Gerard Albert III/Editor-in-Chief
The Office of Internal Audit is finalizing their report on the purchase of over 2,000 palm trees at Florida International University.
The three month investigation and audit involved interviewing administration and combing through public records. It focused on the decision to purchase trees from Manuel Diaz Farms, a company with a long history of ripping off cities and taxpayers.
In the past, the nursery was placed on a delinquent-contractors list for allegedly failing to replace $100,000 worth of trees purchased by the Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Department. Tree farmer Manuel Diaz was also indicted by a Miami-Dade County grand jury after prosecutors said he stole a million dollars from taxpayers.
The money for the trees came from FIU’s central budget, a non-recurring fund used for University-wide initiatives, according to Media Relations.
Earlier this summer, the University spent $999,800 to purchase and install 2,007 palm trees from Manuel Diaz Farms, a wholesale plant nursery in Homestead, FL. There was a bidding process where the average bid for the job was just under $2.6 million, according to public records.
When asked why Manuel Diaz did the job for below the average a spokeswoman said Diaz had visited the school and wanted to give back to the community. The farm also grows it’s trees, unlike other companies who import them, the spokeswoman said.
Other bidders weren’t convinced. A spokesman from Grove Services Incorporated, who also grow their own trees and bid almost $1.9 million, told PantherNOW that it was “impossible” to do the job for under $1 million.
He was also not made aware of the final decision from FIU, which may violate state policy.
The audit focused on whether or not school and state policy were followed when purchasing the trees.
The Office of Internal Audit is responsible for conducting investigations for all allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse and any whistleblower complaints at FIU.
After PantherNOW published a staff editorial about the shady nature of the purchase, the office received an anonymous complaint and launched an investigation.
PantherNOW obtained some public records regarding the purchasing and history of Manuel Diaz farms and shared them with auditors.
The report is expected to be published by the end of January. Then it will be shared with University President Mark B. Rosenberg and available to the public online.