Below is the statement released by the Coalition for Ethics Reform in response to the threatening letter sent by City Manager Rick Fernandez’s attorney to the City’s Independent Ethics Board __________________ The Coalition for Ethics Reform is outraged that, through his attorney, City Manager Fernandez has demanded an apology from Tallahassee’s independent ethics board over […]
City Manager Rick Fernandez, in a letter through his attorney, threatened individual members of the City’s Independent Ethics Board with possible legal action weeks after the Board voted to send a complaint to the Florida Commission on Ethics. The letter was first reported on by the Tallahassee Democrat. The complaint addressed a transaction between a […]
City Commissioner Gil Ziffer, who was recently elected as the 2017-2018 president of the Florida League of Cities, spoke to the News Service of Florida on a number of issues which included the possible impact of the current FBI investigation of city development deals. Reporter Lloyd Dunkelberger asked Ziffer “if he believed the ongoing FBI […]
Recently the Tallahassee Democrat reported that Tallahassee City Manager Rick Fernandez had hired a lawyer to ask the city’s Independent Ethics Board to reconsider their decision to forward a complaint against Fernandez to the Florida Commission on Ethics. That request now seems moot. Dr. Erwin Jackson, a local business owner and watchdog of local government, […]
In a bold move, the City of Tallahassee’s Independent Ethics Board decided Tuesday night that an anonymous complaint involving city manager Rick Fernandez will be referred to the Florida Commission on Ethics. The decision comes after the full City Commission has repeatedly ignored the Board’s request for more authority to address similar complaints. The decision […]
Tallahassee Reports recently published a story about a $4,700 discount on a catering bill from the Edison restaurant given to a family member of Tallahassee City Manager Rick Fernandez. The Edison restaurant, which was partly developed with city funds, has a contract with the City of Tallahassee to lease the old electric building in Cascades […]
Tallahassee Reports has learned that the City of Tallahassee’s independent ethics board has decided not to investigate the possible misuse of city resources by Mayor Andrew Gillum. Several media outlets have reported on Gillum’s use of city email and other city resources for political related activities. The order signed by Board Chair Richard Herring said […]
The City’s Ethics Board, which was created by a citizen’s referendum in 2014, is asking the City Commission to consider changes to current policies and the ethics code that “will enhance Board functions and continue building an even stronger ethical environment in City government.” In a letter to the City Commission, which also serves as […]
TR has learned that the City of Tallahassee’s Independent Ethics Board has begun an investigation into the pension payments being made to former City Commissioner Debbie Lightsey. The Executive Director of the Ethics Board, Julie Meadows-Keefe, provides a status of complaints and investigations each month. This months report, which is part of the agenda to […]
The City’s Independent Ethics Board has been considering adopting an ethics pledge for Board members since November of last year. However, it appears the Board members cannot get comfortable with the language. In addition, during the meeting, City Attorney Lew Shelley, representing the City Commission, spoke to the Board and urged them not to adopt […]