Gainesville’s City Auditor recently began reviewing whether Mayor Ed Braddy and a city employee followed city guidelines in their interactions with a police officer charged with larceny in November.
The audit will review whether Braddy and former Human Resources employee Tiffany Dorsey followed city policies and procedures when they accepted gifts from Jeffery McAdams.
McAdams, a former Gainesville Police officer and president of the Gainesville Fraternal Order of Police Gator Lodge No. 67, was charged with larceny after an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
FDLE found that McAdams stole more than $56,000 from Gator Lodge.
“Obviously if we had policies not being followed for a long period of time, what didn’t we do?” said City Auditor Carlos Holt. “If all policies and procedures were followed, do we need any more?”
McAdams used lodge funds to cover hotel stays, travel expenses and gifts for Braddy and Dorsey without their knowledge, according to FDLE.
The investigation also found tht McAdams used lodge funds to pay for hotel stays in Gainesville and Ocala for Braddy while he faced relationship issues.
Braddy apologized for his lapse in judgment during a November press conference.
In December, he addressed the investigation in an email to media where he wrote both the questions and answers.
Braddy said he presumed McAdams personally paid for the hotel rooms in Gainesville and Ocala. He later made a $515.46 payment to Gator Lodge, according to the email.
Braddy said he went on a trip to Daytona Beach in 2013 with McAdams, during which McAdams used lodge funds to cover expenses, to meet an unnamed person to discuss Gainesville Regional Utilities.
McAdams accompanied him to facilitate the meeting, Braddy said.
Braddy self-reported himself to the Florida Commission on Ethics, acknowledging a potential conflict of interest, according to the email.
Holt said the audit, supported by Braddy, is anticipated to be finished next month.
Contact Hunter Williamson at hwilliamson@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @hunterewilliam.
