JACKSONVILLE, Fla — Duval Teachers United, the local teachers’ union in Duval County, was raided by the FBI and the IRS Wednesday.
So, far, little is known about the nature of the raid, but the Florida Times Union reports it may involve potential misappropriation of funds.
“We continue to be focused on upholding our mission of supporting our members and the students we serve. We are fully cooperating with authorities and anticipate a full and thorough assessment of the facts. To respect the integrity of the process we will not discuss any further details,” said the union in an emailed statement.
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The raid came as a surprise to Florida leaders, including Governor Ron DeSantis.
“I have no insight about that. As you guys know, those are federal agencies. They’re not anything that the state has control over or gets any advanced warning on the stuff that they do,” said Governor Ron DeSantis when asked about the raid during a press conference Thursday morning.
In this year’s legislative session, Florida lawmakers imposed new regulations including annual audits on most public sector unions like Duval Teachers United.
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“I don’t think the IRS or the FBI lost their car keys. So, clearly, there’s something that they’re looking for,” said State Representative Dean Black (R-Yulee).
Black, who sponsored the union legislation, told us he doesn’t know what the union is being accused of, but he argued the presence of the IRS at the raid backs up his belief the unions need to be more financially transparent with the teachers they represent.
“Because they deserve those protections. If they’re going to pay money and belong to a union, that’s fine. But they have a right to know where that money is going,” said Black.
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Black added it’s too early to tell whether the raid will warrant further restrictions on public sector unions, but he did issue an official statement Thursday afternoon calling on full transparency from the union.
“To restore the trust of taxpayers and dues-paying teachers, the Duval County Teachers Union must immediately release a complete accounting for how all union funds are being spent, come clean about what specifically this investigation entails, and make public all pertinent documents pertaining to the FBI and IRS investigation,” said Black in the statement.
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