Anti-corruption bill is now up to the Senate

The Senate Criminal Justice Committee Monday will debate whether to cut what state prosecutors call a corruption tax. A statewide grand jury report found that public corruption costs Florida residents hundreds of millions of dollars annually.  That money, prosecutors say, represents a hidden tax paid by residents. SB 582 implements two recommendations from the grand jury report to curb bid rigging and bribery.

It defines government contractors as public servants for bid rigging and shifts the burden of proof for prosecutors from proving defendants had a corrupt intent to proving an official acted “knowingly and intentionally” when breaking the law.

The House already has acted. It unanimously passed HB 7071, a companion measure to the Senate bill, Wednesday with no debate, but with plenty of praise for its sponsor, Rep. Ritch Workman, R-Melbourne.

“It is one of the better pieces of legislation I have seen in my eight years (in office),” said House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford.

“I have never seen a rules chairman work a bill as hard as Richard Workman worked this bill,” added Rep. Evan Jenne, D-Dania Beach.

The measure is rooted in recommendations included in a 2010 grand jury report on corruption. The grand jury sat in Jenne’s district.  The initiative is backed by the Florida USA Today Network, which includes this newspaper.

The Senate proposal has the backing of two of the chamber’s heavy hitters, former Senate President Don Gaetz and the incoming chair of the Appropriations Committee, Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater.

Two weeks ago the two sparred over whether Gaetz’s proposal went too far; in essence criminalizing some long-standing traditions such as businesses providing gifts to clients.

“It got a little loud in here, but that’s okay it happens,” said Sen. Jeremy Ring, D-Margate, about the Gaetz-Latvala discussion.

Ring chairs the Government Oversight and Accountability Committee and voted no three weeks ago when it appeared the committee had killed the bill. But the no vote enabled Ring to bring the measure back for reconsideration. When he called it up two weeks ago, Latvala offered an amendment that conformed the Senate bill to the House proposal.

“It’s good to go,” Latvala said after the amendment was accepted.

Brevard County State Attorney Phil Archer praised Gaetz and Latvala for working with prosecutors and business leaders to address the concerns raised during a “very spirited discussion.” Archer endorsed the proposal.

The Senate Criminal Justice Committee will take up the measure during its Monday meeting.

Contact James Call at jcall@tallahassee.com and follow on Twitter @CallTallahassee