Gov. seeking OK to look into corruption
TALLAHASSEE (AP) – Gov. Charlie Crist is calling for a statewide grand jury to “root out” public corruption in parts of Florida.
Crist said Wednesday that a rash of crimes in South Florida prompted his petition to the state Supreme Court to seat a jury for the purpose of investigating, and indicting, if necessary, crooked public officials.
“It’s obvious to me that something’s wrong,” said Crist, who noted he has removed 30 officials from their jobs since becoming governor in January 2007. “Fundamental problems within the system … may be in fact cultivating a culture of corruption.”
Statewide Prosecutor Bill Shepherd in the attorney general’s office will be the point man on the investigation with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
A similar effort a decade ago by former Gov. Jeb Bush to toughen laws that would make it easier to ferret out public corruption was largely rejected by Florida’s Republican-dominated Legislature.
“This is a new day and a different Legislature,” Crist said.
Crist’s decision to have the high court impanel a statewide grand jury comes just two weeks after one of his top campaign contributors, Dr. Alan Mendelsohn of Hollywood, surrendered to the FBI on charges he ran a multimillion-dollar fraudulent fund raising and lobbying operation.
“It doesn’t center around any one case at all,” said Crist, who is leaving as governor after one term to seek a U.S. Senate seat next year.
Crist also said the investigation would not be limited to any area of the state and could include Wakulla County, where Crist recently declined an official request to investigate the activities of Sheriff David Harvey since it was being reviewed by State Attorney Willie Meggs, a longtime Harvey colleague in law enforcement.
“Any of these scenarios have the possibility of being looked into,” Crist said.
Three prominent politicians in Florida’s second-most populous county, Democrat-controlled Broward County, were arrested last month on federal corruption charges, accused of accepting thousands of dollars in cash from undercover FBI agents posing as businessmen seeking illegal favors.
Crist issued executive orders suspending Broward County Commissioner Josephus Eggelletion – who just hours before his arrest voted on the county’s annual budget in a late-night meeting – and county school board member Beverly Gallagher from office pending the outcome of the case.
The third person arrested, former Miramar city commissioner Fitzroy Salesman had lost his bid for re-election earlier this year.
A case that gathered far more publicity statewide involved former House Speaker Ray Sansom, a Destin Republican who was forced from his post in February after a state grand jury indicted him for perjury and official misconduct. The latter charge was recently dismissed.
Sansom took a six-figure job with a Panhandle college on the same day he formally became speaker in February. Sansom had earlier put $6 million into the state budget to build an airplane hangar for a key GOP fundraiser, Jay Odom of Destin.
That jury also indicted Odom for aiding official misconduct and former Northwest Florida State College President Bob Richburg, who was subsequently fired by the school.