Anonymous Cries for Help

A real-life example of what it's like to work for and with Weaponized Bureaucrats

Catch up on Weaponized Bureaucrats Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 or, if your time is tight, allow me to recap.

One of the school-based projects that I manage was scheduled for a routine audit by the Florida Department of Education’s Office of Inspector General. While the auditing team was still asking questions and reviewing documents, the Senior Chancellor at the Department decided to interject himself. He drew conclusions that turned out to be inaccurate. Still, his knee-jerk reaction cost us over $40,000 in legal fees, the loss of $450,000 in projected revenue, and severely damaged our relationship with the Department. Turns out this Administration prefers it when folks are “grateful” for whatever the Department doles out. And, it turns out, that ain’t me.

With a whole pile of mistrust built up on both sides, we moved forward into another school year. That’s when the new Director of Vocational Rehabilitation and the new Senior Chancellor decided that transition services (job exploration, work readiness, college exploration, work-based learning, and self-advocacy) designed to help disabled students prepare for life after high school should not be delivered during the school day. Their argument involves several different federal and state laws. I go into detail in Part 6. Needless to say, I disagree, as does the US Department of Education and pretty much every parent of teenagers.

After months of allegations, interrogatories, and depositions, we finally settled that argument. It cost us $150,000 in legal fees and $2.3 million in expected revenue and ended our relationship with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation for the foreseeable future.

When you stand up to bullies, you stand up for those who can’t

I tried to engage other organizations. Like any large - $200 million dollar budget, 800 employees, thousands of service providers and tens of thousands of clients - DVR is steeped in inefficient practices, redundant processes, and miscommunication. Although our experience was not unique, I could not find anyone willing to speak up. It’s always hard to find people willing to bite the hand that feeds them, but under this administration, standing up isn’t just professional suicide. Nothing is off-limits once you make the DeSantis Hit List.

Just when I was sure that I was in this alone the letters started.

The first one was sent in May of 2023 from “Concerned VR Employees.” It was addressed to “To Whom It May Concern.” Given the contents of the letter, I could only assume it was sent to me because of how public I was being about my experiences with the Department but I had no way of knowing who else had received this letter.

We are Hurt. We are Tired. We are Polarized.

The problem was, as persona non grata at the Florida Department of Education, what am I to do with this information? Before I could think through how best to be an alley to the authors, the second letter came. This time it came from “Troubled VR Staff,” and it opened with “This is a clarion call.” And it referenced my situation directly, which naturally got my attention.

Fear Meets Fear

The letters were written by people who obviously didn’t want to be identified. No doubt, they had pay, seniority and retirements at stake. Had they sent these letters to the Florida Commission on Human Relations? The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)? The media? Had they sought Whistle Blower protection? I just didn’t know.

I reached out to a couple of journalists, none of whom were aware of the letters, and this is where the authors fear collided with the media’s fear. None of the reporters would publish the letters because, during the 2023 session, the Florida legislature was entertaining a bill that “could make it more difficult for media outlets to use anonymous sources.”

But the bill says that publishing untrue allegations “that the plaintiff has discriminated against another person or group because of their race, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity constitutes defamation per se.”

The Tampa Bay Times article written by Journalist Kirby Wilson goes on to explain, “when something is considered ‘defamation per se,’ it means the plaintiff no longer has to prove that the claim harmed their reputation. Defamation per se is automatically assumed to have done so, Cormican said.”

The bill traveled through several committees before it finally died but, to say the least, reporters were hesitant to pursue these letters. Their silence prompted letter three from “Honest Staff Who Care About VR.” This time, they were addressing it to specific people, apparently.

Now, I do not know if any of these allegations are true or not. I do know that when I sent them to both elected officials and public servants who I believe have the obligation to investigate these matters, they became public record. As to what they did, if anything, those legislative and governmental representatives did in response to receiving them; I do not know.

I also began Tweeting (or is it Xing, now?) about the existence of these letters. I tagged entities that I believed could and should protect government employees. What those entities did with that information, I do not know. That action clearly triggered letter five.

Clearly my actions also triggered the Florida Department of Education

Department of Administrative Hearing filings can be viewed here

That was the end of the letters and, until today, they have not been been made public in their entirety. I decided to change that after I sat through public comments made before the Florida Rehabilitation Council, in October and November. Those comments clearly indicated that these and other concerns are not being adequately addressed.

“it is very evident that there needs to be serious discussions with us as a community, individuals who are served by VR, individuals who collaborate and work with VR; so, providers and vendors and the council because this debacle happened under your watch.”

(Service Provider)

“the Florida APSE program, and we did a survey, and 92% of the providers that completed that survey have not been paid and are at risk of either laying individuals off or closing their business altogether.”

(Service Provider)

“Speaking specifically to people who have more significant disabilities such as autism, we are extremely underserved by VR. There are people who have been in the VR process for ten years, or longer and no job coach.”

(Parent)

In response, the Division Director said that the public comments “were a little bit, perhaps unintentionally, misleading or really broad,” and he told the Council that he “can't address everyone with a specific allegation,” before explaining some steps DVR is taking or intends to take to create a more hospitable environment for all. However, the comments made at the Council’s emergency meeting (minutes not public) in November indicates problems are on-going and in some ways worsening including one service provider who spoke of taking out hundred’s of thousands of dollars worth of loans to keep staff employed because he hasn’t been paid for services delivered five months ago.

Here’s the thing, I don’t know if the allegations are true but without an investigation the Department does not know that they aren’t true. Proper investigations are a sign of a healthy Democracy and, if there hasn’t been any wrong-doing, they benefit both parties. I also know, given my experience with the Department and its senior leadership, these cries for help merit a full and transparent investigation.

If you would like to help encourage changes for VR employees, service providers and families, public comments are open now (62-25.021) and the next Florida Rehabilitation Council meeting is December 6, 2023 at 2:00pm EST.