<em>Editor's Note: On April 3, after this week's issue went to press, the Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Committee staff confirmed Vero Beach was not granted a reprieve from financial enforcement actions: "No extension has been authorized. We will not send any correspondence regarding the end of the 30-day grace period."</em> The city’s negotiating team that went to Tallahassee last week to seek more time for Vero to file its still-missing fiscal year 2022-23 audited financials without forfeiting state funds appears to have come up empty handed. “There’s been no extension,” Florida Joint Legislative Auditing Committee staff confirmed by email March 27 after Mayor John Cotugno, City Manager Monte Falls and City Attorney John Turner met with the committee’s Senate co-chair March 25 pleading for a stay on enforcement penalties and further loss of state funding. State Sen. Jay Collins, who met with the city leaders, wrote a somewhat encouraging email to the city just after noon that same day thanking Cotugno for traveling to Tallahassee and saying “I will continue to consider this matter, and will personally reach out to you when I have finalized my decision. My offer of verbal/messaging support still stands as well.” But barring Collins granting a surprise extension, beginning today (Thursday, April 3), the City of Vero Beach no longer has access to state funding until the 2022-23 audited financials are filed and accepted, the state deems the city to be back in compliance with state law and releases the funds. Even before the JLAC’s action, state pension fund regulations kicked-in back in August and October, with more than $700,000 in state pension fund contributions held back so far. An estimated quarter-million in Vero’s share of optional half-penny sales tax revenue is expected to be forfeited in April and May, as it will have been collected while Vero was not in compliance and by state law, those funds fall into a special category and are forfeited to Florida’s general fund. April 30 is now the target date for Vero to file its audited financials with state officials, but that’s an extremely busy time in Tallahassee, with May 2 being the closing day of the 60-day legislative session. Should Vero not yet be in compliance with Florida Statutes and have all withheld funds restored to the city by close of business on June 30, the held-back pension funds and other state cost-sharing dollars held back while the audit was late and pending will be forfeited, according to JLAC staff.