Florida - Most Corrupt State in the US?

​Which is the single most corrupt state in the US? Is it Illinois with its Rod Blagojevich bribery bonanza? Louisiana with its freezer-stuffing yet always reelected congressmen? California with its small-town, $700,000-salaried officials?

None of the above, according to a new study. Florida tops them all -- by a wide margin actually -- based on a rock-solid statistic: the number of state officials actually convicted on federal public corruption charges since 2000.

"Florida faces a corruption crisis that threatens the state's reputation, its economy and its ability to attract new jobs and capital," write the report's authors, Ben Wilcox and Dan Krassner. Alternatively, it could be the catalyst to attract a certain type of business that understands those wielding political power, locally and statewide, can be persuaded more easily. 

Wilcox and Krassner compiled the new report for Integrity Florida, a non-partizan group dedicated to reducing graft in the Sunshine State.

The pair start by admitting that several other states have also laid claim to the coveted title of Most Corrupt in the U.S. -- most recently Illinois, where a University of Chicago study declared that the state is "leading the pack in corruption."

​But that report looked at federal data going all the way back to 1976, when the Windy City was still basically a haven of Al Capone-esque bribery minded mobsters.

Wilcox and Krassner decided to look at more recent federal data. Sure enough, winnowing down federal corruption convictions to the past decade -- from 2000 to 2010, the most recent year the numbers have been released for -- reveals that Florida is the nation's graft capital.

On a year-by-year basis, Florida topped the country in that category five times since 2000, with just Texas and California coming close with three top years each.

On an average year, an astounding 71 Florida officials are convicted of corruption charges.

Of course Integrity Florida doesn't just want to point and laugh at Florida's bribery craze; the group offers five recommendations to fix the problems, including creating a statewide corruption tip line, giving the Florida Ethics Commission more power to launch its own inquiries and requiring top officials to report all major transactions from the previous year.

The former Boca Raton mayor who was charged with public corruption for her financial ties to two of the city's largest commercial landowners pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges: misuse of public office and failure to disclose voting conflicts. In an apology letter, Haynie said the residents of Boca Raton "should accept nothing less than the highest level of ethics from their elected officials." As part of her plea, the 65-year-old will serve no time in jail, be fined $1,050 in addition to having to pay court costs and be on probation for 12 months. During her year of probation, she may not seek elected office and must complete 100 hours of community service. She can then run again for any office thereafter.

Dozens of Florida Corrections Officers have been arrested at facilities statewide, accused of profiting from the sale of contraband in prison and having sexual relationships with inmates. It comes at a time when staff shortages in Florida prisons are leading to dangerous conditions, more than $100 million in overtime costs, and even closures of facilities statewide.

​An officer at Holmes Correctional Institution told investigators he “wanted to make more money than his job as a correctional officer was paying him” so he brought in “tobacco, marijuana and cell phones.” He even delivered a “steak and shrimp dinner” to an inmate for his birthday.

​Corrections officers also accepted payments using Cash App, Western Union and Pay Pal, according to reports. A Columbia Correctional Institution officer received 97 wire transfers totaling $36,250.00 for cigarettes and cell phones. An officer at Appalachee Correctional Institution received 28 wire transfers for $12,000.00 from members of the same family. And an officer at the Northwest Florida Reception Center received 50 Cash App payments for more than $19,000.00.