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It's a litany of shame:
As many as 11 state and federal investigations are under way into possible wrongdoing by Republican Party of Florida officials, including ex-party boss Jim Greer, a former Palm Bay city councilman indicted on six counts of fraud and money laundering.
The other probes focus on alleged illegal spending on party-issued credit cards and use of hush money by GOP leaders and lawmakers.
But that's just the start.
Now a statewide grand jury that was created by former Gov. Charlie Crist to recommend toughening state public corruption laws has issued a stinging 127-page report that exposes the problem's extent:
It says corruption is "pervasive at all levels of government" in the Sunshine State. ?
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Most corrupt state
Federal corruption convictions alone topped 800 in Florida between 1988 and 2007, higher than any other state.
Incidences of criminal and unethical actions cited include theft by state agency employees of items such as flat-screen televisions with supervisors condoning the rip-offs, and bid rigging, kickbacks and bribery by others.
Meanwhile, former Florida House Speaker Ray Sansom was charged with grand theft last year after he allegedly funneled $35 million to Northwest Florida State College, which later offered him a lucrative job.
Locally, Ralph Kennedy, a former long-term Canaveral Port Authority commissioner, was charged with two felonies in October for allegedly trying to get kickbacks from a local contractor for a proposed port hotel.
The wave of criminality is badly eroding faith in government and robbing untold taxpayer dollars from public coffers.
That's why grand jury members have coined it "Florida's Corruption Tax."
And why GOP lawmakers looking to reduce the cost of government and restore the public trust should pass strict laws to stem the wrongdoing. ?
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Pass these reforms
Grand jury recommendations that should go on the books include:
?¤Allowing the state ethics commission to launch its own investigations and impose steeper fines for breaches.
Currently, it can only investigate potential wrongdoing after citizens complain.
That happened in the case of Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos, when a Vero Beach man last year tipped the panel off that the Merritt Island Republican had failed to correctly fill out required financial disclosure forms over five years.
?¤Criminalizing a number of corrupt acts that now are treated only as civil violations.
?¤Requiring lawmakers to abstain from votes if they stand to gain or lose money from legislation.
?¤Expanding the definition of public employees to include private employees contracted to provide government services.
That's especially critical as GOP lawmakers continue to push privatization as a way to reduce costs, including a plan by Gov. Rick Scott to privatize some Florida prisons.
Under current law, those employees can't be charged with state ethics violations, such as for accepting bribes. The change also could help avert potential abuses in Brevard's newly privatized probation services program.
?¤Banning contractors from doing business with the state if they have been convicted of a public theft or procurement crime.
?¤Toughening rules to prevent bid rigging by public officials.
?¤Creating an independent State Office of Inspector General to ensure agency inspectors general perform their watchdog role to root out fraud. ?
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Increase accountability
State Sen. John Thrasher, R-Jacksonville, who is head of the Florida Republican Party, has promised the Senate will take a hard look at the grand jury report.
Most of the anti-corruption reforms have been floated in the Legislature before, however, never gaining traction because lawmakers don't want to be held accountable.
That leaves the onus on Gov. Rick Scott, who campaigned on the promise to end "business as usual" in Tallahassee.
In a welcome move, he signed an executive order establishing stronger codes of ethics for his office and requiring agencies that report to him do the same short after he took office Tuesday.
Next, he should use the bully pulpit to demand the Legislature follow the grand jury's broader recommendations.
Otherwise, look forward to "corruption as usual" in Florida's halls of power. ?