The Fort Lauderdale Charter Review Board reviewed a proposed code of conduct for board and committee members, including a requirement that members sign a written affirmation to remain on file with the city clerk, prohibitions against profanity and threatening language, and guidance about conflicts of interest and state ethics processes.

Why it matters: Board members said a written code would give the city a basis for complaint-handling and clarify expectations for conduct, disclosures and interactions with staff and the public. Members discussed limits on board membersmanaging city affairs, the prohibition on using a staff liaison as a conduit for board deliberations, and how the Florida Commission on Ethics and county rules fit together.

Paul, a city staff presenter, told the board the proposed language was drafted after past incidents where no written standard existed for elected officials; staff said the final ordinance had been adopted by the commission but not yet codified in the municipal code. The draft includes references to the government-in-the-sunshine statute (section 286.011) and to Chapter 112 provisions that govern state ethics. Members were told county attorneys can provide binding opinions under county code, while the Florida Commission on Ethics issues binding opinions on state ethics law.

The code addresses disclosure when a member or their business has a relationship to a matter before the board and reminds members that two or more members attending the same off-site civic meeting can raise sunshine-law notice issues. Staff said the clerk would provide a standard written affirmation for members to sign, and that the clerk would distribute it for signatures.

The board discussed enforcement limits: staff cannot issue binding opinions on state ethics; only the Florida Commission on Ethics can do that. County code may permit binding opinions from county attorneys for county-code issues, but that typically applies to elected officials rather than advisory board members. Members asked for examples and a plain-language one-page summary for future distribution.

No formal vote to adopt the code was taken at this meeting; the board asked staff to obtain and distribute the written affirmation form and to circulate summary materials that clarify disclosure rules and sunshine-law implications for members who attend civic-association meetings.