Dear Fairchild Board and Trustees-

It's time for Bruce Greer to retire (he just turned 70).  Let's thank him for his ~20 years of service but it's time for fresh ideas at the Garden (it's basically a low-brow, butterfly attraction at this point).  Here are just a few reasons why the Garden needs a change:

1) ACCOUNTABILITY / TRANSPARENCY: Fairchild Tropical Garden is comprised of 4 parcels (totaling 83 acres) but only one is owned by "Fairchild Tropical Garden, Inc." (the other 3 parcels are owned by Dade County).  Does the Corporation lease the other three parcels from the County?  Is the privately owned parcel in a trust?  Who manages the two endowment funds?  Why is Fairchild's accounting firm based in Ft. Lauderdale?

2) COLLECTIONS: The Pergola is denuded and the Orchid Exhibit in the Rare Plant House has been closed.  The rare "Coco-de-Mer" palms just outside the Rare Plant House have also disappeared (so have other specimen plants).  It is looking less "botanical" every day.  Is the total garden species count falling? BTW, why was the Library closed to the public?

3) EMPLOYEES: Ask anyone working at Fairchild if they are happy with current management.  None will say "yes" (morale is low).  It's been a revolving door over the past 10 years.  BTW, is it true that you have lost 900 volunteers in the past two years? Your FY2016 financials claim 1,400 volunteers but your employees say that number has fallen to 500. 

4) FINANCIALS (ASSETS): Assets fell by $3 Million in FY2016.  Why was a ~$150,000 Receivable written off in FY2016?  Contributions / Grants fell more than 50% in FY2016 ($8.1 Million => $4.0 Million).  Net Assets have fallen from $50 Million to $45 Million since FY2014.  Only $21 Million of these assets are unrestricted meaning there is very little financial "cushion" in the event of a serious economic downturn.

5) FINANCIALS (INCOME): In the latest available IRS 1099 filing (FY2016), Revenue fell from $13.5 Million => $7.4 Million, a decline of 45% (Revenue was $17 Million in FY2013).  Expenses were $9.4 Million in the FY2016 Filing.  That was $2 Million more than Revenues.  There was a $2.0 Million loss.  BTW, where are the FY2017 financials?  Why aren't all of the events (Art Exhibits, Brunches/Galas/Luncheons/Soirees, Chocolate Festival, Mango Festival, Orchid Show, Ramble, Weddings, etc.) creating more income? 

6) GOVERNANCE:  Are there any business people amongst the Fairchild leadership or are they all lawyers (4/7 officers have "Esquire" after their names)?  Why are there no biographies of or contact information for current officers and trustees on the Fairchild website?  Why have the same directors and trustees been in control for over 10 years? Who is the Chairman? Who are the parties who have the business or family relationship indicated in Part IV and VI of the latest 1099 filing? Susannah Shubin only?

Members tried to get the Fairchild Bylaws changed in 2010 to include term limits but that attempt was thwarted by entrenched trustees.

7) MAINTENANCE / OPERATIONS: The Koi Pond near the Cactus Garden smelled like dead fish on Sept. 5, 2018.  At least 10 maintenance employees were driving around in electric carts doing nothing.  BTW, who manages the County employees?  The County or Fairchild?

8) MISSION: Fairchild has gone off track.  It feels like a playground for pseudo-socialites now, not a research center or botanical garden.  The Garden is now a place on the social circuit for art exhibits, black-tie galas, concerts, weddings and other fundraising events.  There doesn't appear to be any aspiration to become one of the great botanical gardens of the world like Berlin-Dahlem, Brooklyn, Denver, Kirstenbosch, Montreal, RBG-Kew, etc. 

Botero? Chihuly? Fairchild Car Show? Scarecrow Display and Pumpkin Patch?  Really?  Is it true that the Chihuly event really cost $625,000 in display fees?

9) PUBLIC RELATIONS: The Carlisle Group Company's $36 Million fraud scandal in 2015 involving Greer's business partner and son was severely damaging to the Garden (not sure how he escaped prosecution since he was and still is a Carlisle Group shareholder). The high profile resignation by Hayes Bowen in 2010 was another reputational blemish.

10) RATINGS / REVIEWS (3rd Party): The TripAdvisor reviews sound suspiciously scripted (they all focus on three things: butterflies, orchids and the cafe').  Is the Garden trading discounted admission for positive reviews like Groupon?  Where are the Google Reviews?  The latest Charity Navigator ratings also look suspicious.  It looks like Garden leadership has figured out how to game the Accountability/Transparency metric to offset the Financial metric.

It's time for a change.  Stakeholders (employees, members, visitors, etc.) are not happy with the current direction of the Garden and the financial condition is deteriorating.  Fairchild deserves better.

- A Concerned Citizen

RELEVANT MEDIA

https://www.charitywatch.org/charitywatch-articles/charitywatch-hall-of-shame/63 (2018 article)(Case studies on how dominant non-profit presidents, left unchecked by passive and overly deferential Boards of Directors, can damage a charity beyond repair)

https://therealdeal.com/miami/2017/12/05/pnc-affiliates-look-to-cut-ties-with-partners-implicated-in-34m-affordable-housing-scandal/ (Bruce Greer continues to manage Carlisle Development Group and 6 affiliates)

http://eyeonmiami.blogspot.com/search/label/Fairchild (2017 update)(Collection of "Eye on Miami" blog stories on Fairchild Tropical Garden from 2010-17)

http://worldredeye.com/2017/02/fairchilds-gala-garden-night-inspiration/ (2017 article) (Bruce Greer throws a big party while his son is incarcerated in federal prison)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article79043097.html (2016 article)(Greer family housing scandal article)

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article36196062.html (2015 article)(President Greer's son pleads guilty in $36 Million federal tax credit fraud scheme) 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article29949909.html (2015 article)(President Greer's son plundered money meant for housing poor; where did he learn his business ethics?)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-corcorans-former-director-on-the-gallerys-long-history-of-mistakesto-survive-the-corcoran-should-have-been-more-elitist/2014/02/21/7be62e8c-9b0d-11e3-9080-5d1d87a6d793_story.html?utm_term=.1f7205075ebf (2014 article)(Most non-profits fail due to deferential and passive boards that don't reign in dictatorial presidents)

PUBLIC RECORDS

http://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/corporationsearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=Initial&searchNameOrder=CARLISLEGROUP%20L010000014700&aggregateId=flal-l01000001470-e0efb651-e142-4589-a0f3-27ec4d39426b&searchTerm=the%20carlisle%20group&listNameOrder=CARLISLEGROUP%20L010000014700 ("Carlisle Group," a shameless name ripoff of the international private equity firm based in Washington, D.C.  No one with the name "Carlisle" is even connected to this company)

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5558 (IRS Form 990s available here)