An investigation found higher-up city officials did little to rein in the troubling behavior of the former head of the entertainment and sports office.
A long-running inspector general investigation into Jacksonville's Division of Sports and Entertainment found the former head of the office,, "created a climate of hostility and intimidation" in which employees' physical appearances were regularly denigrated, that he violated the city's procurement code, falsified his time and attendance records, and misused city resources by taking a set of lights from the office to use for his birthday party at a friend's house.
And that perception of bureaucratic coverup contributed to a sense among employees in the office that Ali, an official appointed by Mayor Lenny Curry and known to be a friend of his family, was"untouchable." In all, 11 whistleblowers came to the inspector general's office to file complaints against Ali between the fall of 2019 through early 2020, the most severe of which centered around his behavior in the office. That included making denigrating remarks about employees' physical appearances and age. He often yelled, used profanity, slammed doors and"targeted" employees "who were less likely to fight back such as the female employees," according to the complaints.
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