Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics dismisses complaint against South Bay city manager; elects Romano chair

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — The Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics on March 5, 2026 read and entered an order dismissing a complaint filed against City of South Bay manager Leandre Camel, concluding there was no probable cause to find a violation of the county Code of Ethics.

The commission’s written decision, read into the public record by the vice chair, states that after reviewing the investigative report, the probable-cause recommendation, and hearing statements from the advocate and the respondent, the commission concluded "probable cause did not exist because there was no evidence that respondent took any action that violated the Palm Beach County Code of Ethics." The order was signed by Rodney Romano, chair of the Commission on Ethics, and dated March 5, 2026.

The dismissal resolves a complaint filed by Bobby King alleging that the respondent may have used his position for personal gain in violation of section 2-443(a) (misuse of public office or employment) of the Palm Beach County Code of Ethics. The commission’s announcement did not include a separate recorded vote count; the decision was announced in public session following the commission’s probable-cause hearing.

The meeting also addressed internal leadership and administrative business. Commissioners elected Rodney Romano to serve as chair for a one-year term and elected Alan Blass as vice chair following nominations and voice votes. The commission approved the minutes of its Feb. 5, 2026 meeting.

In an executive director report, staff described recent outreach and engagement activities including school events and municipal presentations, and noted that several municipalities issued proclamations declaring March as ethics awareness month. The director reported that a COE review committee met to discuss proposed changes to the COE ordinance that are intended to bring the ordinance into compliance with Florida law; among the changes mentioned were (1) removing the commission’s ability to self-initiate complaints and (2) setting up a process to recover costs and fees for frivolous or groundless complaints. The executive director said those proposed amendments will be presented to the Board of County Commissioners for review and approval.

The director also introduced the commission’s first intern, Kev Simpson, a senior at Florida Atlantic University serving as a community engagement ambassador.

Commissioners offered brief remarks welcoming the newly sworn members and the meeting was adjourned and scheduled to reconvene at 2:30 p.m. for the Inspector General Commission meeting.