May 19, 2013
Tallahassee, Florida - June 6, 2012 -
Florida is the national leader in public corruption. A new non-partisan research institute makes that claim. That group is called "Integrity Florida".
Group representatives tell us they determined Florida leads the nation in public corruption after examining several different studies over a ten year span and they believe this dark cloud over the Sunshine State can be fixed. They specifically have offered reforms for the state's ethics commission to consider. That agency is setting their 2013 legislative agenda on June 15th.
Here are a few of Integrity Florida proposals:
- Allowing the state ethics commission to start it's own investigations. Currently a citizen has to file a complaint to start an investigation.
- The group also believes a corruption hotline should be launched. The recommendation is for the state's attorney general or ethics commission to manage it.
- Integrity Florida believes public officials should be required to disclose all financial transactions over one thousand dollars including stock trades, property transactions, and changes in business ownership.
"Our goal is to bring more sunshine to the sunshine state. we're number one for our beaches, we're number one for our sunshine. but it's time that we dust off our government in the Sunshine Law and once again become number one in the world for government in the sunshine for open government. accountable government and for ethical government," said Integrity Florida Director Dan Krasfner.
Dan Krasfner with Integrity Florida also points out that Governor Rick Scott campaigned on ethics reform. He says he has meetings with Scott administration leaders. Krasfner believes the reforms his group wants will be passed into law next year.
