Florida residents are Phucked when Ron and the cheating Republicans hide, obfuscate and limit and basically stop the release of the Public Records information! When does someone stand up at the state level and demand compliance?!!!
For the benefit of those interested in Florida Ethics Complaints and the importance of this program in deterring public corruption, please find a link to an initial investigation and then a follow-up investigation of a public official on an economic development board that doled out tens of millions in cash grants. The project name morphed over time from Blue Water to LifeSync to Continuum Labs to CareSync. The public official and his brother, State Senator Ben Albritton, were closely tied to the grant, as were two State Representatives. As with many investigations, underneath the cover of propriety lies a murky bottom. Here are links to the two official public record investigations: https://bit.ly/4cfD1dj AND a supplemental investigation four months later as more evidence was discovered -- https://bit.ly/3VHRBmG
I pulled it right up. Thank you for providing. Just more proof of corrupt Republican legislators again and again. Their campaign finance reports with millions going into their unlimited PAC accounts, managed by lobbyists in most cases, exhibit Property & Casualty Insurance Carriers throwing tens of millions at them as well as Regulator Patronis in bribes attempting to disguise them as campaign contributions. How much money does it take to buy a gift from Senator Paul Rennner? One million dollars. Ben Albritton is getting his fair share as is Sen.Boyd, and 2 dozen other republican legislators. Democrat lawmakers failed to get in on this game.
So, an ethics complaint must come from someone with personal knowledge? Personal knowledge is ill defined and subjective. It almost falls into the whistle-blower category. I understood the former threshold for ethics complaints against government officials was legal sufficiency. An attorney at the ethics commission decided if the complaint fell within the scope of applicability which is quite limited. Few complaints pass through the fine mesh. The ones that do are referred to an ethics investigator who goes about interviewing persons and agencies related to the complaint (usually under oath). A report of findings is submitted to the appointed commission members for a hearing. They rule if a violation occurred and determine they remedy, usually a fine, but sometimes requires the official to leave the position if the conflict would continue going forward.
Soooo, the question is, can a citizen not on either side of a conflict of interest (not a board member or, let’s say a company getting a five million dollar grant from the board, file a complaint based on the APPEARANCE of quid pro quo public corruption? Of the many citizen submitted ethics complaints I filed against commissioners and economic development board members, seventeen were fully investigated with reports of findings. Some convictions resulted and fines were paid. If the change to add personal knowledge includes citizen complaints based on public information and appearances of conflict, it’s a sad day for honest government.
We don't have any form of honest government in Tallahassee. If I knew then what I know now, I would never have chosen Florida as my place to retire. As it is, I hope to relocate to another state as soon as it becomes feasible. This is a cesspool.
Yea, I have lived in Florida most of my life and it's never been so bad. But, I will say - the economy here has never been great. It's alway been low wages and crappy jobs. A few professions can do fine (military, doctors, lawyers, real estate agents ) but it's relative. If you find another better place, please post it and why.
I keep wondering after the 10 commandants are posted in schools if church attendance on Sunday is next.
Amazing what “lack of evidence” these so called investigators “can’t” find.
Well, Dems and independents is this how it ends? The republican communists of florida. Will they require church attendance next? If so, will we be forced into a three something with the mother’s liberty chair lol ?
Mm please don't equate anything at all to do with communism to this, thanks. It shows a deep lack of understanding, and further demonizes the only political system that should be run by the people. This, like everything they do, is as anti-communal (for the people) as it gets.
The republicans are ruling the state like a despot. A despot is communism. The comment is fair and just. Have you been reading the laws they are passing? They are delay and denying public records requests. They are trying to centralize control over the universities. Ban books and take a women's rights.
The McGraw Hill textbook company from Texas that the university students use directly tells them to "hate government regulations" and "do not be a whistle blower".
So yes, the communist comment is fair and correct. That's the direction Florida is heading.
My understand is spot on correct. Not "right" but it is correct.
I support this substack - and I hope other Florida residents will support this blog. I'm tired of the crime reporting from other newspapers - honestly - I just want the facts from Tallahassee right now. That affects my life much more than crime across town.
I don't say this with any kind of malice. It's a very common misconception. I would actually encourage everybody to read the book called Everyday Utopia, which provides a map to more Blue sky thinking that can get us out of some of our bad problems, done by deeply analyzing the successes and failures of communes and communist/socialist movements, alongside analyzing the current structure and where it came from (individualism, nuclear families, single family households, etc).
I would remind you that everything most people value about our governments are actually a form of socialism - The fire department, Not-for-Profit hospitals, public school, social security, medicare, etc. Indeed, most of the things destroying us are direct, obvious outcomes of capitalism.
The communist countries quickly became corrupt. Not one utopia has truly been successful. None.
The republicans pretty much are in control over every aspect of our lives in Florida. Wages, education, books, water, women's rights gone, etc. That's communist in disguise of "democracy". Do you have any choices??? If you don't have money, you have NO choices.
No, I'm not for communistic countries that do not support women's or anyone else rights. That's a misunderstanding of the system. The communistic countries have leaders who live lavish lifestyles do not support rights at all. Why are people fleeing???
I think that's what I mean by the total fundamental misunderstanding. So according to Communist literature all of those things are bad. Communism Is the biggest government you could probably have. Women's liberation has actually always been a key principle of communist writing and I'm sorry that you've never had the chance to read any. It's actually Communists who are responsible for maternity leave And communist ideals fueled the entire labor movement. It sounds like you're operating off of a definition of what Republicans or liberals say is communism which isn't accurate. It's just propaganda That's been fed to us since the '50s.
Maybe that's what a corrupt communist government would look like, but that's true for any form of government. In this case you could say they're running it like a despot, or you could say they're just running it like the corrupt cronyist oligarchy that it is, And ever since Reagan has been carefully sculpted to be so.
You are misunderstanding and not using analysis skills. People are fleeing communist countries because of the extreme control and lack of rights. I'm sorry you are reading other literature but I'm not. The communists have offered nothing for their people and the few despots in control are living quite lavish lifestyles while pretending to be so humble.
Did you not see Alexei Navalny fight for their rights?
Florida residents are Phucked when Ron and the cheating Republicans hide, obfuscate and limit and basically stop the release of the Public Records information! When does someone stand up at the state level and demand compliance?!!!
For the benefit of those interested in Florida Ethics Complaints and the importance of this program in deterring public corruption, please find a link to an initial investigation and then a follow-up investigation of a public official on an economic development board that doled out tens of millions in cash grants. The project name morphed over time from Blue Water to LifeSync to Continuum Labs to CareSync. The public official and his brother, State Senator Ben Albritton, were closely tied to the grant, as were two State Representatives. As with many investigations, underneath the cover of propriety lies a murky bottom. Here are links to the two official public record investigations: https://bit.ly/4cfD1dj AND a supplemental investigation four months later as more evidence was discovered -- https://bit.ly/3VHRBmG
I pulled it right up. Thank you for providing. Just more proof of corrupt Republican legislators again and again. Their campaign finance reports with millions going into their unlimited PAC accounts, managed by lobbyists in most cases, exhibit Property & Casualty Insurance Carriers throwing tens of millions at them as well as Regulator Patronis in bribes attempting to disguise them as campaign contributions. How much money does it take to buy a gift from Senator Paul Rennner? One million dollars. Ben Albritton is getting his fair share as is Sen.Boyd, and 2 dozen other republican legislators. Democrat lawmakers failed to get in on this game.
It's not letting me hit the like button - I agree
So, an ethics complaint must come from someone with personal knowledge? Personal knowledge is ill defined and subjective. It almost falls into the whistle-blower category. I understood the former threshold for ethics complaints against government officials was legal sufficiency. An attorney at the ethics commission decided if the complaint fell within the scope of applicability which is quite limited. Few complaints pass through the fine mesh. The ones that do are referred to an ethics investigator who goes about interviewing persons and agencies related to the complaint (usually under oath). A report of findings is submitted to the appointed commission members for a hearing. They rule if a violation occurred and determine they remedy, usually a fine, but sometimes requires the official to leave the position if the conflict would continue going forward.
Soooo, the question is, can a citizen not on either side of a conflict of interest (not a board member or, let’s say a company getting a five million dollar grant from the board, file a complaint based on the APPEARANCE of quid pro quo public corruption? Of the many citizen submitted ethics complaints I filed against commissioners and economic development board members, seventeen were fully investigated with reports of findings. Some convictions resulted and fines were paid. If the change to add personal knowledge includes citizen complaints based on public information and appearances of conflict, it’s a sad day for honest government.
We don't have any form of honest government in Tallahassee. If I knew then what I know now, I would never have chosen Florida as my place to retire. As it is, I hope to relocate to another state as soon as it becomes feasible. This is a cesspool.
Yea, I have lived in Florida most of my life and it's never been so bad. But, I will say - the economy here has never been great. It's alway been low wages and crappy jobs. A few professions can do fine (military, doctors, lawyers, real estate agents ) but it's relative. If you find another better place, please post it and why.
I keep wondering after the 10 commandants are posted in schools if church attendance on Sunday is next.
It's better to visit Florida than to live here.
I agree
Amazing what “lack of evidence” these so called investigators “can’t” find.
Well, Dems and independents is this how it ends? The republican communists of florida. Will they require church attendance next? If so, will we be forced into a three something with the mother’s liberty chair lol ?
Stayed tuned for november.
Mm please don't equate anything at all to do with communism to this, thanks. It shows a deep lack of understanding, and further demonizes the only political system that should be run by the people. This, like everything they do, is as anti-communal (for the people) as it gets.
The republicans are ruling the state like a despot. A despot is communism. The comment is fair and just. Have you been reading the laws they are passing? They are delay and denying public records requests. They are trying to centralize control over the universities. Ban books and take a women's rights.
The McGraw Hill textbook company from Texas that the university students use directly tells them to "hate government regulations" and "do not be a whistle blower".
So yes, the communist comment is fair and correct. That's the direction Florida is heading.
My understand is spot on correct. Not "right" but it is correct.
I support this substack - and I hope other Florida residents will support this blog. I'm tired of the crime reporting from other newspapers - honestly - I just want the facts from Tallahassee right now. That affects my life much more than crime across town.
I don't say this with any kind of malice. It's a very common misconception. I would actually encourage everybody to read the book called Everyday Utopia, which provides a map to more Blue sky thinking that can get us out of some of our bad problems, done by deeply analyzing the successes and failures of communes and communist/socialist movements, alongside analyzing the current structure and where it came from (individualism, nuclear families, single family households, etc).
I would remind you that everything most people value about our governments are actually a form of socialism - The fire department, Not-for-Profit hospitals, public school, social security, medicare, etc. Indeed, most of the things destroying us are direct, obvious outcomes of capitalism.
The communist countries quickly became corrupt. Not one utopia has truly been successful. None.
The republicans pretty much are in control over every aspect of our lives in Florida. Wages, education, books, water, women's rights gone, etc. That's communist in disguise of "democracy". Do you have any choices??? If you don't have money, you have NO choices.
(The book is available on Spotify premium membership if you have one).
No, I'm not for communistic countries that do not support women's or anyone else rights. That's a misunderstanding of the system. The communistic countries have leaders who live lavish lifestyles do not support rights at all. Why are people fleeing???
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Navalny
I think that's what I mean by the total fundamental misunderstanding. So according to Communist literature all of those things are bad. Communism Is the biggest government you could probably have. Women's liberation has actually always been a key principle of communist writing and I'm sorry that you've never had the chance to read any. It's actually Communists who are responsible for maternity leave And communist ideals fueled the entire labor movement. It sounds like you're operating off of a definition of what Republicans or liberals say is communism which isn't accurate. It's just propaganda That's been fed to us since the '50s.
Maybe that's what a corrupt communist government would look like, but that's true for any form of government. In this case you could say they're running it like a despot, or you could say they're just running it like the corrupt cronyist oligarchy that it is, And ever since Reagan has been carefully sculpted to be so.
Hello,
You are misunderstanding and not using analysis skills. People are fleeing communist countries because of the extreme control and lack of rights. I'm sorry you are reading other literature but I'm not. The communists have offered nothing for their people and the few despots in control are living quite lavish lifestyles while pretending to be so humble.
Did you not see Alexei Navalny fight for their rights?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexei_Navalny
The corporations are communistic because they control and will again control each aspect of our lives.
Thank you for the discussion. :) Cheers