TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- July 28, 2012

More than 4,000 state and local officials and public employees have missed Florida's July 1 financial disclosure deadline.

Florida Ethics Commission executive director Virlinda Doss told the panel on Friday that it will cost taxpayers $4.75 to send a certified letter to each of the 4,284 violators -- a total of $20,349.

Doss said they'll be notified there's a grace period until Sept. 4. After that they'll face an automatic fine of $25 for every day that disclosures are late up to a maxim of $1,500.

Citizens can also file complaints with the commission against officials or employees who file late or not at all. Those complaints can lead to additional fines of up to $10,000.

The commission, though, has little power to enforce the fines.