GRETNA, La. (WVUE) – A Jefferson Parish watchdog says a nonprofit is using more than $10 million in public money to build a brewery and restaurant for a private company.
For years, a brewpub site in the heart of downtown Gretna has been at the center of a legal fight. This latest report from the Jefferson Parish Office of Inspector General raises questions about whether a parish-created nonprofit may have put its tax-exempt status and tax dollars in jeopardy.
Jefferson Facilities, Inc., or JFI, was created by the parish in 2001 to build a parking garage near the courthouse. Since then, its mission and the public money behind it have grown significantly.
Tax-exempt status at risk
The inspector general says JFI is using $10.3 million in parish funds to build a custom brewery and taco restaurant for a private company, Port Orleans Brewing (POB). The watchdog says that arrangement may have crossed a legal line…