Officials at the University of Florida are asking for their money back after accidentally sending a local county over $300,000 in reimbursements for security costs accrued during an on-campus speech back in October.
Earlier this month, Alachua County requested a reimbursement of $302,184 from UF for the public safety resources they afforded the campus during a speech by controversial speaker Richard Spencer.
In an emailed statement on Monday, UF spokesperson Steve Orlando says the payment was sent due to an “internal miscommunication”.
“Since this was not a university-sponsored event and one that put the community at risk, UF is also reviewing all potential sources of responsibility before issuing any payments,” the statement reads. “In this case, prior to completion of our review, unfortunately, a payment was processed. It was an internal miscommunication, and we are asking the county to return the funds, pending review of appropriate costs.”
Alachua County spokesperson Mark Sexton confirmed Friday that the county received the money through a wire transfer, according to The Gainesville Sun. On Monday, he acknowledged the take-back request.
“The county sent a bill for services that were requested, for services that were provided, and you know, when the payment was made we thought that was just a normal part of the process,” Sexton said. “Now that this new information has been brought to light, I’m sure the county commissioners will discuss it.”
The county charged UF for resources including law enforcement, fire-rescue, jail costs, court security and services by the Alachua County Combined Communication Center. UF President Kent Fuchs said he was “disappointed” when he received the bill on January 10.
So far, the total cost for the event has totaled $793,000. Spencer and his organization paid $10,500.
On Thursday, Gainesville commissioners met to discuss the city’s spending of $224,105 on security for the event. It was decided that the town would not ask UF to cover the cost, according to The Alligator.
Gainesville City Commissioner Helen Warren says the city’s decision to foot the bill is to maintain its strong relationship with UF. She acknowledged that UF’s relationship with the county is different than its relationship with the city.
“I think there’s a lot of differences between the personality and the mindset of the relationship that the city is trying to have with the university than what the county’s efforts are, and obviously that’s reflected in some of the actions that they take,” said Warren.
Since the event, UF officials have denied requests to disclose the amount of public money that was spent on the event, stating they are not legally obligated since Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency prior to Spencer’s appearance.
