Looks like George Zimmerman‘s money woes are contagious.
DETAILS: Does Money Talk? George Zimmerman Defense Fund Raised $54K Since January
New reports show that the trial to determine if Zimmerman shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in self-defense has run the city of Sanford, Fl., over $600,000. Actually, $603,000 to be exact.
City Hall reports that the bulk of that total was paid to employees for regular and overtime work. Half of the $398,000 allocated for those workers went to police officers investigating the case.
But there were some other surprising expenses.
The city spent the rest of the money on legal advice and guidance on what to do with hundreds of public-records requests. Sanford also bought video and audio equipment and portable toilets for protesters.
The rest of the funds were spent on consulting fees for two headhunter companies who were hired to scout a new police chief.
The money, totaled through Feb. 19, has come from city reserves and meant no cutbacks in city services, said City Manager Norton Bonaparte Jr.
The Orlando Sentinel got a hold of the Sanford city records to show a breakdown of how much the trial has run the city.
•Total police payroll expenses: $187,000
The biggest piece: $131,000 in overtime.
•Stenstrom, McIntosh, Colbert, Whigham & Partlow P.A. (the city’s law firm): $63,000
•The search for a new police chief: $33,800
•Stage, audio, video equipment for Trayvon rallies: $29,000
•Crisis public relations, PR and marketing: $26,000
•Interim police Chief Richard Myers: $13,000
•Temporary office staffers: $11,000
•Advertising: $10,300 (Legal and other ads placed in the Orlando Sentinel, Sanford Herald, Orlando Weekly)
•Copyright fee for a new city logo: $35
The trial obviously has not been cheap, but we hope that it’s all worth it in the end. Zimmerman will stand trial on June 10, 2013.
SOURCE: Orlando Sentinel
