Manatee County Commissioner Vanesa Baugh - Ethics Complaint

Florida West Coast
Posted from With Permission from BayPost Internet
Opinion By: Jennifer L. Hamey Esq.

Ethics...this whole matter boils down to ethical behavior. When someone opts to be an elected official, they also agree to the responsibilities that come with it. These responsibilities include integrity, trust, transparency and yes, ethical behavior. What Vanessa Baugh did was just wrong. This is not a political issue. It doesn't matter who you voted for. It doesn't matter your stance on Covid, masks or vaccines. I have no personal issue with Vanessa Baugh, I have never even met her. But what I do have is an absolute utter disgust for her behavior and actions which effected EVERY SINGLE RESIDENT of Manatee County!

Now as I speak of responsibilities of our elected officials, it is imperative to also point out that we as the voting population also have responsibilities. We have the responsibility to hold our elected officials accountable. We have a responsibility to demand transparency from them and to speak out when clear wrongs have been committed.

It was this epiphany that arose within me as I realized it is unfair to expect all these responsibilities of our elected officials, if we too don't adhere to our own responsibility to act when appropriate. When the story first broke about what Vanessa Baugh had done, I was appalled, but I too am busy and thought what can I do about it? It is what it is. Then I took a step back and thought no, if we don't speak up, then accountability will never be reached. As an attorney I am held to a set of rules and ethics within my field. I am held accountable for my actions. Why shouldn't she be held accountable for what she did? I was reminded of the concept, loosely quoted, of "all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men (or women) to do nothing." I don't get the right to complain if I am not going to take steps to fix it.

So at this point, if you don't already know, you may be asking what did this Vanessa Baugh person do? Well, I have attached the below complaint that I filed with the Florida Commission on Ethics outlining exactly what, in my opinion, she did wrong to violate Florida laws, Administrative laws and the Florida Constitution while in her role as a public official. Now disclaimer: this is just my personal complaint that I filed, and the matter is pending. There has been no outcome at this point.

Secondly, I have begun a petition on Change.org (link is also attached below). Manatee County is unchartered and not a municipality so the recourse is that the governor must be the one to suspend Ms. Baugh. But this petition is not just for Manatee County. This petition is for anyone and everyone in Florida that wants their elected officials to be held accountable for their behavior. This is an issue for every voter who cares about their local and state government doing what is right. So please take a minute and read the petition and if you agree, please sign it. We hope to get many, many signatures of Florida voters to the governor so he can see how many people care about holding public officials accountable.

Now at the end of the day, will these steps I've taken result in any action being taken place against Vanessa Baugh? I don't know. But I can sleep well at night knowing I took the responsibility to speak out about something that I think was really wrong. I have done everything I can do at this point to spread the word and inform people. Because remember, this issue is not about politics...it's about ethics!

Change.org: http://chng.it/RCsgYXHjP6

The text below is from the Formal Ethics Complaint and was created using a PDF to Microsoft Word Converter. It is a reasonable rendering but should NOT be relied on for legal or professional reference.

Some Addresses and Phone Numbers have been redacted

To access the Complaint click: Baugh Ethics Complaint

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The text from the Formal Ethics Complaint and was created using a PDF to Microsoft Word Converter. It is a reasonable rendering but should NOT be relied on for legal or professional reference.

This post is contributed to BayPost Internet by Jennifer L. Hamey Esq. The views expressed in this post are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher of BayPost Internet or any publications, blogs, or social media pages where it may appear.