Jacksonville's Ethics Commission recently went through a two year revision process of their City's Ethics Code. The resulting updates were finally ratified by the City Council last Tuesday night. See the Times Union article below... Note that I will get the code revisions up in a separate blog entry later.

From: http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/113007/opl_221526913.shtml.

The Florida Times-Union

November 30, 2007

New ethics legislation described as model for the Sunshine State

By RON LITTLEPAGE
The Times-Union

Two laudable steps taken by the City Council Tuesday night were overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Councilwoman Denise Lee's attempt to scuttle Tony Boselli's use of a community center for programs to help at-risk children.
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For one thing, the council finally passed a toughened ethics code that had been two years in the making.

Council members also stepped up to the plate and unanimously approved a resolution opposing plans to siphon up to 262 million gallons of water a day out of the St. Johns River and its tributaries.

Carla Miller, the city's ethics officer, describes the new ethics legislation as a model for the state.

It is a major step forward, although it could be tougher.

For instance, the legislation caps the total value of gifts a council member can receive from a lobbyist at $250 a year.

However, meals purchased by lobbyists costing less than $25 don't have to be reported and won't count toward that cap.

Here's a better idea: Council members shouldn't be taking gifts, meals or otherwise, from lobbyists, period.

Can't be done? Yes, it can.

The Clay County Board of Commissioners passed ethics legislation last summer banning gifts from lobbyists.

That legislation reads: "The board finds that a zero gift limit ... should be enacted in order to better promote and preserve the integrity of the government decision-making process."

Clay commissioners understand that cozy relationships with lobbyists affect that integrity and that the loss of it isn't worth a few freebies.

Clay commissioners also found the answer to the red-herring question that's always asked:What if a council member goes to a civic club function and dines on the traditional rubber chicken dinner?

The Clay ethics code excludes from gifts "food, beverages or entertainment accepted when offered gratuitously in the course of a professional or civic meeting or group function at which attendance will assist the public servant in performing his or her official duties."

See. That's not so difficult.

The Jacksonville ethics legislation is designed to be tweaked as issues arise. A gift ban is a tweak that needs to be made now.

The resolution opposing the withdrawal of water from the St. Johns correctly points out that the Central Florida counties that would use the water to sustain out-of-control growth are doing next to nothing to conserve water now being wasted.

It also correctly states that "no one ... fully understands all of the potential impacts to the river's health and fisheries from the proposed withdrawals."

Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach have passed similar resolutions. And Mayor John Peyton wrote a letter to Kirby Green, executive director of the St. Johns River Water Management District, saying the city was "deeply concerned" about withdrawals.

Perhaps the management district, which is pushing this insanity, will get the message that it is off track and more aggressively pursue the ultimate answer to strained water supplies - conservation and desalinization.

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