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Tallahassee ethics board approves advisory limiting elected officials' fundraising links on social media
Summary
The Tallahassee Independent Ethics Board on Oct. 21 approved an advisory opinion saying elected officials may announce participation in community events on official pages but should not post links that directly solicit donations or direct users to individual fundraising pages.
The Tallahassee Independent Ethics Board on Tuesday approved an advisory opinion saying elected officials may announce participation in civic or charitable events on official social-media accounts but must not use those accounts to solicit contributions or link to individual fundraising pages that primarily solicit donations.
The opinion, requested by Commissioner Jack Porter about her planned participation in a charity Dancing with the Stars event for Legal Services of North Florida, concludes that "Yes. You could discuss the event. No. You cannot fundraise," a staff presenter told the board during the meeting. The board voted to approve the opinion with amended language clarifying permissible informational links.
Board staff presented an analysis dividing the question into two principal concerns: misuse of public position and solicitation or acceptance of gifts. The staff review found no bar to participation in the charity event itself and noted that Legal Services of North Florida is a 501(c)(3). The legal analysis examined whether promoting the event on an official page could constitute a special benefit or improper use of city resources if it directed the public to a third-party fundraising page tied to an individual participant.
John Reed, the staff member who presented the opinion, told the board that promotion that directs users to an externally hosted page for an individual participant—"a page created by Legal Services of North Florida for each participant" with fundraising thermometers and donate buttons—crosses the line into solicitation. Reed also said a generic informational link to an organization or event would "likely not violate the ethics code, but proceed with caution" and recommended language that limits permissible links to landing pages that are not established for the primary purpose of fundraising.
Members discussed distinctions between official city accounts and personal or campaign accounts, and the risk that personal posts using official titles can blur the line into official communications subject to public-records laws. The opinion cites chapter 119 (public records) in explaining that communications by officials can be public even when posted from private devices or accounts.
Board members asked for clarifying wording to make explicit that neutral, informational posts may include a generic link to an organization or event page so long as the landing page is not primarily a donation portal. Reed and other members discussed a February 2025 appellate case—Hill v. Commission on Ethics—that the staff said draws a distinction between passive, informational links and active solicitation.
The board approved the advisory opinion, inclusive of the amended language limiting links to non‑fundraising landing pages. The motion to approve the advisory opinion with the added language was made and seconded; Patrick Kelly seconded the motion and the voice vote was unanimous.
The board recorded that the opinion is advisory and encouraged future requests for guidance if questions remain about specific pages or posts. Members asked staff to revise the opinion text to include the clarifying sentence on permissible generic links before final publication.
ACTIONS AT A GLANCE: The board approved an advisory opinion (2025-03) on elected-official social-media use and fundraising links; the vote was recorded as unanimous.
