Tallahassee Democrat by Jeff Burlew
June 6, 2018
A prosecutor for the Florida Commission on Ethics is recommending that former Tallahassee City Manager Rick Fernandez be charged with violating state ethics laws, according to sources close to the matter.
The prosecutor, an assistant attorney general, recommended the commission find probable cause for some of the allegations and no probable cause for others.
A probable cause hearing is set for Friday before the Ethics Commission to determine whether Fernandez will be charged in connection with a complaint filed last year by local businessman Erwin Jackson. A majority of the commission’s nine members must vote to find probable cause for Fernandez to be charged.
The complaint alleged Fernandez accepted a nearly $5,000 catering discount from the city-backed Edison restaurant and solicited and accepted Florida State football tickets from the firm of lobbyist Adam Corey, a central figure in the FBI’s long-running investigation into local public corruption.
The Ethics Commission’s investigation into the Fernandez complaint and related proceedings are closed to the public until a probable cause determination is made. Friday’s hearing will be held behind closed doors.