Florida Keys News - Key West Citizen
Thursday, July 9, 2009
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Acevedo lands consulting work
BY JOHN L. GUERRA Citizen Staff

While awaiting his Oct. 19 trial on official misconduct, the suspended schools superintendent is working temporarily as an information technology consultant at Historic Tours of America.

The Key West company owns the Old Town Trolley, Conch Tour Train and myriad other attractions in Key West and other cities.

In a 90- to 120-day project, Acevedo is helping the company develop computer software to centralize its electronic accounting and management records, CEO Chris Belland said Wednesday.

"Randy is an independent contractor writing computer protocol that allows us to route business records from our company sites around the country to our central database," Belland said. "He's helping us realize efficiencies that save us time and help us better manage by developing this tool."

Acevedo was left without an income after Florida Gov. Charlie Crist suspended him without pay June 11, the same day he was arrested on a grand jury indictment tying him to the school district's financial scandal.

He earned $147,000 a year, including supplemental pay and benefits, according to district records.

Historic Tours of America runs tour trolleys and buses in Key West, St. Augustine, Savannah, Ga., Boston, San Diego and Washington, D.C., Belland said. Employees in each headquarters scan paper business records and make them into PDFs or other electronic storage files. Acevedo is developing routing rules that tell each document where it should travel over the Internet Protocol system.

As for the notoriety Acevedo attracts because of his role in the scandal, Belland said it's not something anyone at the company thinks about.

"That's not my concern," he said. "He was hired as an independent contractor to do a job and he's doing it, and it has nothing to do with anything else."

Acevedo has a bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems from Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C., according to his biography on the Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Web site. He was trained in advanced systems engineer development at Electronic Data Systems.

The Monroe school district hired Acevedo in 1993 as a programmer analyst and eventually promoted him to Information Services director. He first was elected superintendent in 2004.

jguerra@keysnews.com

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Please don't forget the kids

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 5:56pm
Please remember that Mr. and Mrs. Acevedo still have three children to care for - two of whom are still in high school. I applaud Mr. Acevedo for finding legitimate employment to ensure that his children still have a home in which to live and food on the table. It is my hope that he follows up with the appropriate business licensure required by the City and the County; however, I applaud him for doing what he needs to right now for his family, especially for his kids as they are most deeply affected by this situation - and they are also the most innocent.

Please don't forget the kids

Submitted on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 7:54pm
While we should respect that Mr. Acevedo went and got a job, I fail to see why we should care about their children when they had no regards for ours or their own.

I couldn't have said it better.

Submitted on Sat, 07/11/2009 - 9:13am
They clearly didn't care for their kids when they did all of this illegal stuff. They definitely didn't care for anyone else's kids when they stole and covered up. It's really not our concern. AND just wait til those emails come out. They are public record, you know, so whether the prosecutor puts them out there or the Citizen does a public records request, we WILL know how the Acevedos conspired to commit fraud and thievery before all is said and done.

The Children will not be Forgotten

Submitted on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 4:39am
Parents that do not understand what consequences can accrue to them for their actions will serve time for their transgressions and the children will not be overlooked by the State's adjudication of justice for the public. The children will become wards of the state. JFKulick

Bubba Bail Out

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 3:46pm
Maybe when Randy completes his special assingnment for HTA Ed Swift can give him another job driving the Slug Train..., oh, I mean Conch Train...same thing. Bubba's All Aboard!

The problem in the Keys is......

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 7:59pm
Everybody wants to be a Bubba....When you fail to reach Bubbaizm you get bitter and nasty. My suggestion is....Keep trying they're dropping like fly’s.

Nope. You're a bit confused. I don't want to be a Bubba.

Submitted on Sat, 07/11/2009 - 9:15am
I've lived here for 20 + years and when my father or someone on the mainland calls me an old 'Conch', I tell them in no uncertain terms that I am NOT a Conch and don't desire to be one. Ugh. So it goes without saying that I don't want to be known as a Bubba, since I am not a crook and am an honest person.

All Bubbas and Conchs are NOT crooks

Submitted on Sun, 07/12/2009 - 7:18am by 50 year resident of Marathon and voter
There are plenty of good citizens in Key West. It's just that Key West has its share of bad apples, too.

I work in computers and

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 3:15pm
I don't actually understand what his job is. Maybe its just too far out of my concentration or something. Some one scans and creates a pdf and then randy is making a route for it? It kind of sounds like he is being hired to create a networked storage device and what? a short cut to it? Is his contract to create a shared folder? Maybe, I don't know what I am talking about?

Gotta agree with you...

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 5:21pm
The job sounds like nothing more than nonsense "busy-work". His new employer had better be careful;Randy may end up re-routing the company funds to a bank in Brazil or Argentina and blow this town! He and MoMo will be fugitives!

I noticed the same thing. And then check below at another post

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 5:04pm by *.*
showing that the college where Randy said he went doesn't seem to offer an MIS degree at all. Hmmm.... how's the word LIAR fit?

Could somebody actually

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 2:32pm
Could somebody actually explain (preferrably a lawyer or judge)how Randy can afford an attorney, but Monique qualifies for a public defender? It seems that being married the household money is evenly split but is there a loophole she took advantage of, or did she simply perjure herself signing a phoney financial report?

Why Monique has no money for defense

Submitted on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 5:35am
I also would be very interested in why Monique didn't have to include Randy's earnings and assets. By the way, WHY DOESN"T MONIQUE LOOK FOR A JOB?!!! Something that doesn't allow her access to any money or other items she could steal...

Money for Defense

Submitted on Sat, 07/11/2009 - 4:05pm
Do you think Randy might be getting ready to throw Mo under this bus? Again!

Pro Bono

Submitted on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 5:23am
Randy can afford Vogel as an attorney if said attorney works pro bono. That means for free at the moment or until such other arrangement can be negotiated. These type of representation arrangements are usually negotiated to further justice and build law careers or to oppose an old arrangement. Vendettas work this way. For instance, Vogel was Kohl's assistant. Whenn Ward won the SA position he had to make good on his promise to rid the office of overpaid incompetence and restore public trust in the SA's proactive prosecution of government malfeasance. But before he could fire Vogel, she quit the position. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to understand why she's representing Randy pro bono. She has an ax to grind with Ward and that won't make her a very good consigliere; vengeance clouds good judgement. She's already motioned for suppression of evidence from discovery that is public property (discussions between employee and employer) and not protected as spousal communications subject to marriage or divorce related proceedings (usually invoked so a spouse can not use his/or "poisoned fruit" testimony to impeach the other spouses position). In my opinion, Randy will need a lot of luck to continue with his current legal representation. Now why Monique has been declared indigent. That can happen if divorce is planned or where estates have been separated by legal arrangement. JFKulick

Pro Bono

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 11:18pm
Come on now. Are you the only one without a clue. When Ward pounded Kohl at the polls he had to make good on his promise to restore integrity to the SA office. His agenda was to rid the SA office of overpaid incompetence and Vogel fit that bill. She quit before Ward's ax could hit sweet meat and she now is working pro bono for Randy to get even with Ward. She won't win though because Randy is in too deep and her juris skills are lacking. Witness her lame attempt to block from discovery Randy and Monique's communications on public property; school district owned computers and blackberries. She's just another slug in KW that the bubba's tolerate because she uses buzz words that they don't understand but are none the less impressed with. JFKulick

I wouldn't be surprised about a phony report at all

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 7:16pm by 50 year resident of Marathon and voter
Randy's political networth report submitted to the Supervisor of Elections was full of lies and math errors.

Well, there are a few

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 5:13pm
Well, there are a few factors to consider here. Monique's case will require a HUGE amount of lawyer time. Her charges are more serious and more complex. And her only chance of acquittal is if she has a jury trial and by some stroke of luck, the jury acquits her on all charges. It's unlikely, but a remote possibility. However, paying a lawyer to conduct a jury trial on all of these charges, and probably in another district of the state, will cost a fortune. We're talking probably in the ballpark of $50,000 at a minimum, to maybe even $100,000 or more. And those are low-ball estimates. Randy, on the other hand, currently faces only one charge, and it is a bit more dicey. He stands a much better chance, and the lawyering involved will be much cheaper. I would bet somewhere between $10,000 to $30,000. Randy's case will benefit from sharp lawyering and dedicated service. Monique's will not turn on the quality of the lawyering, but rather on the off-chance of a jury feeling sorry for her. (Not saying that the PD's are not quality lawyers, but the bottom line is that they are overwhelmed with cases and cannot make Randy's case a priority). So, it makes more financial sense to pay for Randy's lawyer out of pocket and not Monique's. As for their financial condition, my bet is that these two didn't save a dime ever in their lives. They probably lived paycheck to paycheck and spent every dime, constantly charging everything on credit cards and lines of credit. So probably even on their best days, they were technically "indigent" but for their cash flow from their jobs. Now that the cash flow is gone, things are probably even worse. If they had any money in savings, it was probably paid over immediately to Randy's attorney as a retainer, which left them fully indigent. Then, the rest of Randy's lawyer bills will probably be paid with credit cards, loans from friends, or through some sort of payment plan worked out with the attorney. Vogel might have even struck a deal, agreeing to take whatever he had as a retainer and do the case for that amount, plus expenses and out-of-pocket costs.

I'm betting Vogel is being paid purely with her revenge

Submitted on Sat, 07/11/2009 - 9:18am
and bitterness towards the new States Attorney. Randy lucked up but, after the stupid little move on emails, all she did is show their hand and let us all know just how guilty he is. I'm waiting to see what they find in the emails. There could be more charges forthcoming for the big, weeble-guy, Randy.

Bravo for a well-written and well-thought out comment!

Submitted on Fri, 07/10/2009 - 5:40am
It's a pleasure to read this posting.

I'd love to hear the answer to that as well

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 5:05pm by *.*
Half the assets are hers, half the household income is hers, half the debts. What's the deal?

Acevedo gets contract

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 2:19pm
Its really sad that all of you who post the nasty comments lead such boring lives, you just can't wait for that paper to roll around to see if the name Acevedo is in it. People take care of each other in Key West, that's just the way it is. For you and all the others that do not like the way Key West is run, get out.

Hey Tom O,

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 8:32pm
Go back to your CLunck Cooler and post on it. Let adults take care of this discussion!

GAWD has anyone looked at that

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:25pm by *.*
rag? I mean, it looks like something you might find in high school! I was stuck in a doctor's office last week and was forced to either look at that or Faux News. I scanned that paper and OMG, how embarrassing for him! Just awful! And look at the advertisers!

Even more sad is the fact

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 8:09pm
"Its really sad that all of you who post the nasty comments lead such boring lives" It is even more sad that your life is so exciting , that not only do you come here, but you also have the time to ponder what other people are doing with their lives as opposed to doing something with your own. BTW, did you get a contract to sit and consult people on the internet all day from Swifty?

Put a

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 5:39pm
cork in it. This news affects the entire county, and it is important. We each have the right to voice our opinions. If YOU don't like what you read here--stop reading it. Yeah, and you're right, people in KW take care of one another...and we are NOT going to let anyone take advantage of us like this again! Maybe you are the one who should "get out".

Acevedo gets...

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 5:13pm
Freedom of speech. Nastiness is a matter of opinion or probably subject to interpretation - just like fellow bloggers read your opinion. At least one cannot complain about a lack of communication here, for the school board on the other hand communication seems to be greatly lacking.

Gartdner-Webb University?

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 1:13pm
A quick check of the Gardner-Webb web site doesn't show any degree in Management Information Science. It does claim to have a Mathematics program. The following description of the math program is taken from the Garder-Webb web site:

"The mission of the Department of Mathematical Sciences is to contribute to superior undergraduate education and to prepare its graduates to make significant contributions for God and humanity by emphasizing the quantitative and analytical reasoning skills of a liberal arts based education in a Christian community of faith and learning"

Hope old Swifty gets what he is paying for and deserves.

Gartdner-Webb University

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:27pm
Has anybody checked with G-W to see if Randy even went there? If he did, did he graduate? If graduated, what was his degree?

It's a little pohdunk college in the middle of NC fields.

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 7:18pm by 50 year resident of Marathon and voter
Interesting that it is geared to Christian ways. Guess Randy didn't learn much there as far as significant contributions to humanity.

So he's not anymore qualified for any job than she is

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 5:06pm by *.*
and he LIED about it? This just gets better and better with these people.

I wonder if Randy was ever qualified ........

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 3:23pm

... to even work for the school district?

No wonder he changed the rules to suit Monique's GED

An Interview of the 14,000 U.S. Superintendents...

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 7:20pm by 50 year resident of Marathon and voter
would reveal that 90% have a master or doctorate in education. And what do we get? A degree in computers. Right on!

Doesn't need License

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 1:02pm
From what I heard Randy doesn't need either a City, County or State license as he is under contract from the HTA headquarter office in Washington, D.C. It was said he will be going to D.C. to install and implement the new system upgrades. I am sure he will be properly licensed in that jurisdiction before the work is done. Better luck next time Dick Bros.... and the witch hunt goes on !!

are you kidding me?

Submitted on Sat, 07/11/2009 - 12:11am by Dean
This kind of project is know in the IT world as Document Imaging and Electronic Workflow. The fact that HTA has contracted with someone for something they do not know what it is or what it is called goes to show how much research they have done...I highly doubt Randy is qualified to consult, implement and deliver on a project like this. In order to effectivly implement a meaniful system with a ROI a business technology review must be conducted with each and every department. Why would they hire Randy for a project like this? Monroe County Schools does NOT have a real Electronic Workflow system in place. Happy for HTA that they have money to throw away and waste. There are many, many qualfied companies in DC that offer this kind of work as a core offering and as you can tell there is also at least one person in this City who is qualified to run a project like this, in fact I know of another expert in this field here in town also. Randy let it be known there is a least one tax payer and parent in town that see's through your IT BS. Our top notch IT initiatives in our schools is a Mom and Pop joke, I should know, I have had the pleasure to work with many school districs in our state (be it a few years ago) who were light years ahead of us 5 years ago, if what we have now is behind what they had then, consider the gap now. Good luck HTA. It would be cheaper to cut him his check now and send him home and pay a real consultant to do the job.

But does HTA have deep pockets really?

Submitted on Sat, 07/11/2009 - 9:21am
Because, their ridership is way down, their sales are way down in all the ticky-tacky shops that sell goods from China and the Philippines, masqueraded to look like local goods. Swift is as he has been for 10 yrs, still behind in paying the city on rent, on licensure, and he's still not paid City Electric for all that land he built his condos on. Are the pockets that deep or are the banks so far into him that we'll see a big bailout of HTA and further bailout of the banks when he goes down?

Hardly a witch hunt. This guy thumbs his nose at the law as do

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 5:09pm by *.*
his wife and his son. Guess the law is for everyone but him, huh? I guess we'll just have to notify the District of Columbia to notify them that they have a guy working there as a contractor / service provider who is not licensed in Florida and probably not in their district. (Just like we've written the IRS about him and his wife, and the State Dept of Revenue and State Dept of Corporations and the IRS about his son.)

I guess we'll just have to notify

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:25pm
And the Mayor and the Governor and your Congressmen and the CIA and the FBI and the Secret Service and the President and anyone else who you thought would sit still long enough to watch you bang your beak....blah blah blah

'S ok, Bubba. Sit there and make your snide remarks because

Submitted on Sat, 07/11/2009 - 9:07pm by *.*
I HAVE officially notified the State of Florida's Department of Revenue and filed a complaint about Wade-boy. I've also notified the IRS about Wade's business that seemed to fly under the radar. Both the IRS and the State of Florida have received his official information and screen shots of his website, as well as his current address and Key West address. I HAVE officially notified the IRS about all that income Monique didn't report including her SS#, Randy's SS#, their address, DOB - you name it. And I HAVE officially notified the State of Florida about the fact that Wade-boy isn't registered to do business in the state but is openly doing so. These are on-the-record complaints, on all the official forms and will indeed trigger audits and investigations.

You big fat, sweaty Bubbas think the law doesn't apply to you. If we knew YOUR name we'd report your big blubbery a** as well 'cause I'm sure you're as crooked as they come.

School contract

Submitted on Sun, 07/12/2009 - 6:07pm
Didn't I read that the schools paid Wade $5000 for a video? If so, and he doesn't have a business license, didn't someone miss something?

Good for you.

Submitted on Sun, 07/12/2009 - 7:23am by 50 year resident of Marathon and voter
I sure hope someone come investigating. Keep us informed.

I hope he posts bond to leave the jurisdiction

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 3:21pm

That wouldn't apply to the Spottswood gig then would it and what about Wade? He worked for the Monroe County School District and several lower Duval bars

Routing Rules

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 12:52pm
It looks like he's being 'taken care of' to me. I work as a professional business analyst in IT and these 'routing rules' should take at most a few days to devevelop.

No job for Monique?

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:18am
Why hasn't anybody has offered Monique a consulting job paying at least enough to disqualify her from having a public defender? (Obviously her salary at the beginning of the year didn't count.) Her qualifications are ...

No job for Monique

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 3:16pm
because Dixie already has it. I hear Randy and Dixie are going to share office space.

She's Too Busy ...

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 11:54am

... Shopping

In Florida Half is hers while they're married

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 11:36am

So Judge Jones, why are we paying for her public defender?

Purchasing Agent?

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:50am

Consider what she would be qualified to do

Maybe she can work as purchasing agent for Randy's consulting company

Only in the Keys

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 9:58am
This does not suprise us one bit. We knew someone would take care of Randy. So now Monique is "inidigent" so that is one less debt they will have to pay. He has a "consulting" job to pay his lawyers. In any other town he would be selling all they had and hiding in shame, but not here! Here is another great example for our kids... lie, cheat and steal and get a good job while waiting for your day in court.

Cassander: Hold On - There's Still A Small Detail Called A Trial

Submitted on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 1:29pm
Unless the concept of due process has been suspended, there still has to be a trial in which the prosecutors convince a judge (or jury) beyond a reasonable doubt that the Acevedos are guilty of the crimes for which they have been charge. Where there is smoke there is usually fire and I don't doubt that there are going to be serious consequences paid by Mr. and Mrs. Acevedo (regardless of adjudication they will pay a huge price). Similarly, I have no doubt that there are many moral lessons that you can share with your children at the completion of the legal process. However, these folks deserve their day in court and it is troubling to read posts like yours that imply you are too impatient to wait for the legal process to play out. Despite your enthusiasm for denying due process for the Acevedos, I doubt you would hold the same view if you or one of your loved were defendants. Cassander
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