Haridopolos Admonished

The State Commission of Ethics found that Florida Senate President Mike Haridopolos failed to properly list several financial assets of over $1,000.

Haridopolos omitted income he made as a professor at the University of Florida in 2006. He also failed to list a property and mortgage on a 2005 disclosure form.

Haridopolos took exception with the Commission of Ethics valuing his home at $1,025,000. The home was purchased in 2008. Haridopolos told the commission the value of the house went up because he and his wife remodeled.

Haridopolos is the founder MJH Consulting Company. Haridopolos is the only employee of the company. Haridopolos claims that the company advises of media and advertising. Many corporations are more than willing to hire a future senate president as a political favor.

Haridopolos was required to list any corporation that pays over 10 percent of MJH Consulting Company's revenue. The commission found Haridopolos failed to properly claim Marketshare Systems' payments. The commission did not find any political contributions from Marketshare Systems to Haridopolos. I checked Follow the Money and found no contributions from the company or its CEO Mark Salmon. Perhaps Salmon didn't need to give a campaign contribution. Marketshare Systems was a source of income to Haridopolos' consulting firm from 2007 to 2008.

Haridopolos failed to listed Marketshare Systems as his only client from 2004 to 2008. The commission reminded Haridopolos that he did consulting work for Syntax Communications from 2004 until 2006. Haridopolos suddenly had amazing recall. Haridopolos failed to list Syntax as a client. In Haridopolos' defense, it is hard to remember who his consulting firm did business with when he only has two clients.

The Florida Senate Rules Committee admonished Haridopolos for his ethically lapsed. The committee was handpicked by Haridopolos and chaired by John Thrasher. The latter was once publicly reprimanded on the Florida House floor.

Haridopoolos sent a letter to Thrasher taking responsibility for the commission's findings. Politically it is a smart move. If Haridopolos was to fight the Rules Committee and the commission he would just be making his problems into a bigger media story. Below is the letter.

Haridopolos Letter Rules