In 2014, voters approved a City Charter amendment creating the Tallahassee independent Ethics Board. In December 2019, the City Commission voted to give the Board greater authority including the power to subpoena. The Board consist of seven members of which five are individually selected by the City Commission, Public Defender Office for the Second Judicial Circuit, State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit, President of Florida A & M University, and the President of Florida State University.
The Charter gives the Independent Ethics Board the responsibility to hire and supervise staff. The Ethics Board is required to maintain a structure that ensures independence and impartiality and provides for the maximum practicable input from citizens and community organizations. The Charter mandates that the Ethics Board be funded by the City Commission within its discretionary budgetary authority at a level sufficient to discharge the Board's responsibilities.
As specified in the Charter, the Ethics Board has the following duties and responsibilities:
- investigate complaints and levy civil penalties;
- manage a citywide ethics hotline for receipt of allegations of local corruption, fraud, waste, mismanagement, campaign finance and ethics violations;
- adopt bylaws and due process procedures for the administration of the Ethics Board;
- manage and coordinate the mandatory training of local officials, officers, employees, and board members in state and local ethics;
- refer ethics and corruption matters to appropriate enforcement agencies;
- recommend proposed ordinances, resolutions, or Charter amendments to the City Commission in all areas of ethics and corruption;
- increase awareness among City employees and City officials through written advisory opinions on the application of the ethics code;
- administer a campaign contribution refund program; and
- maintain an up-to-date citizen's ethics guide.
Executive Director
Dwight Floyd joined the Tallahassee Independent Ethics Board in February 2020 as the Executive Director and Ethics Officer. Before joining the City of Tallahassee, he served thirty-four years with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). During his tenure, he directed the training of law enforcement officers, corrections officers, and correctional probation officers statewide. He gave oversight to the development and administration of entry-level testing and state officer certification examinations. He also managed officer discipline cases for administrative hearings. He is native to Tallahassee, where he attended public schools before completing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Political Science with Concentration in Public Administration from Florida A&M University. He is a member of the Council on Governmental Ethics and Laws.
Board Members
| Seat / Designation |
Appointee |
Term Exp. |
| 1 / City Commission |
Ernie Paine |
12/31/2023 |
| 2 / Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Court |
Ruby Barr |
12/31/2022 |
| 3 / State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Court |
Vacant |
12/31/2021 |
| 4 / President of FSU |
Robyn Blank |
12/31/2023 |
| 5 / President of FAMU |
Bryan F. Smith |
12/31/2022 |
| 6 / At-large Seat 1 |
Carlos Rey |
12/31/2023 |
| 7 / At-large Seat 2 |
Kristen S. Costa |
12/31/2022 |
Staff
- Lucy Atkins - Administrative Assistant
- John Reid - Board Attorney
Contact Information
Interested parties may contact the Board via e-mail or phone at 850-891-6551.
The Ethics Office manages a citywide ethics hotline for receipt of allegations of local corruption, fraud, waste, mismanagement, campaign finance and ethics violations. Report and ethics violation at 850-891-6550.
To file a written complaint, please download and complete the complaint form (PDF) and mail to: Ethics Officer, 300 South Adams Street, Tallahassee, FL 32301.
To report other issues:
- Discrimination Issues, call Equity and Workforce Development at 850-891-8290
- Worker's Compensation Fraud Issues, call Risk Management at 850-891-2117
- Employee Relation Issues, call Human Resources at 850-891-8331