OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL
OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES
Robert E. Clift, Inspector
General |
|
LEGISLATIVE FACT SHEET
FLORIDA INSPECTORS GENERAL
|
HOW WERE INSPECTORS GENERAL
CREATED?
Section 20.055, Florida Statutes,
the Inspector General Act of 1994,
establishes duties,
responsibilities, and authority of
an Inspector General in the State of
Florida.
Currently, Inspectors General
provide oversight in 31 state
agencies, five Water Management
Districts and 11 public
universities. Inspectors General
also serve for the Florida Housing
Finance Corporation, the State Board
of Administration, and Citizen’s
Property & Casualty Insurance
Corporation.
HOW ARE INSPECTORS GENERAL
APPOINTED?
Inspectors General are appointed
based on their integrity and
expertise in accounting, auditing,
financial analysis, law, public
administration, or investigations.
They are independent, objective,
unbiased, and are appointed by the
agency head without regard for
political affiliation. In agencies
under the direct jurisdiction of the
Governor, Inspectors General are
appointed by the Agency Head in
consultation with the Governor’s
Chief Inspector General.
To ensure audits are conducted in
accordance with Professional
Standards, either the Inspector
General or Director of Auditing
shall possess a bachelor’s degree
from an accredited college or
university with a major in
accounting or business with a
minimum of five courses in
accounting and a minimum of five
years of experience in auditing.
Possession of a Certified Internal
Auditor (CIA) or Certified Public
Accountant (CPA) professional
certification is highly encouraged
and each such certification may be
used to substitute for one year of
experience. Also, most are Certified
Inspectors General.
WHAT DO INSPECTORS GENERAL DO?
Inspectors General serve as the
conscience of the organization and
as ambassadors for good government.
This is accomplished by :
Enhancing accountability to
taxpayers;
Building credibility with
citizens;
Helping to ensure that public
funds are spent only in the public
interest;
Helping to earn and increase
taxpayer confidence in, and respect
for, state government;
Providing independent and
objective perspectives so that
decisions to expend public funds
involve balanced and documented
information;
Reporting results and outcomes of
programs and services;
Detecting and deterring fraud,
waste and abuse through special
reviews and presence in the
organization;
Verifying compliance with
policies, procedures, laws and
regulations;
Identifying risks;
Preventing problems by identifying
and assessing effectiveness of
internal controls;
Evaluating controls through
regular reviews of organizational
activities;
Assessing reliability of financial
and operating information;
Conducting investigations
[including Whistleblower
Investigations], inspections, and
evaluations of state programs;
Promoting economy, efficiency, and
effectiveness; and
Keeping the agency head fully and
currently informed.
HOW DO INSPECTORS GENERAL
CONTRIBUTE TO GOOD GOVERNMENT?
Inspectors General recommend
improvements, and detect and report
fraud, waste and abuse. As part of
the governance structure, Inspectors
General serve government and the
public by communicating independent
and objective information to policy
and decision makers [i.e.
Legislature, Agency Heads, and Other
Government Officials. This is done
in a transparent manner to ensure
that state resources are handled
properly, economically, and
efficiently. Inspectors General
ensure that government officials are
accountable to the people by:
Offering analysis on critical
government initiatives;
Independently examining problems
and recommend possible solutions;
Issuing fact-filled reports based
on professional audit and
investigative standards;
Performing independent
investigations of allegations;
Conducting whistle-blower
investigations; and
Providing technical and
consultative advice to management.
HOW DO INSPECTORS GENERAL ENSURE
QUALITY IN THEIR WORK?
Florida Statutes require that
Inspectors General and staff perform
audits in accordance with nationally
recognized standards. These
standards are the Standards for the
Professional Practice of Internal
Auditing as published by the
International Institute of Internal
Auditors and Government Auditing
Standards published by the
Comptroller General of the United
States
Most Inspectors General have adopted
the Quality Standards for Offices of
Inspectors General as published by
the Association of Inspectors
General that includes standards for
investigations, inspections and
general office issues.
Florida Statutes mandates that the
Florida Auditor General review the
auditing function within each Office
of Inspector General every three
years in accordance to determine
compliance with current professional
standards.
Best Practices within the Offices of
Inspectors General require that each
report be independently reviewed for
quality and to ensure conclusions
are supported by sufficient evidence
prior to publishing.
Florida Statutes require Inspectors
General coordinate with Law
Enforcement if there are reasonable
grounds to believe a violation of
criminal law has occurred.
Consultation with Law Enforcement on
these matters ensures that persons
are not falsely accused.
The Chief Inspector General,
Executive Office of the Governor,
has statutory authority to act as
liaison and monitor Inspectors
General in agencies under the direct
jurisdiction of the Governor.
Professional Standards mandate that
auditors, investigators, and
Inspectors General annually meet
continuing education requirements.
Inspectors General in conjunction
with the Commission for Florida Law
Enforcement Accreditation are
beginning an accreditation program
for the investigative function to
further ensure compliance with
professional standards.
WHAT IS ON THE HORIZON?
The motto of Inspectors General in
Florida is “Enhancing Public Trust”.
To achieve this goal, we have
adopted a Strategic Plan that
outlines the goals and objectives of
Florida Inspectors General over the
next three years. Inspectors General
in the State of Florida will:
Implement a Self-Assessment
Program to ensure Professional
Standards for Offices of Inspectors
General as published by the
Association of Inspectors General
are followed;
Accredit the Inspector General
Investigative Function raising the
bar for quality;
Improve the training program
ensuring highly skilled and
well-trained staff;
Continue to provide Value-Added
Auditing and Investigative Services;
Communicate relevant, reliable,
and timely information to
stakeholders;
Foster and advance the
professional image and effectiveness
of Inspectors General through
partnerships with: Florida
Commission on Human Relations,
Commission for Florida Law
Enforcement Accreditation , Florida
Department of Law Enforcement, Joint
Legislative Auditing Committee;
Auditor General, Office of Program
Policy Analysis and Government
Accountability, International
Institute of Internal Auditors,
Association of Certified Fraud
Examiners, Association of Inspectors
General, Department of Financial
Services, local law enforcement and
others.
HOW DO YOU CONTACT AN INSPECTOR
GENERAL?
Each state agency can be accessed
through myflorida.com or there is a
link on the Governor’s website at
http://www/flgov.com.
OFFICES OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
GOVERNOR’S AGENCIES
Department of Business and
Professional Regulation
Department of Children and Families
Department of Citrus
Department of Community Affairs
Department of Corrections
Department of Education
Department of Elder Affairs
Department of Environmental
Protection
Executive Office of the Governor
Department of Health
Agency for Health Care
Administration
Department of Juvenile Justice
Department of Lottery
Department of Management Services
Department of Military Affairs
Agency for Persons with Disabilities
Department of State
Department of Transportation
Agency for Workforce Innovation
OTHER AGENCIES
Board of Governors
Citizen’s Property and Casualty
Insurance Group
Department of Agricultural and
Consumer Services
Office of Financial Regulation
Department of Financial Services
Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission
Florida Housing Finance Corporation
Florida Department of Law
Enforcement
Department of Highway Safety and
Motor Vehicles
Office of Insurance Regulation
Department of Legal Affairs
Public Service Commission
Department of Revenue
State Board of Administration
Supreme Court
Department of Veterans Affairs |
|
|
