State Senator James Skoufis is urging the state-appointed monitor overseeing the Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) to use expanded authority granted under state law to recover tax incentives from projects that failed to meet promised job creation and retention goals.

In a letter to monitor Brian Sanvidge on Wednesday, Skoufis cited findings from her November 2025 performance review that identified 14 projects receiving IDA benefits that did not meet employment commitments. He criticized the agency’s response, noting that only three projects were targeted for potential repayment of incentives.

Bill Fioravanti, President of the Orange County IDA, countered that he has been involved in discussions with Sanvidge about the recapturing of incentives on certain projects for several months.

“The IDA takes the commitments made by our applicants very seriously and if they fail to meet them we are fully committed to holding them accountable, including clawbacks or additional action,” Fioravanti said.

Skoufis (D, Orange County) specifically questioned the IDA’s handling of CRH Realty III and CRH Realty VIII, arguing the agency has the authority to recapture benefits even after a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement has expired. He called the IDA’s position that it cannot recover benefits from expired agreements an attempt to avoid accountability.

Skoufis urged Sanvidge to review the agency’s decisions and direct the IDA board to aggressively recover incentives from projects that failed to deliver on promised jobs.

“The OC IDA seemingly refuses to hold applicants accountable – and protect taxpayers – for clearly stated promises that are broken,” Skoufis wrote.

He also called for penalties that go beyond proportional repayment, arguing that significant financial consequences are needed both to protect taxpayers and deter future violations.