The City of Tallahassee’s Independent Ethics Board agreed last [Tuesday] night to continue discussions on why the number of lobbyists registered with the city has plummeted. Critics say there’s a loophole to evade that registration, which would require reporting one’s clients and fees.
Ben Wilcox of Citizens for Ethics Reform told the ethics board there were now 7 lobbyists registered with the city and 47 registered with Leon County. His group has been pushing for the board to tighten the definition of a lobbyist, because some people doing this work with the city are calling themselves consultants instead.
“And so that way, they didn’t have to disclose who their clients were," he said. "I mean, that’s the whole purpose of lobby registration is so the public can see the forces that are moving beneath the surface of city government to shape public policy.”
The Tallahassee City Commission hasn’t changed its definition of a lobbyist, though. Mayor John Dailey has said that’s on the advice of attorneys.
The Independent Ethics Board decided on Tuesday to consider offering the recommendation to the city commission again. The board also noted that registering with the county costs $25, whereas registering with the city costs $500.
