Former Venice official Hans Behrens has admitted to embezzling up to $13,000 from the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Building Officials Association of Florida over a two- to three-year period ending earlier this year, this according to BOAF chapter board member Greg Yantorno.

Behrens was the head of the city's Building Department until last year when a number of irregularities involving ignoring permit violations of favored businesses, as originally reported on this web site, finally led city officials to demand his resignation. Behrens' reluctantly resigned as of March 31, 2010.

According to Yantorno, at the September 28, 2011 board meeting of the chapter, which meets in Port Charlotte, board members were advised that Behrens had been writing checks to himself from the chapter's checking account. Behrens' reportedly attended at least part of that meeting in order to tender a letter of resignation as a board member of the organization.

Although the thefts had been ongoing for at least two years, board members were unaware that there was a problem until a check bounced, one that there should have been plenty of funds to cover. Up until the September meeting, Behrens had been a chapter board member and an authorized signatory for the chapter's checking account.

Yantorno stated that the organization still doesn't know how much money is actually missing, only that Behrens' has admitted to stealing $13,000. When asked, Yantorno stated it is possible that the dollar amount could be higher, he just doesn't know yet.

Behrens reportedly stated that he is unable to repay the money at this time. According to Yantorno, Behrens stated that problems with the I.R.S. was a factor in his motive to steal.

The chapter has hired attorney Don Harrell of the Sarasota law firm Burgess, Harrell, Mancuso, Olson & Colton to look into investigating and retrieving the stolen funds.

Venice Florida! dot com has been unable to reach either Harrell or Behrens for comment as of publication of this first version of this story.

Behrens was accused by this writer of allowing favored businesses, such as Tavern On The Island, of being allowed to build-out and expand without the proper permits while other unfavored businesses were given unnecessary delays and even refused permits. This goes back to a series of articles entitled The Velucci Papers that debuted on this site on March 15, 2008 (see Look Hans, No Permits)

The first to run interference on behalf of Behrens, this in an effort to keep the then-growing scandal quiet, was then-Mayor Ed Martin, who threatened this writer with being "restrained" for discussing the matter publicly at a city council meeting on March 11, 2008 (video clip below).

Martin would later be joined by two (count 'em, TWO) city managers in what turned out to be a largely successful bid to discredit this writer's accounts, to prevent any meaningful investigation into Behrens and his job practices, and to keep Behrens' ongoing indiscretions from reaching the public eye.

However, under continued pressure from this site, then-City Manager Marty Black turned over some (but not all that was available at the time) of the compromising information to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, requesting an investigation. This writer's name was never provided to the DBPR as a witness, so the Department never did get to see some of the more damning info.

Nancy Woodley then became City Manager. Woodley, who had been Behrens' immediate supervisor, immediately drafted a letter to the DBPR stating that the city was satisfied that no wrongdoing had occurred and asked that the DBPR drop their investigation. On August 25, 2009, the DBPR did just that, citing "insufficient evidence" as their reason for closing the investigation (PDF file, 2 pages).

Greg Silva, owner of Althea's Restaurant, has stated that he has proof that Behrens has accepted bribes in his capacity as head of the city's Building Department. Silva tried to make that case in the past with interim City Manager Nancy Woodley, this over what Silva stated were irregularities in the permitting process for Pineapple's Bar and Grill. According to several witnesses, including Silva, Woodley threw Silva out of her office rather than look at what Silva was trying to bring forward.

This story is developing.

John Patten is the editor and publisher of Venice Florida! dot com and had previously worked in broadcasting for over 12 years. He can also be incredibly rude at times.