Florida Commission on Ethics

Integrity Florida Is Working to Make Sure State Leaders Make Good On Promises on Ethics Reform

Back in March, the non-profit watchdog group Integrity Florida put out a study that said Florida was number one in terms of being the most corrupt state in the U.S. Their study found that a whopping 1,762 of Florida's public officials have been convicted of public corruption since 1976. From 2000 ... More >>

Former Broward Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin Insists She's Done Nothing Wrong

Former Broward County Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin is accused of felony public corruption. Investigators say her husband made $1.1 million off of taxpayers for writing grants that she helped approve, which we first wrote about back in 2005.The affidavit that went along with ... More >>

Former Deerfield Commissioners Win a Trip to a Florida Ethics Commission Hearing

​After an audit of Deerfield Beach festivals declaring that three then-city commissioners secured scores of tickets to the city's mango festival "to garner political support" -- and the ensuing complaints filed by city activist Chaz Stevens -- those three former commissioners earned a trip to Tall ... More >>

Florida Ethics Commission: No Problem With Rick Scott's Cash From Private Prison Firms

​The Teamsters' ethics complaint filed last month against Gov. Rick Scott -- which alleged his million bucks from private prison corporations was somehow affecting the state's decision to enter contracts with the companies -- has been tossed out by the Florida Ethics Commission.Among other things, ... More >>

Rick Scott Appoints Shutts & Bowen Lawyer to State Ethics Commission

Rick Scott never rests. Every day, he comes up with another assault on the senses of good Floridians.  Scott, right, and his apparent alter ego.​Today, in another example of Scott's incredible disdain for all that is good and holy, the governor appointed attorney Linda Robison to the Florida ... More >>

Sheriff Al Lamberti Hit With Ethics Complaint Over Super Bowl

Lamberti​A former Broward deputy has filed an ethics complaint with the State of Florida against Sheriff Al Lamberti, alleging he violated state law when he engaged in a "fraudulent scheme" to bring his 15-year-old son with him on a security detail at last year's Super Bowl. In the complaint, ... More >>

Exclusive: Feds Eyeing Lobbyist Ron Book, Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority

In Broward and Tallahassee politics, influence peddling comes in countless forms. Here's one currently under investigation by the federal government: A powerful lobbyist, seeking to curry favor with a state senator and benefit a major client, helps to secure the senator's boyfriend a job at th ... More >>

Don't They Look Happy Together?

​ During Obama's State of the Union speech last night, Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Bill Nelson sat together to show unity in light of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting.  But enough about our dysfunctional Congress, let's move onto our dysfunctional Florid ... More >>

UPDATED: Sheriff Lamberti Needs to Come Clean on Son's Super Bowl Dream

Remember those first-class Super Bowl credentials that Sheriff Al Lamberti wrangled for his son from the NFL for last year's game while his agency provided security for the event? Will Lamberti get to the bottom of the mysterious Super Bowl caper? ​Well, the South Florida Times is dog ... More >>

Carpetbagger Needs Home

The Florida Ethics Commission received state Rep. Jim Waldman's financial disclosure form this past on July 1 listing his official district address as 4509 Carambola Circle. That's the little condo in Coconut Creek owned by Ronald Sherman where Waldman -- a millionaire (barely) ... More >>

November Surprise: Keechl Camp Hits Gutter

Broward Mayor Ken Keechl appears to be getting desperate. He's certainly getting dirty. A new low Keechl camp's last-ditch negative ad campaign goes to a new low. Of course he won't take credit for it since it comes from one of those late-date 527 slush committees funded by a ... More >>

City, County Attorneys Should Be First Line of Defense Against Corruption -- So Where Are They?

FlickrLegal advisers to Broward governments should have a sharper eye for elected officials' conflicts.​Broward County governments are each supposed to be protected by a single attorney who can advise them on how to steer clear of the kinds of conflicting interests that could land them in jail. So ... More >>

State Ethics Commission, Broward Prosecutor Clear Hospital Commissioner

browardhealth.orgFernandez​Broward Health Commissioner Mike Fernandez is breathing a bit easier these days. He won't face criminal charges or disciplinary action in connection with a conflict of interest between his public role and his private-sector work.A few weeks ago, the Florida Commission on ... More >>

New Broward Health Board Seeks Distance From Unsavory Past

browardhealth.orgNask​Broward Health CEO Frank Nask's job is safe, as is that of a friend who he hired and to whom he gave a generous raise. Commissioner Mike Fernandez has received legal assurances that his job with an ultrasound manufacturer is not a conflict of interest. And seven appointed boa ... More >>

[UPDATED] Public Hospital District Spent Thousands on Machines That Didn't Exist

Flickr: Suubi TrustA SonoSite ultrasound in action.​UPDATE: Broward Health just e-mailed new information containing its explanation for the strange entries I cite below. In short, they say they're the product of a computer glitch. I've copied that explanation on the bottom of this post.Since 2001 ... More >>

A Sneak Peek at the Candidates for Broward Health Board

davidmaymon.comDavid Maymon​The list of candidates for the Broward Health board is full of attorneys, contractors, politicians and health-care business owners. They are vying for at least one open seat -- the one formerly belonging to Maureen Jaeger, who left this fall to join George Lemieux's U.S ... More >>

Defying Ethics Code, Broward Health Commissioner's Firm Does Big Business With Hospital District

browardhealth.orgFernandez​The ultrasound manufacturing company where Mike Fernandez works as a general manager has been selling products to Broward Health during the same period that Fernandez has occupied a powerful position as a commissioner of that hospital district. Documents obtained by Juic ... More >>

Dan Gelber on Ethics Reform: Sign Me Up

Flickr: UN1SONGelber​Not all Florida politicians are gun-shy about ethics reform. Yesterday, after failing to get commitments from three high-profile Republicans, I asked attorney general candidate Dan Gelber whether he would support a bid by the Florida Commission on Ethics to give it more power ... More >>

Florida's Leading Republicans Offer Deafening Silence on Ethics Reform

FlickrCrist: I'll pass this political football, thank you.​Three of the state's most influential Republicans have "talked the talk" on ethics reform in Florida, but yesterday we asked them to "walk the walk." Make a public statement backing the effort by the Florida Commission on Ethics to free it ... More >>

[UPDATED] "Toothless" Commission on Ethics Gives Legislators Something to Chew On

Flickr: simplelogikThat's the kind of arsenal you need to get a jaw-full of Florida corruption​The political scandals in Broward County have roused the Florida Commission on Ethics from its comatose state. An outfit derided as "toothless" is asking the Florida Legislature to give it a new set of c ... More >>

Will Charlie Crist, George LeMieux Back Bill for Empowering Ethics Commission?

Whattaya say to ethics reform, Senator? ​A bill that would expand the powers of the Florida Commission on Ethics has a snowball's chance in hell of being passed by the state Legislature -- unless...Unless the effort should attract political champions in high places. Two men who can move this mount ... More >>

Ethics Complaint Against Lake Worth Commissioner Cara Jennings Is Dismissed

Mary Lindsey: Losing the battle against Jennings?​The ethics complaint filed on behalf of Lake Worth business owner Gary Dario against City Commissioner Cara Jennings has been dismissed yesterday by the Florida Commission on Ethics for "lack of legal sufficiency," according to a news release issue ... More >>

Broward Teachers Ask Court to Stop Health Insurance Rate Hike

No more insurance hikes!​In a last-ditch effort to prevent Broward school employees from paying thousands of dollars more for health insurance for their kids next year, the Broward Teachers Union this morning filed suit in Broward County Circuit Court to temporarily stop the 45 percent insurance r ... More >>

Conflict of Interest? Scandal-Plagued Goren Sees No Evil in Pembroke Pines

Flickr user: clar@bellConflict? What conflict?​This summer, the Juice raised ethical questions about the City of Pembroke Pines' decision to outsource its building department to a private, Fort Lauderdale-based company, Calvin, Giordano & Associates. Because the firm also handles multimillion- ... More >>

Morning Juice: A Family Name in a Familiar Fix; a Widower Smokes Big Tobbaco

Flickr: chadborneGas masks: They cost less than nurses do​Just one more day of bearing the stress that comes with being a South Florida news consumer. Be strong!"How could Evan Jenne earn $60,000 last year from a company that didn't exist until January of this year?" asks Amy Sherman in the Miami ... More >>

Hospital District Attorney Hit With Bar Complaint

"I didn't come here looking for a job," said attorney Sam Goren on May 14 at an emergency meeting of the North Broward Hospital District's Board of Commissioners. In the moments before, commissioners had relied upon Goren's legal counsel in determining that their general counsel, Marc Goldstone, sho ... More >>

Deerfield Beach Vice Mayor Ditches Name, Still Can't Shake Blogger

Deerfield Beach's vice mayor, formerly known as Sylvia Poitier, is now going with her maiden name, Ferguson. The move, which she mentioned in her remarks at last week's meeting, as seen above, comes amid her claiming to have been "defamed" by Acts of Sedition blogger Chaz Stevens, who yesterday file ... More >>

Former Hospital District Attorney Files Suit

Flickr User: Scarlett3344 QiJoe Truhe, the former associate general counsel for the North Broward Hospital District, filed suit today, alleging that in firing him last month, the public health care system violated the Whisteblower's Act. The suit also names Commissioner Robert Bernstein and the inte ... More >>

Hospital District Commish Now Under Criminal Investigation

browardhealth.orgCoboThe Broward State Attorney's Office has opened a criminal investigation of North Broward Hospital District Commissioner Joseph Cobo, based on allegations he used his public office for advantage in his private firm, Florida Medical Management Consultants.Cobo, of course, was inve ... More >>

Fmr. Broward Hospital District Lawyer Demands Probe of District's Current Lawyer

Joe Truhe, former associate general counsel of the North Broward Hospital District, who was fired along with the district's general counsel May 15, has sent a letter to hospital commissioners demanding that they investigate Sam Goren, the attorney who became the interim general counsel.In a letter d ... More >>

Cobo-Cop: Will Governor Bust Broward Hospital Commish?

It'll be weeks, at least, till we learn how Gov. Charlie Crist intends to respond to the politically explosive packet of material he received last week from the North Broward Hospital District. It's the report of a former assistant U.S. Attorney retained by the North Broward Hospital District Board ... More >>

NBHD: As One Ethics Probe Ends, Will a New One Begin?

browardhealth.orgCommissioner Robert BernsteinIt's no fun to write a letter alleging corruption and send it to the Florida Ethics Commission or the Broward State Attorney. No, if you really want to make a splash, announce the allegations during the public comment period for an unrelated ethics case. ... More >>

Down Goes Sansom

House Speaker Ray Sansom stepped down today. He's the one who lobbied to win state funds for a college, which then gave him a $110,000 job -- a chain of events that Sansom would have us believe were unrelated. Sansom has said he "welcomed" an investigation, which is good, because he got one -- actua ... More >>

Naked Negotiation in Riviera Beach

How a Riviera Beach official allegedly does business in a very warm climate

Family Ties

Broward Commission, lobbyists ooze coziness

Somebody Listened

The Mayor's New Digs

Hollywood's Mara Giulianti voted to bury power lines outside — surprise! — her very own condo

Best Local Boy Gone Bad

Josephus Eggelletion

The Lobbyist

Broward Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion quietly pulls political strings in Lauderdale Lakes -- and personally profits in the process

Tailpipe

J-Rod Strikes Out

Justice Grounded

Roddy, baby — you're clean. Honest!

Political Pull

The lucrative Dania Beach towing contract is worth all the political clout Vice Mayor McElyea exercised to win it

Corruption and Nothingness

Are they crimes or simply matters for philosophical discourse? Our state attorney wrestles with the question.

Letters for September 12, 2002

More butterfly banter

Lapsed Ethics

The governor's new man on the state ethics board done us wrong

Seeing Red

Some Pompano Beachers want to put a stop to Mayor Griffin's reign of greed

Letters for April 4, 2002

Listen up, Jebbie!

Activist, Interrupted

Pompano Beach's top dog managed to gag his chief tormentor by playing politics

Mall Rat

Plantation councilman Jerry Fadgen says there's nothing wrong with his role at a local strip mall, no matter what that pesky state ethics board says

There's Something About Jerry

Plantation councilman Jerry Fadgen's management of a little strip mall has led to big conflicts of interest and even bigger lies