Scandal fizzles out in Orlando

What seemed a corruption scandal over payments of more than $100k to an anti-toll activist and a huge fight with the Orlando toll authority's PR man have fizzled away to nothing. The toll authority this week voted 3 to 1 to settle for $8,320 an 18 month old legal fight with PR guy Ron Pecora.

Pecora says he was booted in October 2006 because he'd opposed toll authority secret financial payments to anti-toll activist Doug Guetzloe, and because he criticized it when it became public.

A state attorney's investigation into Guetzloe found no wrongdoing in the $100k payments by the toll authority.

Now the toll authority in its settlement with Pecora says there were "no improprieties or wrongdoing" on the PR guy's part. An investigator hired by the authority said in 2006 that Pecora owed the authority more than $400k, and he was sued for that.

The settlement lays aside the Authority claims against Pecora, and Pecora drops his suits for wrongful termination and defamation.

Pecora says he's broke. The toller has large legal bills to pay.

COMMENT: One thing was accomplished - a stringpulling developer, Alan Keen who should never have been appointed to chairman of the toll board, was gotten rid of. It was Keen's disgraceful idea to put Guetzloe secretly on the payroll.

TOLLROADSnews 2008-03-29