Democrats spurn decision to contract with Deloitte again

Senate Minority Leader Audrey Gibson and fellow caucus members criticized the Agency for Health Care Administration's decision to sign a new contract with Deloitte.

After revelations that the state is again partnering with the company responsible for the failed unemployment system, Democrats are blasting Gov. Ron DeSantis‘ administration for returning to the company.

Deloitte beat out four other companies for a $135 million contract to modernize the state’s Medicaid database for the Agency for Health Care Administration. But Deloitte played a role in the Department of Economic Opportunity’s unemployment portal, CONNECT, which collapsed under the weight of hundreds of thousands of applicants after the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the economy.

DeSantis has requested an investigation into the $77 million unemployment portal contract and said he would consider a request to bar Deloitte Consulting, which  had the largest contract in setting up CONNECT, from future state contracts.

But in court documents earlier this year, Deloitte has distanced itself from the system, arguing it has had “no connection” to the online system in more than five years. The lawsuit, filed by DEO against Deloitte, makes a series of allegations, including negligence and products liability.

But that hasn’t stopped Democrats from siding with DeSantis, whose communications director told Politico could not prevent the contract. Senate Minority Leader Audrey Gibson called for AHCA to rescind the contract.

“Awarding this company another multi-million dollar contract is yet another attack on the vulnerable and poor,” she said. “In what world do you reward a company that sold a product described by the Governor himself as a ‘jalopy‘ designed to fail with even more taxpayer dollars? It’s misguided at best and callous disregard for the people of Florida at its worst.”

Sen. Linda Stewart made the same request to the agency.

“It is absolutely unconscionable that the state would even consider awarding another multi-million dollar contract to the same firm that designed the over-budget and under-functional disaster of an unemployment system that the Governor has described as a ‘clunker’ that was intentionally designed with ‘pointless roadblocks’ to take advantage of Floridians and pay as few claims as possible,” she said.

In a joint statement, Sens. Lori Berman and Janet Cruz called for a freeze on the bidding process.

“Given this track record, it is shocking that the same company was even allowed to be part of the bid process.  The fact that it was the winner of the bid is even more unimaginable,” Berman said.

Cruz added: “The continued fleecing of Floridians for the benefit of Deloitte, one of the largest accounting firms in the world, is the epitome of governmental inefficiency.”

The Tampa Senator also sang the same tune as Gibson and Stewart.

“Ultimately, the state of Florida should not even consider paying Deloitte one more red cent until every Floridian has received the outstanding unemployment benefits they are owed,” Cruz said.

In an interview this week with CBS 4 in Miami, DeSantis said the system was built with “roadblocks” meant to yield “the least number of claims being paid out” as possible. The Governor has all but named his predecessor, now-Sen. Rick Scott, for the botched contract.

During a Wednesday Fox Business interview, Scott advised DeSantis to step up to the plate instead of repeatedly pointing fingers elsewhere.

“Go solve problems,” Scott advised. “Quit blaming others.”

Jennifer Ungru, a lobbyist who represents Deloitte, has ties to both the DeSantis and Scott administrations, which Gibson said raises questions. Ungru played a leading role in DeSantis’ election recount, was a Deputy Chief of Staff to Scott and was Chief of Staff at AHCA.

The people of Florida “have a right to know just how transparent the award of this contract to Deloitte was, whether political ties greased the wheels for the winning bid, and will their need for health care be sacrificed because of it,” Gibson said. “We cannot risk the cost of failure again.”