Former Palm Coast mayor's $1,000 fine, other ethics orders languish on Gov. DeSantis' desk

In 2021, the Florida Commission on Ethics found former Palm Coast Mayor Milissa Holland used her public office to benefit her employer, ending a three-year saga that started when she emailed the city of Orlando to pitch her company's services using her city email.

At least that's what the complainant, former city controller Jay Maher, thought.

But the $1,000 fine Holland agreed to hasn't been imposed yet because it's among more than three dozen ethics final dispositions awaiting Gov. Ron DeSantis' approval. Like the Holland case, some have been there for years.

The fifth-year governor who promised to "drain the swamp in Tallahassee" hasn't processed 42 such cases. Six are from 2023. Seventeen are from 2021 or before.