Note: A Florida state wide Grand Jury established by Charlie Crist just issued their "First Interim Report" on "A Study of Public Corruption in Florida and Recommended Solutions".
A number of case histories in the report are related to corruption committed by County officials in various Florida Counties.
I am posting a link to the full report here and a short news article, and will add my comments HERE later.
Note: The full 127 page grand jury report is HERE.
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Will corruption grand jury bring charges, change or just hot air?
Interim report reads as a plaintive cry of frustration
When a grand jury issues a report instead of indictments, it can be seen as running a white towel up the flagpole.
For nearly a year, a Fort Lauderdale-based grand jury has looked into statewide public corruption. So far, the only tangible result is
Reading it is a depressing reminder why few arrests might follow, even if Gov. Rick Scott extends the term for another six months beyond February.
The report is informative, filled with concrete proposals to toughen penalties, close loopholes and lower prosecutorial hurdles.
But mostly it's a plaintive wail, detailing how Florida's convoluted anti-corruption system lets scoundrels get away with wrongdoing.
"The public is tired of officials who abuse their position or ignore conflicts of interest," the report says. "While Florida has taken bold action in the past, the state presently ignores the reality that current laws do not go far enough to punish and deter those who are intentionally violating the law."
Among the biggest problems: Language that requires prosecutors to prove politicians acted with "corrupt intent" when charged with certain criminal offenses, and a multi-tiered system that treats violators of ethics and election laws with kid gloves.
The report urges the Legislature to criminalize certain violations that are currently civil offenses, which limits penalties to fines and not jail.
Not that the grand jury, or any of us, should hold our breath.
"We anticipate great resistance to this recommendation as it potentially holds the legislators who would pass these laws to criminal liability for what previously was only a civil violation," says the report.
In one of his first acts after taking office Tuesday, Scott signed an executive order to consider the grand jury's recommendations.
But he hasn't extended the life of the grand jury, which was convened by former Gov. Charlie Crist in the wake of corruption scandals that engulfed Broward and Palm Beach counties.
We know the grand jury has zeroed in on some more South Florida targets, including the Broward School Board's construction department.
But we don't know if its work will lead to charges, convictions or meaningful change.
The panel recommends revamping laws to keep pace with government's privatization trend, so that private workers and firms doing government-funded work — like child-welfare and prison services — are subject to public corruption statutes.
