TARPON SPRING, Fla. (WFLA) — Officials with Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation have charged Tarpon Springs’ Development Services Director Anthony Mastracchio with “violating Florida law.”
The agency claims Mastracchio acted as the city’s official building administrator without a license for more than three months. An anonymous tip from a viewer and an 8 On Your Side investigation uncovered the problem.
8 On Your Side first revealed the violation in January, more than three months after Mastracchio’s provisional license expired without the state or anyone at city hall noticing.
Records show Mastracchio had received a promotion and 15 percent pay raise, making his salary $95,000, in September 2014 to serve as building development director. Those changes required Mastracchio take classes and pass the state exam for building administrators.
It is illegal for any city or county in Florida to approve building permits without someone serving in that role.
There is extra irony attached because Mastracchio’s department is supposed to make sure construction contractors cross every T and dot every I when applying for building permits in Tarpon Springs.
The whole matter was buried in secrecy in January on the advice of Jay Daigneault, a private lawyer who serves as the city attorney. That secrecy occurred while the six-month state investigation meandered to a conclusion. City Manager Mark Lecouris refused to speak about it and ordered his staff to maintain a code of silence.
On July 5 the DBPT finally notified Mastracchio the agency was pursuing charges based on the suspect having granted city permits without legal authority. He did so “outside the scope of his licenses,” officials charge.
An administrative complaint filed by the DBPR claims the violations could result in suspension or permanent revocation of Mastracchio’s license and fines of as much as $5,000 for each offense.
Mastracchio has filed a response to the state charges.
“I do not dispute the allegations,” he indicated. However, he’s asking for a hearing to plead “mitigating” evidence in order to minimize his punishment.
Back in February, in a confidential letter written to DBPR that was just released today, Daigneault claimed that Mastracchio was understandably confused about the status of his building administrator’s license due to misdirection by the DBPR, a mistake in the agency’s online license status report. In addition, he says, he suffered a serious stroke in April 2015 that resulted in five months of sick leave.
Meanwhile, Tarpon Springs taxpayers are still paying Mastraccio a hefty salary to run the city’s building department while one of his subordinates serves as the official building administrator. Taxpayers have also paid $5,000 for Mastracchio’s legal defense, a figure that is growing at the rate of $140 an hour for Daigneault’s preparation and appearance at a DBPR hearing in 30 to 60 days.
Mastracchio has been ducking questions from 8 On Your Side since January and was still keeping his own code of silence Monday. His office shades were drawn tight at city hall. When 8 On Your Side asked one of his staff whether Mastracchio was in the office, the only response was “no comment.”
