The County Commission has approved an ordinance to raise the monetary value limit of a gift of food and drink for elected officials from $5 to $25.

Commissioner Mark Bogen stated this ordinance will allow elected officials, candidates, and government staff to interface better with the public as the current rules prevent officials from attending functions they should be attending.

Reasoning in the ordinance states the stringent gift limitations in the County Code of Ethics unintentionally discourage personal interaction and communication between elected officials and the communities they serve.

The gift limitation was raised on November 12 after a unanimous vote for its approval.

The County Commission has proposed an ordinance to raise the monetary value limit of a gift of food and drink for elected officials from $5 to $25.

Commissioner Mark Bogen stated this proposal will allow elected officials, candidates, and government staff to interface better with the public.

Bogen also stated this change is not to allow officers to have dinner with a lobbyist but to keep officials from worrying about breaking the law for accepting food or drink that costs “more than a bagel” from constituents when attending public events.

The proposed ordinance will appear on the County Commission’s agenda on October 22.

Broward Health, the county’s hospital system, has implemented its decade-old lobbyist registration policy through a new website. The website contains information about the policy, registration procedures, and expenditure reporting.

Lobbyists engaged to lobby the North Broward Hospital District, its Board of Commissioners, or its employees must register with the Vice President for Government Relations prior to engaging in lobbying. There is a registration fee of $40 for each client represented and registrations must be renewed by July 1 each year. Registered lobbyists must also file an annual statement of expenditures by July 30, covering July 1 of the prior year through June 30.

The policy also outlines requirements for lobbyist hired to represent the Hospital District before certain state, county, and local government units.

More information regarding lobbyist policies and procedures is available on Broward Health’s website at https://app.browardhealth.org/lobbyist.

Broward Health, the county’s hospital system, is currently creating an online lobbyist registration system to coincide with its recently discovered registration policy.

The policy, created 12 years ago, was never implemented and came to light only after months of discussions by the board of commissioners on how to create such a policy.

The policy requires lobbyists to identify their clients, disclose the nature of their business activities, and report any business or financial relationships with Broward Health board members. The online system will be modeled after those of Broward County and Broward Public Schools.

Commissioners, by a count of 5-4, voted to loosen the strict gift limits imposed by the county ethics ordinance. Enacted in 2010, the ordinance created a no-gift rule, prohibiting city and county officials from accepting even a bottle of water at an event.

The new rules allow gifts, including non-alcoholic beverages, worth less than $5 and create an exception for gifts of sympathy. Other changes include the burden of reporting lobbying contact shifting away from the public official to the lobbyist and immediate family members may now act as government vendors.

Proponents lauded the changes, stating the zero-tolerance rules created a trap whereby government officials and employees could inadvertently violate the code.

County commissioners are pushing for a rewrite of the county ethics code only four years after the strict code was adopted. Commissioners complain Broward’s ethics code is too strict, setting up officials for violations and penalties for something as small as accepting a bottle of water at an event. Commissioners discussed limiting gifts to $10 and excluding nonalcoholic beverages from the ban.

The April 22 meeting was the first step towards rewriting the code, and potential changes could be enacted by the County Commission later this year, though some changes may require voter approval.

Broward County is expected to file suit in order to ensure the countywide ethics code remains in force countywide after residents of Wilton Manors, Hillsboro Beach, and Sea Ranch Lakes voted to undo portions of it during the January 31, 2012 election. Voters were asked whether local elected officials should be subjected to state law on issues relating to their side jobs, instead of the new county code of ethics, and voters in all three cities unanimously voted in favor.

Broward County Mayor John Rodstrom and Broward County Commissioners have all expressed their belief that the language used on the ballot was deceiving, as no mention of lobbying or the new county code of ethics, extended to all cities in Broward County on January 2, 2012, was contained in the language of the ballot questions.

The county is expected to pursue one of the following legal paths: suing on the ballot language as deceptive or acquiring a ruling concerning Broward County’s authority over the three cities in regards to the code of ethics.

Voters in three Broward County cities will be asked to undo part of the recently enacted countywide code of ethics. Residents of Wilton Manors, Hillsboro Beach, and Sea Ranch Lakes will all vote during the January 31, 2012 election as to whether local elected officials should be subjected to state law on issues relating to their side jobs instead of the new county code of ethics.

The effort to pass the referendum has been spearheaded in large part by Wilton Manors Mayor Gary Resnick. Resnick, a telecommunications attorney who lobbies in other cities in Broward County, fears he will be unable to run for another term in office after his current term is complete due to the ban on elected officials also being employed as lobbyists or engaging in lobbying activities in Broward County.

The code of ethics became effective countywide on January 2, 2012.

The new ethics code is an extension of previous code which had been passed during the summer of 2010 to institute such a standard on the county commissioners. Following a training session scheduled for spring of 2011, all county employees who receive perishable gifts will be required to place them in an area where other employees and the public will be free to enjoy them, while non-perishable gifts will have to be turned over to the administration to be put to the public use.

Further, employees will not be permitted to accept personal gifts outside the office which could be perceived as being intended to influence their decisions as an employee of Broward County.

Commissioners, their family members, and their staff will no longer be permitted to accept gifts from lobbyists registered with the county, employers of registered lobbyists, or vendors or contractors of the county. Commissioners will not be permitted to be employed as lobbyists or engage in lobbying activities before municipalities or other local government entities within the county.

Further, family members and office staff of a commissioner will not be permitted to lobby before the Board of County Commissioners or other local government entities within Broward County.

A contentious meeting of the Broward County Commission has resulted in a new code of ethics law for the county. The new law bars county commissioners and family members from accepting lobbyist gifts. It also establishes a new Office of Inspector General.

For more coverage of this breaking news:

“Broward Ethics Reform Passes After Shouting Match,” by Carey Codd at CBS 4.

“Gnashing of teeth, tongue-lashing, and ethics reform,” by Brittany Wallman in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.