Local News
IDA-EDC finds new leader
Gary Pinnell | Highlands Today
Published: November 24, 2012
SEBRING - The IDA-EDC has a new boss.Published: November 24, 2012
"It's 6:37 p.m. Wednesday," said a message from Industrial Development Authority-Economic Development Commission Chair Paul McGehee. "I just heard from Stephen Weeks. He has accepted the position of executive director."
Weeks, who has been president of Government Funding Specialist Inc. since 1991, also has coordinated the creation of the community development plans for the cities of Avon Park, Winter Park and Webster.
He attended Fairfield College Preparatory School in Connecticut, and his resume lists online MBA specializations in management, accounting and finance from American Intercontinental University. He's been a Highlands County resident since the mid-1980s.
To avoid conflicts of interest, Weeks promised the IDA-EDC to shut down his business.
"This is what I love to do, plain and simple," Weeks said. "I like the challenge. I don't know how to describe passion, but I've done community development now for quite a while, and any time you're passionate about something, you do well at it."
In Avon Park, Weeks worked for Fred Fox Enterprises when the community redevelopment plans were written. According to his resume, he has also supervised new and renovated single-family units, wastewater treatment plants, water and sewer lines, bridges, roads, parking lots, sidewalks and streetscapes.
He has worked with small cities in grant writing, economic development, neighborhood and commercial development, historic preservation, code enforcement, development review, contract negotiations, infrastructure improvement, zooming and site plan review.
"We are thrilled to find this experience in a local person," McGehee said.
The IDA-EDC board fired its last two executive directors, Dan Murphy and Kristina Anderson.
Anderson was terminated in June after the board discovered inappropriate expenditures. She also was accused of excessive and unauthorized absenteeism, neglect of assigned duties and mismanagement of Highlands County IDA-EDC personnel and operations with the intent to deceive the board.
IDA-EDC Treasurer Wade Taveniere said in July that Wicks Brown Williams & Co. was engaged to review financial records.
Anderson threatened to sue, but McGehee said Friday that the audit did find several transactions totaling more than $1,000 "where she was utilizing funds for personal use."