Fresen Is Rife With Baggage On For-Profit School Issue. “Fresen’s got a little baggage worth unpacking. You see, he’s not just a powerful lawmaker. Fresen’s also a former lobbyist for Academica, a for-profit company that operates more than 100 charter schools, mostly in Florida. And he’s also a consultant for Civica, an architectural firm that builds charter schools for Academica. Oh yeah, and Fresen’s brother-in-law just so happens to be Academica’s chief executive officer.” [Palm Beach Post, 9/15/15] Fresen’s Brother-In-Law – Fernando Zulueta – Runs Academica; Fresen’s Sister Is An Administrator. “And his brother-in-law Fernando Zulueta heads the for-profit company that would manage the school, Academica — where Fresen’s sister Maggie is an administrator.” [Miami Herald, 6/15/10]
- Academica: Florida’s Richest Charter School Management Firm. [Miami Herald, 12/13/11]
Department Of Education Cited Fresen’s Relationship With His Brother-In-Law As A Potential Conflict Of Interest. “The state’s largest charter school management company has come under scrutiny from the U.S. Department of Education for potential conflicts of interests in its business practices, federal authorities have confirmed … Mater Academy hired an architectural firm from 2007 through 2012 that employs Fernando Zulueta’s brother-in-law, state Rep. Erik Fresen, the report said. ‘We identified four related-party transactions, two of which indicated, at a minimum, the appearance of conflicts of interest between Mater Academy and its CMO (charter-management company),’ the auditors wrote.” [Bradenton Herald, 4/21/14] April 2011: Ethics Complaint Filed Against Fresen Over Family Ties To For-Profit Charter School Company. “A Tallahassee mother of three said she filed an ethics complaint…” [Miami Herald, 4/29/11]
- Complainant: “I’m So Tired Of Lawmakers That Make Laws To Profit Them…And I’m Very Concerned That All Of The Money Is Being Shifted From The Traditional Public Schools.” Trish Thompson, who has three kids in the Leon County public school system, said she submitted the complaint on Wednesday because, in her view, Fresen should have disclosed a voting conflict on the proposal, HB 7195. ‘I’m so tired of lawmakers that make laws to profit them,’ she said. ‘And I’m very concerned that all of the money is being shifted from the traditional public schools.’” [Miami Herald, 4/29/11]
October 2011: Florida Commission On Ethics Set Probable Cause Hearing In Case Against Fresen. “The Florida Commission on Ethics has set a probable cause hearing in the ethics complaint against Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, over an alleged undisclosed voting conflict. The hearing will be Oct. 21 in Tallahassee. It is not open to the public. Commission staff will present their findings and allow Fresen or his attorney to respond. A Tallahassee woman filed the complaint in April after Fresen voted for a broad charter schools reform bill.” [Tampa Bay Times, 10/7/11]
Fresen Quietly Pushing Legislation To Benefit Himself & Political Allies “Fresen Slipped Language Into A Bill That Would Prohibit Cities From Imposing Stricter Zoning And Building Restrictions On Charter Schools Than On Traditional Public Schools.” “Fresen slipped language into a bill that would prohibit cities from imposing stricter zoning and building restrictions on charter schools than on traditional public schools. Charter schools are publicly funded but privately run. The provision is aimed in part at South Miami, which recently approved charter school regulations that could directly affect Academica. The company, city Mayor Philip Stoddard said, may be looking to expand Somerset Academy at SoMi, where Fresen’s twin sons go to school. And Academica has expressed interest in building a school in Palmetto Bay.” [Miami Herald, 4/27/11]
Fresen Snuck In Provision To Require School Districts To Share Tens Of Millions Of Dollars In Construction With Rival Charter Schools. “Without a word of debate Friday, the Florida House approved a proposal that could require school districts to share tens of millions of dollars in construction funds with rival charter schools … House Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Erik Fresen, R-Miami, added the contentious provision about construction funding. Charter schools, which are publicly funded but privately managed, have long sought a stable revenue stream for construction and maintenance. Unlike traditional public schools, they cannot levy property taxes for that purpose.” [South Florida Sun Sentinel, 3/29/15]
Fresen Pushed Legislation That Would Grant Struggling Nursing Programs Leniency, Directly Benefiting The “Politically Connected” Dade Medical College. In April 2014, The Miami Herald reported, “A proposal winding its way through the Florida Legislature seeks to raise the bar for nursing education programs. But on Tuesday, Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, added a provision that would give struggling programs more leniency by allowing longer probationary periods before closure. Among the potential beneficiaries: politically connected Dade Medical College.” [Miami Herald, 4/1/14]
President Of South Florida Hospital & Healthcare Association Suspected The Legislation Was Influenced By Fresen’s Ties To College Executives. In April 2014, The Miami Herald reported, “Linda Quick, the president of the South Florida Hospital & Healthcare Association, raised concerns about the provision — and said she suspected it was likely influenced by Fresen’s ties to college executives. ‘Anything that prolongs the period of time that institutions have to meet basic standards is not a good idea,’ Quick said. ‘They should be able to do it sooner rather than later.’” [Miami Herald, 4/1/14]
- Former Aide To Fresen Served As Dade Medical’s General Counsel And Co-CEO. In October 2013, The Miami Herald reported, “Jonathan Janeiro, Dade Medical’s general counsel and new co-CEO, was also on that plane. Janeiro, who is a former aide to state Rep Erik Fresen, R-Miami, said questions about possible ethics violations would be ‘inappropriate’ to comment about.” [Miami Herald, 10/26/13]
Sen. Denise Grimsley Said Fresen’s Amendment Was Pushed By Dade Medical – “That Was Theirs.” “Sen. Denise Grimsley, a registered nurse, was the sponsor of the 2009 and 2010 laws that made it easier to open a nursing school in Florida. She says the Board of Nursing deserved to be cut out of the picture because it was holding up nursing school applications over trivial issues … the industry was able to attach an amendment that gave underperforming for-profit colleges an instant benefit: Nursing programs on probation for low passage rates on the NCLEX exam would get three years to lift performance before being shut down, instead of two years, as long as progress was being made. Grimsley said that amendment, added by Miami Rep. Erik Fresen, was pushed by Dade Medical College. ‘That was theirs,’ she said.” [Miami Herald, 4/23/15]