Ethics Probe Lost in Space
Pensacola News Journal Editorial
Last week, Pensacolian Brice Harris abruptly resigned as director of Project Odyssey, a space-tourism program run out of Gulf Breeze’s Andrews Institute. In a report released April 7, the governor’s own inspector general concluded that Harris was heavily involved in setting up the project while still with the state’s economic development department. Then — surprise! — he became the project’s director at a cool $150,000 annually. Good work, if you can get it, but apparently an ethical no-no.
Harris knew he was on the wrong side of doing the right thing, for his signature is on a letter that lists ethical “don’ts” for people in the state’s economic development office.
Yet Friday, Gov. Charlie Crist’s office announced that since Harris had resigned from Project Odyssey, there would be no ethics complaint filed with the state commission.
So it is true after all: It is easier to say “sorry” than ask permission.
Read the full editorial.
