Linda Stewart for Orange County Mayor

At least some Orange County commissioners have been paying attention. Linda Stewart responded to the work of the two Sentinel columnists by declaring that she had "lost confidence" in the agency.

This month, two Sentinel columnists, business writer Beth Kassab and Lake County writer Lauren Ritchie, followed up on job creation claims the agency made to the Seminole and Lake county commissions. Together, those commissions provide about $600,000 of the $2 million the public-private agency is collecting from area governments this year.

But our columnists found the real job creation numbers didn't come close to those presented by the EDC to the county commissions.

In Seminole County, agency President Ray Gilley touted "results" of 902 jobs created in the past year. Ms. Kassab contacted each of the employers whose jobs were included in the total and came up with less than half the agency's number.

In Lake County, the agency claimed credit for creating 157 jobs in the past year. Ms. Ritchie got in touch with the companies and tallied just 42 jobs after deducting layoffs and positions employers had added more than a year before.

The agency offered a weak defense, saying its job numbers were based on three-year projections provided by the companies. It's inexcusable the agency didn't make this clear to the taxpaying public. It's doubtful they would be doing so now if not for the columnists' digging.

Worse, Mr. Gilley told Ms. Kassab that his agency, with a staff of 33, doesn't verify that companies are meeting their projections. "We only have so much time and energy," he said.

What? Accountability to taxpayers isn't a priority?

Apparently the commissions in Seminole and Lake also have no interest in due diligence. Neither questioned the latest figures from the agency.

At least some Orange County commissioners have been paying attention. Linda Stewart responded to the work of the two Sentinel columnists by declaring that she had "lost confidence" in the agency. Mildred Fernandez has been bird-dogging the agency for months about its salaries and strategies, and vowed it will get a closer look when it comes back for money to the Orange commission, which is paying the EDC $704,000 from its current budget.

We still believe that agencies like Metro Orlando's EDC can play a key role in strengthening the economy. Their mission is especially vital amid a recession and fierce competition for jobs.

But when local governments are slashing budgets for basic services, it's more important than ever that outside agencies make a convincing case if they want a share of the shrinking pool of tax dollars. They'll never do that by playing fast and loose with figures.