Legislator Plans to Make Regent Board Open its Doors

State Rep. Rachel Burgin, R-Riverview wants to make sure residents have access to the community center their taxes financed.

So she is sponsoring a bill in the upcoming Legislative Session to make the board of The Regent more accountible to the public.

Burgin plans to propose legislation that would force the Brandon Community Advantage Center board of directors, which oversees the use of the ballroom and downstairs conference room at The Regent in Riverview, to open its meetings, its books and its spaces to the public.

Currently, the BCAC's meetings are closed to the public and the all-volunteer board does not release its earnings from renting the facility.

The BCAC's attorney, Marsh Rainey, said, as a private, not-for-profit entity, The Regent isn't subject to the state Sunshine Law, which would make them available for public review.

"There's plenty of case law," said Rainey. "Just because we received public funding doesn't make us subject to the Sunshine Law."

Burgin's proposal comes on the heels of the Hillsborough County Commission's decision to change the way it provides money to construct nongovernmental facilities.

The county kicked in $2.5 million of Community Investment Tax for the $6.7 million community center. Although it found no wrongdoing, a county audit released this week criticized how the funds were used, saying the county should have had more oversight. It also questioned the use of about $35,000 in administrative costs. County Commission Chairman Al Higginbotham wants those funds reimbursed to the county.

County commissioners requested the audit in May after residents complained that the center was being used for private functions and not the community events for which it was intended. Residents also took The Regent to task for incorporating marble staircases, decorative columns and pricey sculptures, saying it was a misuse of taxpayer money.

Although the public spaces are overseen by the BCAC, Hillsborough Community College owns the building and land The Regent sits on. In a deal hammered out last year, HCC paid $750,000 for the facility, which it uses for classes. HCC also pays its maintenance fees. The BCAC rents the facility from HCC for $10 a year and pays $2,000 a month in utilities.

The Making of The Regent

After residents complained there was no space in Brandon large enough in Brandon to hold major community functions, then-state Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, and former state Rep. Trey Traviesa, R-Tampa, secured state funding to build a community center. The federal government also contributed provided the center be constructed to hurricane standards and be used as a shelter in emergencies.

Construction on The Regent started at the end of 2009 and the facility opened in January 2011.

At a public meeting in June, Rainey defended the use of premium building materials and embellishments for the building on Watson Road, saying those details were necessary to create a building that would be suitable for formal functions.

"There's been a lot of talk about this being posh," he said. "I'm not here to apologize and say it's too posh for Brandon."

Rainey said the board drew up a comprehensive business plan explaining how the center would operate and what activities would take place there. He noted that The Regent's financial records have passed three state audits.

"We sent the county detailed reports of every dime we spent," said BCAC board member George May.

Regent Executive Director Kristen Kerr, one of two full-time staff members at The Regent, said The Regent has bookings through the end of the year, and not all of them are private functions. Kerr said she's booked 25 community events at a 25 percent or more discount.

Rainey said, with the exception of HCC's classroom space, all of the building is available for public use and noted there's an online sponsorship applications for nonprofits that need to use the building free of charge.

Rainey added that there's nothing unusual about using tax funds to build a cultural center. He noted that the Trinkle Center in Plant City and the Carrollwood Cultural Center were similarly constructed with public dollars, and both rent out their facilities for private events.

"It's time Brandon got a piece of the pie," he said.

Currently, The Regent is breaking even financially, said BCAC board member and public accountant David Lemar Jr. During the first four months of operation, revenues averaged $15,000 a month. The payroll is $7,000 to $8,000 a month. Utilities run about $2,000 a month and The Regent pays out $5,000 to $6,000 for setup and breakdown crews, insurance, marketing supplies and other variable expenses, he said.