He Lives In Tallahassee But Gets $11,000-A-Month To Run County Agency

BY BUDDY NEVINS

One of the county’s better-paid officials lives more than 400 miles from the Broward Government Center.

Former State Rep. Ron Greenstein just got his $11,000-a-month contract extended as executive director of the Broward Resource Recovery Board although he lives in Tallahassee with his wife, lobbyist Rebecca O’Hare.  

He and O’Hare paid $615,000 for a house on Lee Avenue in Tallahassee in October 2007.  He has Homestead Exemption on the home.

The couple sold their Coconut Creek home (one lawyer helping Greenstein in the sale of the property was lobbyist Howard Kusnick) in May 2007 for $394,950.

Greenstein flies back and forth to Tallahassee for meetings of the board and pays for the airfare.   He says he stays in touch with members and staff by telephone, Internet and e-mail.

“I’m constantly on the job, Greenstein says. “It doesn’t matter where I am.

Greenstein has been in charge of the recovery board since 2003.

In 2006,  he left the Florida House after eight years.  He moved to Tallahassee around the same time, where his wife is the chief lobbyist for the Florida League of Cities.

ronald greenstein

Greenstein in The House

Greenstein recently followed his wife into the lobbying business. His clients include the Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Medical Association and the City of Coconut Creek, where he was a mayor and commissioner from 1988-98.

He is associated with the firm of Ericks Consultants, whose founder is long-time Broward lobbyist Dave Ericks.

The Resource Recovery Board administers through a private company the disposal of garbage for many of Broward’s cities. It is governed by a group of city officials and its chair is County Commissioner Ilene Lieberman.

Despite living in Tallahassee, Greenstein has the strong support of Lieberman and the board. There was no serious consideration of doing a search for any other director when his contract was renewed for two years earlier this month.

“The fact he’s out of town has not hampered our ability to deal with anything, said Weston Mayor Eric Hersh. “He has the institutional knowledge to do the job.  Where he lives is irrelevant.

Irrelevant, I agree.  But unusual.



11 Responses to “He Lives In Tallahassee But Gets $11,000-A-Month To Run County Agency”

  1. Inside Deal says:

    It’s an old story here and its wrong. All the jobs go to friends of the county commission or family of the county commission, like Lieberman’s husband getting the Sunrise city attorney job. I bet noone was ever considered for the job except Greenstein.

    FROM BUDDY: You are wrong, “Inside Deal.” Several other candidates competed with Greenstein in 2003 for the job. He got it and was named executive director.

  2. Coconut Creek Garbage says:

    I would like to ask Mr. Greenstein why the dump on the Florida Turnpike continues to ruin our lives in Coconut Creek with its smell? He was the mayor and is now apparently in charge of the county’s garbage. Do something abou tthat smell, Mr. Greenstein.

  3. full time job says:

    The problem that i have with this is that 11k per month (121 per year) this should be a full time job. he should not be allowed to lobby and work other jobs. You mean to tell me there is not a managerial level employee at the County who could take this job for 121 per year. This is an inside deal for a friend. nothing more and nothing less.

  4. Deal Stinks says:

    A full time position in Broward can’t be filled by someone on the phone from Tallahassee. That’s just wrong and it stinks like this is patronage. Get someone else.

  5. full time job can't count says:

    $11,000. x 12 = $132,000.00

    NOT $121,000.00

    Duh

  6. Bootles says:

    You can’t tell me that somebody who lives here can’t do this job. Its criminal that the county commission are laying people off and a good job like this is filled by somebody who lives in Tallahassee.

  7. So what? says:

    Who cares….he knows what he’s doing, he’s doing a great job…..and anyway…we have bigger fish to fry, check out some of our Broward Elected Officials.

  8. Hey So What says:

    Don’t change the subject. Ron Greenstein landed this as political payback. Plain and simple. And that’s wrong. The balls of him holding a job in Broward and not living here.

    What’s wrong with you? Have you no self-respect? Do you actually like it in the ass?

  9. janvan says:

    This money grubbing parasite should find other employment. Here is how he is listed at the Resource Recovery Board website

    Ron Greenstein
    P.O. Box 93-4114
    Margate, FL 33093
    954-610-7745
    FAX: 954-577-2391

    http://www.broward.org/resourcerecovery/board.htm

    A big ol game of pretend that he lives down here with the peasants instead of lobbying up in Tallahassee with his lobbyist=parasite wife. Do they both have law=parasite degrees? How charming!

    With a fax machine (LOL) in Broward and a telephone line here too. Both lines are actually in Greensteins Tallahassee home I am sure. The telephone is probably a cell phone with 954 area code

    Maybe he has an efax account where you can get a 954 virtual fax machine for your computer for $10/month

    NOTE is does not list him as living in Tallahassee. Why not some truth in advertising?

    Ron Greenstein
    P.O. Box 93-4114
    Margate, FL 33093
    954-610-7745
    FAX: 954-577-2391

  10. Tilly Greenstein says:

    Oh, I’m so sad. My son cheats the taxpayer.

  11. This $1 Billion Deal Is Garbage : BrowardBeat.com says:

    […] watched solid waste issues since doing the stories about Alu while at the Sun-Sentinel. When I did a Browardbeat.com story about Greenstein living in Tallahassee while running the Broward waste agency, I came upon the […]