Yacov Bar-Gera didn't live long in Florida. He never owned property, never registered a car, never voted.

But he learned fast how to get the public's money.

He recruited the head of Dade County's tourism committee, Metro Commissioner Sherman Winn. And he hired a Tallahassee lobbyist, Winn's son, Stephen, to represent his for-profit Miami Beach company.

The Florida Legislature gave Bar-Gera's American International Exhibition for Travel $400,000 -- to promote "the expansion of Florida's economy."

Four months after his firm got the final check, Bar-Gera disappeared. His company owed at least $1 million to private creditors. The state money was gone.

The American International Exhibition for Travel illustrates everything that is wrong with how the Legislature awards grant money.

There is no system to check into the background of those who get the money. There is no method to determine what the money will be used for -- and no penalty if the money is used for something else. There is no monitoring of the money until after the grant is spent.

The Legislature appropriated the American International Exhibition for Travel's money in two $200,000 grants in 1986 and 1987. The money was placed in a special category under economic development in the Commerce Department budget -- even though commerce did not request it. The only restriction: the money was to be used by the firm to promote international tourism in Florida.

"The second year, we had some real reservations about it, but what were we going to do?" said Rob Lankford, the Commerce Department's director of administration. "We have no real power except to pay the bills."

The American International Exhibition for Travel put on two tourism trade shows in Miami Beach. Sherman Winn, head of the county's tourism committee and a former state senator, served as chairman of the host committee.

Winn endorsed the firm, sent out letters on county stationary recruiting support and curbed criticism from skeptics. "He was the advocate on the county level for this organization. When I raised concerns about the organization, he was the one who reassured us that everything was kosher. 'Not to worry, I'll take care of this myself.' Those were his words, " said Robert Dickinson, Carnival Cruise Lines senior vice president and the former chairman of the Miami Beach Visitors and Convention Authority.

Dickinson said he questioned the validity of the firm at an executive committee meeting of the convention bureau. Winn did not disclose to him that his son stood to gain financially from the company.

Stephen R. Winn and Associates got at least $52,625 from the American International Exhibition for Travel, a $20,000 consulting fee for each of the legislative sessions in which the money was appropriated, plus $12,625 more.

Sherman Winn provided The Herald with his public files on the organization, but refused to be interviewed. "He doesn't want to be implicated with something he had nothing to do with, " said his aide, Joe Bober.

Winn suggested through Bober that The Herald speak to Bar- Gera. He could not provide an address or phone number.

Bar-Gera closed his offices in December 1987 and hasn't been heard from since.

"It was probably the worst of the turkeys in our department that I was aware of, " said Jeb Bush, who was secretary of commerce at the time. "I felt the state wasn't getting its money's worth."