Appeals Court Overturns State Ethics Commission Finding Against Doug Underhill

February 27, 2025

Florida’s First District Court of Appeal on Wednesday overturned Florida Commission on Ethics decisions that former Escambia County District 2 Commissioner Doug Underhill be removed from office after allegations that he misused his office and that he owned $35,000 in penalties for alleged ethics violations.

In 2022, the Ethics Commission found that Underhill misused his position by publicly sharing or publishing confidential transcripts, including minutes from Escambia County Commission shade meetings. A $10,000 fine was imposed for this offense. The Commission also recommended a fine of $6,250 for each of four ethics violations for soliciting donations from a county vendor or lobbyist, and gift disclosure laws involving a GoFundMe page seek donations towards his personal legal expenses.

The appeals court found that the commission “erred” in the interpretation of the law, and “the ordinary meaning of that subsection—set out above—compelled a different result for Underhill.”

“A GoFundMe page is not a mass send out to thousands of recipients or even to one specific recipient. There was no evidence presented that Underhill sent it directly to anyone. In fact, the Commission’s interpretation of ’soliciting’ would have the effect of prohibiting any public officer or employee from posting a passive GoFundMe page. And a public officer or employee who posts a GoFundMe page will likely never know whether a prohibited donor has even visited the site,” the court found.

Comments

3 Responses to “Appeals Court Overturns State Ethics Commission Finding Against Doug Underhill”

  1. Larry on February 27th, 2025 10:29 pm

    Good for you Douglas.

  2. Jrnymnjoe on February 27th, 2025 8:19 pm

    Typical politician gets a not guilty verdict on ann appeal.

  3. Alex on February 27th, 2025 12:15 pm

    So, will he be reinstated and fines repaid
    With backpay

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News