Warren "Mac" McLaughlin, who served as
president and CEO of the Palm Beach County Convention &
Visitors Bureau since 1987, resigned after it was reported that the
CVB's controller, Donna Duffer, had embezzled $1.5 million over the
course of three years.
Lee Davis, the CVB's
vice president of finance and administration, also
resigned.
McLaughlin, 72, is a
four-decade veteran of the travel industry and is credited with
significantly expanding Palm Beach's tourism industry.
But county officials
pushed for the resignations of executives over the appearance of
ineffective oversight after Duffer admitted to dipping into the
bureau's funds to cover debts incurred because of a gambling
problem.
Duffer's attorney,
Sue Foreman, said the police were still investigating the incident,
and that no charges had been filed. Duffer has provided "complete
information" to the police, Foreman said.
To
contact reporter David Cogswell, send e-mail to [email protected].