First understand, the Ethic Commission serves at the whim of the County Commission, so don't expect much.
The easy way to file a complaint:
Citizens can leave information and tips anonymously on our hotline at (305) 579-9093. The legal unit of the Commission on Ethics reviews this information, and the Advocate may, in good faith, file a complaint based on the information provided, even in the absence of personal knowledge. The Advocate is also authorized to initiate complaints without citizen initiative.
The hard way to file a complaint: (Have you ever tried to find a notary when you need one?)
Citizens can file a complaint by submitting a written notarized complaint executed on a form prescribed by the Ethics Commission. The complaint must allege a violation within the jurisdiction of the Ethics Commission, be based on substantial personal knowledge of the complainant, and include as much evidence as possible. Information and tips may also be left anonymously on our telephone hotline: (305) 579-9093. Individuals can also e-mail information to us at ethics@miamidade.gov, or via fax at (305) 579-0273.
Don't tell them I sent you, I don't think I am very popular over there.
The better way to file a complaint: (is to go with someone without their hands tied that might actually do something)
Contact the Inspector General or call (305) 579-2593. You can fill in the form easily and anonymously online... very similar to posting comments on our blog! I would go the way of the IG.
8 comments:
thanks for the answer - i believe i will do it.
I've filed several complaints with the Ethics Commission never to hear from them again. I did it in person, not anonymously, so they had a face in front of them.
Are you kidding me? Without a response from Ethics I went to the Inspector General, only to be sent back to Ethics after scolding me for contacting them. Conclusion, neither agency accepts citizen's complaints. My take is that none is independent and are afraid of the BCC and other County officials.
You are mistaken about the COE and the IG's office. The COE is independent, the IG is not. The IG is appointed by and answers to the Board of County Commissioners. The COE is not answerable to the BCC.
The COE is composed of five members, each serving staggered terms of four years at a time. The Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit appoints two of the members; the Dean of the University of Miami School of Law and the Dean of St. Thomas University School of Law share in the appointment of one member; the Director of Florida International University’s Center for Labor Research and Studies and the Miami-Dade League of Cities each appoints one member.
your comments illustrate one thing: ethics in this town sucks.... i have no faith in that phony baloney ethics board. They never find anything unethical.
I went to the IS and sat down for a debriefing with him and his staff. Eight years later and several follow-up calls came up with a response that hundreds of complaints come in each week and it is there somewhere but we just don't know where and we are short of staff and thus the need for LIQUID JUSTICE that keeps on flowing instead of getting jammed with no response to credible citizens. Who knows how to unjam the dam and not allow the County to sit on MAJOR complaints which could be very damaging to the County coffers.
I went to the Ethics Board and it turned out that nothing came from my complaint because it happened to involve the outside attorney for the ethics Board. That fell off the table rather quickly.
anon who said:
Who knows how to unjam the dam and not allow the County to sit on MAJOR complaints which could be very damaging to the County coffers.
Send us the complaints and we will print them on this blog. They will be all over the internet!!!!!!!
What happens in a community when over and over again, there are continual revelations of mismanagement, ethical lapses, possible criminal activity, large scale nepotism that is ingrained in the organizational cultures, huge sums to money unaccounted for, or used for purposes other than that which it was awarded, and many other real ethical and moral issues? . . . And nothing ever happens to the people who do these awful things?
If this continues, where will it take us?
Does it change the essence of who we are? How does it effect how we operate in this environment? How does it impact how our children see us and the larger community? What values are at risk?
I think there are a lot of us very uncomfortable in this evironment.
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