Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/235968
Sarasota News Leader January 3, 2014 When former state Sen. Bob Johnson notified a city commissioner in a September 2011 email that then City Manager Bob Bartolotta was deleting emails at City Hall, little did Johnson imagine his communication would end up costing the city much more than half a million dollars. The investigation into the allegation ends on March 4 with a final report to the City Commission by John Jorgensen, the senior forensic analyst of The Sylint Group in Sarasota. Despite an investigation by three criminal law enforcement agencies, no charges ever were filed against any current or former city employees. The initial allegation eventually led to the resignation of Bartolotta, his replacement with Interim City Manager Terry Lewis and the search for a permanent replacement. One employee was placed on administrative leave with pay for 14 months. Page 25 The director of the Information Technology Department was fired. After Jorgensen's report on March 4, City Commissioner Terry Turner circulates a spreadsheet prepared by the city's former finance director detailing the cost of the incident. Nearly $130,000 was paid to Sylint, and $72,434 was spent in legal fees. Bartolotta received $112,760 in severance pay. The grand total for the investigation and its inconclusive aftermath was $547,017.72. That figure does not include the $89,169.36 paid to Interim City Manager Terry Lewis, which pushed the total to $636,187.08. With staff having told the Sarasota County Commission the cost of a new Sarasota County Area Transit (SCAT) bus shelter is about $40,000, Commissioner Joe Barbetta The expense of bus shelters draws criticism from Sarasota County commissioners. File photo