Orlando Sentinel by Scott Maxwell
September 13, 2019
One thing I’ve learned from watching so many political scandals is that most were completely avoidable.
The folks involved could’ve stopped them. If they’d been smarter. Or subtler.
With the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority, gubernatorial appointees wanted to put their own people in charge of the big-money road-building board.
First, they tried to file a bill to kick a duly elected mayor off the board. Then, they tried to oust the respected executive director.
But they did it anyway.
Ultimately, two board members were charged with crimes. One went to prison. The entire board was abolished.
One of the political appointees would later tell investigators he didn’t realize how he was being manipulated until after he was facing criminal charges.
Now, at Orlando International Airport — where a $4 billion construction program is at stake — we’re witnessing a developing mess that seems eerily similar.