Saying that this week alone an individual has called more 35 times making threats to the Florida Commission on Ethics, the chairman of that state agency is requesting that lawmakers provide a public records exemption for the personal information and addresses of the staff and commissioners during the 2026 legislative session.
Jon Philipson, appointed by Gov. DeSantis to chair the commission in July, made that request while addressing the members of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections Wednesday afternoon.
“In this time where we’re having more political violence, more strife, the Commission on Ethics, an independent agency that serves to ensure that our Constitution is followed when it comes to ethics, is constantly under attack,” Philipson said.
He added that those attacks include a previous executive director of the commission being threatened at her personal home address after the panel denied an individual’s complaint — while that individual was exiting prison.
“The threats are real,” he said.
Another factor is that commissioners must now complete a Form 6 financial disclosure, which Philipson said was “more invasive and more expansive” than a previous version. Public officials are required to reveal their entire net worth, including the dollar amounts of bank accounts, 401(k) plans. and other assets.
___
Reporting by Mitch Perry. Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: [email protected][1].
References
- ^ [email protected] (floridapolitics.com)