Inspector General Hotline
850-41-FRAUD (850-413-7283)

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) Fraud Hotline is a confidential hotline to report fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, or mismanagement involving City appointed officials, City employees, contractors, sub-contractors, or other parties doing business with/or receiving City funds. All complaints received are reviewed by the OIG for further determination.

When reporting fraud, waste, abuse, misconduct, or mismanagement, you may remain anonymous; however, you are encouraged to identify yourself so we may follow up on your email or call, and obtain additional information which may be helpful to our review of the matter. If you give your name, your identity will be protected to the maximum extent of the law. In addition, there are certain provisions under Florida law which protect employees and independent contractors, engaged in business with the City, from retaliation under certain circumstances. If you believe making a report to the OIG will place you at risk of retaliation, you should inform the OIG of this fact.

The more information you provide, the more thorough our investigation can be. Any relevant information you acquire after making a report to the OIG should also be reported in a follow-up phone call or email. When making a report, please provide as many details as possible including:

• A description of the concern including how it has been occurring
• Dates and times of when the incidents occurred and length of time you believe the incident has been occurring
• Names of all individuals who may be involved, have witnessed the incidents, or may be able to provide additional information
• Location of where the incident or concern has occurred
• Documentation which may exist to support the concerns identified (i.e., pictures, videos, documents, vehicle tag numbers, etc.)
• How you became aware of the concern
• If you have previously reported the concern to another office, department or organization

Explanation and Examples of What We Investigate

Abuse - behavior which is deficient or improper when compared with behavior a prudent person would consider a reasonable and necessary operational practice given the facts and circumstances. An example of abuse might include a City building inspector misusing their position to solicit a bribe from a homeowner in order to resolve their building code violation. In exchange for payment, the building inspector falsified City documents to resolve the violation.

Fraud - obtaining something of value through willful misrepresentation, intentional misstatements, or intentional omissions of amounts to deceive users of financial reports, theft of City assets, bribery, or the use of one’s position for personal gain through the deliberate misuse or misapplication of City resources. Examples of fraud might include falsifying or inflating time records in order to receive overtime pay, stealing City owned tools or equipment, or using a City purchasing card to make personal purchases.

Misconduct - unacceptable, improper, or dishonest behavior by persons in a position of trust. Examples of misconduct might include an employee responsible for maintaining confidential information disclosing the information to outside parties or other co-workers; accessing inappropriate, pornographic, or offensive internet sites on a City owned device; or while at work physically threatening or bullying co-workers or private citizens.

Mismanagement - the continuous process or practice of managing ineptly, incompetently, or dishonestly which may have an adverse economic impact. An example of mismanagement might include a supervisor who continuously failed to review supporting documents which led to the approval and payment of unauthorized, unsupported, and/or inappropriate transactions.

Waste - an act or instance of using or expending resources unreasonably, carelessly, extravagantly, or for no useful purpose. An example of waste might include paying travel expenditures for City employees who attended expensive conferences or training which is unrelated to their job duties.