Michael's bereavement leave paid with taxpayer money?

[Mom of one]

http://www.theempirejournal.com/6905...fs_departm.htm

As Terri Schiavo lay dying in March at Woodside House Hospice in Pinellas Park, Florida, after her estranged husband and guardian Michael Schiavo was successful in his prolonged court battle to withdraw her feeding tube, he was reportedly hovering nearby.
Taxpayers may have paid him to watch her slow, agonizing death.

Press reports and his attorney, George Felos, said that Michael Schiavo stayed at the hospice with his brother, Brian Schiavo from March 18 until the disabled woman died of dehydration on March 31.

Did Pinellas County taxpayers pay for him to stay at the hospice for those 13 days and pay for any bereavement leave from his position as a jail nurse in the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department?

According to public records, former Pinellas County Sheriff Everett Rice hired Schiavo for the Inmate Division on Oct. 11, 2004, just a few weeks before Rice left the sheriff’s department to become a member of Florida’s House of Representatives.

Less than six months later, did Michael Schiavo have enough accrued sick leave and vacation time to spend 13 days at the Hospice and if so, how much did it cost Pinellas County taxpayers?

According to informed and reliable sources inside the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Department, a memo was circulated among department employees in late March, asking sheriff’s department members to donate some of their sick time to Michael Schiavo because he had allegedly used up his accrued sick leave. In many government entities, using sick leave as personal leave is prohibited.

Sources say that the internal memo stated that their “fellow employee, Michael Schiavo” was in dire need of such time in order to “grieve the passing of his wife”. The memo reportedly said that it would be appreciated if anyone was willing to donate to Schiavo,

Although Florida Statutes dictate that payroll records of public agencies are open to public review with certain information such as Social Security numbers redacted, Pinellas County officials have thus far refused to comply with the state’s public records law and have refused to even acknowledge requests for information submitted by The Empire Journal.

The initial request was filed in writing on May 27 by the newspaper with Marianne Pasha, public information officer for the sheriff’s department. A followup request was made on June 3 but so far, Pasha has ignored both requests despite the provisions of state law in regard to providing such information, indicating that a sheriff’s department employee is allegedly willfully and intentionally engaging in violating state law.

Additional requests for the payroll information were submitted by The Empire Journal by fax on June 9 to Laura Kuklis, finance division for the county and to Gene Fields, county personnel department. Neither one of those officials chose to comply with state law and have failed to respond to the request for time cards and payrolls records of Schiavo for the period of March 1, 2005 through May 27, 2005, in particular showing the days worked and days compensated, number of sick days/personal days/vacation days used, number of uncompensated days and any time/sick days transferred from other county employees to Michael Schiavo.

The county agencies were also asked to produce information relating to the number of sick days contractually allotted Michael Schiavo per year as well as personal days and vacation days.

Provisions of the work contract between sheriff’s department employees and the county of Pinellas is open public information which is required to be accessible and made available to members of the public who request such information.

[Lisa4Catholics]

Another slap inthe face of people who are fighting for the right to live They paid for his vacation to make sure she died this time

[Lorarose]

I like how they said Michael needed to grieve the passing of his wife.
I thought she "died" back in 1990.

The contradictions continue.

[Supergirl]

Grrrr....this makes me so angry!