Pinellas Real Estate Employee Accused Of Stealing Golf Cart

DUNEDIN, FL — A former Pinellas County Real Estate Management employee has been charged with grand theft auto after being accused of stealing a golf cart from a Pinellas County Jail construction site.

Construction company Moss & Associates LLC, which was working on a jail infrastructure upgrade project, purchased a golf cart for use on the construction project son Nov. 18, 2016, at a cost of $8,225.

Detectives learned when the project was completed, Moss & Associates turned over ownership of the golf cart to Pinellas County Real Estate Management on May 29, 2019. Pinellas County Real Estate Management employee Steven Daniel, 57, confirmed receipt of the golf cart to be used for future construction projects.

According to investigators, in March Daniel hired a golf cart company to retrieve the cart from the Pinellas County Jail, service it and deliver it to Daniel's home on Chaplene Court in Dunedin. Detectives confirmed Daniel paid for the service with his personal credit card.

Two months later, Daniel was confronted by his supervisor as to the whereabouts of the cart, and he told them Moss & Associates "gave" it to him. When his supervisor asked why, Daniel said it was an example of, "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

Facing an internal investigation, Daniel resigned on June 2.

Detectives learned Daniel did not have permission to take the golf cart and confirmed that Moss & Associates did not tell Daniel he could take ownership of it.

On June 9, detectives interviewed Daniel at the Sheriff's Office North District Station at 2496 Bayshore Blvd. in Dunedin and detectives said Daniel admitted to taking the golf cart from the job site to his home and paying for improvements in violation of county policy.

Daniel was transported to the Pinellas County Jail without incident.

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