With little public discussion, the Broward County Commission has overwhelmingly approved an $18.9-million payout to airport contractor Tutor Perini to settle a bitter dispute about who was to blame for costly construction delays.
Paperwork filed in support of the deal, including the settlement itself, revealed that an unidentified whistleblower recently sued Tutor Perini in circuit court using the Broward County False Claims Ordinance. The whistleblower’s claims are not known, but sources said an unhappy subcontractor filed the complaint. Whistleblowers who help the county recover money lost to fraud or other schemes can recover a reward of up to 25 percent of the proceeds.
Tuesday’s settlement deal, approved in a 6-1 vote, marks an expensive flip-flop by the county from assertions earlier this year by then-Broward aviation department boss Kent George that, in fact, Tutor Perini owed the county more than $34 million for those delays.
George stepped down as aviation director in March, but remains on the county’s payroll until the end of the year. He negotiated the settlement approved Tuesday.
