Fla. fire official charged with mishandling grant money

By Mark Schlueb
The Orlando Sentinel

ORLANDO, Fla. — Prosecutors filed a misdemeanor fraud charge against an Orlando Fire Department district chief on Wednesday -- so far the only charge resulting from an investigation that started nearly two years ago.

The Office of the Statewide Prosecutor accused District Chief Toby Bevelacqua of falsifying an application for state grant money that was supposed to pay for special training for firefighters, a first-degree misdemeanor. Bevelacqua isn't accused of pocketing any money; rather, the $345,245 went to the Fire Department and was spent on medical supplies, trucks and other equipment.

In 2005 and 2006, the Fire Department sent dozens of firefighters to classes on how to handle hazardous materials and rescue victims trapped in collapsed buildings. A grant program offered to reimburse departments for overtime paid to firefighters sent to the training.

Bevelacqua applied for reimbursement on behalf of the city, and submitted lists of firefighters who took the classes and their salaries. But the department didn't really have additional personnel expenses, because the city didn't pay them overtime.

The matter came to light in 2007, after the labor union that represents firefighters complained about having to attend the training classes on their days off even though the city had received grant money to pay them. When state officials heard about it, they asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate.

That was in 2007. For more than a year, there has been little indication that the FDLE was pursuing the case.

Bevelacqua referred questions to his attorney, who could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.

City officials said no one meant to do anything improper.

They complained that they received conflicting guidance from the state Fire Marshal's Office, which administered the program.

Mayor Buddy Dyer, who ordered that the grant money be returned to the state in 2007 after the Orlando Sentinel raised questions about it, said he didn't know about the charge on Wednesday.

"City staff fully cooperated with the investigation, but I don't know the results of the investigation," he said.

Steve Clelland, president of the firefighters' union, said he didn't think Bevelacqua, a middle manager, was ultimately responsible for going after the grant money.

"To this day, I don't believe Toby would have had the authority to approve those grants," Clelland said.

"It's a shame the incident happened at all."

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