Port St. Joe -- Gulf County officials released more details from the Tourist Development Council’s financial audit that led to the suspension of the organization’s executive director. The audit revealed a series of “deficiencies” within the TDC. One board member says it confirms the red flags he saw months ago.

The audit that led to the two week suspension of Tourist Development Council Executive Director, Tim Kerigan, identified a total of 13 deficiencies.

Among the deficiencies include:
- TDC personnel not familiar with county policy handling the TDC Trust Fund.
- Lack in oversight by the TDC Board
- Excessive travel expenses
- Improper use of BP money
- Unauthorized expenditures on behalf of the TDC Director and some expenditures in excess of $435,000 dollars to ‘related’ parties.

“I agree that some of the red flags were raised back in the fall have come to haunt us” said Mel Magidson, Port St. Joe Mayor.

Magidson is on the TDC Board and he says he’s been long concerned over the TDC business practices. Those concerns were validated in the TDC audit.

“There are several findings in there that touch on different departments, and the county is obviously committed to identifying them and fixing them” said Jeremy Novak, Gulf County Attorney.

The TDC is supposed to get three verbal bids for any expenditure more than $5,000 dollars and a written request for proposals through the county for anything more than $10,000 dollars. Amber Davis’ company, Statecraft, is one of the companies the TDC hired to market some Gulf County events to tourist, but none of her projects exceeded the $5,000 dollar limit.

“Keeping it under $5,000 dollars so he (Tim Kerigan) wouldn’t have to go through those processes, why he did it that way, I couldn’t tell you” said Magidson.

Despite the questions, Davis says her dealings with the TDC have been legitimate.

“With the audit coming out, for my company Statecraft, we were pleased to know there were no inconsistencies with the work we have done and are currently doing with the TDC” said Amber Davis, ‘Statecraft’ Owner.

Now that they’ve exposed the problem, Gulf County Attorney, Jeremy Novak says the TDC is eager to move forward, with updated policies.

“It lays out exactly what each member’s obligations are. It will also structure terms in which they serve under statute, they have four years on their terms and we want to stagger their terms” said Novak.

Gulf County Commissioners are expected to respond to the audit at their next County Commission meeting next Tuesday.