Ethics complaint dropped against Manatee County commissioner

An ethics complaint filed against a Manatee County commissioner has been dismissed for “lack of legal sufficiency,” the Florida Commission on Ethics announced Wednesday.

Carol Whitmore was the subject of the complaint filed by Manatee County resident Agatha Mantanes on March 23, saying that her voting in favor of a 720-unit apartment complex was a conflict because her attorney son-in-law, Scott Rudacille, represented the applicant.

According to a 2011 opinion, which Whitmore and the County Attorney’s Office had cited, there was no conflict of interest and she wasn’t required from abstaining to vote.

The complaint also alleged that Whitmore failed to disclose that Rudacille’s role at Blalock Walters had changed from associate to principal. Rudacille told the Bradenton Herald he has always been a principal since he joined the firm.

The commission reviews complaints before giving an opinion; they first need to ask find if the contents of the complaint are enough to rise to an ethics violation, but don’t immediately investigate the verity of the claims.

“As no factual investigation precedes the reviews, the Commission’s conclusions do not reflect on the accuracy of the allegations made in these complaints,” the press release read.

This story was originally published June 14, 2017 at 2:18 PM with the headline "Ethics complaint dropped against Manatee County commissioner."