After several requests by Tallahassee Reports, City Commissioner Nancy Miller has refused to identify a City vendor that has ties to a family member.
On December 12, 2012, the City Commission voted to approve the staff’s ranking and recommendation for Civil Engineering Consulting Services. The recommendation included eight vendors and authorized staff to execute three-year contracts.
City Commissioner Miller abstained from voting on the item and revealed a family member was a “principal” with one of the eight companies. However, Commissioner Miller never identified which company caused the conflict. The family member involve was identified as Rich Buss.
Compounding the concern over this specific conflict is the fact that Commissioner Miller’s husband, John Buss, is a City employee in a position to have influence over the specific Consulting Service vendors who are selected for City projects.
This is important because the engineering services contract approved for Rich Buss’ company laid the ground work for the City of Tallahassee staff to award lucrative engineering jobs to the company. These engineering jobs could have originated in a city department under the supervision of Rich Buss’ brother and Nancy Miller’s husband – John Buss.
Since the vote, a number of the firms selected in 2012 have been awarded contracts by City staff without going before the City Commission. The value of the work for some of the firms surpasses $100,000.
Also, on July 13, 2016 the City Commission voted 3-1 to approve acceptance of an easement agreement between the City of Tallahassee and Frenchtown Square Partners, LLC, as part of the Casanas Village at Frenchtown Square project. Once again, City Commissioner Miller abstained by stating a family member is a subcontractor on the project.
Tallahassee Reports requested the name of the vendor to determine if the vendor that employs Miller’s family member is receiving special treatment. Tallahassee Reports has requested the name of the vendor via phone and email, but after two weeks TR has not received a reply.
City Commissioner Nancy Miller Refuses to Identify Vendor with Family Ties added by Staff on
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Call me crazy but isn’t the act of recusal specifically for situations such as this? In a town of this size how on earth can anyone expect that there isn’t almost always some kind of connection to someone within the local government? Do we just bar local contractors from pursuing work?
And this dude above. EC and TR. You’re the same person, dummy.
Meh, no big deal. Nancy has been approving the budget for years. The budget includes pay raises for her household to the tune of 2.5% to 3.0%. But remember your tax increases are not much different than increases in your comcast bill.
– “Yesterday at the City Budget workshop , Commissioner Nancy Miller made an impassioned plea for a 27% increase in property taxes- her rationale: it is not much money when compared to the money shes pays for comcast cable.
She said “we are fighting over $10 per month for many people. For our personal household it will be a $12 per month increase. We pay the city of Tallahassee $550 a year, we pay comcast almost $2,400 a year.”
It is also not much money when your household will receive more money because of the proposed tax increase.
You see, in talking about her “household”, Commissioner Miller left out a pertinent fact.
Ms. Miller’s husband works for the City, and like all other employees, he will get a 3% raise under the proposed budget.
A conservative estimate indicates their “household” will net an extra $1600-$2000 per year, which will more than cover any increase in the property taxes Commissioner Miller has to pay due to her vote.
This is a dirty little secret that local media has not wanted to talk about.
Over the last four years, Commissioner Miller has quietly voted for pay raises that enriched her “household”.
https://tallahasseereports.com/2015/07/08/stewarts-blog-commissioner-millers-cable-bill-and-the-27-property-tax-increase/
The FBI may have or get the answers to these and many other questions!
It appears that the prior businesses of Richard Charles Buss “Rich Buss” have been closed now including Buss Engineers, AHB LLC, DAK2 and AHBP LLC according to Florida State Licensing at Sunbiz.org. This individual often uses a post office box and attorney Mike Bist to do shady business deals.
Interesting that this newer business of Rich Buss of DBP & Associates, LLC is now being used as a vendor to city business. Looks like it had some contracts with the city in Frenchtown developments. This is right after his prior businesses were exposed of tax fraud, lawsuits and employee violations according to the internet stories. Leon county court information shows lawsuits and legal problems along with his apartment complex development of the Dakota Apartments being foreclosured.
https://www.myfloridalicense.com/licenseRelation.asp?SID=&licid=2695842
Rich Buss is with the company of DPB & Associates, LLC now as a city vendor in Tallahassee that he created after all of his other illegal businesses that had several lawsuits and tax fraud. The attorney is Michael Bist with Rich Buss listed with the llc on his engineering license in florida. Nancy Miller and Rich Buss have gone to great lengths to cover up the business dealings in the family with the city for conflict of interest. More to come…Nancy will not give the related vendor to the city of her brother in law Rich Buss but DPB & Associates, LLC is exposed.
Where is the city controlled Ethics Commission? Misconduct in office, maybe a topic they are not interested in exploring! I wonder why?
At this point, if the ethics office isn’t going to do anything, we should get rid of it. She’s been in office what 3 years and has “investigated” 2 or 3 complaints? I guess once a year is all we are going to get. Then she won’t look at the things she needs to look at. How much money are we wasting on that department? I know we voted for it (the office, not her), but it didn’t turn out like I expected and now I wish we would just get rid of it.
TR,
Missed you the last couple of weeks on The Morning Show. Are you still doing it?
Same old thing. absolute power corrupts absolutely.
LOCK HER UP!
The document is public record, so the City is required by FSS 119 to release it. If Miller has a copy, she may be in violation of the statute:
119.10?Violation of chapter; penalties.—
(1)?Any public officer who:
(a)?Violates any provision of this chapter commits a noncriminal infraction, punishable by fine not exceeding $500.
(b)?Knowingly violates the provisions of s. 119.07(1) is subject to suspension and removal or impeachment and, in addition, commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
Anyone shocked about this? She is a gillum (and former Mayor, marks) clone.
She was hand picked by Debbie Lightsey upon her announcement of retirement. If i remember correctly I think Nancy was heavily involved with Gary Yordon and the TAPP program.
Just like all liberals. They get their’s but screw the taxpayer.
I believe you have that backwards friend, every liberal I know works hard to help their communities.
Good luck finding a conservative that cares about anyone but themselves though!
Conservatives tend to donate more $$$ to charity…but whatever. :/
What hours does her husband work? I see them walking almost everyday at times he should be at the office.
Work? City employees don’t work, they plan for a cozy retirement. It’s the private sector. Real world folks that work.