State ethics violator Thrasher to head Senate Ethics and Elections Committee
by Dara Kam | October 7th, 2009
Senate President Jeff Atwater tapped former House Speaker John Thrasher, the most recent addition to the Florida Senate, to head up the Ethics and Elections Committee.
Thrasher is no stranger to ethics violations. He admitted to breaking state ethics rules twice, once when he was a House member and again after he returned to lobbying.
The first violation took place in 1993 when Thrasher appeared before the state medical board as a paid representative of the Florida Medical Association. State law bans sitting lawmakers from lobbying.
In 2001, after he left the legislature and returned to lobbying, Thrasher was hit with another ethics violation.
The Jacksonville Republican lobbied lawmakers on behalf of his client the University of Miami without waiting for the two-year waiting period to elapse before former lawmakers can legally lobby current lawmakers.
Thrasher admitted he had violated the ethics laws and was chastised for the first violation and fined $500 for the second.
Tags: ethics, Florida Senate, John Thrasher, University of Miami
October 7th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
LOLOL So what was the logic used? That he has so much experience violating ethics rules that he’d be perfect for the job?
October 7th, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Only in America!
October 7th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Good job Jeff. Someone with no ethics
hires someone with ethics issues, and you wonder why the public is questioning
their representatives. Good thing you are not in my district.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:55 am
[...] despite Thrasher’s twin violations of state ethics laws – one before he became Speaker and another after he returned to lobbying – that cost him $500 and [...]