Advocates want autism center taken from UF

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Parents' petition asks for UNF to take over authority.

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/092408/met_336104195.shtml

By JEREMY COX, The Times-UnionFirst Coast parents are alleging that widespread problems within an agency charged with helping autistic children have wasted taxpayer money and diminished the quality of services for their children.The parents are circulating a petition asking the University of Florida to cede authority over the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities to the University of North Florida. UNF would be more responsive to the local community than the much larger, Gainesville-based UF, they say.'ville needs its CARD to be at UNF,' said Delegal, a ville parent leading the UNF petition. 'It's small potatoes in terms of state government, but it's a lot for people who have been affected by autism.'An online petition had garnered more than 180 signatures by Tuesday night while a paper petition had gotten more than 130; it was unclear how many people had signed both. The center serves about 1,800 people a year.A parental advisory board member for CARD said he also has questions. But in separate interviews, officials with both universities showed virtually no interest in the proposal.Some of those problems, they say, can be traced to one man - Wharton, a former professor and administrator at the University of Florida's College of Medicine in ville.Between 1999 and 2004, according to UF and federal court documents, the university paid the Florida Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association - whose treasurer and executive secretary was Wharton's father - more than $500,000 in grant money that was intended for CARD and a sister agency. CARD's annual operating budget is about $800,000.According to his 2007 guilty plea in federal court, Wharton embezzled about $253,000 of that for personal purchases, using it to pay credit card bills that included home improvement purchases and family vacations to Walt Disney World.He was sentenced to house arrest, had to pay $253,000 in restitution and serve 2,000 hours of community service.In late 2005 - before Wharton was ever charged by federal authorities - the cleft palate association returned $400,000 to the university as part of a settlement agreement.Delegal said the petition's signers want a full accounting of the funds from an external auditor.'I have questions about whether the money intended for people with autism is going where they are intended to,' she said.Mark Hudak, the associate chairman for pediatrics at the University of Florida College of Medicine in ville, said Tuesday he was unsure how much of that money had been spent so far. He emphasized, however, that the money is earmarked so that it only goes toward CARD and the sister agency.The parents also question the decision to move the agency to a new office on St. Augustine Road. They worry that the move will shift resources from CARD to other UF medical programs housed under the same roof.Hudak said that CARD shares part of the office with two other programs - CARD's sister agency, which provides diagnostic support to children with special needs, and another developmental pediatric medical practice. But he said it makes sense for them to share some staff and other resources because they offer similar services.Moving CARD to another university requires an act of the Florida Legislature, a move that would almost certainly need the support of the local delegation.Delegal said she is concerned that one member of the local legislative delegation may not listen, citing state Sen. Wise's advocacy on behalf of Wharton after his sentencing.Wise had asked that Wharton carry out his community service in his legislative office; the probation officer said no.Wise said his ties to Wharton won't affect his actions, and that he would consult with the center's citizens advisory board before making up his mind.'If that's what the board decides, I'm for that,' he said.Lou Cabrera, one of the board members, said, 'I'm not for it but I'm not against it either.'He said he has many of the same questions of the agency as outlined in the petition.Hudak was less equivocal about the proposal: 'I don't think that's necessary. I think we have a lot of resources in our department that enhance CARD and other programs.'A top UNF official also cast doubt on such a move.'The University of Florida has given us no indication of their desire to sever their ongoing relationship with the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. Minus a clear statement from our sister institution, we couldn't even begin to explore whether UNF would play a part in an administrative change in the CARD program,' said Tom Serwatka, vice president and chief of staff at the University of North Florida, in a statement.jeremy.cox@..., deirdre.conner@...,

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