Pinellas CDBG-DR Watchdog · Federal Compliance Review

Live Federal Disbursement Data

USASpending.gov · Award ASST_NON_B-25-UU-12-0007_086

Source: usaspending.gov · Public federal data · No API key required · CFDA 14.228

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Total Award Amount

HUD obligation to Pinellas County

Total Outlays

Funds actually disbursed to date

Disbursement Gap

Obligated but not yet disbursed

% Disbursed

Of total award reaching recipients

$0 $813,783,000

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FAINB-25-UU-12-0007

Unique Award KeyASST_NON_B-25-UU-12-0007_086

Awarding AgencyHUD (086)

Recipient UEIR37RMC63XKG1

CFDA14.228 — CDBG Disaster Recovery

Appropriation86X0162 · Program Code MAU

Award DateJanuary 16, 2025

USASpendingView full award record →

Open Compliance Questions

Insurance Coverage

Horne LLP Policy Expired

Chubb Policy 3608-01-55 DTO expired March 3, 2026

⚠ Replacement unconfirmed

Contractor Substitution

No Public Approval Found

BDO Gov Services LLC performing work — no 2 CFR 200.318 approval documented

⚠ Transparency gap

Congressional Action

Luna Meeting — Mar 30

GAO audit request · HUD OIG referral · Dashboard mandate

→ Pending

Peter Pelak · Unit 340

Application In Queue

Confirmed by BDO Deputy PM · Callback promised week of Mar 30

↻ Active

Live Updates

Mar 30, 2026Congressional

Meeting with Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna

Briefing scheduled on contractor substitution concerns, insurance lapse, and Peter Pelak's case. Requests include GAO audit, HUD OIG referral, and mandate for real-time public disbursement dashboard. Sunrise St. Pete pause ($159.8M, paused Feb 15) also on agenda.

Mar 27, 2026Case Update

BDO Deputy PM Confirms Peter Pelak Application In Queue

Jenna Abbey (BDO Deputy PM Operations) called to confirm Peter Pelak's application is in queue. Callback promised week of March 30. Case Manager: Heidi Vieira ([email protected] · 850-312-8035). ID.me inconsistency confirmed in writing — accepted for IRS verification but rejected for citizenship on the same application.

Mar 27, 2026County

Compliance Letter Forwarded to County Attorney Don Crowell

Jeff Fusco (aide to Commissioner Nowicki) confirmed the compliance letter has been forwarded to Don Crowell, Chief Assistant County Attorney. Commissioner Nowicki was the sole dissenting vote (5-1) on the original Horne contract award.

Mar 3, 2026Critical

Horne LLP Liability Insurance Expires — No Replacement Confirmed

Chubb / Federal Insurance Company Policy 3608-01-55 DTO expired. Insured entity is HORNE LLP — not BDO Government Services LLC. Required coverage: General Liability $1M · E&O $5M · Cyber $1M · Crime $1M. SSNs, VA records, and birth certificates of hurricane victims are being collected under this gap.

Nov 1, 2025Critical

BDO Acquisition Closes — No Public County Approval Found

Horne LLP ceases to exist as an independent entity. Work now performed by BDO Government Services LLC — a Delaware LLC formed July 15, 2025, two months before the acquisition was announced and before the county vote. Contract states it "may not be assigned without the County's prior written approval." No public documentation of such approval has been identified.

Sep 18, 2025BCC Vote

Pinellas BCC Votes 5-1 to Award Contract to Horne LLP

Board awards Contract 25-0425-RFP, 36-month term, $565,656,023.17 total value. Commissioner Nowicki votes NO. County Attorney Don Crowell cites 2 CFR 200.318 on camera. BDO Government Services LLC already incorporated two months prior — never disclosed during procurement.

Jul 15, 2025Premeditation Flag

BDO Government Services LLC Formed in Delaware

A new Delaware LLC incorporated two months before BDO publicly announces the Horne acquisition (Sep 17) and two months before the county votes (Sep 18). CAGE Code: l6KR4 · UEI: LRAWVM88D2D3. The vehicle to absorb this contract was being constructed while Pinellas County was still in active procurement.

⚠ Central Structural Argument

BDO Government Services LLC was formed July 15, 2025 — two months before BDO announced the acquisition publicly and two months before the county voted. This was not an unforeseen corporate event. The vehicle to absorb this contract was being constructed while Pinellas County was still in active procurement. Under 2 CFR 200.318, any contractor substitution requires written county approval, SAM.gov debarment verification, and CAGE code confirmation. No public record of such approval has been identified.

Contract Entity Flow

Awarded To

Horne LLP

CAGE: 4QXN7
Ridgeland, MS
Signed Sep 18, 2025

→Acquired Nov 1

Acquiring Parent

BDO USA, P.C.

CAGE: 32ZC7
CEO: Wayne Berson
Announced Sep 17

→Work flows through

Now Performing Work

BDO Gov Services LLC

CAGE: l6KR4
Formed: Jul 15, 2025
Delaware LLC — not in contract

Four Documented Concerns

Concern 01

Undisclosed Contractor Substitution

Contract awarded to Horne LLP. Work performed by BDO Government Services LLC — a separate legal entity. No public county approval under 2 CFR 200.318 identified. Contract states it "may not be assigned without the County's prior written approval."

Concern 02

Administrative Cost vs. Delivery Gap

Combined overhead ~13.4% before one dollar reaches a resident. $86.8M in contractor management fees. No public dashboard. No verified disbursement figures. $27,262 per small business application. 5 county staff overseeing $813M.

Concern 03

Transparency & Data Security

Canopy is proprietary software owned by BDO. Resident SSNs and VA records collected via pinellas-recovers.com — a private contractor domain. ID.me accepted for IRS verification but rejected for citizenship on same application. BDO controls ~$973M across Pinellas.

Concern 04 — Urgent

Peter Pelak · Age 91 · Scottish Towers

Air Force veteran. 22-year resident. Disabled. $21,816 annual income. Paid 12 months rent through two hurricanes — zero missed payments. Received $700 total federal disaster assistance. $0 from CDBG-DR. Required to produce a birth certificate to prove citizenship.

Key Contacts

Name / Role	Organization	Contact
Commissioner Vince Nowicki (voted NO)	Pinellas County District 3	[email protected]
Don Crowell — Chief Asst. County Attorney	Pinellas County	Has compliance letter 3/27/26
Jenna Abbey — Deputy PM Operations	BDO Government Services	[email protected]
Heidi Vieira — Case Manager (Peter Pelak)	BDO / pinellas-recovers.com	[email protected] · 850-312-8035
Steven Shepherd — HUD Contact	HUD	[email protected]
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna	U.S. House · FL-13	Meeting Mar 30, 2026

"A 91-year-old disabled Air Force veteran who paid every bill on time through two hurricanes, led his fellow veterans as Post Commander, sang in his church choir for 20 years, and built things with his hands for 61 years — should never have to prove his citizenship to access disaster relief he already earned." — Natasha Pelak | Natasha Pelak & Associates, LLC

Pinellas County CDBG-DR ProgramFederal Compliance & Oversight

Pinellas County CDBG-DR Program
Federal Compliance & Oversight