Christine Jordan Sexton
The discussion of whether to have the state Auditor General audit a hospital taxing district was delayed on Monday.
Joint Legislative Auditing Committee Chairman Sen. Joseph Abruzzo said the committee was waiting for more information from the North Lake County Hospital District to be released and that Rep. Larry Metz, who requested the audit, was willing to temporarily delay the discussion.
Metz on Feb. 19 requested that the audit.
Metz told Florida Politics on Monday that he requested the audit as follow up to the 2012 legislation he helped spearhead. He said the law was a major shift in policy and that oversight is appropriate.
Metz did not give the hospital taxing district a heads up that he was requesting the audit and North Lake County Hospital District Chairwoman Catherine Hinson said it would have been professional courtesy for him to do so.
Metz conceded, though, that he could have given the hospital board a heads up that he was requesting the audit. “I could have done better,” said Metz, who noted that he wanted to get the request in at the beginning of the legislative session. “I wish I had thought it through enough to call the chairwoman,” Metz said.
