In Duke & The Gang’s Taxpayer-Funded Food Orgy, 2021 Edition, we reported that from the day North Miami Beach City Manager Arthur “Duke” Sorey was hired in April 2021, he and four of his high-ranking employees purchased $19,319.06 worth of food in less than seven months on their taxpayer-funded Procurement Cards.

They continued this food orgy into 2022, which we’ll break down for you now.

We’ll start with Duke Sorey’s P Card Purchases from January 1, 2022 through December 4, 2022, the most recent statement we have.

January, 2022:  In between trips to Washington DC, Tallahassee, and Phoenix, Duke managed to charge $964.69 at Fat Boyz Barbecue for a January 18, 2022 Commission Meeting.

February, 2022:  When not traveling to Dallas, Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas, and buying tickets to Philly, Duke spent $663.79 of your tax dollars at his old standbys, Panera Bread, 1000 Degrees, and Olive Garden.

March, 2022:  Duke was busy traveling, but still found time to drop $270.00 at Olive Garden for a Commission Meeting.

April, 2022:  On behalf of Duke Sorey, NMB taxpayers shelled out $52.41 at Dunkin Donuts on Wednesday, April 13, 2022, and another $604.22 at Fat Boyz Barbecue on Monday, April 18, 2022 for a total of $656.63.

May, 2022:  Traveling is hard work.  Denver, Orlando, Washington DC.  So many cities, so little time.  But enough time to throw down $399.75 at Roasters ‘N Toasters on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, and $3,548.98 at Fat Boyz Barbecue, for a grand total of $3,947.98.  Granted, the big bill was for the annual employees’ annual picnic. which is probably Duke’s only legitimate food expense during the entire year.

June, 2022:  Another month, another whirlwind of airport hopping.  And, of course, $869.13 worth of food.

Duke started out on Monday, June 6, 2022 with yet another $130.40 buffet from Panera Bread.  While on yet another trip to Orlando, Duke “hosted” his co-travelers to a $538.79 meal at The Wharf at Sunset Walk, a “warehouse-style eatery offering live music,” on June 15, 2022, and another $199.94 feast at Ford’s Garage the very next night on June 16, 2022.

All while collecting a check from the City of North Miami Beach for his per diem meal travel expense, a/k/a “double dipping.”

Just saying.

July, 2022:  Duke charged a taxpayer-funded vacation for him and City “Attorney” Hans Ottinot to New Orleans to the tune of $1,532.89 for airfare and hotels.  While traipsing around Sin City, they stopped in for a $427.39 meal at Drago’s Seafood Restaurant, “Home of the Original Charbroiled Oyster.”

Even at those prices, unless alcohol was involved we can’t imagine how he rang up such a huge tab.

Which, of course, would be direct violation of the City’s Procurement Card Policy strictly prohibiting the purchase of alcoholic beverages on taxpayer-funded P Cards.

Just saying.

August, 2022:  On August 11, 2022, Duke charged $31.67 at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, which is most likely a meal purchase.  If that’s the case, why are you paying for his lunch?  Isn’t that what his annual $10,800.00 expense allowance is supposed to pay for?

Just asking.

We also know Duke spent part of the month of August traveling to Cartegena, Colombia to celebrate his engagement, when he produced this video with his fiancé, which he posted on his Instagram page on August 18, 2022 and which the Black Professionals Network reposted on its Instagram page on September 14, 2022.

 

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We also know that Duke did not deduct the vacation hours he took from his earned annual leave time, according to any of his August, 2022 paychecks, which is basically theft of public funds, but that’s a story for another day.

In September, October, and November of 2022, Duke’s P Card charges were minimal.  He spent a few bucks on gas, parking and, of course, his monthly $96.29 car washes at Prestige Auto Spa in North Miami.

But his four top cronies on the fourth floor did quite a bit of damage to make up for Duke’s restraint.

Starting with Gedel “Beelzebub” Merzius, who spent a total of $4,195.12 on food since he was hired, $3,195.12 of which just in 2022.

Most of those charges took place in June of 2022, when he hit both House of Mac for $382.01 and Chic-fil-A for $1,414.79 on the 18th, Olive Garden for $297.00 on the 21st (for a Commission Meeting), and Fresh Market for $54.54 on the 29th, for a total food fest in the amount of $2,148.34.

In July, Beelzebub also squeezed in a $59.39 pizza party from Little Caesars on Wednesday, July 6, 2022.

The rest of Beelzebub’s 2022 $23,760.29 spending spree was on travel, registration fees, and what appears to be a lot of “office supplies.”  Since we don’t have invoices yet, there’s no way of knowing exactly what those “supplies” might be.

Most curiously, however, are the two charges to PAYPAL *PAZ0101 on Tuesday, February 1, 2022 for $400.00 and $500.00.  We included these payments in the “miscellaneous” category while we wait for a response to our Public Records Request for copies of those and other invoices.

Duke’s other Assistant City Manager, Kemarr Brown, was hired on February 28, 2022, and hasn’t done all that much damage with her taxpayer-funded Purchasing Card.

Relatively speaking anyway.

Aside from hitting the ground flying on March 17, 2022 with a $819.46 ticket to Dallas, per her P Card statement ending April 4, 2022, the rest of her charges that month appear to be necessary for her job.  Including her membership fee to the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) in the amount of $1,280.00.

The next month, however, she charged $147.55 worth of food at Chicken Kitchen in Miami Gardens on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, according to her P Card statement ending May 4, 2022.  Why?

She didn’t use her P Card the following month, however, on Saturday, June 18, 2022, Kemarr charged $135.00 at ex-Commish Paule Villard’s favorite restaurant, Family Cuisine.  A Saturday?  Was Paule with her?  All we know is that this charge was on her P Card statement ending July 4, 2022, and inquiring minds want to know.

There are a lot of travel expenses listed on Kemarr’s P Card statement ending August 4, 2022.  In addition to a $413.35 airline ticket to New Orleans for Ashley Francois, Executive Assistant to City Manager, who was hired by Duke on October 28, 2021 and has a total employment package of $88,466.00, Kemarr also charged $3,242.98 for six (6) hotel rooms at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside.

Kemarr’s P Card statement ending September 4, 2022 has another hotel charge for $861.18 on August 31, 2022, this time at the Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver, and a $55.27 charge at Earl’s Glenarm restaurant.

Kemarr receives a per diem check for meals while traveling, so why is she charging her meal on her taxpayer-funded P Card?  Like her boss, Duke Sorey, she’s double dipping, which is illegal.

Other than a Miami Herald Subscription and two (2) $30.00 parking fees in Miami Beach on September 14 and 15, 2022, Kemarr’s P Card statements ending October 4, November 4, and December 4, 2022 show she didn’t charge any food during those months.

Duke’s unofficial Director of Catering, Athalie Edwards, kicked off the New Year by stocking the government trough with $1,579.54 worth of feed.

According to her P Card statement ending February 4, 2022.  Her provision list included:

• Wednesday, January 12, 2022:  A $244.29 spread from Fat Boyz Wings & Tings and a $33.17 lunch for two (or McKenzie) at La Granja.
• Thursday, January 13, 2022:  Brunch maybe (?) from Panera Bread for $55.03.
• Tuesday, February 1, 2022:  A food truck of Caribbean goodies from Vybe 305 for $605.80, and another buffet from Fat Boyz Wings & Tings for $500.00.
• Thursday, February 3, 2022:  A $141.25 platter of pastelitos from CAO Bakery & Cafe.

Athalie also charged $141.50 on January 26, 2022 and $132.50 on January 31, 2022 to Jet Limousine in Chandler, Arizona.  This was the week that Paule Villard and her co-conspirators on the dais, Michael Joseph, McKenzie Fleurimond, and Daniela Jean, took a taxpayer-funded vacation to Chandler and attended the 2022 National Haitian American Elected Officials Network (NHAEON)’s Leadership Retreat Program.  Apparently, they were joined by Duke in this venture, which had absolutely no public purpose for the benefit of the residents of North Miami Beach.  We’d love to see the forensic audit result in the Court ordered reimbursement of the costs of this unnecessary trip back to the taxpayers, who never authorized this illegal expenditure.

But, we digress.

Athalie’s P Card Statement ending March 4, 2022 reflected a total of $584.38 for food, courtesy of North Miami Beach taxpayers, for these delectable goodies:

• Wednesday, February 9, 2022:  $219.54 at Chic-fil-A.
• Wednesday, February 16, 2022:  $84.98 at Publix.
• Wednesday, February 23, 2022:  $56.00 at ex-Criminal Commissioner Paule Villard’s favorite eatery, Family Cuisine.
• Tuesday, March 1, 2022:  $24.76 at Publix.
• Wednesday, March 2, 2022:  $190.00 at Abuela’s Kitchen.

While Athalie “only” charged one food item on her P Card statement ending April 4, 2022, which was $218.50 on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at Abuela’s Kitchen, she charged a $172.13 hotel room in Orlando for an unknown reason, and a $577.00 airline ticket to Atlanta for Gedel “Beelzebub” Merzius.  Since Beelzebub has his own taxpayer-funded P Card, we’re curious as to why Athalie bought it for him.

But that’s yet one of dozens of unsolved mysteries in the Duke Sorey administration that will be revealed when a forensic audit takes place, which we hope will end in perp walks.

Her P Card statement ending May 4, 2022 is even more mysterious.

In addition to all her regular food purchases, which amounted to $5,762.14, there was another hotel room in Orlando charged on April 7, 2022 for $195.00, two charges to Univision Management Company on April 14, 2022 totaling $900.00, and a $1,500.00 charge to PAYPAL *HNFLORIDAIN on April 15, 2022, which is a complete mystery.  We’ll have to wait for our Public Records Request to be fulfilled to find out.

But we can tell you about insane amount of food Athalie charged that month on her taxpayer-funded P card, as follows:

• Monday, April 4, 2022:  $549.56 to Domino’s AND $376.87 to Chic-fil-A.
• Wednesday, April 6, 2022:  $28.25 to Panera Bread.
• Friday, April 14, 2022:  $2,006.00 to Mzs Mini Donuts & More! LLC and $1,500.00 to Snow Caps, both food trucks, and both presumably for Duke’s employee appreciation event, “Sweets with the Manager.”

 

But, Athalie wasn’t done yet.  The food fest continued.

• Tuesday, April 19, 2022:  Two charges of $56.66 and $19.80 at La Granja, the day of a Commission Meeting.
• Wednesday, April 20, 2022:  $270.00 at Olive Garden, the day AFTER the Commission Meeting.  This is particularly interesting since Assistant City Manager Kamarr Brown had already spent $147.55 at Chicken Kitchen that same day.
• Thursday, April 21, 2022:  $635.00 at Fat Boyz Wings & Tings.
• Friday, April 22, 2022:  $320.00 at Chic-fil-A.

Moving right along.

According to her P Card statement ending June 4, 2022, on Athalie charged $333.78 for food, as follows:

• Wednesday, May 4, 2022:  $51.08 at Publix IN MIRAMAR.
• Saturday, May 7, 2022:  $160.50 at Sweet Delight Cheesecakes and $40.21 at Publix.
• Thursday, May 26, 2022:  $81.99 at Publix.

She also charged two hotel rooms in Orlando — again — at $221.63 each on Saturday, May 14, 2022, and $136.40 at Costco on Thursday, May 19, 2022, which may or may not be for food, but it’s highly likely considering her track record with the P Card.

Shockingly, there were no food purchases listed on her P Card statements ending July 4, 2022 or August, 4, 2022, but she still managed to charge the outrageous amounts of $3,161.07 and $3,008.00, respectively.

Her most questionable charge is the purchase of MORE gift cards in the amount of $2,508.00 at Target Corporate and Bulk Gift Cards, which again, is is a direct violation of the City’s Procurement Card Policy, which specifically prohibits the use of P Cards for “Cash advances of any kind.”

The purchase of these, or any other gift cards is also a violation of the policy’s prohibition on using P Cards for “Gifts and Donations.”

Is anyone surprised?

In any event, Catering Director Athalie Edwards resumed her food buying duties on Wednesday, August 10, 2022 with a shopping trip at The Fresh Market for $436.69 and another at Whole Foods $246.72, per her P Card Statement ending September 4, 2022, totaling $683.41.

On Tuesday, September 27, 2022, she dropped $347.95 at Panera Bread, per her P Card Statement ending October 4, 2022.

And we still don’t know who’s eating all this damn food!

Even worse than Athalie’s random food purchases, are her eleven (11) $30.00 charges on Monday, October 3, 2022 to the T-Mobile Store in North Miami Beach, for a total of $330.00.

Whose phone minutes are taxpayers paying for?  I guess we’ll find out if our Public Records Request ever gets fulfilled.

On Friday, October 7, 2022, according to her P Card statement ending November 4, 2022, Athalie’s $724.60 food purchases included:

• $53.96 at Krispy Kreme
• $103.76 at Publix.
• $341.09 at Publix.
• $225.79 at Domino’s.

Athalie also took a trip to Daytona Beach in her taxpayer-funded $369.73 Budget Rent-A-Car and stayed at the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort, and sent taxpayers the $275.73 bill.

We’re unclear as to why a Catering Director “Senior Advisor to City Manager” (a/k/a grossly overpaid secretary) has to travel anywhere, but that’s one of life’s greatest mysteries in Duke’s administration.

And finally, according to her P Card statement ending December 4, 2022, Athalie rang up a total of $599.65 for:

Another Whole Foods run on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 in the amount of $399.65

A massive chocolate binge the next day, Thursday, December 1, 2022 by dropping $75.00 at Le Chocolatier and $130.00 at The Sweet Tooth.

Then there’s Francisco Medranda, a member of Duke’s North Miami Friends & Family Plan, who was hired on May 24, 2021 as a $103,000/year “Senior Advisor to City Manager,” and since promoted to “Chief of Staff” at an annual base pay of $120,260.

It must be nice to get a $17,260 raise after three months of employment, right?

Francisco’s first food buying frenzy of 2022 began on Wednesday, January 5, 2022 with a $302.10 purchase at Chic-fil-A, followed by a $75.75 charge at CAO Bakery & Cafe on Saturday, January 8, 2022.  He rounded off the month on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 (the same day Duke dropped $964.69 at Fat Boyz Barbecue allegedly for a Commission meeting) with a $17.92 charge at Miami Squeez and a $59.39 purchase at La Granja, according to his P Card statement ending February 4, 2022, for a total of $455.16.

Francisco’s next food purchase showed up on his P Card statement ending April 4, 2022 when he stopped in to CAO Bakery & Cafe on Saturday, April 2, 2022 and charged $98.20.

As odd as it seems that Francisco and his co-worker Athalie use their taxpayer-funded P Cards to buy food on Saturdays, it’s even odder that, like Athalie did, Francisco made six (6) $30.00 purchases, for a total of $180.00, at the T-Mobile Store on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.  Who are all these phone cards for?

Francisco’s P Card statement ending May 4, 2022 has a $157.47 charge at Panera Bread on Thursday, April 7, 2022.

He stepped it up the next month on Thursday, May 12, 2022 when he spent $107.00 at Publix and $132.65 at Chic-fil-A.  Then on Wednesday, May 18, 2022, he dropped $460.00 at Family Cuisine, for a total food purchase of $699.65 on his P Card statement ending June 4, 2022.

That month he also charged $1,079.00 at TG Miami Gardens for “Sports & Fitness Instruction,” according to its “Unofficial Page” on Facebook.  We could find no Official Page on the internet, so we’ll take this at face value.

The next month Francisco resisted the urge to buy food, but by the time his P Card statement ending August 4, 2022 arrived, he spent a total of $382.48 on the following:

• Saturday, July 23, 2022:  $65.00 at King Jerk Grill in Miami Gardens, and $35.00 at Family Cuisine.
• Thursday, July 28, 2022:  $141.34 at House of Mac.
• Wednesday, August 3, 2022:  $141.14 at IHOP.

 

There were other curious charges on this P Card statement, such as $500.00 to Lakiesha Nicole, LLC, on Tuesday, July 26, 2022 for an “open air photo booth,” and six (6) charges to Amazon.com totaling $5,454.32.

And, yes, we already made a Public Records Request for these charges and others because North Miami Beach residents need to know how their money is being spent.

Francisco’s P Card statement ending September 4, 2022 has the following food charges totaling $503.88:

• Saturday, August 6, 2022:  Two purchases at CAO Bakery & Cafe totaling $236.90.
• Wednesday, August 17, 2022:  $36.98 at 1000 Degrees in North Miami.
• Tuesday, August 23, 2022:  $100.00 at Sweet Delight Cheesecake and $130.00 at House of Mac.

On Friday, August 5, 2022, Francisco also charged $1,796.97 on Amazon.  We did not include these charges in our Public Records Request, so we’ll never know what he bought.  Feel free to make a PRR and let us know what happens.

The next month, Francisco charged an outragous $2,319.23 on food, as evidenced by his P Card statement ending October 4, 2022.  These are:

• Tuesday, September 13, 2022:  $116.34 at Publix.
• Friday, September 16, 2022:  $563.51 at CAO Bakery & Cafe
• Saturday, September 17, 2022:  $264.50 at Chic-fil-A
• Saturday, September 24, 2022:  $54.89 at Dunkin Donuts, $60.53 at Publix, and $435.51 at Chic-fil-A
• Friday, September 30, 2022:  $824.00 at La Cafetera.

 

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In what can only be described as comic relief with a touch of irony, on September 14, 2022, Francisco charged $808.05 to Terryberry, an “Employee Rewards Program,” whose mission is to “Create an engaged, purpose-led organization through the power of recognition.”

When an overly generous paycheck and a constant stream of “free” food isn’t enough.

Then again, maybe if Duke would stop stomping around the fourth floor screaming F-bombs and putting the fear of God in everyone, they’d feel recognized.

Just saying.

Francisco’s P Card statement ending November 4, 2022 is even crazier.  He charged a total of $2,427.50 on food, as follows:

• Wednesday, October 5, 2022:  $56.14 at Publix.
• Saturday, October 8, 2022:  $1,543.98 at Publix and $827.38 at Chic-fil-A.

And finally, Francisco charged $1,098.12 for food, according to his P Card statement ending December 4, 2022.  These are:

• Tuesday, November 15, 2022:  $576.00 at Chic-fil-A
• Wednesday, November 16, 2022:  $522.12 at Publix.

Since we don’t yet have any P Card statements from December 5, 2022 through January 4, 2023, we have no idea what Duke & The Gang spent on food (or illegal gift cards) during last Christmas, but we’re pretty sure they went all out.  We will be sure to fill you in as soon as we can.

In the meantime, think on this.

Since Duke Sorey was hired less than twenty-three months ago, he and his four top lieutenants have charged a gargantuan $49,623.85 on their taxpayer-funded P Cards just for food.

Some of it legitimate, most of it not.

What we do know is that Arthur “Duke” Sorey is not the CEO of of a multi-million dollar private sector company on Wall Street that can afford to lay out a lavish buffet at thrice-weekly staff meetings.

Duke Sorey is a thuggish City Manager of a tiny municipality covering 5 square miles of real estate, which government is funded by the blood, sweat, and tears of 42,507 human beings with an average per capita income of $25,500.00 a year.

Or less than 8% of Duke Sorey’s entire bloated, undeserved salary package of $332,532.00.

They shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for Duke Sorey’s extravagant lifestyle so he can act like a kingpin.

North Miami Beach residents deserve better!

Stephanie