Oviedo Council rejects additional Twin Rivers audit funding

The Oviedo City Council unanimously rejected a proposal on Monday that would have added another $35,000 to the city’s ongoing investigation involving Twin Rivers Golf Club, with Council members questioning both the value of the preliminary findings and the rising cost of the investigation.

The proposed funding would have allowed accounting firm Forvis Mazars to complete additional Phase 1 work related to the forensic investigation into SSS Twin Rivers OPCO, LLC (Down To Earth), the company that manages the city-owned golf course.

The request for additional funding came after City Council had already approved $20,000 for the initial investigation in February and an additional $10,000 in April, bringing the total approved funding for the investigation to $30,000.

Had Council approved the new request, the cost would have increased to $65,000.

The city originally launched the investigation after concerns surfaced regarding personnel and operating expenses charged by Down To Earth to the Twin Rivers Golf Course Fund. City staff determined an in-depth review was necessary because of concerns involving accounting and operational issues.

Council members repeatedly criticized the preliminary observations presented by Forvis Mazars on Monday, arguing the findings lacked specificity despite the mounting costs.

“I was a little taken aback that we spent $30,000 with this firm,” Councilmember Jeff Boddiford said. “We don’t get anything in writing, we don’t get any report and we got five very vanilla observations.”

According to the agenda memorandum, the preliminary observations from Forvis Mazars included recommendations to strengthen internal controls over purchasing, fuel, restaurant and fertilizer operations, conduct a comprehensive financial audit and review insurance-related language within the city’s management agreement with Down To Earth.

The firm also recommended the city investigate whether complimentary rounds offered through the booking platform GolfNow aligned with standard industry practices, since revenue from some rounds goes directly to GolfNow rather than Twin Rivers.

Councilmember Alan Ott questioned whether the city had received enough information to justify additional spending.

“It’s disappointing that we have not very much to show for all of the work that I guess they supposedly did,” Ott said. “I don’t really want to give them any more money to tell us what they’ve already told us.”

City staff later requested updated cost estimates from Forvis Mazars for a written report and council presentation. One proposal totaling $35,000 would include meetings with management and a formal presentation to the Council, while a second option involving only a presentation carried a projected cost of $22,000.

“I’m not sure we want to pay $22,000 or $30,000 to have them repeat those five observations,” Councilmember Keith Britton said. “I don’t see us getting much more out of that.”

Mayor Megan Sladek also voiced her dissatisfaction with the process.

“I am highly dissatisfied with the lack of resolution,” Sladek said. “It feels like this is not really resolved.”

City Manager Bryan Cobb defended parts of the preliminary findings during the meeting, noting that some practices questioned by residents and Council members appeared to be standard in the golf industry. Cobb also warned the Council that a full forensic audit could potentially exceed $100,000.

“The golf course has about a $2 million revenue each year,” Britton said. “Do we want to spend 10 to 20% of their revenue just to audit them? I just don’t see that.”

Despite rejecting the request, Council members discussed possible revisions to the city’s management agreement with Down To Earth, including restructuring the agreement into a revenue-sharing model similar to other golf course management contracts. Council members also discussed exploring other management options and continuing discussions regarding Twin Rivers’ operations.

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