June 25, 2007 - The Sun-Sentinel was generous in reporting the death of Pasquale ''Pat'' Tornillo Jr.
Pat Tornillo, a former head of Miami-Dade County's teachers union who championed education but was later sent to prison for stealing from the group, has died, his attorney said Monday. He was 81."I don't regret the 40 years. I made a good contribution to the education of children," Tornillo said in an interview with NBC6 in February 2006.
Tornillo died Sunday at his home in Tallahassee, his attorney Michael Rosen said. He had suffered from lung and heart disease, prostate cancer and diabetes.
Tornillo was sentenced to 27 months in prison in 2004 for cheating teachers out of $650,000 in United Teachers of Dade dues which he used to pay for lavish vacations.
The American Federation of Teachers calculated that Tornillo actually stole $2.5 million from the largest union in the Southeast. A judge ordered him to pay nearly $1 million in restitution and back taxes.
After his release from prison, Tornillo published an apology in a newspaper.
The United Teachers of Dade said: "Pat Tornillo's death marks the end of a life once dedicated to education reform and teacher leadership in Florida, but unfortunately was compromised at the end of his career by his admission of fraud and tax evasion."
"For more than 40 years Pat Tornillo was among the strongest voices for leading education reform in Florida and nationally," said Ron Sachs, a long time friend, who also worked with Tornillo. "It's truly tragic that the last professional chapters of his life was tarnished by probably staying in power too long as a union leader."
His lifestyle was written up by the St. Petersburg Times in 2003.
- $20 million union headquarters
- $243,000 salary
- $2,000 a night hotel suites
- Union dues to pay his maid
- $10,200 trip to St. Barts
- $20,138 for an eight-night stay at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Miami
- $4,158 shopping spree in New York City
- He owns two homes on St. George Island in the Panhandle, including a 3,000-square-foot beachfront house with a dune walkover. He also owns a townhouse in Tallahassee and is constructing another house in that city's Hermitage subdivision, home to some of the city's most prominent residents.
The Miami-Herald says he looted $3.3 million.
His legacy is in the Miami-Dade high schools.
