TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The former head of Florida's volunteer agency got a hefty bonus of more than $12,000 shortly before he left to take a job in the administration of President Donald Trump.
Chester Spellman, the chief executive officer of Volunteer Florida, got the bonus in July. In August, Spellman was appointed director of AmeriCorps.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott appointed Spellman as Volunteer Florida CEO in 2012. The governor on Friday sent a letter to Volunteer Florida officials that asked them to stop handing out bonuses.
Volunteer Florida administers more than $32 million in federal, state and local volunteer programs.
Scott said that while he believes in "fair compensation," he does not support bonuses.
Records from Volunteer Florida show the organization paid nearly $33,000 in employee bonuses in 2016 and nearly $16,000 in 2015.
