Records dump shows major spending on travel, lodging and conferences by Manatee officials

Since early 2021, Manatee County officials spent thousands of taxpayer dollars on travel, lodging, and conferences.

Audit records released to the Herald-Tribune reveal major spending on travel by Manatee County leadership between March 2021 and November 2022.

The audit was published in May by Clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller Angelina Colonneso, who raised questions about the transactions in an audit of purchase card expenses.

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Manatee County Chairman Kevin Van Ostenbridge is the only person identified by the clerk's office in the 134-page audit by name. Former County Administrator Scott Hopes and former Deputy Administrator Robert Reinshuttle were also identified by their previous titles.

ESRI Conference spending

A trip to San Diego cost $7,101 in P-Card charges made by three top Manatee County staff members in 2022.

Hopes, Deputy County Administrator Charlie Bishop, and Director of Public Works Chad Butzow traveled to the 2022 ESRI Conference, an event targeted toward GIS system users.

Bishop purchased a seven-night stay from July 11 to 18 at the Marriot Marquis San Diego Marina for a cost of $2,696. Bishop also charged $136.30 in travel-related expenses.

Hopes charged $2,547 for a room at the same Marriot Marquis hotel from July 10 to July 15. He also paid $59.95 for in-flight wifi during the trip.

Butzow charged $1,660.50 for a multi-night stay at the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego.

The Farnborough International Airshow Conference

Five days after the ESRI Conference, Hopes purchase a multi-night stay at the Novotel Hotel for a cost of $2,024.

He traveled to the Farnborough International Airshow Conference in London in 2022, which ran from July 18 to 22, along with Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Elliott Falcione — who instead stayed at The Dixon for a cost of $1,550. Hopes and Falcione combined for $4,675 in expenses during the trip.

Hopes was recently hired as CEO of AeroVanti, a private aviation company that operates under a membership model. He is a certified pilot and aviation enthusiast.

More about Hopes: For decades, Scott Hopes advocated for face masks. Now his hands are tied.

Big charges made by county officials

Records show several major charges made to Manatee County purchase cards from March 2021 to Nov. 30, 2022.

The largest purchase was made by Reinshuttle, who charged $4,300 to a vendor named Lobbytools Inc on Dec. 1, 2021. Clerk documents do not elaborate on the charge.

Hopes made another large purchase, with $1,964.47 paid made from American Airlines on April 2022, although clerk documents also do not elaborate.

Van Ostenbridge purchased emails and voter information for residents of District 3 at a cost of $1,608.68 in October 2021 from McShane LLC. He also made a $1,438.59 purchase from Best Buy.

Officials also made five identical $1,230.48 charges for lodging at The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City during a trip to Washington D.C. Commissioners Vanessa Baugh, George Kruse, and James Satcher each repaid $323.31 for the elevated cost of the hotel. But Hopes and Reinshuttle did not, according to clerk records. Other commissioners stayed at other hotels valued in the $800 range during the trip.

How much do Manatee commissioners spend?

Manatee County commissioners spent a combined $47,012.36 from March 2021 to Nov. 30, 2022. Their expenditures were rivaled by that of other top county officials.

Former commissioners primarily spent on travel lodging, the cost of conferences, and organizational memberships. Reggie Bellamy spent $8,172.49, Misty Servia spent $6,807.76, and Carol Whitmore spent $5,330.81.

Baugh spent a total of $5,028.91 primarily on travel lodging and organization membership fees.

Kruse spent $7,728.86 primarily on travel lodging, the cost of conferences, and organizational memberships.

Satcher spent a total of $4,379.11 primarily on travel lodging, the cost of conferences, and organizational memberships.

Van Ostenbridge spent a total of $9,564.42 primarily on travel lodging, the cost of conferences, organizational memberships, and the cost of operating a newsletter for District 3.

Hopes spent a total of $19,753.93 primarily spent on travel lodging, the cost of conferences, and organizational memberships

Reinshuttle spent $9,317.67 primarily on the Lobbytools Inc. purchase, travel expenses, and a few car washes.

Bishop spent $4,278.62, primarily on the conference trip and organizational memberships.

Butzow spent $2,588.98, primarily on the conference trip.

Falcione spent $13,222.16 from June 1, 2022, to Nov. 30, 2022, primarily on travel lodging, travel expenses, and dining with clientele. His expenses from March 1, 2021, to May 31, 2022, were not included in clerk records released to the Herald-Tribune.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Manatee County: Things to know from clerk records dump