Collins Center for Public Policy

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded the Collins Center more than $4.9 million across multiple grants between 1996 and 2003. ⁴ The Collins Center dissolved on January 31, 2013, after losing a federal contract that had served as its primary revenue source. ^{5  6}

Background and Dissolution

The Collins Center for Public Policy was incorporated in Florida in 1994. An early profile described it as a network of civic trustees supported by an endowment fund, individual donors, business organizations, private foundations, and periodic grants from the Florida Legislature, with the Florida Board of Regents recognizing it as a research center serving all state universities. It was initially hosted at Florida State University. ³ In 2000, the organization split into two entities: the Collins Center for Public Policy, with offices in Miami, Tallahassee, and Tampa; and the LeRoy Collins Institute, separately housed at Florida State, which continued to operate after the Collins Center dissolved. ⁷

According to Ann Henderson, who worked as the organization’s final president, the Collins Center unexpectedly lost a federal contract that had been its primary revenue source in the first month of her tenure in June 2012. Over the following seven months, Henderson worked with the board of trustees to downsize staff and offices before the board resolved to dissolve the corporation. ⁶ The organization formally dissolved on January 31, 2013, and its final nonprofit tax return confirmed that it had permanently ceased its mediation and all public programs. ^{5  8}

Schedule N of the 2013 nonprofit tax return disclosed that upon dissolution, the Collins Center abandoned office equipment left with landlords and software developed by Canopy Software Inc. for its mediation program, and carried outstanding lease cancellation liabilities of $1,158,988. ⁵ Residual endowment funds were directed to Florida Atlantic University to establish the LeRoy Collins Public Ethics Academy, a $500,000 endowed program within the university’s School of Public Administration. ⁹

Leadership

Roderick N. Petrey worked as the Collins Center’s president for approximately two decades before departing in 2011. Petrey had previously worked as the vice president of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and as general counsel for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. ^{10  11}

Ann Henderson succeeded Petrey as president in June 2012, working until the group’s dissolution, and received $110,769 in compensation during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. Prior to the Collins Center, Henderson had worked as director of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida. ^{6  12}

Raoul Cantero was a trustee of the Collins Center. ¹² Cantero previously served as an associate justice of the Florida Supreme Court from 2002 to 2008, having been appointed by former Governor Jeb Bush (R). ¹³

LeRoy Collins III, the grandson of former Florida Governor LeRoy Collins (D), also was a director of the Collins Center. As of 2026, he was a vice president of cybersecurity and defense at CEA Group. ^{14  12}

Funding

The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation was a significant funder of the Collins Center, awarding more than $4.9 million across multiple grants between 1996 and 2003 to support regional smart-growth planning, South Florida civic leadership development, and general operations. ⁴ A separate MacArthur grant of $150,000 was made in 2003 to support the Growth Partnership, a Collins Center initiative. ¹⁵

Another supporter of the Collins Center was the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. The Hewlett Foundation awarded the Collins Center $70,000 in 2000 and $35,000 in 2002 in support of the Funders Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities. ¹⁶

During fiscal year 2011, the Collins Center reported total revenues of $12,388,501, the majority of which—$11,910,417—derived from program service revenue, primarily contractual fees for its alternative dispute resolution programs. ¹⁷ For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013, total revenue fell to $2,566,648, with $2,427,597 from contractual fees and only $140 in contributions and grants. ¹⁸ At dissolution, the organization reported total liabilities of $4,193,264 against total assets of $3,093,252, a net deficit of $1,100,012. ²

Activities

In its final years, the Collins Center’s largest program was an Alternative Dispute Resolution initiative administering neutral mediation services for homeowners and lenders involved in residential mortgages in default. The program reported $5,507,056 in expenses and $2,426,596 in revenues during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. ¹⁹

A second program, titled “Sabal Palm: Our Florida, Our Future,” developed long-range planning scenarios for Florida in partnership with state and regional organizations, reporting $153,054 in expenses and $118,021 in revenues during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2013. ²⁰ The Center also operated an Overtown redevelopment initiative focused on community revitalization planning in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood, reporting $35,116 in expenses. ²¹ At the time of dissolution, the Collins Center’s balance sheet carried a $1,607,101 asset identified as the “South Florida Smart Growth Land Trust.” ²²