The Catch 22 of a libertarian state: Even when the facts support the need for stronger ethics laws,
it won't happen. The pattern when they get caught is to remove the offending parties or organizations, and resurrect them as something else.
An example: Under the stench of graft and cronyism, the Orlando Expressway Authority was dismantled with plans to be revive it as a regional entity. The Expressway went under with indictments of board members who testified to its cronyistic nature. Even with a pattern of long-term corruption, however, nothing will change until the public is ready to jump out of their seats with pitchforks in hand because this is Florida. That is our reality. When the cat is away, the rats will play.
So, how do you get members of the public to wake up and work together to a common goal? In Florida, there is no easy answer when you have so many who are indoctrinated to distrust government regulation.
I don't think anything will wake them up until a series of civil lawsuits bring attention to the problem. The other option is to provide whistleblower protection to anyone who has seen things that need to be exposed, especially when the newspapers are reluctant to write about them. Only when the crooks can recognize that their are personal consequences to their actions will they stop taking the risks that have supported Florida's culture of corruption.
Here's the article on the ExpressWay:
After scandal, new X-way authority needs tough lobbying, ethics laws
snip
The Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority and it's "culture of corruption" have been abolished.
But unless local leaders do things differently, the replacement board -- the Central Florida Expressway Authority (which meets for the first time at 9:30 this morning) -- could be headed down the same, sordid path.
To help address that, leaders of this new agency need to move to adopt some of the strictest ethics and lobbying laws of the land. Every contractor, lobbyist and attorney doing business before the board must be registered. All meetings and contacts with board and staff members must be documented. And there needs to be serious penalties for those who violate the rules.
The same thing goes for conflicts of interest. They must be documented and enforced.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/blogs/taking-names/os-new-xway-authority-needs-tough-lobbying-laws-20140710,0,5266330.post
