Senator pays for seeking handout
The state Senate reprimands Mandy Dawson for asking lobbyists to pay for her trip to South Africa.
By ALISA ULFERTS and DEIRDRE MORROW
Published April 15, 2005
TALLAHASSEE - For the third time in 30 years, the Florida Senate disciplined one of its own Thursday, publicly reprimanding Fort Lauderdale Democrat Mandy Dawson and removing her from the Ethics and Elections Committee.
Dawson, 46, violated Senate rules when she solicited money earlier this year from lobbyists to pay for a trip to South Africa.
The January trip was a trade mission sponsored by the Florida Conference of Black State Legislators and Enterprise Florida, but lawmakers had to cover the $2,500 cost.
Dawson was the only one who asked lobbyists to sponsor her trip, using official Senate letterhead to do so. To avoid impropriety, she asked them to make their checks out to the Black Caucus.
State ethics laws and Senate rules prohibit public officials from soliciting gifts from lobbyists. Funneling the money through the caucus did not absolve her, said Sen. Ken Pruitt, R-Port St. Lucie and the Senate's rules chairman.
"Although the trip had some public benefit, Sen. Dawson's solicitation was, in part, for her own personal gain," Pruitt said to a solemn Senate.
While her transgressions were read aloud, Dawson sat at her desk, shuffling papers and responding toe-mails on her wireless Blackberry. She waived her right to challenge Pruitt's findings, but did address the Senate.
In a statement, Dawson referred to a malnourished puppy she had as a child, her difficulties as a single mother and the obstacles she faced seeking her Senate seat.
And while she was sorry "if my actions have in any way affected the integrity of this body," Dawson said those who knew her best still support her.
"I believe in my heart of hearts that while my path into this body was different, my constituents see my values and still support me," Dawson said.
Less than an hour after the Senate adjourned for the day, Dawson's name already had been scrubbed from the Ethics and Elections Committee's Web site.
News of the trip surfaced at an especially awkward time for Dawson.
Senate President Tom Lee, R-Brandon, has cited the influence of lobbyist money as a reason for the Legislature's "image problem." He supports legislation requiring lobbyists to disclose their fees and how they spend money entertaining legislators.
On Tuesday, Lee said he enjoyed no part of the reprimand and complimented Dawson for her willingness to admit her mistake. That doesn't always happen, he said.
"Almost always the coverup is worse than the crime," Lee said.
Besides Dawson, the Senate punished a lobbyist on an unrelated matter. Charles Brady, a 23-year-old college student hired by the Florida State Court and County Law Librarian Association, was fined $2,500 and banned from lobbying until after the 2006 legislative session for failing to register as a lobbyist in 2004.
The three veteran lobbyists who gave Dawson money - Capitol fixtures Ron Book, Alan Mendelsohn and Larry Williams - were not punished.
Unlike Brady, no one filed complaints against the three lobbyists as required to prompt an investigation, Lee said. And even if there were a sworn complaint, Senate General Counsel Steve Kahn said the lobbyists' failure to inquire whether their donations were legal was not a clear violation of Senate rules and state law.
In 2002, when every senator had to run for reelection due to redistricting, Ron Book contributed $17,500 to senators' campaigns, Mendelsohn gave $11,500 and Williams gave nothing, though their clients gave lawmakers thousands of dollars more. Brady contributed nothing.