After 20 years of Florida's gift ban, some would like to make a return [View all]
Source: Politico
12/25/2025 04:00 PM EST
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — In early December, members of the Florida House got an early Christmas package: A clear bag full of swag including a Bluetooth speaker, a “Go Outdoors Florida” branded Yeti tumbler and a small blanket also featuring some Florida branding.
But by the end of the day, employees with the House sergeant-at-arms went office to office to collect the bags after the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission “rescinded” its distribution of Go Outdoors Florida “marketing materials” to House members.
Why? Because the giveaway could be seen as a violation of a 20-year-old law that prohibits legislators and others in top roles in state government from accepting anything of value from lobbyists or the principals that hire them. A spokesperson for the commission did not acknowledge if legal concerns led to the decision to gather up the swag bags.
But the incident suggests that knowledge about the law known informally as the “gift ban” — heralded at the time it was passed as one of the strictest laws in the nation — has faded over time, while questions have mounted as to whether the law has truly curbed the ability of special interests to sway legislators and other state officials.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/25/after-20-years-of-floridas-gift-ban-some-would-like-to-make-a-return-00704108
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