Palm Beach County sheriff candidate Lauro Diaz fined for failing to disclose $1 million in assets
The Florida Commission on Ethics has levied a $500 fine against Lauro Diaz, a Republican candidate in last year's county sheriff election, for failing to disclose more than $1 million in assets on his campaign finance statement.
The commission acted on a complaint filed by John Saroka of Wellington who pointed out that a filing by Diaz listed his net assets at $1.4 million while Diaz only listed assets of $338,000 — $138,000 in household goods and personal effects, $50,000 in cash and $150,000 in income from the Florida Retirement System. State law requires assets greater than $1,000 to be included.
Saroka acknowledged to the commission that he came across the Diaz discrepancies while doing research for Michael Gauger, a Republican who defeated Diaz in the GOP primary. The complaint resulted in the state Ethics Commission charging Diaz with filing an inaccurate report; and the commission deciding to impose the $500 fine for violating the ethics code. Diaz did not challenge the ruling or dispute the finding that he violated state campaign finance laws.
At issue was the Form 6, filed with the state agency, that requires all candidates seeking elected office or holding office to reveal their net worth, and to itemize their income and liabilities. Diaz was involved in a bitter primary battle with Gauger. Republican Diaz subsequently endorsed Democrat Sheriff Ric Bradshaw in the general election. Bradshaw was reelected in November by 15 points, defeating Gauger.
In 2020, Diaz, as the Republican candidate, was soundly defeated by Bradshaw.
Diaz told The Post last year that he found out about the Saroka complaint from The Palm Beach Post, noting that his report was accepted the way it was presented, and questioned why that would be if it was filed incorrectly.
But following the state Ethics Commission investigation, Diaz admitted he failed to include the value of two houses he owns in Florida — one in Lake Placid and another in Loxahatchee. That accounted for the $1.1 million discrepancy.
Saroka filed the complaint against Diaz shortly before the Republican primary. Gauger defeated Diaz by eight percentage points but the win was due to a strong showing by Gauger on vote-by-mail ballots.
Diaz, as part of the settlement with the state Ethics Commission, agreed to ensure that future reports, should he again seek elected office, will be filed accurately.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He covers Palm Beach County government. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com. Help support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida sheriff candidate fined for failing to disclose $1M in assets
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