2006 Gift Disclosure Report Released
November 7, 2007, Miami, FL – Robert Meyers, Executive Director of the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust, examined the gift disclosure forms filed by County and municipal elected officials and employees and found 119 filings for the year 2006, more than doubling the number of filings in the previous year. Of the 119 reports on record, County elected officials filed 13 forms; 56 reports were submitted by municipal elected officials; 27 reports were filed by County employees and 25 forms were filed by municipal employees. Gift reporting is triggered when an individual under the jurisdiction of the county’s Conflict of Interest and Code of Ethics ordinance receives a gift in any one quarter that exceeds $100.
What to make of the greater rate of compliance in the current year than in previous years? The author indicates that this may represent a positive trend, but advises that one should not read too much into the increased filings, as the study has no way to ascertain whether the number of gifts offered increased or decreased in 2006 from prior reporting periods. Moreover, the report reminds the public that on a percentage basis relatively few filed gifts reports in 2006.
Based on an analysis of the forms, the executive director takes the position that wholesale changes to the gift rules are warranted. Mr. Meyers states, “When gifts in the form of entertainment and travel total several thousand dollars in some cases, it is time to re-evaluate the current gift policy that imposes no cap on the size of a gift our local public servants can accept.”
The Ethics Commission and the Ethics, Accountability and Integrity Task Force are likely to offer suggestions to the existing the gift rules in early 2008 when recommendations are forwarded to the Board of County Commissioners and the Office of the Mayor.
For a copy of the report, please visit the Ethics Commission’s website at www.miamidade.gov/ethics or call (305) 579-2594.
Media Contact: Robert Meyers, (305) 350-0613
The Ethics Commission was created in 1996 as an independent agency with advisory and quasi-judicial powers. It is composed of five members, serving staggered terms of four years each. Through a program of education and outreach, the Commission seeks to empower the community and bolster public trust.
