Ethics Panel Accuses ACPS Superintendent of Disclosure Errors

The Florida Commission on Ethics has determined that there is probable cause to believe Alachua County Public Schools Superintendent Kamela Patton violated state ethics laws. The panel found that Patton failed to file her 2023 financial disclosure form on time and omitted required information about her business interests on both her 2023 and 2024 forms. This finding means Patton will now face a formal process to determine if a violation occurred and what penalty, if any, is appropriate.

The controversy began in June when a complaint was filed against Patton. The allegations centered on a late 2023 Form 1 and the failure to list her consulting business, Patton Solutions, LLC, as an asset or income source. The complaint also alleged she omitted a condominium in Collier County. In July, Executive Director Kerrie Stillman ordered an investigation but dismissed the condominium claim, noting the property records dated from 2021 and did not trigger a disclosure requirement for the later years.

The investigative report focused on two main areas. First, it noted that Patton was required to file her 2023 form by December 18, 2024, after starting her ACPS role on November 18, 2024. She filed it on July 1, 2025. The investigator found no evidence that ACPS staff notified Patton of the 30-day filing deadline, a responsibility that lies with the employing agency. ACPS did not add Patton to the filer list until January 2025, so no invitation email was ever sent to her.

Second, the report examined Patton’s business interests. Patton told the investigator that Patton Solutions, LLC, did not generate income for her in 2023 and that she did not take a salary in 2024. However, tax records showed a capital account worth $35,157 in 2023 and $58,205 at the end of 2024. The form instructions set a $10,000 threshold for disclosing intangible personal property. Patton argued she received only $5,868 in personal bank deposits from the LLC over two years and viewed the capital account as a paper value rather than cash on hand.

In an August 25 response, Patton disputed the findings. She cited her 25 years of timely filings from 2011 to 2022 and stated she simply never received the statutory notice for her new appointment. She argued that because she did not hold a reporting position between January 2023 and November 2024, she was not required to disclose financial activity for those periods. She also noted that she voluntarily provided tax forms to the Commission and stated she would amend her 2024 form in an abundance of caution.

An Advocate for the Commission reviewed the file and recommended that probable cause exist for the 2023 and 2024 disclosure errors. The Advocate agreed that the late filing of the 2023 form might not be a violation since Patton was not notified, but maintained that the form itself was inaccurate because it did not list her interest in Patton Solutions. The Advocate stated that her capital account met the reporting threshold for both years.

At its October 23 meeting, the Commission adopted the finding of probable cause for all three counts. Lynn Blais, a spokesperson for the Commission, clarified that this is not a final determination of guilt. The next step is either a full evidentiary hearing before a Division of Administrative Hearings Judge or a settlement agreement with the Commission Advocate. The matter will return to the Commission at a future meeting for final action and any recommended penalty.