Mike DiNapoli, appointed by Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to be executive director of the Florida Housing Finance Corp., the state agency responsible for doling out more than $700 million in aid, was ordered to step down–in other words, suspended–from his position by the organization’s Board of Directors, the Palm Beach Post reports.
DiNapoli was barred from entering the FHFC offices or campus, and he was blocked from accessing his official email after reports surfaced of mismanagement and a hostile workplace at the 130-person organization. DiNapoli’s six-month tenure at FHFC has been marked by significant staff turnover: Not only did DiNapoli’s predecessor resign after a six-month term of his own, but Hugh Brown, the organization’s general counsel and chief ethics officer, left in April and his successor, Betty Zachem, resigned Thursday.
Florida’s real estate market is in shambles with sky-high rents and purchasing costs making housing unaffordable for some. Additionally, insurers are pulling out of Florida’s dreadful market, where homes are destroyed regularly by phenomena such as hurricanes, sinkholes or soil erosion. DeSantis, busy traveling the country as he runs for higher office, did not comment on the latest scandal to hit his administration. A spokesperson said he “is aware” of the situation at FHFC.