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The Florida League of Cities Presents: "Building Citize~~~~~I~ the Community: Back to Basics" Flo~~da I-eague ..0' Cities Ethics and f:ivi1ity Resources The Florida League of Cities has compiled resources on ethics and civility for municipal elected officials and their employees, in whom citizens have placed their trust. Florida has very broad laws related to ethics, public meetings and public records, and many cities have adopted additional standards for their officials and employees. Many bcal governments have also adopted civility pledges to ensure that the public; elected officials and staff follow reasonable rules for public conduct. This page contains information on ethics and civility publications, training, government agency resources and other tools to assist elected and appointed officials, employees and volunteers. The information below, as well as other resources, is available on the Florida League of Cities Web site at www.flcities. com/membership/ethics. asp (ethics) or www.flcities.com/membership/civility.asp (civility). Ethics Resources . Florida Municipal Officials' Manual- Available online, on CD-ROM or in print This manual is compiled by the Florida League of Cities as a reference on common topics of municipal government for use by elected and appointed municipal officials. Chapter 3: Standards of Conduct deals specifically with constitutional provisions, the code of ethics, the Commission on Ethics and other standards. . Institute for Elected Municipal Officials (and Advanced Institute) - Training programs available two to three times per year in various locations throughout the state, with some materials online. Offered by the League and the Florida Institute of Government, the IEMO is an intensive basic and advanced level academic program, offered only to municipal elected officials, to help them effectively carry out the duties and requirements of their elected roles. Several items are downloadable: a brief overview of Florida's ethics law and a listing of recent ethics cases and attorney general opinions. · Government-in-the-Sunshine Manual- Available in print or CD-ROM Published by the First Amendment Foundation, this annual reference, as well as pocket guide, white paper and other handbooks, addresses compliance with Florida's Public Records and Open Meetings Laws. (See www.floridafaf.org.) · Florida Commission on Ethics - Available online or in print The commission serves as the ultimate arbiter of complaints or questions about the ethical conduct of all elected officials and public employees in Florida. The commission also renders legally binding advisory opinions interpreting the ethics laws, and oversees compliance with financial disclosure requirements by all public officials. (See www.ethics.state.fl.us/.) . Office of the Attorney General (AG) of Florida - Available online or in print Issuing legal opinions to governmental agencies when questioned about specific circumstances, the AG provides non-binding legal advice to municipal attorneys and others on questions of statutory interpretation, including ethical codes of conduct. (See http://myflorida/egal.com/.) · Laws and Constitution of the State of Florida - Available online and in print Florida's current statutes and constitution, legislative proposals and live broadcasts may be viewed at the official Web site of the State of Florida Legislature. (See www.leg.state.fl.us.)