TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is requiring the City of Tallahassee to repay funds connected to a local lead hazard control project after determining the city failed to meet several federal requirements.<\/p>\n
In a letter dated May 26 from HUD, officials revealed that costs tied to work conducted on Holton Street \u201care ineligible for reimbursement under the grant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Furthermore, the agency said that the city failed to provide adequate records verifying tenant income eligibility and occupancy requirements tied to the grant project.<\/p>\n
HUD went on to reveal in its letter that city officials could not confirm the project prioritized households with children under six years old, a core objective of the federal lead hazard reduction program.<\/p>\n
The letter comes weeks after Assistant City Manager Christian Doolin told city officials in an email obtained by WCTV<\/a> that HUD named Tallahassee\u2019s Lead Hazard Reduction grant \u201chigh risk.\u201d In that email, HUD raised concerns about unit eligibility and contractor expense justification, placing the grant under HUD investigation.<\/p>\n The May 26 letter stated that the city must repay all grant funds associated with the project, including staff work-time costs.<\/p>\n \u201cHUD reserves the right to identify additional ineligible costs upon further review,\u201d the agency wrote in its letter. The letter does not identify a total amount the city must repay, though $1.6 million has been spent on the overall program and the city was already reimbursed $1.03 million in the past.<\/p>\n The reimbursement decision comes after an early March monitoring visit and a review of additional documentation submitted by the city, per HUD.<\/p>\n However, the city\u2019s efforts were not enough to prevent HUD from requiring repayment.<\/p>\n Previously, Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow made a motion to require City Manager Reese Goad to resign, in part due to HUD\u2019s initial investigation.<\/p>\n The commission declined to vote Goad out, and Mayor John Dailey and others pointed out that Matlow falsely accused one of Goad\u2019s in-laws of being involved in the \u201chigh-risk\u201d program.<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s call for the city\u2019s inspector general to investigate gave rise to an ethics complaint, while the mayor said Matlow might\u2019ve opened himself and\/or the city up to a civil lawsuit.<\/p>\n More Tallahassee News<\/p>\n At a May 13 city commission meeting, Assistant City Manager Christian Doolin said the contractor for the lead program didn\u2019t have the proper EPA certification, but that when the problem was uncovered, the contractor did travel to Jacksonville to receive the training.<\/p>\n In HUD\u2019s May 26 letter, the agency determined some work had been done without the proper certification.<\/p>\n \u201cBased on HUD\u2019s review of the records provided, it appears that not all firms and workers involved in the Holton Street Project possessed the required certifications or qualifications pursuant to 40 CFR 745, subparts E and L, cited by the NOFO, necessary to perform work under the grant during the time the work was performed,\u201d wrote Kennedi Rice, a Government Technical Representative.<\/p>\n During the commission\u2019s May 13 meeting, much was made of the cost of each lead door removal, for which the contractor charged $8,400. Doolin previously said another contractor who didn\u2019t qualify wanted to charge $9,000.<\/p>\n However, it was the commission itself that actually broke with its traditional tact and approved the one bidder who made it to the final round of analysis, without submitting another request for proposal to generate further bids.<\/p>\n Doolin said at the end of the RFP process, there was only one bidder. <\/p>\n \u201cThe city commission approved the procurement process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u2014 Matt Hoffmann (@ByMattHoffmann) May 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Also on May 13, City Commissioner Diane Williams-Cox said she knew the contractor personally.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d encourage us to practice some restraint. We have people who appreciate them removing the lead,\u201d she said at the time.<\/p>\n Ultimately, city staff themselves decided to suspend the program while the HUD investigation was underway. A restart date has not been provided.<\/p>\n City Commissioner Curtis Richardson said on May 13 that many of the claims were \u201cunfounded.\u201d<\/p>\n Commissioner Richardson: It has bothered me as the dean of the commission that we\u2019ve heard some very major issues and people\u2019s reputations have been put on the line.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been unfounded,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u2014 Matt Hoffmann (@ByMattHoffmann) May 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Read HUD\u2019s full May 26 letter below: <\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n