Petition for Reassignment of UF-JAX CARD to the University of North Florida (UNF)
- af: Parents & Advocates of the 6 counties served by the NEFL CARD
- mottagare: Members of the Duval County Legislative Delegation and other concerned parties
As evidenced by our signatures, we are requesting that the UF-Jax CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities) be reassigned to the University of North Florida (UNF). Reasons for this request are set forth below:
1. UF-Jax CARD has had a troubled relationship with its constituency board.
2. One of C.A.R.D center's previous executive Directors, Dr. Paul Wharton, is serving a federal felony probation sentence for pleading guilty to the embezzlement of more than half a million dollars in CARD and FDLRS funds. (see The Gainesville Sun, May 16, 2007). Prosecutors stated that $253,000 of that money was used to pay for credit card expenses, including a rafting trip in Colorado and numerous trips to Disney World.
3. Although a 2007 internal audit was conducted, information about alleged misappropriations of CARD and FDLRS funds was never provided to the various constituency boards from 2005-2007. UF officials knew of these criminal acts beginning in 2005. On a separate case Paul Wharton and other Jacksonville UF faculty were reprimanded for inappropriately steering $1 million in federal research dollars toward two private agencies.
4. UF officials, in particular the various physician managers who are charged with overseeing UF-JAX CARD, have disregarded the collaborative community relationships which the legislature intended when it originally created and funded the CARD centers. This atmosphere is still present. It is this climate and conduct which set the stage for the financial abuse that has already occurred.
5. The CARD center continues to keep community members at arm's length when it comes to the public disclosure of its financial disbursements. Clarity and transparency on specific financial accounting and budgetary disbursements, to date, do not exist. Despite responses to repeated public records requests, parents still have many unanswered questions. The community will need an audit to be conducted by an outside, independent auditor in order to verify that UF has made CARD and other agencies whole.
6. UF moved the CARD center under one roof with multiple agencies, (effective, July 1, 2008, located at 6271 St. Augustine Rd.) in spite of the legislature's 2008 rejection of such multi-agency arrangements.
7. UF-Jax CARD and FDLRS will spend an additional $87,741 per year in rents compared to their previous contracts as a result of their move into the same building as the other UF agencies. It is unclear whether this move, with multiple agencies under one roof, was done with the approval of the constituency board.
8. We want to bring our local CARD center to programming parity with other CARD centers around the state.
9. Our future teachers, psychologists, therapists, nurses, policymakers and others who are part of the UNF community in Jacksonville deserve the opportunity to learn how to serve this vulnerable population--they deserve the opportunity to participate in the relationship-building that this community so badly needs in order to optimize services for people with autism.
10. In light of the above, we want the CARD center moved to UNF for management of CARD funds and implementation of programming within the 6 county area. The Northeast Florida CARD center serves Duval, Nassau, Baker, Clay, St. John's, Flagler counties. We believe that the current Ph.D. behaviorist, Dr. Mae Barker, and her staff of educational coordinators, would be able to build more effective relationships with the community if managed by UNF.
11. We certify that we are all residents of the counties noted above. Copies of this petition will be provided to each member of the Duval Delegation. Copies will also be provided to current UF-Jax CARD officials, as well as to contacts at UNF.
12. To view the full text of this petition, please visit http://www.corinnecollins.com/corinne/filecabinet/10
As evidenced by our signatures, we are requesting that the UF-Jax CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities) be reassigned to the University of North Florida (UNF). Reasons for this request are set forth below:
1. UF-Jax CARD has had a troubled relationship with its constituency board.
2. One of C.A.R.D center's previous executive Directors, Dr. Paul Wharton, is serving a federal felony probation sentence for pleading guilty to the embezzlement of more than half a million dollars in CARD and FDLRS funds. (see The Gainesville Sun, May 16, 2007). Prosecutors stated that $253,000 of that money was used to pay for credit card expenses, including a rafting trip in Colorado and numerous trips to Disney World.
3. Although a 2007 internal audit was conducted, information about alleged misappropriations of CARD and FDLRS funds was never provided to the various constituency boards from 2005-2007. UF officials knew of these criminal acts beginning in 2005. On a separate case Paul Wharton and other Jacksonville UF faculty were reprimanded for inappropriately steering $1 million in federal research dollars toward two private agencies.
4. UF officials, in particular the various physician managers who are charged with overseeing UF-JAX CARD, have disregarded the collaborative community relationships which the legislature intended when it originally created and funded the CARD centers. This atmosphere is still present. It is this climate and conduct which set the stage for the financial abuse that has already occurred.
5. The CARD center continues to keep community members at arm's length when it comes to the public disclosure of its financial disbursements. Clarity and transparency on specific financial accounting and budgetary disbursements, to date, do not exist. Despite responses to repeated public records requests, parents still have many unanswered questions. The community will need an audit to be conducted by an outside, independent auditor in order to verify that UF has made CARD and other agencies whole.
6. UF moved the CARD center under one roof with multiple agencies, (effective, July 1, 2008, located at 6271 St. Augustine Rd.) in spite of the legislature's 2008 rejection of such multi-agency arrangements.
7. UF-Jax CARD and FDLRS will spend an additional $87,741 per year in rents compared to their previous contracts as a result of their move into the same building as the other UF agencies. It is unclear whether this move, with multiple agencies under one roof, was done with the approval of the constituency board.
8. We want to bring our local CARD center to programming parity with other CARD centers around the state.
9. Our future teachers, psychologists, therapists, nurses, policymakers and others who are part of the UNF community in Jacksonville deserve the opportunity to learn how to serve this vulnerable population--they deserve the opportunity to participate in the relationship-building that this community so badly needs in order to optimize services for people with autism.
10. In light of the above, we want the CARD center moved to UNF for management of CARD funds and implementation of programming within the 6 county area. The Northeast Florida CARD center serves Duval, Nassau, Baker, Clay, St. John's, Flagler counties. We believe that the current Ph.D. behaviorist, Dr. Mae Barker, and her staff of educational coordinators, would be able to build more effective relationships with the community if managed by UNF.
11. We certify that we are all residents of the counties noted above. Copies of this petition will be provided to each member of the Duval Delegation. Copies will also be provided to current UF-Jax CARD officials, as well as to contacts at UNF.
12. To view the full text of this petition, please visit
http://www.corinnecollins.com/corinne/filecabinet/10
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