Office of Inspector General

Overview

The Inspector General Act of 1994 created an Office of Inspector General in each state agency "as a central point for coordination of and responsibility for activities that promote accountability, integrity, and efficiency in government." Under the guidance of the Inspector General (IG), this office performs audits, investigations and other engagements "for the purpose of promoting economy and efficiency in the administration of, or preventing and detecting fraud and abuse in, its programs and operations."

The IG is independent. Statutorily, the IG reports to the agency head; however, the agency head cannot prevent or prohibit the IG from "initiating, carrying out, or completing any audit or investigation." Under the Inspector General's Act, the IG's responsibilities include the following major activities:

• Direct and coordinate audits, investigations and management reviews
• Promote economy and efficiency
• Prevent and/or detect fraud and abuse
• Recommend corrective action concerning fraud, abuses, weaknesses and deficiencies
• Report expeditiously to the appropriate law enforcement agency whenever the IG has reasonable grounds to believe there has been a violation of criminal law
• And advise in the development of performance measures, standards and procedures for evaluating agency programs

Another function of the IG is to ensure an appropriate balance between audit, investigative and other accountability activities. Accordingly, the office is composed of two major sections: Audit and Investigations.

Audit

The mission of the audit section is to promote integrity, accountability and process improvement by providing objective, timely and value-added audit services. One focus of the audit section is to examine and evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of the department's internal control and risk management systems.

The audit section also reviews the control processes designed by management to assure the reliability and integrity of information, compliance with policies and regulations, safeguarding of assets, economical and efficient use of resources and achievement of established operational goals and objectives. Office of Inspector General Internal Audit Charter

Investigations

The mission of the investigations section is to deter, detect and investigate crimes or misconduct impacting the department. The focus of the investigations section is to pursue aggressively any attempt by department employees, members of the public, contractors, subcontractors, or intermediaries to gain financial or other benefit to which they are not properly entitled. The section also investigates allegations of employee misconduct. These administrative and criminal investigations typically involve reports of conflict of interest, theft and improper use of department resources.

In carrying out the investigative duties, the Inspector General initiates, conducts, supervises, and coordinates investigations designed to detect, deter, prevent, and eradicate fraud, waste, mismanagement, misconduct, and other abuses in government. Each Inspectors General Office also conducts investigations pursuant to the Whistle-blower's Act (Sections 112.3187-112.31895, Florida Statutes).

Our Standards

Audits and investigations are conducted in accordance with applicable:

• International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, also known as Red Book, published by the Institute of Internal Auditors
• Principles and Standards for Offices of Inspectors General, also referred to as Green Book, published by the Association of Inspectors General