​The Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics (COE) took the following action at its monthly public meeting held on Feb. 1, 2024.

The commission approved a statement in opposition to SB 7014 as amended, which will prohibit self-initiated complaints by local ethics commissions.

The COE approved one advisory opinion. The full opinion is available here.

RQO 24-001: A county employee asked if the Palm Beach County Code of Ethics (Code) prohibited her spouse's outside employer from contracting with the county.

The COE opined as follows:  The Code generally restricts any actions that would result in a spouse or a spouse's employer receiving a special financial benefit. However, if the guidance in this opinion is carefully followed, and the employee abstains from participation in certain aspects of relevant projects, then the Code will not preclude the employer from becoming a county vendor.

A detailed explanation of all agenda items is available here.​