ME?”
The Sheriff’s Department was represented at every race organizational meeting. It was nice to have the officers with us in case a riot broke out. Unfortunately the representatives never offered any guidance or support. NEVER. When asked for input, the two officers would smile and say, “You’re on your own. We’re here to observe and report back to the Sheriff.” These two officers, on county time, were sitting there but offering nothing to help guide or build a world-class event. The Race Committee often wondered why they were in attendance. Probably the overtime?
To make it simple and not bore the reader with the back and forth negotiations that the race committee was confronted with, here’s a quick summary that led up to the final dollar figure that you’ve seen reported in a local newspaper.
1. The initial “quote” provided by the county Sheriff’s Department was a staggering $83,000 for two days of work. That’s $41,500 PER DAY. The sheriff refused to provide where or even how many officers were to be deployed. When pressed on this issue, the Sheriff claimed “Homeland Security” would not permit any information be made public.
2. After bringing the above quote to the County Commissioners and pleading that such a ridiculous cost could not be covered, the Sheriff magically “revised” his numbers down to $42,000 — ($21,000 per day). Once again, the request was made as to where the deputies would be stationed and how many officers would be on hand. The Sheriff simply refused to provide a list with associated costs. As far as the race committee could surmise, they were being charged for who knows what.
3. Once again, the committee pleaded with the (BOCC) Board of County Commissioners that these numbers were completely out of line. Once again, the BOCC stated that they had no control over the Sheriff and whatever he did was his business, not the Commissioners’.
4. Later, the Sheriff once again “reduced” his cost to $34,544. That’s $17,300 per day, just for the Sheriff’s Department. Remember that the other sites paid a total of $5,000 per day for EVERYTHING.
5. The “final” Sheriff’s revised quote was $23,435. The interesting part of these numbers was the reduction from $83,000 to $23,435. That is a whopping $60,000 difference, and again, for just TWO days work. Do you think he maybe had a “little extra” built into his first quote?
6. The race committee chairman is being sued by the Sheriff for $19,000. How that number was arrived at remains a mystery.
Why was the security cost so high in comparison to the other Florida race sites? Was there better management at the other sites or a higher interest in making the event succeed? We think it was greed and a lack of community involvement. Compare the Sheriff’s original comment of, “I’ll shut this thing down now. If I have my way, this race will never happen,” to how the other Florida race sites were able to manage the exact same race for a fraction of the cost.
As a side note: The authors requested all of the above quotes provided by the Sheriff’s office for publication with this article. Not surprisingly, we were informed that Homeland Security would not permit this. When pressed on the same issue with Freedom of Information Act requests, the quotes mysteriously disappeared and the Sheriff’s office could not locate any of the information. Fortunately, we were able to obtain the three attached quotes through a third party.
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Free Stuff?
The Charlotte Sun newspaper printed how helpful our Sheriff had been to the race. Let’s look at what they didn’t report. Charlotte County government, the Commissioners, bureaucrats, Sheriff, etc., are well aware the Sun will always cover for them.
In his initial quote, the Sheriff mandated that Department helicopter, boats and aircraft MUST be used during the race, at a significant cost. Super Boats International (SBI) stated that in no way could other aircraft be on or near the site during the race. SBI provided two helicopters for the race. Complete coverage before, during and after. Furthermore, each helicopter would be manned with safety and race management experts specially trained to deal with all manner of race incidents and emergencies. SBI informed the race committee in no uncertain terms- if the Sheriff’s helicopters came into the area, the race would be stopped.
But the Sheriff did provide FREE service to county personnel. Commissioners Bill Truex and Chris Constance enjoyed a FREE bird’s eye view prior to the race to watch the traffic flow. The Sheriff also provided a FREE flight to Key West for Commissioner Bill Truex, Assistant Fire/ EMS Chief Jason Fair, Lt. Darrel Caparo, Captain Rodger Jernigan and a member of the county’s Parks and Recreation Department to view their races and have a brief, one hour meeting with SBI (Super Boats International) management.
Free services to the race committee? Nothing was provided free. NOTHING. The Sheriff’s Department billed the race committee for everything.
Thankfully, the Sheriff didn’t succeed in shutting the race down. But, he was instrumental in stopping any future Super Boat races.
Why? Was it greed, mismanagement or both?
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One more thing
This story was presented to the “Charlotte Sun” during AND after the events were occurring. Yet, nothing was ever published to inform the public of “the rest of the story”.
Have you noticed that the Air Show and the Punta Gorda Block Party have disappeared also? Do you see a common trend since our current Sheriff has been in office?
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Next time, Part 5: How much should be charged for distributing Band Aids?
