The Florida Legislature adjourned its 2014 session on May 2, 2014 after passing a record $77.1 billion budget.

The final day of session also saw two immigration bills passed, including one allowing undocumented immigrants attending Florida high schools to qualify for in-state tuition rates at Florida universities.

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.

The Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust closed its inquiry into the lobbying activities of soccer star David Beckham, concluding he did not violate county lobbying law by failing to register as a lobbyist. In the summer of 2013, Beckham toured sites for a potential Major League Soccer stadium with Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and other county officials. Beckham and Mayor Gimenez also had dinner with the financier of Beckham’s proposed soccer venture.

The Commission cleared the site visits as a “meet and greet” function exempt from lobbyist registration rules, and other meetings with the mayor were characterized as the county lobbying Beckham to bring a soccer franchise to Miami. The Commission noted meetings with public officials do not necessarily constitute lobbying and determined Beckham was not lobbying Mayor Gimenez at their dinner meeting.

With the Major League Soccer plan gaining momentum, only individuals who are properly registered as lobbyists should be meeting with county officials to influence decisions in the matter going forward, according to the Commission’s report.

Photo of David Beckham courtesy of The Democratic Alliance on Wikimedia Commons.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced dates for a special election to fill the vacant seat of the late U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young. The primary election for Congressional District 13 will be held January 14, 2014, with a general election to follow on March 11.

The race is expected to be competitive, with some analysts predicting it could foreshadow the outcome of the 2014 midterm elections.

The new contribution limits passed earlier this year take effect today. The contribution limit for individuals, corporations, PACs, and other groups increased from $500 to $3,000 for statewide candidates, and from $500 to $1,000 for legislative candidates.

The legislation also eliminated the contribution limits for contributions to political committees.

Senate President Don Gaetz is calling for random audits of lobbying firm compensation reports. Gaetz says funding was never set aside for audits to be performed in the past, so he has asked the Senate general counsel to determine what powers the Legislature has to provide funding to conduct audits going forward.

House Speaker Will Weatherford has already indicated his support for the proposal.

Voters in House District 36 will head to the polls this fall to select a successor to Rep. Mike Fasano, who resigned to take a position as Pasco County’s tax collector.

The special primary will be held September 17, 2013, with the special general election following on October 15.

The Florida Legislature adjourned Friday, May 3, 2013, without passing an expansion of the state’s Medicaid program.

Governor Rick Scott has not indicated whether he will call a special session, or leave the issue unresolved until the next legislative session.

Photo of the Florida State Capitol building by Jenn Greiving on Wikipedia.

Two major bills passed by the Florida Legislature were signed by Governor Rick Scott late on Wednesday, May 1, 2013. The bills make significant changes to the state’s ethics and campaign finance laws.

Senate Bill 2, the state’s ethics overhaul, becomes effective immediately upon becoming a law.

House Bill 569, the campaign finance bill, takes effect November 1, 2013, except for the provisions eliminating committees of continuous existence (CCEs). CCEs are prohibited from accepting contributions after August 1, 2013, and their certification will be revoked as of September 30, 2013. Additionally, the bill requires the Division of Elections to present a proposal for mandatory electronic filing to the legislature by December 1, 2013.

For previous coverage about this legislation, see “Florida Legislature Passes Campaign Finance Bill” and “Florida Ethics Bill Heads to Governor Scott” by Jennifer Zona.

Perhaps the most talked-about piece of legislation this session, Senate Bill 2 was passed unanimously by both houses of the Florida Legislature.

The final ethics bill:

• Prohibits members of the legislature from acting as lobbyists for compensation before an executive branch agency, agency official, or employee for two years after leaving office. The version passed by the House eliminated an original provision preventing legislators from becoming lobbyists or principals of lobbying firms lobbying the legislature;
• Provides for a fine of up to $5,000 for executive branch lobbyists who fail to disclose required material facts as required or knowingly provide false information;
• Allows the Commission on Ethics to investigate whether a lobbyist has made a prohibited expenditure if a complaint is filed; and
• Prohibits vendors from providing gifts to a reporting individual or procurement employee for vendors doing business with the reporting individual’s or procurement employee’s agency.

The ethics bill was a top priority of Senate President Don Gaetz. He called the bill his “proudest moment as a senator.” The bill was sent immediately to Governor Rick Scott, who has seven days to sign or veto the bill.

The Florida House and Senate reached a compromise on contribution limits, passing a comprehensive campaign finance bill.

The major changes in the bill include:

• Elimination of committees of continuous existence;
• Requiring weekly reporting by political committees and electioneering communications organizations beginning with the 60th day prior to a primary election and continuing until the 4th day before a general election, and daily reporting beginning with the 10th day before a general election;
• Increasing campaign contribution limits from $500 to $3,000 for a candidate for statewide office or retention as a justice of the state supreme court, and from $500 to $1,000 for a candidate for legislative office, retention as a judge of a district court of appeal, or circuit judge; and
• Elimination of limits on contributions to political committees.

The original bill increased all contribution limits from $500 to $10,000. At the beginning of debate on the bill, House Speaker Will Weatherford tweeted, “today is meet me halfway day.”

While critics argue the bill doesn’t go far enough and too many loopholes remain, Senator Jack Latvala, chairman of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, said the goal is transparency. He contends money in politics isn’t going anywhere, so the best the legislature can do is require disclosure.

The bill now awaits action by Governor Rick Scott.

Governor Rick Scott has scheduled the special election for House District 2 for June 11, 2013.

A primary election will be held May 14.

The election will replace the late Representative Clay Ford, who lost his battle with cancer in March.

The Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics selected attorney Steven Cullen to be their new executive director.

Mr. Cullen was previously a judge and mediator. He replaces former executive director Alan Johnson, who left the Commission on Ethics to join the state attorney’s office.

Mr. Cullen plans to boost the commission’s public outreach and ethics education efforts.

A bill to allow lobbyist expenditures on legislators is pending before the Florida Senate. Currently, almost all expenditures by lobbyists and principals on members and employees of the legislature are prohibited.

Senate Bill 1634 provides exceptions to the ban on lobbyist expenditures, permitting:

• Individual servings of nonalcoholic beverages provided by a lobbyist or a principal as a courtesy to the attendees of a meeting;

• A single meal not solicited by the member or employee of the legislature, served as part of a scheduled meeting of an established membership organization that is also a principal, and attended by the member or employee as a featured speaker, moderator, or participant of a panel discussion; and

• Food and beverages provided as part of a widely attended event hosted by a membership organization or governmental body that is also a principal if the cost per attendee does not exceed $25.

Widely attended event is defined as one reasonably expected to be attended by at least 25 persons other than members or employees of the legislature, open to persons from throughout a given industry or profession, or to a wide range of persons interested in a given issue presented at the event.

The bill requires the houses of the legislature to establish a rule regarding registration and approval of events at which such expenditures may be made.

The new exceptions would take effect on July 1, 2013, and would expire June 30, 2015.