Blueprint for Reform: New Report on Corruption in Florida

It is not often that you'll find a sweeping analysis of corruption in a state and a comprehensive blueprint for reform. So the new Statewide Grand Jury report on corruption in Florida, released on December 17, makes for interesting and unusual reading. The report comes after a wave of corruption revelations, particularly in Palm Beach County -- which Time called the "New Capital of Florida Corruption." 

The report presents statistics which show that Florida may be the most corrupt state in the nation:

Since 2000, Florida’s three federal United States Attorney’s Office districts had more public corruption convictions than any other state’s combined district totals. . . . Florida led the nation in the number of federally convicted public officials from 1998 through 2007.

The report nicely summarizes what is at stake with the corruption issue:

Given the serious fiscal limitations at all levels of government, anti-corruption efforts must stop the theft and mismanagement of vital public funds. This mismanagement and theft penalizes taxpayers by driving up the cost of allgovernment services.  Therefore, we call for an immediate repeal of what canonly be referred to as Florida's Corruption Tax.

You can read the full report below. 

Report on Corruption in Florida, 12.17

What Reform Looks Like in Palm Beach County: A New Watchdog

Palm Beach County registered a milestone in August in the slog toward cleaner government when its new Inspector General Sheryl Steckler made her first bust. She accused a code enforcement officer, Juan Carlos Valencia, of soliciting a $1,000 bribe from a homeowner to overlook a code violation.

Valencia's alleged crime is small potatoes, to be sure. But the charges signify a new era in Palm Beach County, which has struggled for years against deeply entrenched corruption in the public sector. As reported in the Sun Sentinel: 

It took three county commissioners going to prison on federal corruption charges since 2006 and a report from a state grand jury last year for the County Commission to pass measures aimed at creating transparency and accountability in local government.

That included new ethics rules for county officials, employees and the entities that do business with the county as well as the creation of a five-member, independently appointed Ethics Commission to rule on suspected violations.

At the top of the recommendations from the state grand jury was the hiring of an inspector general, who would audit county contracts, investigate tips and seek inefficiencies in government.

Sheryl Steckler has been on the job only since late June. She is likely to be a busy lady.