The Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics has issued a reminder concerning holiday gifts to county and municipal officials and employees. The Commission noted that holiday gifts given by lobbyists and vendors are still impermissible if the gift exceeds the aggregate $100 per calendar year limit or the gift is given to influence or reward the employee.

The Commission issued the reminder to employees and officers of the county and the 38 municipalities within the county after several requests for advisory opinions were received concerning the subject-matter.

After hearing an explanation of the rules, Ethics Commission Chairman Edward Rodgers questioned whether the rules went a bit far, asking “Are we not serving as a grinch for Christmas?”

Aerial photo of Palm Beach, Florida by Michael Kagdis on Wikipedia.