Florida Senate Committee on Community Affairs Approves Ethics Overhaul, Drone Ban

TheFlorida Senate's Committee on Community Affairs unanimously approved two bills this morning, one greatly limiting the use of unmannedsurveillancedrones and another comprehensively overhauling Florida's ethics laws.

Check out Sunshine State News' previous coverage of Sen. Joe Negron's SB 92, the Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act.

And check out our previous coverage of SB 2, formerly SB 7006 and SB 7008, the Senate leadership's ethics reform bill.

The Community Affairs committee proposed and approved two amendments to SB 2: one, proposed by freshman Sen. Rob Bradley, clarifies that a state or local elected official may not accept additional government if the official knows or should know the position is offered"for the purpose of gaining influence or other advantage based on the public officers elective office or candidacy."

The bill already contained an exception for elected officials offered teaching (not administrative) positions in schools, and an amendment by Sen. Dorothy Hukill clarifies that this exception also applies to online education.

SB 92 still needs to go through the Judiciary and Appropriations committees and the Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice.

SB 2 still needs to go through the Rules committee.