Former Booker High School athletic director and head football coach Carlos Woods was set to be fired in August after a Sarasota County Schools investigation found he misused thousands of dollars in school funds for rental cars. Woods resigned instead, leading to the cancellation of the Booker varsity football season.
A three-month investigation completed by Sarasota County Schools obtained by the Herald-Tribune included an audit showing Woods made 55 unapproved Avis car rentals costing the school $15,811.05 from March 2023 to March 2026. Some of the costs resulted from late fees and charges for returning vehicles to the wrong locations or with empty gas tanks.
Gregory Rumph, who served as Booker’s interim principal from April to May, reported
Woods to Sarasota County Schools Human Resources on April 29, 2026, according to the investigation. Rumph alleged that Woods “might have misused School Board Funds,” stating that he was using Booker’s rental code — used for lower base rates, promotions and membership perks — and having the rentals billed directly to the school.
The most egregious rental was a 2025 Kia Carnival that cost $1,348.45. It was rented Feb. 11, 2025 and due back Feb. 25. Avis was going to deploy its Loss Prevention Team to repossess the vehicle before it was returned March 13. The audit also identified two rentals from Los Angeles International Airport and other rentals that Woods said were used to take students home after practice. Investigators found there were "several 8-19-day rentals that are only tied to a single game, meet, or short athletic event."
Woods — who was named head coach and athletic director in 2025 after being named assistant athletic director and weightlifting coach in 2023 — told investigators he was unaware of the rental procedures or the requirement that rentals receive prior approval from the principal. But according to the report, "witnesses consistently stated that Mr. Woods was personally present when these limitations, expectation and approval requirements were explicitly discussed and reiterated on multiple occasions."
"... Mr. Woods utilized School Board-funded rental vehicles for unauthorized purposes, including personal travel, while bypassing required approval, documentation and accountability procedures," the report stated. "This resulted in the expenditure of School Board funds for non-approved purposes and constitutes a misappropriation of public resources entrusted to him in his capacity as an employee."
Sarasota County Schools Superintendent Terry Connor sent Woods a certified letter July 20 notifying him that Connor would recommend his termination to the school board at its August meeting.
After Woods' departure, more than 21 players left Booker and its varsity football season was canceled. On Aug. 12, first-year Booker Principal Jamal Crook announced on Facebook that the school would only field a junior varsity season. In August, the Sarasota Police Department also confirmed that Woods is under a criminal investigation, which as still ongoing as of Sept. 10.
"During my tenure at Booker High School, my decisions were consistently guided by the objective of supporting student-athletes and providing opportunities for their academic, athletic, and personal development," Woods wrote. "I personally contributed thousands of dollars of my own funds to support the athletic programs, including expenses related to airfare, lodging, meals, transportation, rideshare services, recruiting trips, college visits, camps, and other team-related activities. I did not seek reimbursement from the School District for these expenditures, as I considered them part of my commitment to supporting our student-athletes."
Woods and Booker Athletic Director Angie Byrd, who replaced Woods, did not respond to request for comment.
Here's a timeline of events that led to Woods' dismissal, according to the investigation's findings.
2023
Woods was placed on Avis’ nationwide “do not rent” list — an alert placed on a potential renter’s driver's license. At the time, he had a California driver’s license.
Kris Skinner, owner of Avis Car Rental in Sarasota, denied him a rental, advising Woods to call Avis’ customer service number. In the investigation, Skinner reported that Woods returned soon — possibly the next day — with a driver’s license number that had no alerts on it.
Woods claimed in the report that he called the service number, and Avis said the “do not rent” issue was a clerical error. Avis found and fixed the mistake, according to Woods.
Skinner reported that Woods often returned the rental vehicles with empty gas tanks, resulting in a $9.89-per-gallon charge to refill them. She also reported that late and extension fees were often added to the bills because the vehicles were not returned on time or to the agreed-upon locations. Woods returned the vehicles to Sarasota, Orlando and Tampa airports.
April 2025
Byrd, then the assistant athletic director and head volleyball coach, provided Sarasota Athletic Director Tony Miller with a list of transportation uses. According to the report, the review uncovered issues with the Avis account. A new billing number was created, and the old one was terminated.
Then-Principal Dr. Rachel Shelley told her staff that “she is the sole approver of rental vehicles,” according to bookkeeper Tana Crawford. Woods claims this rule was not shared with him.
October 2025
Crawford sent a message to Woods, asking him about a $792 bill she received from Avis between Sept. 21 and Oct. 16, 2025. The singular vehicle was rented for 15 days and driven 1,600 miles. Crawford said “she did not obtain proof regarding the specific rentals in question because she was unaware they were associated with athletic trips.”
“Woods, I just got an email from Avis for an almost $800 bill. I just paid off Avis we had a zero balance as of 1st of October. Are you paying for this with your personal money because this is going to get flagged?” Crawford texted. "I just told Dr. Shelley moving forward I will give her a print out of all the rentals because of the money we have spent she will see this one time bill so you have to her something now!! Because I can’t explain this and I’m not so can you use your personal rental account because we already in deep mess with the districts in funds.”
“I just landed,” Woods replied. “It’s multiple rentals and I can talk to Shelley about it. Both vans were acting up.”
From Sept. 21 to Oct. 10, Booker was billed for 51 total rental days across multiple vehicles, including one driven 7,811 miles.
November 2025
Shelley was told in November 2025 that there was a series of charges being put on Booker’s “foundation” account, which supported football as well as arts and education, and the school needed to reconcile the bills. Shelley met with Woods, Crawford, Avis and others, telling them that “no other charges are to be put on the school’s transportation account for rentals."
She stated that Avis bills had been sent to a former employee who was no longer on staff, resulting in thousands of dollars of unpaid bills “dating from years back.” In multiple roundtables with her staff, Shelley said “they could not afford these bills.”
Shelley cleared the account, resulting in a zero balance in November.
Woods told investigators that "at one point, there was a $22,000 Avis bill," leading to a roundtable meeting that included Shelley, and that the bill was paid. "He stated that from that meeting, there were no rules or changes implemented to their practices," according to the report.
December 2025
Woods traveled to a UCLA basketball game against UC Riverside on Dec. 23 without a student, charging $615.68 to Booker’s account. Woods reported that he thought it was covered by the foundation account, under the impression he was allowed to do “whatever he wanted” with the funds.
April 2026
On April 29, Rumph reported his concerns about Woods’ financial misconduct to Sarasota County Schools Human Resources.
May 2026
Brooke Cambria, the Investigative Administrator of Human Resources, began compiling information. Cambria logged the Avis rentals and spoke with Sarasota Athletic Director Tony Miller, who reviewed them to help align the entries with sporting events.
On May 27, Woods received information about the complaint and was asked to respond to the allegation and information presented.
Woods replied on May 29, explaining that he “routinely reserved rental vehicles for athletic teams when district transportation was unavailable or impractical.” Woods reported that rentals were used for football prospect camps, college visits and college tours, claiming that tour expenses were treated as athletic activities, administrators were aware of these trips and “foundation funds or private donations” were used for trip costs. He stated that Booker’s district vans were “old, unreliable, and often unsafe or out of service.”
In the response, Woods also denied any intent of misconduct.
June 2026
On June 17, Cambria met with Woods and his attorney, Peter Mackey, for a Weingarten meeting, which allows an employee union representation during an investigatory interview that could lead to discipline.
Cambria offered Woods the opportunity to view the rental log and respond to each entry.
“For numerous dates, Mr. Woods and his attorney asked for more time to research the answer and gather documentation before answering, which was granted,” according to the report. “For the dates that he could account for, Mr. Woods repeatedly stated that the ‘keys were left for anyone to use.’ He advised that he would rent a vehicle, park it on campus, leave the keys inside, and the vehicle would be used by various coaches of athletic personnel.” He said that the rentals were shared between coaches and staff for department-wide use.
Shelley denied that there were “communal rentals.”
During the meeting, Woods stated he was “unaware approval was needed to go on out-of-state trips and he believed existing forms covered his travel.” He also reported that he thought he could “use the funds, or a car, for personal reasons, such as a trip to LAX.” Woods said that “no one ever told him he could not use the funds for this” and he did not know the foundation account was attached to the school.
Woods offered to reimburse improperly charged expenses and that all were done in support of Booker students and athletics. Woods also stated that he acted as a “safety net,” contributing “significant funds for student-athlete needs, including meals, transportation, travel, equipment, and team-related expenses without seeking reimbursement,” especially to students facing financial challenges.
On June 26, Woods submitted additional information following the Weingarten meeting. He provided additional team schedules, noted the purposes of his trips and submitted photos of college tours with his players. He outlined the everyday use of rental vehicles, and how they supported college trips, conferences and camps. In June, Woods also asked Human Resources to review other athletic departments in Sarasota County. He argued that his “actions were motivated by a commitment to Booker High School students and athletics rather than personal benefit.”
“I’ve been working with our Class of 2027 since they were freshman, and my only goal is to finish what we started together,” Woods wrote. “These students mean a great deal to me, and I want to continue supporting them through their final year at Booker.”
July 2026
On July 13, Woods submitted additional information for consideration, detailing his financial support of Booker since becoming a volunteer assistant in 2022.
Connor sent Woods a certified letter July 20 stating, "I will recommend to the School Board that your employment be terminated effective August 19, 2026. The School Board will vote to accept or reject my recommendation at its August 18, 2026, meeting."
On July 23, the Herald-Tribune confirmed that Woods had resigned as football coach and athletic director, but remained a school district employee. More than 21 players left the program afterward. Booker hired Lance Hoeltke on July 29 to replace Woods.
The Sarasota Police Department released a statement on July 31, stating that Woods was under a criminal investigation.
"The investigation is active and ongoing," the Sarasota Police Department wrote. "At this time, the criminal investigation involving Mr. Woods does not involve any harm or wrongdoings toward any student."
Woods submitted his resignation to the school district on July 31.
"I appreciate the opportunities I have had during my time with the district and am grateful for the students, families, colleagues, and community members I have had the privilege of serving," he wrote.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Former Booker coach Carlos Woods misused thousands on car rentals | Exclusive
