Homestead Mayor Porter Likely Using his Position as Mayor to Profit his Security Company, Records Show

File this one under things that make you go hmmm.

On November 3, 2016, Homestead Police Chief Al Rolle wrote a letter endorsing his boss's company — a company named Solarbeam International Inc., calling the company a "partner in crime deterrence and law enforcement in the city of Homestead."

Solarbeam, essentially a solar-powered perimeter security company, operates out of Homestead.

In his letter promoting Solarbeam products, Chief Rolle admits 13 different city-owned facilities in Homestead have purchased equipment from Solarbeam security systems since 1996 and the chief says the city continues purchasing from the company today.

Chief Rolle uses the Homestead Police Department letterhead and even leaves his phone number as if to pitch the police department as part of the company.

Or is he saying the company is like part of the police department in his letter?

It turns out, Rolle's boss, Mayor Jeff Porter, served as the Sales and Marketing Director of Solarbeam International Inc. from 2012 to 2014. 

Records show  Porter has another company called Worldwide Supply Solutions, which acts as a broker selling Solarbeam products.

Mayor Porter told the Ethics Commission in 2014 that the income he receives from Solarbeam accounts for only 1/2 of 1% of his income, according to an email between Porter and the Ethics Commission, which can be read below.

After working as the sales and marketing director, Porter became the CEO of Solarbeam International Inc. two years later in 2016.

Porter listed Solarbeam on his city financial disclosure records for 2016, which can be read below.

Several months later, Chief Rolle writes his letter endorsing Solarbeam, even leaving his phone number to call if anyone has any questions about buying the product. 

Some may say Chief Rolle's endorsement letter presents a conflict of interest since Rolle wrote a letter supporting his boss's business.

This begs the question: Is Chief Rolle receiving a kickback for endorsing Solarbeam?

Did Chief Rolle use city time or resources to write the letter endorsing his boss's security company?

According to records, hundreds of thousands of Homestead dollars have been paid to Porter's company, Solarbeam International Inc.

Porter became the Mayor of Homestead in 2013.

According to records, Porter's city financial disclosure forms for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015 exclude Solarbeam forms, which is almost certainly a reporting violation for each year.

In 2017, Porter again lists Solarbeam in his city financial disclosure forms, but left the company off of his state financial disclosure forms, which indicates another reporting violation. 

On his 2017 state disclosure forms, Porter listed FPL (Florida Power and Light) and Alena Chemical as his major clients but excludes the same information from the city forms, indicating yet another reporting violation. 

Our recent discovery of these records leaves us with a few vexing questions.

Why is the police chief writing a letter endorsing a company the mayor works for just after Porter becomes the CEO?

Why is Chief Rolle endorsing any company at all using the police department, but especially his boss's?

And if Porter's statements to the ethics commission are true, what's up with all the discrepancies on his state financial disclosure forms when compared to his city financial disclosure forms.

These two forms should have the same information, yet don't line up with the same information.

Both city and state disclosure forms can be read below.

City Disclosure forms: https://www.scribd.com/document/428125817/Mayor-Jeff-Porter-Reporting-Violations-on-City-Disclosure

Mayor Jeff Porter Reporting... by Ben Keller on Scribd

State Disclosure forms:

Mayor Jeff Porter Reporting... by Ben Keller on Scribd