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Stew Lilker’s

Columbia County Observer

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Florida News

Florida Ethics Enforcement on the Move: Up to a D-minus from an F

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Florida has received a D-minus grade in a new assessment of state government by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity. The report found that in state after state, "open records laws are laced with exemptions and part-time legislators and agency officials engage in glaring conflicts of interest and cozy relationships with lobbyists."

The report is an update of the 2012 State Integrity Investigation where Florida received an overall grade of C-minus. Florida's grade has fallen since the 2012 investigation although State Integrity does say most states have fallen, due in part to changes made to improve and update the project and its methodology.

Its concerning that in the categories of Public Access to Information and Political Financing Florida's grade fell from a D to an F grade.

In the category of Ethics Enforcement Agencies Florida's score rose slightly from an F grade in 2012 to a D-minus in 2015, despite two significant attempts at ethics reform by the legislature in 2013 and 2014.

Graphics and links added by the Observer

Ben Wilcox is the research director of Integrity Florida

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