The graphic does not spell out whom the orders fed or what city department made them.<\/p>\n
The claims are based on a public records request Burg\u2019s Eye View<\/a> submitted to the city for spending activity. Florida Politics has requested records from the city, but has not yet received them.<\/p>\n Burg\u2019s Eye View was created and is edited by Brad Falbo, who the website describes as a St. Pete resident frustrated over a lack of transparency at City Hall. The website\u2019s \u201cabout\u201d page explains that records shared come directly from public city records, including City Council agenda packets, meeting minutes, meeting results, video, city archives, documents obtained through public record request and court records involving the city.<\/p>\n While the city has not yet provided records to Florida Politics, Falbo shared the documents he viewed with Florida Politics.<\/p>\n Falbo is also known as Brad McCoy. He\u00a0filed a lawsuit against the city<\/a> last year arguing some of his public records requests to the city went unanswered for more than a year.<\/p>\n A quick review of thousands of lines of spending appear to confirm Falbo\u2019s claims, though the data suggest the spending may not be as out of the ordinary as his graphic implies.<\/p>\n The analysis of food spending at City Hall is the first investigation the outlet has published. The website lists future projects, including whether there are conflicts of interest or unethical governance at play under the Welch administration.<\/p>\n A post on Burg\u2019s Eye View\u2019s website<\/a> expands on the food claim, noting that over a 24-month period from August 2024 until July 26, the city spent $1.67 million on food, averaging about $70,000 a month or $2,300 a day.<\/p>\n Overall, the analysis claims that more than $2.1 million was spent on food by the city over a 34-month period.<\/p>\n The analysis takes particular aim at a lack of transparency in how food purchases are recorded and tracked, including that about 71% of the expenditures, totaling $1.47 million, do not document what the purchase was for. More than $825,000 of the food purchases documented include no information beyond the store name where the purchase was made.<\/p>\n Florida Politics\u2019 review of the spending records found similar issues.<\/p>\n For example, on New Year\u2019s Eve, the Mayor\u2019s Office spent $3,190 on food. \u201cFood\u201d is the only description of the spending listed in records obtained. The expenditure\u2019s notes use the name Kubisiak, which likely refers to Amanda Kubisiak, an Administrative Coordinator for the city.<\/p>\n Numerous city employees carry purchase cards. When purchases are made, they are uploaded to a system and an approval process is in place to ensure the spending meets city and other statutory requirements. Various administrative staff input expenses, and are reflected in the records Falbo received.<\/p>\n The unspecified food expenditure used the department code 020, which is assigned to the Mayor\u2019s Office. The description also includes \u201cFORIDARA,\u201d which could reference FloridaRAMA, an immersive art exhibit in the Warehouse Arts District.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a $7,175 purchase on May 31, 2026, attributed to the Mayor\u2019s Office, for \u201cBaja Southern.\u201d That appears to be Baja\u2019s Southern Cooking and Catering in Gulfport, which specializes in classic Southern fried dishes. The expenditure\u2019s notes don\u2019t outline why the purchase was made.<\/p>\n There\u2019s another similar expense paid to what\u2019s listed as \u201cBaja Southern\u201d on July 31 for $2,625 that likewise does not include a description of what the purchase was used for.<\/p>\n The Burg\u2019s Eye View analysis found that only 29% of the expenses reviewed had a clearly stated purpose, while 29% listed only a generic item or use and nearly 40% included no description at all.<\/p>\n The Burg\u2019s Eye View website itself notes that the city has receipts for purchases, but said preparing a public records request to provide them would come with a significant fee. Governments can charge public information-seekers reasonable fees to reimburse for staff time to review, redact as necessary and deliver public records. Typically, only time-consuming records requests incur a fee.<\/p>\n Still, the data analysis is drawing attention.<\/p>\n On Thursday, Burg\u2019s Eye View shared a video on Facebook<\/a> from the city of St. Pete featuring Assistant City Administrator Tom Greene, who oversees the city\u2019s budget process along with its finance leaders. The video celebrates the \u201cTriple Crown<\/a>\u201d designation from the Government Finance Officers Association, which recognizes quality public finance operations.<\/p>\n Of the 15 comments on the city\u2019s original post<\/a>, 12 were critical of the city\u2019s spending practices, with about half of those referencing spending on pizza and subs. The Burg\u2019s Eye View post<\/a> sharing the video, including a critical caption, drew five comments, all of them either negative toward the city or dripping with sarcasm.<\/p>\n Elsewhere, City Council Member Corey Givens Jr. shared the Burg\u2019s Eye View graphic about Hungry Howie\u2019s and Jimmy John\u2019s purchases with a caption<\/a> saying \u201cThis is YOUR\u201d money, using the money emoji. As of Thursday afternoon it had 57 comments, mixed between those adding context, debating the veracity of the data, all out defending the Welch administration or criticizing the expenditures.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/FLGR-Ad-728x90-RESULTS-Set-1-e1741815738516.jpg\")
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