Zero money for Zapata, ethics panel is urged

April 09th, 2008 | Category: Florida Politics Blog

A Miami legislator is likely to lose his tender to force a rival to pay his bills in an ethics case. The staff of the Commission on Ethics is recommending denial of a inquiry by Rep. Juan Zapata, a Miami Republican. While the commission staff found a lack of evidence to support a charge that Zapata abused his position, it additionally found that Zapata’s tormentor did not act with a "malicious intent" to damage the lawmaker’s reputation — a requirement to sustain an attorney’s fee petition.

Zapata’s ask chases a complaint

by Julio Jaramillo, president of the Colombian American Service organization (CASA), who accused Zapata of a series of retaliatory moves against the organization for removing him from its board, along with submitting incomplete financial disclosure forms. An ethics examination found probable cause that Zapata folded to list all of his creditors on the forms by a five-year period, but voted to drop the case.

Zapata’s inquiry, and the recommended denial, will be decided at the April 18 ethics commission assembly.