There’s no arguing that Miami Gardens Councilman David Williams Jr. is a big fan of Arline’s Soul & Seafood Restaurant.
City records show that from Jan. 1, 2014 to March 31, 2018, Williams’ city-issued “P-Card,” a debit card, was used to pay $1,821 for 58 visits to Arline’s at 2770 NW 167th St., Miami Gardens. That’s about a third of the $5,539 Williams spent during the same period dining out and ordering take-out.
The city-supplied purchasing card also funded Williams’ purchases of $13,945 of building supplies at Home Depot and Lowe’s, $13,690 of goods at wholesalers Costco and BJ’s and $4,750 of printing and school supplies at Office Depot and Staples.
In all, records show, Councilman Williams racked up a total of $68,033 in city debit-card charges from 2014 through the first three months of 2018. Where else did he shop? Publix, Winn-Dixie, CVS, Walgreens, Dick’s Sporting Goods, various gas stations and an exotic animal store called Strictly Reptiles. Williams, too, used his city card to pay for hotel rooms and fees for the annual Congressional Black Caucus in 2015 and 2017.
