Former toll-road chief cleared in 3 of 4 allegations

June 12, 2008

Dan Tracy and Jay Hamburg, Orlando Sentinel Staff Writers

The state ethics commission Wednesday dropped three of four allegations against the former chairman of Central Florida's toll-road agency in which he was accused of misusing his office by taking $2,600 worth of theme-park tickets for free.

But several months could pass before the fourth charge is resolved against Winter Park developer Allen Keen, who used to run the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority.

If found guilty of not reporting the tickets as a gift, Keen faces up to a $10,000 fine and a reprimand.

Keen's attorney, Robert Leventhal of Orlando, said he was confident the last claim would be dropped once Keen's side is fully presented.

Keen said in a written statement that he was pleased with the decision by the Florida Commission on Ethics, saying: "I look forward to an equally favorable resolution on the last outstanding issue."

The commission, a nine-member panel in Tallahassee, decided not to pursue claims that Keen misused his public position to get the tickets -- thus violating a public prohibition against seeking gifts -- because he turned over the passes to others.

Ron Pecora, a Winter Park marketing and public-relations executive who provided the tickets to Keen, would not comment.

He revealed the ticket arrangement with Keen during an interview with the Orlando Sentinel in December 2006.

Pecora also volunteered his story to investigators with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Orange Osceola State Attorney's Office.

He told the Sentinel that he was contacted in May 2006 by an authority employee who said Keen wanted 12 multipark passes to Disney.

Pecora said he filled the request because he feared losing his firm's $1.7 million contract with the authority.

But, Pecora said, he also enclosed a receipt with the tickets, hoping that would spur Keen to repay him.

Keen explained to authorities that he sent the tickets to a friend whose family was visiting from Costa Rica.

An assistant state attorney eventually flew to Costa Rica and was told by the friend that his father-in-law was supposed to have reimbursed Pecora but suffered an apparent stroke and forgot.

Pecora was eventually indicted on charges of bribing Keen. The charges were dropped when he agreed to perform 100 hours of community service.

Keen resigned as chairman in January 2007, saying he needed time to defend himself against "false allegations."

Also Wednesday, authority officials confirmed that the person hired to develop and head a centralized purchasing department likely will be leaving her job soon .

Carrie Miller was hired almost a year ago as the authority undertook a series of reforms in the wake of investigations by the state attorney and the Orange County comptroller.

The idea was to eliminate open-ended agreements and companies getting paid without even having a contract -- both of which happened almost as a matter of routine at the agency.

At a board meeting in December, Miller received high praise from both authority Chairman Rich Crotty, who replaced Keen, and expressway Executive Director Mike Snyder for revamping and tightening control over the purchasing system that had been criticized by the comptroller.

Miller would not comment Wednesday, saying only that "I'm very proud of my department."

Expressway spokeswoman Lindsay Hodges called Miller's impending departure amicable.