Florida Ethics Update: Ethics Commission Determinations—July 2025 Meeting
Aug 3, 2025
During its meeting on Friday, July 25, 2025, the Florida Commission on Ethics (Commission), the constitutionally created independent agency tasked with interpreting and enforcing the State’s ethics laws, took action on a myriad of matters involving governmental officials.
Public Session
Agency Welcomes New Members
The Commission began its meeting by welcoming two new members to the board—Jon M. Philipson and Jeremy M. Rodgers.
Rodgers was appointed to serve on the Commission by Governor Ron DeSantis on June 30, 2025. Rodgers is a Field Chief Technology Officer for Armis. He previously served as the Chief Information Security Officer for the State of Florida and was elected as a City Councilman for the City of Boca Raton.
Philipson was appointed to serve on the Commission by Governor Ron DeSantis on July 11, 2025. Philipson is an attorney and Shareholder at Gunster. Active in his community, he currently serves as a member of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida’s Grievance Committee, the Tampa Jewish Community Centers and Federation Board, and the University of Florida Law Alumni Council.
Rejection of Draft Ethics Opinion to Pave the Way for Private Business Owned by Flagler District School Board Member to Sell Educational Services to Flagler Students
The Commission rejected a draft formal ethics opinion No. 2817 which followed years of Commission precedent finding that businesses owned by District School Board members could not sell or market educational services to schools or students within their own District as such activity would create a prohibited conflict of interest.
Rather, at the July 25 meeting the Commission voted to reject the draft ethics opinion in favor of seeing an alternative analysis at a subsequent meeting finding that no prohibited conflict of interest would be created if a business owned by a District School Board member were to sell services to students within the District.
Approval of Ethics Opinion to Cooper City Commission Member Requiring the Disclosure of Tickets as a Gift
The Commission voted to adopt and approve draft formal opinion No. 2822 finding that a member of the Cooper City Commission must file a gift disclosure (Form 9) if he personally received event tickets worth over $100, when the tickets are obtained using City discretionary funds.
However, the opinion further found that gifts provided to the City Commissioner as a result of his role on the board of directors of the Broward League of Cities, a private nonprofit corporation, are not considered reportable gifts due to the application of an exception to the definition of “gift” that exempts gifts “associated primarily” with an official’s service as an “officer or director of a corporation or organization.”
Ethics Legislative Proposals for 2026 Session
Each year the Commission on Ethics submits proposals to the legislature which it believes will strengthen the Florida Code of Ethics. At the meeting the Commission considered the draft Legislative Recommendations for the 2026 Session and provided guidance to Commission staff concerning additional considerations and deliberations concerning the 2026 proposals which are ongoing.
Executive Session
During its closed session meeting (wherein confidential and exempt matters are addressed) the Commission took action on thirty-five (35) matters. In a Press Release issued July 30, 2025, the Commission made the following findings.
Ethics Complaints Considered for Probable Cause
During the Executive Session meeting, eleven (11) ethics complaints were considered for probable cause. Commission determinations regarding probable cause are based upon the ethics complaint, the Report of Investigation, the Advocate’s Recommendation, as well as written statements submitted by the respondent (against whom the complaint is filed) and any oral statements made at the meeting. A finding of probable cause is not a determination that a violation has occurred. Such a determination is made only after a full evidentiary hearing on the allegations at the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH).
The Commission considered a complaint filed against St. Pete Beach City Manager, Alex Rey, and found no probable cause to believe that he misused his position by making payments to a vendor that exceeded his expenditure authority, awarded contracts without the required Commission approval, and failed to provide oversight of P-card transactions.
The Commission considered a complaint filed against Lake Worth Beach City Commissioner, Reinaldo Diaz, and found probable cause to believe he failed to timely file his 2023 Form 1, Statement of Financial Interests. An allegation that he failed to timely file his 2022 Form 1, Statement of Financial Interests, also resulted in a finding of probable cause, however, the Commission decided to take no further action on the late-filed 2022 Form 1 due to the particular circumstances of the matter.
The Commission considered a complaint filed against Executive Director for the Jupiter Inlet District, Joseph Chaison and found no probable cause to believe that he abused his position to obtain a disproportionate benefit or misused his position by failing to report or document paid time off, increasing benefits without approval, and lying about staff salary increases.
No probable cause was found on an allegation that the City Manager of Deltona, Dale “Doc” Dougherty, abused his position to obtain a disproportionate benefit or misused his position by sexually harassing an employee and retaliating against the employee after the alleged incidents were reported to human resources.
In a matter involving Cooper City Commissioner, Ryan Shrouder, no probable cause was found on allegations that he misused his position when he conditioned his support for a nonprofit’s request for a change in a City policy affecting the organization, on the resignation of the nonprofit’s president, whom Mr. Shrouder believed was stealing funds from the organization.
Probable cause was found to believe that Gadsden County Commissioner, Ronterrious Green, had a conflicting contractual relationship that created a continuing or frequently recurring conflict between his private interests and the performance of his public duties, when he approved multiple contracts for his landlord.
The Commission considered a complaint filed against Key West City Commissioner, Monica Haskell, and found no probable cause to believe Ms. Haskell had a voting conflict when she voted on a measure affecting dock usage that could impact her son’s business.
No probable cause was found on allegations that Fellsmere Water Control District Board of Supervisors, Richard Carnell, was doing business with the District, had employment or a contractual relationship with an entity doing business with the District, or had a voting conflict regarding the hiring of a company in which Mr. Carnell was an officer.
No probable cause also was found on similar allegations in a complaint filed against the Fellsmere Water Control District Board of Supervisors Member, Greg Nelson, regarding a business in which he had an ownership interest.
In a complaint filed against Key West City Commissioner, Samuel Kaufman, the Commission found no probable cause to believe Mr. Kaufman had a prohibited business relationship or a conflicting contractual relationship that created a continuing or frequently recurring conflict between his private interests and the performance of his public duties, or had a voting conflict when the City Commission allocated funds to 18 nonprofit service providers, including the Florida Keys Outreach Coalition where Mr. Kaufman serves as a board member.
A self-initiated investigation – required by statute – to determine if Ben Gainer, who formerly served on the Board of Supervisors for the Cypress Mill Community Development District, willfully failed to file his 2020 Form 1, resulted in a finding of probable cause. However, the Commission elected to take no further action on the allegation due to the particular circumstances of the matter.
Ethics Complaints Dismissed for Lacking Legal Sufficiency
The Commission also reviewed and dismissed twenty-four (24) ethics complaints for lacking legal sufficiency. These reviews are limited to questions of jurisdiction and determinations as to whether the contents of the complaint are adequate to allege a violation of the Code of Ethics or other laws within the Commission’s jurisdiction. In any matter where a complaint is found legally insufficient and dismissed, the Commission will issue an order explaining the rationale for the dismissal which is a public record accessible to the public upon request.
At its meeting the Commission dismissed complaints filed against the following public servants due to a lack of legal sufficiency: AL TAYLOR, Titusville Board of Adjustment/Appeals Chairman; WAYNE ANDERSON, Village Community Development District 8 Supervisor; DON KING, Kenneth City Town Manager; MEGAN ZEMAITIS, Kenneth City Mayor; LINDA HUDSON, Fort Pierce Mayor; RACHEL TENNANT, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority Director; VIRGINIA GIANAKOS, Lake St. Charles CDD Supervisor; HALINA DEV, Florida Commission on Human Relations Investigator; STEVE BELDEN, Fort Myers Director of Community Development; GARY ROBINSON, Fort Myers Code Enforcement Officer; BOB STEVENS, Marshall Creek CDD Supervisor; GENECE MINSHEW, Fernandina Beach City Commissioner; DEAN BLACK, Member of the Florida House of Representatives; BRANDON NEWSOM, Holmes County Commissioner; MICHAEL CLARK ECKERT, Marshall Creek CDD Attorney; MIKE NORRIS, Palm Coast Mayor; DANIEL VIAUD, Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works Administrative Officer; TROY THOMPSON, Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Chief of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement/FHP; NANCY BENAVIDES, Florida State University Dean, College of Law; SARAH ELIZABETH ROBINSON, Brevard County School District Principal; MIKE WILLIAMS, Brevard County School District Resource Officer; HEATHER LEGATE, Brevard County School District Principal; DUKERSON JEAN-PAUL, Florida Department of Children and Families, Child Protective Investigator Supervisor; PIERRE EDOUARD, Young Men’s Preparatory Academy Principal.
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