CDD supervisors are public officers under Florida law. This means Chapter 112 Part III, the Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees, applies to every CDD board member. Understanding these obligations is not optional: violations can result in fines, removal from office, and criminal penalties.
Form 1 financial disclosure (112.3145)
Every CDD supervisor must file a Form 1 (Statement of Financial Interests) annually with the Supervisor of Elections in the county where the district is located. The form requires disclosure of:
- Sources of income
- Real property holdings
- Liabilities
- Interests in specified businesses
The filing deadline is July 1 of each year, covering the previous calendar year. New supervisors must file within 30 days of taking office. Failure to file can result in automatic removal from office (112.3145(7)).
Voting conflicts of interest (112.3143)
When a CDD supervisor has a conflict of interest on a matter coming before the board, the supervisor must:
- Publicly announce the conflict before the vote
- Abstain from voting on the matter
- File a memorandum of voting conflict (Form 8B) with the recording secretary within 15 days
A conflict exists when the supervisor, their spouse, or a business associate would gain or lose a special private benefit from the board's action. The key word is "special": a benefit shared by the general public or all residents of the district is not typically a conflict.
Note that under 112.3143(3)(a), a supervisor is not prohibited from voting on a matter that would affect the supervisor in the same manner as other residents of the district. The conflict-of-interest rules target special private gain, not shared impacts.
Gift restrictions (112.3148)
CDD supervisors cannot accept gifts from lobbyists, vendors, or others doing business with the district if the gift exceeds the threshold set by statute. The rules are detailed and situation-specific. When in doubt, supervisors should consult with district counsel before accepting anything of value from a party that does or seeks to do business with the CDD.
Code of ethics (112.311, 112.313)
The broad ethical standards in 112.311 and the specific prohibitions in 112.313 apply to CDD supervisors. These include prohibitions on:
- Using the office for personal gain
- Accepting compensation for influencing official action
- Doing business with the district in certain circumstances
- Misusing confidential information gained through the position
What CDDStream can do
CDDStream can cite the specific sections of Chapter 112 Part III that apply to CDD supervisors, including the financial-disclosure requirements, the voting-conflict procedure, and the gift restrictions. When a newly elected supervisor asks "what do I need to file?" the system returns the cited statutory text with the applicable deadlines and procedures.
CDDStream does not provide ethics opinions. For questions about whether a specific situation constitutes a conflict of interest, supervisors should contact the Florida Commission on Ethics (ethics.state.fl.us) or consult with district counsel.
CDDStream is software; it is not a law firm and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Verify specifics with your district counsel.