Summary
Given a recent statutory amendment to Section 112.324(1)(a), Florida Statutes, an allegation in a Form 50 ethics complaint may now only be investigated if it is based on personal knowledge or information other than hearsay. See Ch. 2024-253, Laws of Florida. The Form 50 is being amended to indicate this new requirement. Moreover, the amendment will remove language from the Form 50 concerning the Commission's jurisdiction and statute of limitations, the process by which a complaint is reviewed, investigated, and prosecuted, as well as the confidentiality of ethics complaint proceedings, and the law concerning costs and attorney's fees. This material is being removed because it is general information about the complaint process but is not instructive to actually completing the Form 50, and its removal will shorten the form and make it more accessible for filers. The language being removed either repeats language included elsewhere on the Form 50, or repeats language already publicly available in other Commission laws and rules. A link also will be added to the Form 50 where filers can learn about the Commission and its procedures.