State Commission on Ethics dismisses complaint against Riviera Beach Councilman Douglas Lawson

The Florida Commission on Ethics has dismissed a complaint against Riviera Beach City Councilman Douglas Lawson, whom a former colleague had alleged tried to barter his vote on a rezoning request.

"It did not happen," Lawson said Thursday, a day after the commission dismissed the complaint. "I'm thankful and proud to put this behind me."

Julia Botel, who served on the Riviera Beach City Council with Lawson from 2019 to earlier this year, had filed a complaint with the commission in October, alleging that Lawson tried to use his vote on a rezoning request to help a political ally and a friend who works as an attorney.

"At a recent (August 2023) Riviera Beach City Council meeting, the yacht manufacturing company Safe Harbor Marinas petitioned the City of Riviera Beach for formal land use and rezoning, abandonment of certain Right-of-Way segments and other items related to the development of their property," Botel wrote to the commission.