Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
we have requested itemized receipts from the city and its contractor. we'll see what that looks like soon.
When you add the General Condition Fee ($20,758) to the Supervision Labor ($81,596) and the Contractor Overhead ($44,688), you find that the city paid over $147,000 just for the "privilege" of having this contractor manage the project—before a single drop of paint was even purchased. The T.C. Miller Heist, How $256,000 in Black History Grant Funds Became a Private Clubhouse Subsidy
This investigation into the T.C. Miller Center rehabilitation has uncovered a staggering paper trail of redundant billing, missing infrastructure, and a lease agreement that effectively hands a state-funded asset over to a private political inner circle. By comparing the $256,000 African-American Historical and Cultural Grant requirements against internal Pay Applications and physical evidence, the anatomy of a self-enrichment scheme is laid bare.
The $190,000 Phantom Parking Lot
The most glaring breach of the state grant contract is the total disappearance of the primary infrastructure project. The grant legally required a $190,000 leveled and paved 25-space parking lot. However, contractor billing shows zero dollars spent on this lot. Instead, the budget was zeroed out by administrative soft costs that total a near-identical $189,826.52.
$81,596.00 for Supervision Labor (simply watching the work).
$44,688.00 for Overhead and $20,000.00 in Profit.
$20,758.76 in General Condition Fees.
Redundant Billing and Market Inflation
The billing documents reveal blatant double-dipping. The contractor charged $7,125.00 to replace window glass while simultaneously billing $7,020.00 for film removal on the very same windows—a physical impossibility.
The Painting Markup, The city paid $23,027.10 to paint a small community hall. For context, the interior and exterior of a three-story Victorian home can be professionally painted for approximately $10,000.
Hardware Fraud, The contractor billed $7,284.98 for five new Solid Core Doors, yet photographic evidence shows the original, weathered, and broken doors are still in place.
Pay-to-Play, The $10 Lease and the $1,000 Membership
While the city used the educational disparities of the Black community to secure these funds, the actual beneficiary is a private Art Guild.
The Lease, The Town has entered into a lease agreement allowing this private group to occupy the state-renovated facility for a nominal fee of $10 over two years.
The Exclusion, Despite the grant’s public benefit requirement, you cannot even volunteer at this center unless you are a Guild member. Membership dues are set $45 however their online portal says that they are sold out of memberships, effectively barring the very community the grant was intended to serve.
The Conflict of Interest, The Director of this Art Guild is the wife of a sitting Clay County Commissioner. Her artwork—and that of her associates—currently hangs in City Hall with price tags exceeding $300.00. These sales do not benefit the city treasury; the proceeds go directly back to the artists, turning government halls into a private, commission-free gallery for political insiders.
A Clear Breach of Contract
The City of Orange Park is in direct breach of the State Restrictive Covenant, which legally binds the property to be used for Public Benefit until 2036. By displacing a 19-year youth program and replacing it with a high-barrier, private-membership clubhouse, the city has converted a Historic Resource into a private windfall.
Conclusion, A Call for Accountability
Public Works Director Kyle Croce signed off on this work as 100% Complete on December 5, 2025. This certification, in the face of missing parking lots and broken ADA hardware, suggests official misconduct. We are calling for an immediate forensic state audit and a criminal investigation by the State Attorney’s Office into this systematic misappropriation of public funds.
we have requested itemized receipts from the city and its contractor. we'll see what that looks like soon.
When you add the General Condition Fee ($20,758) to the Supervision Labor ($81,596) and the Contractor Overhead ($44,688), you find that the city paid over $147,000 just for the "privilege" of having this contractor manage the project—before a single drop of paint was even purchased. The T.C. Miller Heist, How $256,000 in Black History Grant Funds Became a Private Clubhouse Subsidy
This investigation into the T.C. Miller Center rehabilitation has uncovered a staggering paper trail of redundant billing, missing infrastructure, and a lease agreement that effectively hands a state-funded asset over to a private political inner circle. By comparing the $256,000 African-American Historical and Cultural Grant requirements against internal Pay Applications and physical evidence, the anatomy of a self-enrichment scheme is laid bare.
The $190,000 Phantom Parking Lot
The most glaring breach of the state grant contract is the total disappearance of the primary infrastructure project. The grant legally required a $190,000 leveled and paved 25-space parking lot. However, contractor billing shows zero dollars spent on this lot. Instead, the budget was zeroed out by administrative soft costs that total a near-identical $189,826.52.
$81,596.00 for Supervision Labor (simply watching the work).
$44,688.00 for Overhead and $20,000.00 in Profit.
$20,758.76 in General Condition Fees.
Redundant Billing and Market Inflation
The billing documents reveal blatant double-dipping. The contractor charged $7,125.00 to replace window glass while simultaneously billing $7,020.00 for film removal on the very same windows—a physical impossibility.
The Painting Markup, The city paid $23,027.10 to paint a small community hall. For context, the interior and exterior of a three-story Victorian home can be professionally painted for approximately $10,000.
Hardware Fraud, The contractor billed $7,284.98 for five new Solid Core Doors, yet photographic evidence shows the original, weathered, and broken doors are still in place.
Pay-to-Play, The $10 Lease and the $1,000 Membership
While the city used the educational disparities of the Black community to secure these funds, the actual beneficiary is a private Art Guild.
The Lease, The Town has entered into a lease agreement allowing this private group to occupy the state-renovated facility for a nominal fee of $10 over two years.
The Exclusion, Despite the grant’s public benefit requirement, you cannot even volunteer at this center unless you are a Guild member. Membership dues are set $45 however their online portal says that they are sold out of memberships, effectively barring the very community the grant was intended to serve.
The Conflict of Interest, The Director of this Art Guild is the wife of a sitting Clay County Commissioner. Her artwork—and that of her associates—currently hangs in City Hall with price tags exceeding $300.00. These sales do not benefit the city treasury; the proceeds go directly back to the artists, turning government halls into a private, commission-free gallery for political insiders.
A Clear Breach of Contract
The City of Orange Park is in direct breach of the State Restrictive Covenant, which legally binds the property to be used for Public Benefit until 2036. By displacing a 19-year youth program and replacing it with a high-barrier, private-membership clubhouse, the city has converted a Historic Resource into a private windfall.
Conclusion, A Call for Accountability
Public Works Director Kyle Croce signed off on this work as 100% Complete on December 5, 2025. This certification, in the face of missing parking lots and broken ADA hardware, suggests official misconduct. We are calling for an immediate forensic state audit and a criminal investigation by the State Attorney’s Office into this systematic misappropriation of public funds.
