During his tenure as the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), Representative Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, oversaw the disbursement of over $1 billion in COVID-19 relief funds without the necessary oversight, according to new records.
The 2022 State of Florida Compliance and Internal Controls over Financial Reporting and Federal Awards highlighted this lack of oversight in its annual audit, stating that FDEM did not monitor the activities of any subrecipients. Although there is no direct evidence of fraud related to these funds, the revived audit presents a problematic image of Moskowitz as he aims for re-election in a highly competitive district.
This situation raises concerns about how state-level allocations for government funding are supervised, which is an issue that Republicans have suggested requires more attention.
According to the audit, Moskowitz’s FDEM allocated $210,562,500 to 39 local governments in the 2020-2021 fiscal year from the Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF). In the following year, it dispersed over $1 billion to 55 locations, bringing the total to approximately $1.23 billion.
The audit emphasizes that FDEM failed to monitor the activities of CRF subrecipients contrary to federal regulations. Effective oversight usually includes reviewing audit reports and assessing whether management decisions are warranted based on audit findings associated with federal funds.
Acceptable oversight typically requires inquiring about recipients and performing checks like on-site evaluations. The wrongness in the lack of monitoring is made clear in the audit, which stresses that it must include reviewing financial and performance reports and ensuring subrecipients act on all audit findings.
Notably, Moskowitz did not lead FDEM throughout the entire 2020-2021 fiscal year, having resigned at the end of April, which was two months before the fiscal year concluded. So, while he was primarily responsible during the audit cycle, he was not in charge for the complete period.
However, his congressional adversary, Republican candidate Scott Singer, asserts that Moskowitz should be held accountable. Singer remarked that during Moskowitz’s leadership, federal regulators and state auditors discovered a serious lack of oversight over billions of taxpayer dollars, pointing out the absence of reporting and monitoring regarding the distribution of these funds.
He referred to an incident in 2017 when Moskowitz, as an attorney for a disaster-cleanup company, negotiated increased compensation from the City of Parkland following Hurricane Irma. Disclosures indicated he earned over $400,000 from the company while simultaneously serving as a state legislator.
Singer stressed the need to avoid appointing individuals who exhibit such oversight failures and self-dealing.
Moskowitz’s campaign responded to these allegations, asserting pride in his accomplishments and highlighting that a Republican governor had reappointed him. Moskowitz mentioned that under his leadership, Florida executed one of the most effective COVID responses in the United States.
He also pointed out that he left the agency nearly a year prior to the report’s publication due to family health issues and noted that Florida’s COVID spending had, to his knowledge, passed FEMA audits for reimbursements.
Moskowitz mentioned praise from Republicans regarding his disaster-related efforts, demonstrating communication that recognized his contributions to the state’s improvements.
As both candidates have secured their party nominations, they’ll compete against each other in the general election in Florida on November 3.
