BEFORE THE
STATE OF FLORIDA
COMMISSION ON ETHICS
In re ROBERT HILDRETH )
)
DOAH
Case No. 93-3908EC
Respondent. ) Complaint
No. 91-146
)
Final
Order No. COE 94-31
_________________________)
FINAL ORDER AND PUBLIC
REPORT
This matter came before the Commission on Ethics on the Recommended
Order rendered in this matter on May 23, 1994 by the Division of Administrative
Hearings (DOAH) [a copy of which is attached and incorporated by
reference]. The Hearing Officer, recommends
that the Commission enter a final order and public report finding that the
Respondent violated Section 112.313(4), Florida Statutes, by accepting a free
membership in the Coral Gables Country Club, and finding that the Respondent
violated Section 112.3148, Florida Statutes (1989), by failing to disclose the
same on his financial disclosure statements for the years 1989 and 1990. In addition, the Hearing Officer recommends
a total penalty of $1,502.
The Respondent filed exceptions to the Recommended Order and the
Advocate filed a response to the Respondent's exceptions.
The Respondent takes exception to various portions of the Recommended
Order. Each of the exceptions will be
dealt with individually below.
Under Section 12O.57(1)(b)10, Florida Statutes, an agency may reject or
modify the conclusions of law and interpretations of administrative rules
contained in the recommended order.
However, the agency may not reject or modify findings of fact made by
the Hearing Officer unless a review of the entire record demonstrates that the
findings were not based on competent, substantial evidence or that the
proceedings on which the findings were based did not comply with the essential
requirements of law. See, e.g., Freeze
v. Dept. of Business Regulation, 556 So.2d 1204 (Fla. 5th DCA 1990); and
Florida Department of Corrections v. Bradley, 510 So.2d 1122 (Fla. 1st DCA
1987). Competent, substantial evidence
has been defined by the Florida Supreme Court as such evidence as is
"sufficiently relevant and material that a reasonable mind would accept it
as adequate to support the conclusions reached." DeGroot v. Sheffield, 95
So.2d 912, 916 (Fla. 1957).
The agency may not reweigh the evidence, resolve conflicts therein, or
judge the credibility of witnesses, because those are matters within the sole
province of the hearing officer.
Heifetz v. Dept. of Business Regulation, 475 So.2d 1277, 1281 (Fla. 1st
DCA 1985). Consequently, if the record
of the DOAH proceedings discloses any competent, substantial evidence to
support a finding of fact made by the Hearing Officer, the Commission is bound
by that finding.
Having reviewed the Recommended Order, the Respondent's exceptions, the
Advocate's response to the Respondent's exceptions, and the record of the
public hearing of this matter that has been placed before the Commission, and
having considered the arguments of the Respondent and the Advocate made before
the Commission at its final consideration of this matter, the Commission makes
the following findings, conclusions, rulings, and recommendations:
Rulings on Respondent's
Exceptions
1. The Respondent takes
exception to the Hearing Officer's treatment of his proposed finding of fact 5,
apparently arguing that such a finding should have been made on the basis of
unrebutted testimony and that such a finding would have shown that the
Respondent received nothing of value by virtue of his complimentary Country
Club membership because he already received the privileges of membership from
the City itself because he was a City official entitled, under the City's lease
agreement regarding the Country Club, to enter the Club and dine at its
restaurant. The Respondent's proposed
finding 5 reads: "The lease provided for City officials to inspect the
Country Club premises. In the opinion
of at least one Country Club director, this right allowed City officials,
including commissioners, to enter the Country Club and, if they desired, buy a meal
at the restaurant. "In the
appendix to the Recommended Order, the Hearing Officer rejected this proposed
finding as "subordinate to the facts actually found."
Under Section 120.57(1)(b)10, Florida Statutes, it was within the
province of the Hearing Officer to reject or accept the testimony underlying a
proposed finding of fact. Further, the
Hearing Officer was free to weigh various and conflicting evidence presented in
the matter and was free to draw from that evidence her factual view of the controversy,
and the Hearing Officer's factual findings cannot be disturbed by our review
unless they are not based upon competent, substantial evidence. The Hearing Officer cannot be faulted for
believing that the membership bestowed value upon the members and for rejecting
the proposed finding (and in effect the testimony upon which the proposed
finding was based) that the City's lease rights rendered the membership
valueless to the Respondent. There is
competent, substantial record evidence to support the Hearing Officer's
determination that the membership privileges bestowed upon the Respondent by a
private entity were a thing of value to the Respondent.
Therefore, this exception is
rejected.
2. The Respondent takes
exception to the Hearing Officer's treatment of his proposed finding of fact 6,
arguing that the proposed finding shows that the Respondent received nothing
from the complimentary membership that the City did not already receive under
the lease as the Country Club's landlord.
The Hearing Officer rejected this proposed finding as
"unnecessary." This proposed
finding reads: "The lease also required that the Country Club allow the
City access to the Country Club, and allow the City to use the Country Club
upon reasonable notice."
Even had this proposed finding been accepted, it would not conclusively
establish that City use of Club property, premises, or facilities amounted to
the Respondent's right to use the same, free of charge, in the same manner in
which he was entitled to use them as a complimentary member of the Club. Therefore, for this reason and for the
reasons set forth above in response to the previous exception, this exception
is rejected.
3. The Respondent takes
exception to the Hearing Officer's treatment of his proposed finding 14 which
reads: "Ed Brownell, a member of the Country Club for 27 years and a
member of the board of directors for several years, testified at the hearing
about the history of the Country Club's policy of granting complimentary
memberships. His testimony was
unrebutted. The policy began when City
founder George Merrick founded the Country Club. From the beginning, honorary memberships were given to City
officials, and later on to others as well.
They were given to City leaders.
The honorary memberships in the Country Club were given simply as a
gesture of goodwill. The policy was not
designed to influence anyone's official actions. "The Hearing Officer
accepted the substance of the first and third sentences of this proposed finding,
rejected the last sentence as constituting a conclusion of law, and rejected
the remainder of the proposed finding as not being supported by the greater
weight of the evidence. Assuming that
the last sentence of proposed finding 14 is a proposed finding of fact rather
than a proposed conclusion of law, its rejection is within the province of the
Hearing Officer and there is competent, substantial evidence of record to
support the Hearing Officer's contrary determination that the Country Club
memberships were given in order to influence official action. As to the portion of proposed finding 14
which was rejected by the Hearing Officer via a weighing of the evidence, we are unable under Section
120.57(1)(b)10 to disturb her factual
determination; any differences in the Hearing Officer's ostensibly contrary
rulings in the Zahner and Barker complaints cannot change the standard of
review under Section
120.57(1)(b)10. Further, even
had the proposal that Ed Brownell testified in a certain way regarding the
reason for the bestowal of the free Country Club memberships been accepted, its
acceptance would not negate the other findings of the Hearing Officer
supporting her determinationthat violations occurred.
Therefore, this exception is rejected.
4. The Respondent takes
exception to the Hearing Officer's rejection of his proposed findings 16 and
17, arguing that characterizing a proposed factual finding as "unnecessary"
is no reason to reject it if the evidence supports it and arguing that proposed
findings 16 and 17 demonstrate that the Respondent received no value from his
complimentary membership because, prior to his election as Commissioner, his
private employer paid his dues and that therefore the employer and not the
Respondent received a benefit from the complimentary membership.
Under Section 120.57(1)(b)10, the Hearing Officer is the judge of the
evidence, the witnesses, and the facts.
It is up to the Hearing Officer to weigh the evidence, draw any
inferences from the evidence, and find the facts. Merely because the Respondent proposed inferences or facts
exonerative of himself, in which the Hearing Officer as judge of the facts did
not concur, does not mean that the factual findings contained in the
Recommended Order are not supported by competent, substantial evidence. Further, even had proposed findings 16 and
17 been accepted by the Hearing Officer, the same do not conclusively show that
the Respondent's employer would have paid his Club membership for the time he
received it as a public official merely because the employer paid in 1982. However, this exception is accepted to the
extent that the Commission on Ethics finds that the Respondent's employer paid
his initiation and dues for one year in 1982.
Therefore, this exception is rejected in part and accepted in part.
5. The Respondent takes
exception to what he refers to as the Hearing Officer's failure to include
certain of his proposed findings in the Recommended Order. However, much, if not all, of the substance
of these proposed findings is included in the body of the Recommended Order,
although the phraseology may not be exactly the same as that proposed by the
Respondent. Respondent's proposed
finding 15 is included in paragraphs 20 and 33 of the Recommended Order;
proposed finding 20 is included in paragraphs 32 and 33 of the Recommended
Order; and proposed finding 22 is included in paragraphs 17 and 20 of the
Recommended Order.
Therefore, these exceptions are rejected.
6. The Respondent takes
exception to the Hearing Officer's use of the preponderance of the evidence
standard in this matter rather than the clear and convincing evidence
standard. The Commission on Ethics has
held that the preponderance of the evidence standard applies. Moreover, this matter does not involve
revocation of a professional license (the loss of someone's livelihood) and
therefore is not the type of administrative case in which the more stringent
standard has been applied. See, e.g.,
In re MICHAEL E. LANGTON, 14 F.A.L.R. 4175
(Fla. Comm. on Ethics 1992).
7. The Respondent takes
exception to paragraph 43 of the Recommended Order, arguing that the Hearing
Officer erroneously concluded that the Respondent received a "thing of
value" from the Country Club because at the time the Respondent received
the Country Club membership his private employer was paying his membership to
the Country Club.
This exception is rejected. The
Country Club membership entitled the Respondent, not his private employer, to certain
privileges, and no determination was made by the Hearing Officer, nor evidence
admitted, that the private employer would have paid the membership for the Respondent for the years he held it by
virtue of his official status.
8. The Respondent takes
exception to paragraph 44 of the Recommended Order, arguing that the Hearing
Officer should not have concluded that the Country Club membership was given to
influence the Respondent's official actions because "[t]he undisputed evidence showed that it has been
a tradition since the founding of the Country Club to offer complimentary
memberships to community leaders."
In support of this argument, the Respondent cites In re JAMES RESNICK,
14 F.A.L.R. 1002 (Fla. Comm. on Ethics 1991).
In addition, the Respondent argues that this determination was in error
because "[w]hile [the leaders receiving free memberships] included City
officials, several persons not City officials also received complimentary memberships," and "because of the landlord/tenant relationship
between the City and the Country Club, a unity of interests existed between
them such that complimentary memberships in the Country Club were not intended
to influence official action."
Resnick is distinguishable on its facts from the instant matter. Moreover, a gratuitous practice having a
history is not a defense to a charge involving Section 112.313(4), Florida
Statutes. See In re WINSTON W. "BUD" GARDNER, 15 F.A.L.R. 2595, 2612 (Fla. Comm. on Ethics 1993). Further, the fact that the Club may have
also been seeking to influence other community leaders who were not public
officials does not mean that public official community leaders, including the
Respondent, were not sought to be
influenced. In addition, since it is
obvious that the interests of a landlord and its tenant are not always the
same, a tenant may very well seek to influence those with the power to make or
influence decisions on behalf of the landlord, and the record in this matter
shows that there were instances involving the City and the Country Club in
which action or conduct by the City would have been of consequence to the Club.
Therefore, this exception is rejected.
9. The Respondent takes
exception to paragraph 45 of the Recommended Order, arguing that the Hearing
Officer erred in concluding that the Respondent should have known that the
Country Club membership was given to influence his official action because
since such memberships were traditional
the Respondent merely assumed he was receiving a traditional honorary
membership. In support of this argument
the Respondent cites CEO 75-180 and CEO 89-40.
As stated in our rejection of the previous exception above, the fact
that a gratuitous practice has a history or is "traditional" is not a
defense to a charge under Section 112.313(4), Florida Statutes. See Gardner, supra. CEO 75-180 is
distinguishable from the instant matter because in that opinion there was no
relationship between the country club providing the membership and the State
University System, of which the recipient was a public official. The lack of a relationship or lack of potentially competing interests is not
present in the instant matter. In CEO
89-40, the social club offering the free or reduced fee membership and the club
member nominating the public official (a county property appraiser) for
membership were merely property owners within the county, as were many, many
other persons and entities, there was not present the particular
landlord/tenant relationship as in the
instant matter wherein issues involving potentially competing interests were
actually addressed and subject to influence.
Further, the Respondent's harboring of a subjective question in his mind
as to whether his acceptance of the Country Club membership was an ethical
conflict is not determinative of the objective, constructive knowledge element
of an offense under Section 112.313(4).
Therefore, this exception is rejected.
10. The Respondent takes
exception to paragraphs 47 and 48 of the Recommended Order, arguing that the
Hearing Officer erroneously concluded that the membership was not "honorary"
and therefore that it had to be reported, arguing that the membership was part
of a tradition bestowed on both private and public leaders, and arguing that
CEO 89-40 finds that complimentary memberships do not have to be disclosed.
This exception is rejected. Such complimentary memberships do have to be disclosed and CEO 89-40
so held; such memberships have real and tangible benefits and thus are not
"honorary." Mere history or
tradition of a practice is not a defense to ethical charges. See Gardner, supra.
11. The Respondent takes
exception to paragraph 49 of the Recommended Order, arguing that the Hearing
Officer erroneously concluded that the Dade County Court's order involving the
Respondent precludes a determination that the membership was not
"honorary" requiring no disclosure.
The ethics action on the lack of disclosure charges under Section
112.3148, Florida Statutes (1989), is not barred or controlled by the Dade
County Court's ruling in the criminal prosecution. See Florida Bar v. Musleh, 453 So.2d 794 (Fla. 1984), Walley v.
Fla. Game and Fresh Water Fish Com'n, 501 So.2d 671 (Fla. 1st DCA 1987), and
Todd v. Carroll, 347 So.2d 618 (Fla. 4th DCA 1977).
Therefore, this exception is rejected.
12. The Respondent takes
exception to the Hearing Officer's recommendation that the Commission find that
the Respondent violated Section 112.313(4) in regard to the Coral Gables
Country Club. Further, the Respondent
argues that if a penalty is recommended by the Commission it should be reduced
from that recommended by the Hearing Officer due to several mitigating factors.
The exceptions to the penalty recommendations of the Hearing Officer are
accepted as specified below.
FINDINGS OF FACT
The Findings of Fact set forth in the Recommended Order are approved, adopted,
and incorporated herein by reference, except as modified above.
CONCLUSIONS OF LAW
1. The Conclusions of Law set
forth in the Recommended Order are approved, adopted, and incorporated herein
by reference.
2. The Commission finds that the
Respondent, James Barker, violated Section 112.313(4), Florida Statutes, by
accepting a free membership to the Coral Gables Country Club, and that he
violated Section 112.3148, Florida Statutes (1989), by failing to disclose the
same on his financial disclosure filings for the years 1989 and 1990.
RECOMMENDED PENALTY
Therefore, the Commission on Ethics
hereby recommends that a civil penalty of $200.00 (two hundred dollars) and
restitution of $750.00 (seven hundred fifty dollars) be imposed upon the
Respondent for the violation of Section 112.313(4), Florida Statutes, involving
the Coral Gables Country Club and that a civil penalty of $1.00 (one dollar) be
imposed upon the Respondent for each of
the violations of Section 112.3148,
Florida Statutes (1989), for a total of $952.00 (nine hundred
fifty-two dollars). The civil
penalty recommended by the Hearing Officer is mitigated because the Respondent
sought and obtained legal advice from the City Attorney regarding the
complimentary Country Club membership.
ORDERED by the State of Florida Commission on Ethics meeting in public
session on Thursday, July 14, 1994.
____________________
July 20, 1994
Date Rendered
____________________
N. David Flagg
Acting Chairman
THIS ORDER CONSTITUTES FINAL AGENCY
ACTION. ANY PARTY WHO IS ADVERSELY
AFFECTED BY THIS ORDER HAS THE RIGHT TO SEEK JUDICIAL REVIEW UNDER SECTION
120.68, FLORIDA STATUTES, BY FILING A NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE APPEAL PURSUANT
TO RULE 9.110, FLORIDA RULES OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE, WITH THE CLERK OF THE
COMMISSION ON ETHICS, 2822 REMINGTON GREEN CIRCLE, SUITE 101, TALLAHASSEE,
FLORIDA 32308; OR P.O. DRAWER 15709, TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA 32317-5709; AND BY FILING A COPY OF THE NOTICE OF APPEAL
ACCOMPANIED BY THE APPLICABLE FILING FEES WITH THE APPROPRIATE DISTRICT COURT
OF APPEAL. THE NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE
APPEAL MUST BE FILED WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE DATE THIS ORDER IS RENDERED.
cc:
Mr. Raoul G. Cantero, III, Attorney for Respondent
Ms. Virlindia Doss, Commission Advocate
Mr. Joseph M. Centorino,
Complaint
Division of Administrative Hearings