© 2024 WFSU Public Media
WFSU News · Tallahassee · Panama City · Thomasville
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Sen Latvala Avoids Relationship Question, Suggests Broader Ethics Reform

DXR via wikimedia commons

The Florida Senate is mired in controversy after a top democratic member admitted to an affair with a lobbyist and resigned.  Budget chief and gubernatorial hopeful Jack Latvala is interested in ethics reform—but says legislating morality is a dead end.

The Clearwater Republican bristles at questions about whether romantic relationships between lawmakers and aides or lobbyists are inherently inappropriate—Latvala contends there are more important issues.  But he admits it could be time for reform.

“Well I think an entire package of ethics reforms is probably due,” Latvala says, “some of which has been proposed and maybe some that haven’t been proposed.  And I think that would fit in with a package perhaps that said you can’t have an immediate family member who is a lobbyist.”

That’s a veiled allusion to House Speaker and potential gubernatorial candidate Richard Corcoran whose brother is a lobbyist. 

Latvala suggests House leaders are stoking controversy ahead of the legislative session to weaken the Senate.

Nick Evans came to Tallahassee to pursue a masters in communications at Florida State University. He graduated in 2014, but not before picking up an internship at WFSU. While he worked on his degree Nick moved from intern, to part-timer, to full-time reporter. Before moving to Tallahassee, Nick lived in and around the San Francisco Bay Area for 15 years. He listens to far too many podcasts and is a die-hard 49ers football fan. When Nick’s not at work he likes to cook, play music and read.