This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Former UF president Ben Sasse said a completed audit found no wrongdoing when it came to his spending. But according to public records, the audit never existed.
In an Aug. 16 X post responding to a previous Alligator report on his expenditures, Sasse wrote, “It is my understanding that the Audit Committee of our board did its work thoroughly and without any findings of concern.”
A request from The Alligator for any internal audits requested during the fiscal year 2023-2024 was returned without any indication of a UF presidential audit. Expenditures related to Sasse were not among the 17 audit requests listed in the report.
There is also no documentation of a current, future or completed audit from the state.
The Board of Governors for Florida’s State University System announced Aug. 15 it would conduct its own audit into UF’s presidential office. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced the Florida Department of Financial Services would help the Florida Board of Governors investigate any fraud or wrongdoing in Sasse’s expenditures.
“The Florida Auditor General has been directed to conduct the audit into this issue,” Devin Galetta, Patronis’ communications director, wrote in an email. “The CFO’s Office and the Florida Department of Financial Services stands ready to assist as needed.”
A public records request submitted to the Florida Department of Financial Services also found no proof of a UF presidential audit being discussed, planned or completed by the state.
The Florida Board of Governors director of communications, Cassandra Edwards, said the state’s Auditor General’s office is conducting its annual audit at UF, which would encompass presidential expenditures. The board does not comment on ongoing audits.
When asked if a completed audit into Sasse’s spending had ever existed, UF responded that an audit from the state was pending.
“We are waiting for the State Auditor General's work to be completed,” UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan wrote in an email.
The university did not follow up on additional inquiries about the existence of a completed presidential audit that had “no findings of concern.” When asked to give an explanation for the lack of clarification, the university did not respond in time for publication.
Contact Annie Wang and Sophia Bailly at @awang@alligator.org and sbailly@alligator.org. Follow them on X @wynwg and @sophia_bailly.
Sophia Bailly is the Fall 2024 University Editor. She interned for The Times-Picayune in Louisiana this past summer as a Capitol News Bureau reporter. When she's not reading the news, she can be found listening to podcasts, going for a run or studying Russian.
Annie Wang is a sophomore journalism student and the Fall 2024 University Administration Reporter. She previously wrote for the University Desk as a General Assignment reporter. In her spare time, she can be found reading and writing book reviews.
