Florida Senate President Ben Albritton has appointed newly elected Sen. Don Gaetz to chair the Ethics and Elections Committee. This is a fitting spot for someone who fought for ethics during his previous tenure in the Florida Legislature and served on the Florida Commission on Ethics.
DIG DEEPER: When he announced the appointment of former Senate President (2012-2014) Don Gaetz to the Florida Commission on Ethics in 2020, Florida Senate President Bill Galvano said:
President Gaetz also spearheaded reforms that strengthened ethical standards within Florida’s Legislature, implementing lobbyist compensation audits and formalizing residency requirements for lawmakers. In 2018, Florida voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment authored by President Gaetz, which cements several significant reform measures as part of our State Constitution. I am honored to appoint President Gaetz to represent the Florida Senate in this important role.”
BOOTING UNDERHILL: In October 2022, Gaetz was the ethics commissioner who motioned to remove Doug Underhill from the Escambia County Commission for the District 2 commissioner’s numerous violations. Gov. DeSantis let Underhill complete his term since its end was less than a month away.
After the motion passed, I interviewed Gaetz and asked about the importance of Florida’s ethics laws.
“Well, it just seems to me, and I don’t mean this to sound like a bumper sticker, but it seems to me that Florida deserves to have its public business done honestly and openly,” he said. “And I think when we do that, when we do honest and open public business, whether we agree or disagree, whether Democrats are in charge or Republicans are in charge, we have better policies and people have an interest in and support of and belief in their government.”
Gaetz added, “Here in Florida, we want high standards; we want our government to be as good as its people and it can be.”
He also discussed giving the ethics commission “more teeth” and preventing cases from dragging on for years. Underhill’s case involved numerous delays and postponements and took almost two years to conclude.
“I’ve worked with the other ethics commissioners and now with our new executive director to move ethics complaints and cases along quickly and to give everybody due process, but to give everybody their day in court,” the former senate president said. “We’re moving more expeditiously, and that’s the case, I think, with the Underhill matter and other matters that frankly, people feel as though if they can drag it out and drag it out, then maybe it’ll go away or maybe events will occur that will make certain penalties moot. But I don’t think that’s the way the people want it.”
The News Service of Florida published the complete list of Senate committee leaders last night.
Senate Committee Leaders Named
©2024 The News Service of Florida
A day after becoming Senate president, Wauchula Republican Ben Albritton named lawmakers who will lead numerous Senate committees on Wednesday.
The selections included Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Spring Hill Republican who will chair the Banking and Insurance Committee; Sen. Tom Leek, an Ormond Beach Republican who will chair the Commerce and Tourism Committee; Sen. Alexis Calatayud, a Miami Republican who will chair the Education Postsecondary Committee; Sen. Don Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who will chair the Ethics and Elections Committee; Sen. Keith Truenow, a Tavares Republican who will chair the Agriculture Committee; Sen. Stan McClain, an Ocala Republican who will chair the Community Affairs Committee; Sen. Corey Simon, a Tallahassee Republican who will chair the Education Pre-K-12 Committee; Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, a Miami-Dade County Republican who will chair the Environment and Natural Resources Committee; Sen. Erin Grall, a Vero Beach Republican who will chair the Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee; Sen. Clay Yarborough, a Jacksonville Republican who will chair the Judiciary Committee; Sen. Jennifer Bradley, a Fleming Island Republican who will chair the Regulated Industries Committee; Sen. Jay Collins, a Tampa Republican who will chair the Transportation Committee; Sen. Jonathan Martin, a Fort Myers Republican who will chair the Criminal Justice Committee; Sen. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican who will chair the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee; Sen. Colleen Burton, a Lakeland Republican who will chair the Health Policy Committee; and Sen. Tom Wright, a New Smyrna Beach Republican who will chair the Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security Committee.
Albritton earlier named leaders of appropriations committees and former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, as chairwoman of the Rules Committee.