"The Commission adopted a settlement agreement between the Commission Advocate and ANTHONY VALLEE, Walton County Zoning Board Member. The agreement finds that Mr. Vallee violated the ethics laws by providing architectural services in his private capacity to a developer who had appeals before the board, creating a continuing or frequently recurring conflict between his private interests and the performance of his public duties or an impediment to the full and faithful discharge of his public duties. The Commission recommended a civil penalty of $1,000 and public censure and reprimand be imposed by the Governor."
As the Walton Sun newspaper reported last year,
"This complaint against Vallee was brought by WaterSound resident Kay Brief on April 16, 2016, for voting conflicts.
Brief stated that Vallee was an appointed public officer who was ruling on a case involving special private gain or loss for a business associate or principal by whom he was retained, and he did not disclose his interest in the matter as required.
Brief noted that Vallee did not file a written memorandum in advance with the person taking minutes at the meeting, nor did he disclose his involvement orally at the meeting as required by the law.
At the time, Vallee was retained as the architect for the new Seagrove Village Market.
At the meeting in question, the developer, George Hartley, wanted the board to reverse the Walton County Planning Department’s decision enforcing the required 250-foot buffer between commercial and neighborhood preservation needed for the project. Vallee voted to hear the appeal at the meeting of Feb. 26, 2016.
The Florida Ethics Commission reports to me by e-mail that "Mr. Vallee’s penalty was recommended to the Governor in December 2017. He has not yet imposed the penalty on Mr. Vallee."No documents have been provided by Governor Scott's office since I requested them on August 27, 2018. Wonder why?
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