The latest documents obtained by Tallahassee Reports indicates City Commissioner Jack Porter ignored advice from the Tallahassee city attorney and concealed financial gifts received from the left-wing progressive group, Local Progress.
The Local Progress group advocates for the implementation of progressive policies at the local government level by paying for local elected officials to travel to conferences.
Porter joined the organization in 2020 as a regular member and in 2021 became part of the leadership in Florida.
An ethics complaint was filed this week with the Florida Commission on Ethics related to the Porter controversy. The complaint alleges Porter failed to report third party payments of her travel expenses as gifts.
Porter Failed to Follow Attorney Advice on Financial Gift
According to media reports, on Nov. 2, 2021, Porter asked then-City Attorney Cassandra Jackson whether it would violate city or state ethics law if she accepted payment of travel expenses to attend a meeting of Local Progress.
Jackson responded by telling Porter it would not violate the ethics laws if the city paid her expenses up front and Local Progress reimbursed the city.
This process would provide a public record of the travel and who was responsible for expenses. Jackson also indicated if this process was not followed, Porter would have to disclose the expenses paid by Local Progress as a gift.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that “It wasn’t immediately clear whether” Porter followed the attorney’s advice.
However, records obtained by TR on Friday, indicate Porter did not follow Jackson’s advice.
TR asked for all reimbursements provided to the City of Tallahassee by Local Progress, the group that paid for Porter’s travel. After researching the three trips that Local Progress helped finance, the city provided an email to TR which stated, “There were no reimbursements to the City for these trips.”
Since Porter failed to follow the disclosure process outlined by City Attorney Jackson, she needed to disclose the paid expenses as gifts.
However, a search of the city gift disclosure forms indicates Porter did not disclose the financial gifts.
The Trips
The trips at the center of the controversy include Porter’s attendance of three Local Progress conferences.
Porter traveled to Tempe, Arizona in December, 2021. There is no public record of who paid for the expenses related to the trip.
In March, 2023, Porter traveled to Washington D.C to attend a Local Progress conference and in September, 2023 she traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to attend an event. Various expenses for the trips are not accounted for in city expense reports.
Porter Deflects Questions
After TR discovered that a third party paid for Porters travel expenses, Porter ignored inquiries from TR.
Even after Ben Wilcox, the research director for Integrity Florida, told Tallahassee Reports that questions raised by the travel expenses were “legitimate” and “deserve answers one way or another,” Porter remained silent.
In addition, other media outlets failed to follow-up until the ethics complaint was filed.
Porter’s now says she can’t discuss details until the ethics complaint is resolved.
Questions Remain
Amid the ethics complaint and the revelation that Local Progress financed Porters trips, questions remain.
How much money is involved? It would appear that Local Progress paid thousands in expenses for the three trips to Tempe, St. Louis & Washington D.C.
Are there more trips than have already been disclosed?
What, if anything, did Local Progress expect in return?
And why has Porter hidden her affiliation with Local Progress with the voters of Tallahassee?
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