RSW airport’s ‘refusal to provide requested documentation’ cited in recent Lee Clerk audit

The Inspector General Department of the Lee County Clerk of Court and Comptroller has completed an audit of the Lee County Port Authority’s Airside Operations and Safety, carried over from the 2023 Annual Audit Plan.

The audit findings for RSW, or Southwest Florida International Airport, were “generally positive,” according to a letter from Kevin Karnes, Lee County clerk of Circuit Court and Comptroller; however, he believes that the Port Authority intentionally impeded the auditor’s ability to gather sufficient evidence related to the Terminal Expansion Project.

Because of the missing records, the audit cites a “Limitation of Scope,” meaning auditors could not assess the effectiveness of some safety protocols tied to the terminal expansion. Delays continued even after written confirmation from the Transportation Security Agency affirming the auditor’s authority, Karnes wrote to the Port Authority Board of Port Commissioners.

“It is my sincere hope that by bringing this concern to the Board’s attention, we can avoid any future delays in obtaining the records necessary to effectively carry out my responsibility as the County Auditor to the citizens of Lee County,” he wrote.

Read the whole memo at leeclerk.org/home/publisheddocument/17828