NEWS ANALYSIS

MILT THOMAS

Charlie Wilson certainly has “experience” with economic development and tourism.

If nothing else, Charlie Wilson knows how to keep his name in the local news. Whether it is his failed runs for elected office (or his successful run for Vero Beach City Council that lasted one month until he was removed by the courts), or his campaign against impact fees, his strident criticism of local government and its people, or the candidate petitions forged by someone working on his behalf, or the short-lived blogs and newsletters. But his most consistent and vitriolic actions have been reserved for criticism of the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce. It is no wonder that he has announced the formation of a new chamber of commerce based on tired accusations and misinformation about the County Chamber’s activities and funding.

Here is a recounting of his failed attempts to discredit and/or replace authorized chambers of commerce both in Vero and Fort Pierce.

Wilson handled advertising for the St. Lucie County Tourist Development Council from 1998-1991, but after a county audit, he came under scrutiny for a report that he overcharged the county or received money for services not rendered. The auditors could find no evidence to prove he did it intentionally though and Wilson claimed the charges against him were politically motivated.

Three years later, he moved to Vero Beach and started an agency to provide advertising and public relations services for political and business clients. He remained involved in St. Lucie County politics though.

His activities in Indian River County included an online blog, Indian River Report, which he started in 2007 and where he frequently criticized the Chamber’s handling of economic development and tourism. In a Tourist Development Council meeting on March 14, 2007,Commissioner Gary Wheeler and council member Jack Berrigan, who also had served as Wheeler’s campaign manager, tried to create an RFP to put tourist development advertising out to bid rather than continue through the county’s appointed agency, the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce.

TDC member, Susan Adams, then said she had been approached by Charlie Wilson, saying he had been offered a job to oversee the RFP process. Wilson, who was in the audience, stood up to deny the allegation. However, he had submitted a draft report to Wheeler two weeks earlier suggesting that tourism advertising could be better handled by an agency other than the Chamber and should be taken in house. The idea was rejected by both the TDC and County Commission.

In April 2009, Commissioner Wesley Davis submitted Wilson’s name for appointment to the TDC, but he was not selected. Wilson continued to regularly criticize the Chamber during his Indian River Report’s entire two year run. He then started a new blog, Wheeler and Wilson, with retiring Commissioner, Gary Wheeler, primarily to advocate the candidacy of candidate, Tim Zorc. But he also used the blog to continue his criticism of the Chamber and suggested, at one point, “…maybe we can just start a new Chamber of Commerce that actually represents business interests.”

He apparently followed through on that threat in May 2013, by contacting the Florida State Chamber of Commerce and asking how to go about opening a new Chamber of Commerce in Vero Beach.

The Wheeler and Wilson blog was discontinued soon after Tim Zorc was elected. In a move many felt was in reciprocity for Wilson’s support of his candidacy, Zorc asked to be assigned as liaison to the Economic Development Council. His relationship with the Indian River Chamber of Commerce was fractious enough for Commission Chairman Joe Flescher to direct Zorc to mend fences with the Chamber.

Since then, Wilson has been a weekly guest on the Bob Soos Morning Show, using that platform to regularly criticize the chamber. Then, a few days ago, he announced the formation of a new Chamber of Commerce, citing reasons that have often been disproved in his past criticisms.  Wilson was quoted in a press report released yesterday claiming $250,000 of the $500,000 the Chamber received from Indian River County to carry out tourism and economic development is diverted to pay for “internal” expenses.

County Budget Director, Jason Brown, said today the county’s investment in tourism development and economic development goes largely to pay for programs, such as advertising designed to attract tourists to Vero Beach and Indian River County.  The county money which goes to salaries and benefits, no more than 27 percent of the total for tourist development, pays for employees the Chamber would not have if it were not working on behalf of the County.  Brown added that, as with all independent agencies doing work on behalf of the County, the Chamber submits regular, audited financial reports.

Charlie Wilson certainly has the right to form a group and compete for public funds in economic development and tourism. However, his past actions and criticisms of other government entities were often followed up by attempts to earn an income from those efforts. The list includes his handling of tourist development funds in St. Lucie County, his campaign against impact fees followed up by forming a company to earn fees by returning fees to his clients, applying unsuccessfully for the county’s emergency management position, registering as a lobbyist for companies trying to influence local government, running for school board at the same time he was a paid consultant for one of the charter schools, running for city council on the Vero Electric/FPL issue and continuing to advocate for the deal long after he was removed from office, which is not suspicious on its own merit, but only indicative of his behavior pattern.

But the question many people are asking in his latest action, forming a competing chamber of commerce, is not why he would compete with a successful, proven program – the question seems to be what’s in it for Charlie Wilson.