Dozens of Florida ethics cases await Ron DeSantis' signature

Forty-two ethics orders recommending penalties against Florida officials are awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis' signature, according to a recent report from the Florida Ethics Commission.

Why it matters: The state's ethics board doesn't have the power to impose its recommended penalties, and fines against officials who violated Florida law cannot be collected until DeSantis signs off.

• DeSantis hasn't signed one since January 2021.

Zoom in: Six of the pending orders are associated with the Tampa Bay area, carrying fines of over $25,000. Those charged include a retired Hillsborough tax collector and a Manatee County real-estate developer, among others.

• One high-profile case involves Vanessa Baugh, a former Manatee County commissioner, who drew national scrutiny for organizing a "VIP" COVID vaccination site at a time of high demand.
• Another involved former Temple Terrace mayor Mel Jurado, who had exaggerated her educational credentials, touting a Ph.D. she obtained from a degree mill.

What they're saying: The backlog signals that Florida isn't serious about enforcing ethics laws, Ben Wilcox, research director at watchdog group Integrity Florida, told the Orlando Sentinel.

• "It is a bad message to public officials out there that they can maybe get away with violations of Florida's ethics laws," he added.

The big picture: DeSantis is pitching himself as a "law and order" presidential candidate — an image he's tried to reinforce with highly publicized removals of two state attorneys, whom he blasted for "dereliction of duty."

• Aubrey Jewett, a University of Central Florida political science professor and longtime Florida politics observer, told Axios that the backlog "undercuts his argument that he's tough on crime."
• "It opens the governor up to charges of being hypocritical, considering he hasn't finalized one ethics complaint in two years, including several where the people admit wrongdoing."

The other side: Jeremy Redfern, the governor's spokesman, did not respond to Axios' request for comment. We found no record of DeSantis addressing the ethics backlog in his public remarks.