Cancellation of Beach BBQ and Bluegrass Festival - "Due to the lack of financial controls . . ."

City of Fernandina Beach Park & Rec

Dale Martin, City Manager

May 26, 2016 8:34 a.m.

Due to the lack of financial controls associated with the Beach BBQ and Bluegrass Festival, City Manager Dale L. Martin has cancelled the June 10-11 event in Fernandina Beach.

According to the event pamphlet, participants and vendors were instructed to “Make checks payable to Jay Robertson.” Since the event was described as a City event, Martin believed that checks made to a specific individual, rather than to the City of Fernandina Beach, created the perception of inappropriate accounting. “Mr. Robertson was aware of special event funding issues related to previous events and exhibited exceptionally poor judgement in soliciting checks made to him personally rather than to the City,” said Martin. “Proper accounting for all City Parks and Recreation special events needs to become more structured and professional. Those activities are subject to review by the City’s auditors and our recordkeeping has been poor. I have higher expectations for City staff.”

As of Wednesday morning, the Parks and Recreation Department reported that approximately $1,000 in fees had been received for the event: $450 from vendors, $120 for BBQ team entries, and a $500 sponsorship donation.

The City Commission had scheduled a workshop dedicated to Special Events on June 14, but with the likely absence on that date of Vice Mayor Robin Lentz, Martin has indicated that the workshop will be re-scheduled to allow for Lentz’ participation.