Another example of what is wrong with Republican style public governance.
This has been part of a philosophy that I have seen grow legs since the nineties. Public officials who hold high level positions believe that their government jobs should and can be used to provide profit and income to friends and cronies. As long as they spread the wealth to the right people, nobody calls them out on it.
And this, by no means, is limited to Seminole County. When you're dealing with family members and cronies, the philosophy can extend through those social networks to other areas in Central Florida.
Seminole tax collector criticized for profiting from system he oversees
Since his election in 1988, Seminole County Tax Collector Ray Valdes and relatives have pocketed thousands of dollars on real-estate transactions involving his office.
Valdes, personally and through a company he controls, has successfully bid on numerous delinquent properties put up for auction after owners failed to pay taxes on them for years. He recently sold a 5-acre parcel near Oviedo for $100,000; he purchased it for $20,000 in 1994 at a tax deed auction, according to county records.
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Though not illegal, these practices are drawing renewed scrutiny as Valdes runs for an eighth term as tax collector. Joel Greenberg, 31, his opponent in the Aug. 30 primary, said the transactions involving Valdes and his relatives creates the appearance of impropriety.
Valdes said his office has a policy that prohibits either him or his employees from doing personal business with his office, including covering unpaid property taxes for a profit by purchasing tax certificates at annual auctions. But records show his family members have invested more than $660,000 over nearly three decades for tax certificates that earn as much as 18 percent interest on other people's delinquent taxes.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-seminole-county-valdes-tax-certificates-20160726-story.html
