Happy New Year Friends, Clients, and Colleagues,
This edition of #EthicsMatters highlights key updates and reminders to ensure your compliance:
Annual Lobbyist Registration Deadline – January 15
All lobbyists must renew their registration by January 15, 2025. The annual registration fee is $490, payable online through the Miami-Dade County Lobbyist Registration System.
Updated Definitions and Requirements
The Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics and Public Trust has highlighted important changes:
- Expanded Definition of “Principal”: The term now encompasses any person, firm, corporation, or entity benefiting from lobbying efforts, regardless of whether the lobbyist is engaged by a third party.
- Mandatory Annual Principal Authorizations: Principals must file authorizations each year, specifying the issues for which the lobbyist is engaged.
- Specific Issue Identification: Lobbyists and their principals are required to clearly identify the specific issue, agenda item, or procurement matter being lobbied. General representations are no longer acceptable.
- Annual Expenditure Reports: Lobbyists must submit expenditure reports by July 1, even if no reportable expenses were incurred. Reports should detail expenditures over $25 and must be signed under oath.
- Ethics Training Requirement: All registered lobbyists are required to complete an ethics training course provided by the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust within 60 days of registration. A refresher course is mandatory every two years thereafter. Training sessions are currently offered online.
For more detailed information, please visit the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust and the Clerk of the Board websites.
We value your feedback—let us know your thoughts on this #EthicsMatters brief. Your input helps us serve you better.
Best regards,
Jorge Luis Lopez, Esq.
Governmental Affairs Attorney