If the "Restoring Faith in Public Office Act" becomes law, it will close a gap that its sponsors say needs to be slammed shut.

"The public is disgusted, and rightly so," said state Rep. Ari Porth. His co-sponsor, Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach agrees.

"It really is time in the state of Florida to get serious about public corruption," he said. Gelber knows how hard the job can be. He is a former federal prosecutor. He says the bill has been carefully written to define public misconduct in a surgical, precise way.

"It takes all that misbehavior, where a public official has to decide between his own personal interest and the interest of the citizens who elected him, and it says if you make the wrong choice, you will go to jail, that's what this does," Gelber told the gathering.

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Gelber has introduced ethics measures for much of his career — and often seen the ideas die.

Gelber said the newly heightened concern about government corruption in South Florida means chances for action in Tallahassee are good.

"There's some measure of political will," he said. "There's a bit of shame that has settled in up here. There is almost a sense that to not do something this year is wrong."

Gelber, who prosecuted corrupt officials when he was an assistant U.S. attorney, said enactment of the proposed law wouldn't be a magic bullet.

"Don't think for a second [that if] you pass a statute you're going to eliminate corruption," he said. "You have human frailty everywhere."

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Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan has announced her support of my campaign for Attorney General:

"Florida is in desperate need of serious leadership like that offered by Dan Gelber. Dan has been the type of public official that looks beyond the next election cycle and to the next generation. He has been a defender of Florida's natural gifts, and a true advocate for smart and thoughtful growth."
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Sen. Dan Gelber, D-Miami Beach, has picked up the endorsement of another veteran state attorney for his campaign for attorney general. Longtime Broward State Attorney Mike Satz issued a statement declaring that "Dan's extensive experience as a federal prosecutor makes him especially suited for this trust. He's handled big investigations and cases, and managed other lawyers. He is ready on day one to make a difference."

The endorsement locks up the elected prosecutors from southern South Florida. Gelber had previous received nods from Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle and her Monroe County counterpart, Dennis Ward. Longtime Orange County SA Lawson Lamar has also signed on with Gelber.
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