Collier superintendent is the subject of an ethics charge involving Mercedes and $18,000. How was it resolved?

A Naples resident filed an ethical complaint against Leslie Ricciardelli, the superintendent of the Collier County Public Schools, in May. According to the complaint, Ricciardelli failed to disclose a portion of her personal finances, which is against Florida law. The hearing was held on October 20.

This is what took place, according to a recent article by Kendall Little of Naples Daily News.

What was the issue?

Nancy Keller, a resident of Naples, filed the case against Ricciardelli in May, claiming that by failing to disclose that she was leasing a Mercedes or owed $18,000 in fines, Ricciardelli had broken a Florida regulation.

Ricciardelli admitted that it was an error and that she was unaware that she needed to disclose her car as intangible property.

Collier County code enforcement fined her husband $18,000 because he failed to get a permit for new work on their property.

Ricciardelli’s punishment?

At a meeting on October 20, the board of the Florida Commission on Ethics discussed Ricciardelli’s case.

The Commission accepted Commission Advocate Melody Hadley’s recommendation to punish Ricciardelli with $1,000.

Mark Herron, the lawyer for Ricciardelli, stated, “This is a classic example of why not to fill out your financial disclosure form on the last day and in haste.”

What Ricciardelli said

In an email to the Naples Daily News, Ricciardelli stated, “I agreed to enter into a settlement agreement with the Commission based upon a finding of inaccurate completion of Form 1–Statement of Financial Interests for the year 2021. This included paying a fine.”

Ricciardelli made it clear that her husband’s fines were not a part of the settlement she and the Commission came to.

“My husband has been addressing a property improvement matter with the Collier County Code Enforcement agency, and that is not related to the Settlement Agreement,” Ricciardelli stated in her statement. “In the end, I leased a car for personal use rather than using it for a private company. I should have taken greater care when completing the form and taken ownership of my actions. I’ve turned in an updated form.”

The original article can be found on Naples Daily News.

The post Collier superintendent is the subject of an ethics charge involving Mercedes and $18,000. How was it resolved? appeared first on Naples News Now.