STUNG in Broward County

This past July, I posted a bit of construction news swirling about Broward County Schools regarding an alleged three-quarters of a million dollars repair ripoff of the South Florida school district.

Broward County Schools is back in the news after three public servants--including School Board member, Beverly Gallagher--found themselves caught up in the sting of Operation Flat Screen.

Per the Sun-Sentinel (9/24/2009):

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Gallagher told FBI agents posing as subcontractors she could get them work with the district because of her influence over employees who pick construction companies and her personal relationship with those firms, according to the criminal complaint against her.

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Safety lapses, ballooning costs, shoddy construction and undue pressure from lobbyists were cited in audits and grand jury reports in 1997, 2002 and 2003. More recently, the program took heat for paying $4.3 million for unusable swampland in Southwest Ranches, possibly overpaying $765,608 to two contractors accused of inflating bills after Hurricane Wilma, and taking almost two years to finish repairs that were supposed to be completed in 30 days.

Also caught up in the public corruption probe: County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion and former Miramar City Commissioner Fitzroy Salesman.

According to the feds, they are "not done".

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On Thursday, federal investigators focused largely on two fronts: the school district, and allegations of contractor misconduct in the city of Miramar, where two businessmen were accused of helping to pay bribes to Miramar officials.

Government agents who questioned school district officials wanted to know about the process of awarding construction contracts, whether contracts could be steered to selected companies and about lobbyists' influence on the School Board, according to district officials who spoke on condition of not being identified.

The agents also asked about the school district's controversial audit of payments made for repair work after Hurricane Wilma struck in October 2005, the sources said.

A familiar name known to Froggers surfaces amid the questioning.

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They wanted to know about the work done by AshBritt Inc., and whether the company's lobbyist, Ron Book, had been in touch with School Board members, the sources said.

Book told the Sun Sentinel he hasn't been contacted by the feds himself, and didn't know why they would be asking about him.

"I've got a couple of small clients that have been at the School Board. I don't do much business at the School Board," Book said. He said he had had "maybe, in the last five years, three conversations with Beverly Gallagher."

Stay tuned. The word is that more arrests are expected.

Read the latest over at The Daily Pulp.