Florida Governor Crist calls for grand jury on public corruption

[seafan]

Source: Miami Herald

Responding to a ``rash of crimes'' by public officials, Gov. Charlie Crist announced Wednesday that he wanted to empanel a statewide grand jury to root out corruption.
But while Crist talked tough about the need for reform at a press conference, he refused to discuss his close ties to indicted political player Alan Mendelsohn, a Broward eye doctor who had once falsely claimed he could bribe Crist.

Mendelsohn, who has pleaded not guilty to federal fraud charges, funded attack ads against at least one Crist gubernatorial opponent in 2006, held fundraisers for the then-attorney general and later persuaded Crist to write a personal letter to the University of Florida to admit Mendelsohn's son to medical school.

Crist made Mendelsohn a member of his gubernatorial transition team in 2007.

``What I can air out for you is the concern this administration has for a number of cases. It doesn't center around one case at all,'' Crist said when asked about Mendelsohn.
``Since I have been governor, unfortunately, I have had to remove over 30 people from public office,'' Crist said. ``That's almost one a month. And it's obvious to me that something's wrong with the system.''

The big problem: Money, said Ben Wilcox, executive director of Common Cause Florida, a good-government advocacy group.
``To run for office, you have to raise so much money, too much money,'' Wilcox said, ``and the ones who want to give it are special interests whose bottom line is to influence public policy.''




Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/v-fullstory/story/1281767.html

[seafan]

1. This is going to be a major story for a long time to come.

Much more information in this thread:


Governor Crist calls for statewide grand jury investigation of South Florida corruption

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Who knows the mechanics of grand juries?

Is it the FBI's domain? Or does Crist appoint a special prosecutor that works through the Florida courts? How does it work?

[seafan]

11. Crist has petitioned the Supreme Court to impanel a Statewide grand jury.

According to Crist's petition:

.....

Whenever the Governor, for good and sufficient reason, deems it to be in the public interest to impanel a statewide grand jury, he or she may petition in writing to the Supreme Court for an order impaneling a Statewide grand jury.

.....

The Statewide Prosecutor will serve as the statewide Grand Jury legal adviser.

This is a long-term FBI corruption investigation, centering in Broward County, but involves associated corruption throughout the entire state.



Please see the thread below for the long and sordid story.

(I posted it in GD yesterday, before there was a hard link to a major source for LBN on what Crist was asking for; unfortunately, it dropped quickly.)




Governor Crist calls for statewide grand jury investigation of South Florida corruption

[Demeter]

12. that's Really Impressive!

Thanks for the posting and collating.

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. Can grand juries go into the realm that is usually reserved for

the Bar Association? In other words, if they find a pool of lawyers who are continually immersed in questionable activities while serving in the public interest, such as conflicts of interest between the private corps. they represent, and the government entity they also represent, does the grand jury have the power to disbar them?

[seafan]

20. Not an att'y, but the GJ would not have power to disbar, AFAIK.

If evidence is uncovered by the statewide grand jury of criminal activity --and we can hang our hats on that fact in South Florida-- I would think that the state prosecutor would be bound to investigate it, as an officer of the court.

[The Backlash Cometh]

22. Maybe we should begin a thread to discuss the Florida State

Attorney's Office? What role do they play in all this? If the FBI feels it had to step in, it could only be because the State Attorney's Office had failed in its task, right?

I have to say, that there are some odd things that I cannot explain easily. For instance, in 1995, why wasn't ex-parte communications in their realm? I have a tape where a State Attorney's rep came to fill in a group of elected officials on the main points of the Sunshine Law. What surprised me was that at the end of the discussion, a commissioner asked about ex-parte communications. The State Attorney said that he didn't know what that was and made a joke of what he thought it meant, and the City Attorney said the rep had a long drive back home and had to leave, so he would explain it later.


Well, doesn't ex-parte communications and the Sunshine Law go hand in hand?

[seafan]

13. More details on this statewide grand jury:

The panel will have the authority to indict public officials and make recommendations for changes in state law, the governor said.

Crist called for the grand jury -- comprised of 18 citizens who will meet in secret -- in a petition to the state Supreme Court, which is expected to comply with the request. The grand jury will be scheduled to meet for one year, meaning its findings could be released just before the 2010 election. Crist is a candidate for U.S. Senate.

Sun-Sentinel

[The Backlash Cometh]

17. If they allow amicus curiae briefs, it will take that grand jury longer

than a year to review the material.

[spotbird]

18. Will it be able to investigate

election fraud?

[seafan]

21. Interesting question, because there were *at least 58,000 ballots lost* in Broward Co. in 2004.

It was one week ahead of the election, and people either did not receive their absentee ballots in time, or at all, because of a mystery that was blamed on the post office, which the USPS vehemently denied after an investigation. Oh, and those ballots had party affiliation of the voters clearly stamped on the outside of the Broward Co. absentee ballot envelopes. Not in Palm Beach or Dade. Just Broward.


The current Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter (when she was a county commissioner in 2007) voted for Broward County to purchase ES&S voting machines while her husband was their lobbbyist.


The Broward Co. school board and county commission and associated spouses, friends and lobbyists are a rats' nest.

[Kermitt Gribble]

2. Will it only be Dems investigated?

Maybe this is their way of going after Grayson? Maybe Florida will be the first state to institute campaign finance reform? I won't hold my breath for that last one :)

[seafan]

3. Looks like it's 75% Republicans so far. (See link in post 1)

We need to clean house, regardless of party affiliation. The corrupted Democrats chafe my hide much more than the 'pukes. We already know what they're made of...

[Kermitt Gribble]

7. I agree. Thanks for the link. n/t

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. Grayson's district is in central FL, not south FL, and

the vast majority of his funding was self-financed.

[Kermitt Gribble]

5. Didn't see the link in post #1 stating south florida. Thanks. n/t

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. It sounds like South Florida's corruption is more $$ oriented.

In Central Florida I think you'll find a more quid pro quo style of corruption. They'll trade in land decisions or other public favors.

[wordpix]

15. ALL of FL is involved in land deal corruption. It starts on the coasts & spreads inland like cancer

I don't live in FL but I was shocked when I spent a bit over a week on the FL Gulf Coast (west side) a few yrs. ago. Despite federal and state wetlands protection laws, inland wetlands are routinely re-channeled and dredged to build ponds for golf courses and the front yards of gated communities. Coastal land development continues at an alarming pace, despite the hurricanes that regularly damage property along that coast. (Hey, why control development when the fed gov will bail you out if your home or business gets destroyed?) Huge swaths of forest are cleared for evermore condos, golf courses and shopping centers, with no end in sight. It's disgusting. Conservation and wetlands laws in FL are regularly ignored in an in-your-face kind of flouting of the law that everyone can see from any roadway or highway. :mad: :puke:

It seems obvious to me that some very high up people, no doubt in cahoots with local zoning boards and mayors, are being paid by developers (and investment bankers?) to ignore federal/state wetlands protection laws---otherwise, why would the pols allow this kind of development that is so devastating to clean water, fish and threatened wildlife? :grr:

I have a hunch this all goes right up to Jebbie Bush. :puke:

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Unfortunately, blue dog Florida dems are as corrupt as Republicans.

[The Backlash Cometh]

6. OMG

Is someone finally listening?

[seafan]

14. Speaking of FL corruption, let's include the Republican legislature.

Sun-Sentinel:

Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff questioned Crist's motives for calling for the grand jury, calling it a "half measure" since the governor has not moved for a similar probe into dealings in the Republican-run state Legislature. Earlier this year, House Speaker Ray Sansom, R-Destin, stepped down from his post amid a scandal involving a Republican Party fundraiser. He is under indictment, although most charges have been dropped.

While the grand jury will be statewide in scope, South Florida has emerged as an epicenter for public corruption. This month, Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion and School Board member Beverly Gallagher were arrested, as was Republican fundraiser and Hollywood eye doctor Alan Mendelsohn, who served on Crist's gubernatorial transition team. Since 2007, three Palm Beach County commissioners landed in jail in a federal corruption sting.

All those cases, however, were pursued by federal prosecutors, not the state. Federal authorities have more far-reaching tools to combat corruption, including the federal "honest services" law that requires public officials to act in the best interests of their constituents.

Broward State Attorney Mike Satz and his Palm Beach County counterpart, Michael McAuliffe, said state corruption laws are too weak and vague to be effective.
McAuliffe said current laws fail to give "clear notice to public officials when they cross the line." Many state anti-corruption laws that do exist are third-degree felonies that involve no jail time, he said.
"I would like to see a (statewide grand jury) focus on the state legislative front to give us new laws so the 20 state attorneys around Florida can be more effective anti-corruption crusaders," McAuliffe said.

In Tallahassee, statewide prosecutor William Shepherd stressed that the grand jury ordered by Crist is not meant to affect ongoing federal investigations in South Florida. In fact, the statewide grand jury will cover new ground, he said, taking a "broad-based look at our government, identifying shortcomings. ... Public service is no blank check for corrupt self-dealing."

In Broward, the GOP moneyman Mendelsohn is accused of siphoning money from the $2 million he raised for political campaigns in the last decade to pay a mistress and other personal expenses. Gallagher, the School Board member, is alleged to have pocketed a bribe that she slipped into a leftover bag at a restaurant. And ex-commissioner Eggelletion got snared for his alleged involvement in a money-laundering scheme.

Pointing to the scope of corruption in Florida, Crist noted he's suspended or removed about 30 people from public office since becoming governor in January 2007. That includes former Hollywood Commissioner Keith Wasserstrom and former Deerfield Beach Mayor Al Capellini.

So much corruption; so few prosecutors.

[No Elephants]

16. Mendelsohn once "falsely claimed" he could bribe Crist? How does the Miami Herald know his claims

were false? Mendelsohn funded an attack ad against a Crist opponent and Crist put him on his frickin' gubernatorial transition team in 2007. Was that just a coincidence? More to the point. when did the Miami Herald do an independent investigation and have a trial? Isn't it a litte too soon to say flatly that Mendelsohn's claim was false?

More "pure" journalism?

Is there no source left that lives by journalistic principles anymore?

I'm about ready to repeal the First Amendment for the media. If they are going to lie to benefit Republicans, instead of fulfilling the role the Constitution envisioned for them, let them be open to lawsuits. The Constitution never intended to shield them from lawsuits anyway, only from prior restraints.