An internal audit that uncovered questionable spending by Fort Lauderdale employees using city-issued credit cards was the topic of a robotext making the rounds on Thursday.
The robotext shared the cellphone number of City Manager Rickelle Williams and urged residents to call and tell her Fort Lauderdale deserves better.
It was unclear who was behind the robotext or how many residents received it.
Robotexts are automated text messages sent en masse to mobile numbers and are nearly impossible to trace.
The robotext mentioned a story about the “troubling” audit published by the South Florida Sun Sentinel this week.
“The audit found repeated failures in oversight, recordkeeping, approvals, and enforcement,” the robotext said. “It flagged missing agreements, delayed card cancellations, weak receipt tracking, questionable purchases, and about $20,000 in third-party fraud that went unreported for months.”
The text listed examples, including $10,000 in tennis balls bought as gifts, $10,250 in Panthers tickets and $1,800 in leather luggage.
“Residents deserve stronger transparency and accountability,” the text declared.
Commissioner Steve Glassman said more than a dozen residents forwarded the text to him after they received it.
“I wonder who did it,” he said. “I have no idea. It could be anybody. Somebody had to spend some money on it though.”
Williams took the reins as city manager in April 2025.
The audit reviewed activity from October 2023 to December 2024, before her arrival.
“I share the community’s frustration with the deficiencies identified in the P-card audit for activity before I joined the city as City Manager,” Williams said on Thursday. “To be clear, every issue raised in that report is a result of a management culture that has needed improvement for years.”
Williams said she fielded calls from a multitude of residents on Thursday.
“The dozens of residents I have spoken with today alone applaud the work the City Commission and staff are now doing to improve oversight and implement financial controls,” she said. “I’ve worked closely with and on behalf of the City Commission to begin clearing up longstanding issues, rein in spending, and develop processes and systems to ensure taxpayer needs are addressed.”
Williams said she and her team remain focused on improving training and accountability to ensure the city learns from prior shortcomings and continues implementing the safeguards and oversight necessary to prevent them from recurring.
“With the support of the City Commission, my team can continue to address these issues and build a culture that earns and maintains the public’s trust,” Williams said.
Susannah Bryan can be reached at sbryan@sunsentinel.com. Follow me on X @Susannah_Bryan