New Year’s Resolution: Clean Government

By Ralph De La Cruz
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting

Aaaah … New Year’s resolutions.

You might not expect them to last, but they’re worth saying just to prioritize your mind once a year.

So let’s give it a go, Florida.

At the top of my list of New Year’s resolutions for Florida would be that the state legislature implement the findings from the Nineteenth Statewide Grand Jury investigating corruption in South Florida.

The grand jury urged making violations of the state ethics code a criminal, rather than civil, violation. And pleaded with lawmakers to make specific language changes within current law to tighten embarrassingly large loopholes.

The report cited a 2002 analysis of 147 legislators by the Center for Public Integrity that found:

• 36.1 percent sat on a legislative committee with authority over a professional or business interest.
• 38.1 percent had financial ties to businesses or organizations that lobby state government.
• 15 percent received income from a government agency other than the state legislature.

The grand jury’s findings are not what most people would consider earth-shattering: calling for public officials not to make money off their decisions. Not letting known thieves and corrupters obtain state contracts. Making legislators live among the people they represent. And requiring the governor, lieutenant governor and cabinet to put their interests into blind trusts.

Revolutionary stuff, huh?

The question any thinking Floridian should have is: You mean state lawmakers don’t have to do that now?

After all, local lawmakers do. And the standards they’re held to — which often don’t apply to state lawmakers — have resulted in more corruption charges than a Jack Abramoff social.

That begs the question: What must it be like in Tallahassee?

Which is why, despite the initial chin-scratching and deep musings by state leaders, no one really expects much change. Again.

To that end, the grand jury tried to bully the legislature to action.

“The timing of this Report is intentional,” the grand jury wrote. “We recommend the 2011 Legislative Session address our concerns with urgency, so this report focuses primarily on recommendations to changes in laws of the State of Florida… We cannot ignore the reality that it is often hard to impose more severe restrictions on one’s own interests. We believe that the time for action is now, and we urge the Florida Legislature and other governmental bodies to address anti-corruption efforts using our findings and recommendations as a starting point.”

In the meantime, another grand jury is looking at the Broward County Public Schools and its construction program.

Happy New Year, Florida. May it be out with the old.