After 'wild west,' Palm Beach County lobbyists face new rules - Palm Beach Post
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
WEST PALM BEACH — People paid to lobby Palm Beach County commissioners and staffers will have to disclose how much they spend on the effort, under a new ethics rule that takes effect Saturday.
The rule change, born of a spate of corruption scandals that saw four commissioners convicted in the past five years, requires all registered lobbyists to file annual expenditure reports detailing what they spent over the last year in a variety of categories, from food and beverage to entertainment and research. Any expense over $25 made between October 2010 and this month must be reported, under the rules.
The requirements were bundled into a sweeping ethics reform package originally approved by commissioners in 2009, which included the creation of the Commission on Ethics and Office of Inspector General.
Those rules also require county officials and employees to disclose gifts valued at more than $100 that they have received over the past year. Officials and employees in all 38 cities and towns also are required to report gifts received.
Lobbyists must file the annual reports by Oct. 1 each year, and are required to fill out a separate form for each project and client they represent. Those who fail to file the forms could be barred from lobbying county officials.
County officials, however, said they will be somewhat lenient on the deadline this year.
Business leaders have expressed concerns about the new requirements, saying the disclosure form is too vague and does not clearly define what expenses must be included.
Mike Jones, president of the Economic Council of Palm Beach County and a registered lobbyist, stressed that business leaders aren't opposed to the new requirements but fear they could be penalized for failing to fill out the forms properly.
"We have gone from the wild, wild west, where we had no requirements, and we obviously had abuses, and now the pendulum has swung way to the other side," Jones said. "The form is not just a simple one (asking) - how many meals did you buy for a county commissioner each year?"
Jones pointed to expenses involving "research," which the form defines as the "procurement of information performed by independent contractors, relating to a specific issue." Lobbyists who represent developers spend most of their time doing research, Jones said. "You are asking me to report 100 percent of my salary."
Marty Rogol, who helped craft the county's new ethics rules, but not the lobbyist requirements, said the disclosures are "a good thing."
"The goal is to see who and what is being spent on wining and dining elected officials and staff," Rogol said. "The more information that the public has, the better everybody will be. If we are going to restore trust in government, this is just another way to do it."
The county's legislative affairs director, Todd Bonlarron, oversees compliance with the lobbying forms. He said his office plans to give the roughly 150 lobbyists registered must have filings postmarked by Saturday, though penalties will not kick in until Nov. 1.
"We want to make sure everybody complies," he said.
29 Sep, 2011--
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