Is Fire Chief Double Dipping on Taxpayers' Dime?

Fire Chief Paul DeArmond

A local fire chief is accused of double dipping on your dime. He's being paid more than a hundred thousand dollars a year by the fire district but he also makes big bucks working for the Lee County School Board. Four in your Corner investigator Mike Mason went straight to the chief today for answers.


Mike Mason asked DeArmond, “So you don't think that you're double dipping?” Chief DeArmond replied, “You know, every fireman here has a side job."

In addition to being paid $122,000 a year as the Tice fire chief, Paul DeArmond makes 21 dollars an hour training firefighters at the Fort Myers fire academy, which is run by the Lee County school board. But some wonder how DeArmond can work two demanding jobs when he's required to work a 40 hour week as fire chief. DeArmond tells Fox 4 he works, "Many more hours than 40 hours."
That may seem impossible to some because the first week in November of 2010 DeArmond worked 50 hours training firefighters, in week two he worked 61 and a half hours and 29 and a half hours the third week and the fourth week he worked 12 and a half hours at the academy. That means he worked 153 hours that month at his second job training firefighters. And there are many other months where DeArmond trained for long hours. So how could the chief also work 40 hours a week at the fire district? DeAarmond explains, "When you look at that yes it does look like I wasn't here but I have all my documentation where it shows every day when I wasn't here or I was at the academy, there was some way I was taking time off."
DeArmond showed us a personal spreadsheet on his computer where he says he keeps track of the hours he works at the fire station. Mike Mason asked him, “How can you work 50 hours a week or 61 and a half hours a week for the school district and still work 40 hours a week here?” DeArmond replied, “Because I have vacation sir.” The chief says he's given 240 hours a year for vacation time and as of today he has accrued 590 hours.

He says he uses that time to work at the academy. DeArmond is required to write down the hours he works at the fire academy by signing a timesheet.That sheet is supposed to be approved by the academy's director but we found the director never even signed any of them. DeArmond says that has nothing to do with him, "I couldn't tell you sir all I do is turn them in I sign them and that's all I know sir."

So it appears the academy director is not even reviewing timesheets and Fox 4 will follow up on that.
And just to be clear, DeArmond is *not* required to keep track of the hours he works at the fire station but says he always logs them on his computer anyway.
To view the Fox 4 report click here: http://www.fox4now.com/news/toprotator/126810273.html

Muslim woman claims discrimination by Lee County Director

Lee County Fleet Director Marilyn Rawlings

A former Lee County worker says she was harassed and intimidated because of her religion by her own director. She has since quit her job and now says she wants to expose what is going on before someone else gets hurt. Marilyn Rawlings is the director of Lee County's Fleet Management Department. She has been recognized nationwide for doing an excellent job but one of her former employees feels that's the reason county officials let Rawlings off the hook.


Nuray and Rick Carter in Turkey

 When Nuray Carter received a controversial video about terrorism and high gas prices from her director she felt it discriminated against Muslims and was the last straw. Carter is from turkey. She and her husband still visit her native country and it's no secret she's Muslim but when she worked for Lee County's Fleet Management she says her boss, Fleet Director Marilyn Rawlings, told others too. Carter says Rawlings, “told other employees, some of the employees that if they knew I was a Muslim that it would be a problem."

Rawlings received the 2010 Fleet Masters Award and is well known in the industry. Carter says there's another side to Rawlings, "They told me retaliation never happens in the county, I am a perfect example."

In 2007, soon after Carter began working at Fleet, she felt intimidated by Rawlings' remarks. Carter contends, "She actually made comments about other employees like their religion, they weren't Christian.”
Carter believes Marilyn Rawlings is a devout Christian who has issues with Carter because she is not. Four in your Corner spoke with Rawlings who denies she has a problem with Carter's religion but she refused to comment any further on the issue.

Carter says she felt intimidated when Rawlings handed her an invitation to attend church for an Easter mass in Fort Myers. Her husband, Rick Carter, also believes Rawlings “Has a problem with her religion."

Rick Carter has been married to Nuray for ten years. He remembers when Rawlings invited them to a barbeque in Alva that turned out to be something completely different. He says, "I felt like they ambushed her." After dinner, the Carters say everyone was sent into a room for a prayer session. Rick Carter says the group was then told, “You guys were invited here and you brought your friends here so they may come to know Jesus type of thing.” The Carters say they were never told the party had anything to do with religion. Rick Carter says, “I was shocked, I was like ‘what are they doing?’ ‘Why are they doing this?’ and Nuray was just sitting there next to Marilyn and I felt sorry for her I was just like this is crazy."

Carter says the dinner party was an event designed to convert people to Christianity but Rawlings never mentioned that part. When Four in your Corner spoke with Rawlings about this she admitted the dinner party was a "church function" and Carter should have known this. She also says Carter could have left the party if she felt offended because quote "She wasn't being held captive."

Instead, Carter went to Lee County's Human Resources to discuss the issues she had with Rawlings. She says she had already gone to her supervisors but they didn't care, "When I keep complaining they told me that this is the way it is you can either like deal with it or you have to find a different job."

In February, 2009 Marilyn Rawlings sent an email to Carter at work with a video attached. It was a controversial video about terrorism and high gas prices. Rick Carter says, “I was just disgusted with it I was angry and disgusted." Nuray Carter feels Rawlings made a strong statement by sending that video and “she just clearly says that she really believes that Muslim people are terrorist people."
At that point Carter was devastated. She filed a complaint with Lee County's Office of Equal Opportunity.

Four months later, the investigator found "Director Rawlings did indeed send the email in question to Ms. Carter in violation of Lee County policies." As a result, the county suspended Rawlings without pay for two days. Carter feels that punishment is just a slap on the wrist. She now questions whether the county's Office of Equal Opportunity is really impartial since it *is* a county agency and officials are essentially investigating themselves. Carter says, "It's great they have that but I think when they keep it under the county it's protection for the county not the employees."

Marilyn Rawlings

Marilyn Rawlings refused to comment on the EOC investigation. She did say Carter is a 'disgruntled employee' and there's more to the story but she would not go into details

To view the Fox 4 report click here: http://www.fox4now.com/news/126738928.html

Fox 4 investigation may change county policies

A Four in your Corner investigation prompts Lee County officials to consider changing several county policies. Fox 4 investigator Mike Mason attended today's county commission meeting and held the powerful accountable. Today commissioners sounding off after Fox 4 exposed numerous problems with county policies. Commissioner Brian Bigelow says, "I think it's an embarrassment for the county."

Last week, many county workers were shocked to see our reports showing top county officials receiving promotions and raises without having had any performance evaluations for years. According to the county's manual:"It is the policy of the county that the job performance of each employee should be evaluated periodically by the employee's supervisor. But Lee County manager Karen Hawes tells Fox 4 “supervisors "should" perform evaluations but it is not *required* under policy.”

Frank Mann

Commission Chairman Frank Mann says "What we ought to have is at least a consistent policy so that it applies to everybody and not some department or some levels and others don't."

Commissioner Tammy Hall also stated, "If we want evaluations on every single employee every single year then let's set that policy in place and take out the words 'may' and 'should' because I think those words are left for interpretation.” Hall went on to say that this is an issue she’s willing to address.

And Fox 4 also found there are no set rules for advertising county jobs. Last week Hawes sent us an email stating, "The county's current policies do not require a minimum or maximum time for advertising a job ." But county workers feel that's not fair and commissioner Brian Bigelow agrees, "It's very troubling for me, we have to give everybody a fair chance at working for their government."

Karen Hawes

And we also exposed there are no job requirements for the county manager, The county charter clearly states, “The minimum qualifications including educational and administrative requirements for the county manager shall be established by county ordinance."

But Deputy County Attorney Andrea Fraser tells us: "There is no such ordinance." That means for 16 years county officials never wrote the job requirements for their top leader. Bigelow says he plans to address that issue, "I meet routinely with the county attorney, I believe it best that he draft it because we are talking specifically about the county manager's job requirements."

Commissioner Mann says he encourages the media to expose loopholes like this and other deficiencies in county government, "From the courthouse to the Whitehouse we need reviews all the time. This country survives because we have a free press so keep up the good work."

Commissioners say the next step is to place items on the agenda to address the policies in question and then vote to adopt new policies. We will stay on top of this one and keep you updated.

To view the Fox 4 report click here: http://www.fox4now.com/news/126600483.html