They didn't misplace them, it's just that nobody has a complete list of all of them, and the records they do have must be haphazard. It looks like someone in the state government got a 'rough count' from each of the many state agencies, and is pushing for a budget to collect information on all 18,000 of them. In comes reporter who either sees a memo or is 'leaked' this 'shocking' information; nothing like a little public outrage to get the legislature to fund your pet project. Still, a comprehensive audit is likely a good idea. Chances are that at least a couple of places would be poorly used, if not criminally (like as a personal vacation home, or someone's side business).