Friends, neighbors & concerned citizens of Pinellas County:
The newsletter thanks readers for their support and says the series is intended to raise awareness about concerns where Pinellas County animal welfare and law enforcement intersect.
After Part 1 focused on Waddles and questions surrounding SPCA Tampa Bay leadership, Part 2 asks readers to look at what the newsletter describes as three connected issues: the money, the connections, and the priorities.
1. Executive & administrative salaries
The newsletter states that SPCA Tampa Bay President and CEO Martha Boden's salary and compensation totaled $190,662, while administrative salaries and compensation totaled $1,085,069.
It also states that staff salaries increased by 51% from 2021 through 2023, from approximately $3.4 million to $5.2 million, while programs serving animals and families were reduced or eliminated.
The email argues that when leadership compensation rises while services decline, donors and residents deserve transparency.
2. Consulting payments and a possible conflict of interest
The newsletter says SPCA Tampa Bay paid $42,000 in consulting fees to Gina Driscoll, described in the email as a then-candidate and now St. Petersburg City Council member, for “introductions and information sharing.”
It further states that Driscoll received $40,539 in 2023 and $11,688 in 2022 for work described as “department staff for introductions.”
The newsletter points to Driscoll's public and civic leadership roles and asks whether payments of this kind create at least the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Why would a nonprofit animal shelter pay a $42,000 consulting fee to a public official connected to the Chamber of Commerce?
3. Political support, puppy-store policies, and travel
The newsletter next discusses Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters, describing her as supportive of policies favorable to puppy stores and commercial breeding supply chains.
It states that campaign records show a political contribution from Martha Boden to Peters and asks whether that relationship should concern animal advocates and donors.
The email also questions five round-trip excursions to Missouri in 2023 that it says involved Boden and SPCA Tampa Bay staff visiting commercial breeding operations with the intention of importing dogs for sale through the shelter.
It then questions a June 2024 trip involving Boden and staff veterinarian Cynthia Mitchell to a Canine Welfare Science Forum in Lafayette, Indiana, and lists travel expenses of $16,979 in 2024, $18,021 in 2023, and $19,402 in 2022.
The newsletter asks how these travel expenditures benefited animals served by SPCA Tampa Bay and contrasts those expenses with its criticism of the care provided to Waddles.
4. $99,000 consulting payment to an Indiana firm
The newsletter identifies a nearly $99,000 consulting payment to Loring Sternberg and Associates, described as an Indianapolis capital-campaign consulting firm.
It notes that Boden previously served as Executive Director of the Humane Society of Indianapolis and argues that the connection warrants scrutiny.
The email asks why more than $141,000 was paid to outside consulting contractors when SPCA Tampa Bay already had philanthropy, fundraising, development, and community-fundraising staff.
It also presents a table of reported expenses, including fundraising, travel, and conferences or conventions for 2022 through 2024, as additional context for its questions about donor spending.
The newsletter's bottom line
When donors give money believing it will directly help animals in Pinellas County, the newsletter argues that transparency about where that money goes matters.
It closes with three questions:
Where is the money going?
Who is benefiting?
And most importantly — are the animals actually a priority?
The newsletter says Pinellas County deserves transparency, donors deserve accountability, and animals deserve leadership that puts them first.
It previews Part 3 as an examination of programs it says were eliminated after Boden arrived at SPCA Tampa Bay, along with additional questions involving the Largo Police Department, Police Chief Mike Loux, and State Attorney Bruce Bartlett.
It identifies IRS Forms 990 for 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 among the sources referenced by the email.
About the archived original
The original 16-page PDF includes photographs, screenshots, a table of reported expenditures, source references, and a long distribution/contact list. To avoid unnecessarily republishing personal contact information in the readable HTML version, that distribution list is not reproduced here. The complete original PDF remains available for archival review.