TALLAHASSEE – When Republican Ron DeSantis resigned from Congress this week, his departure ended an ethics complaint that had not reached the level of an investigation since it was filed five months ago.

The complaint, alleging that DeSantis rented a beachfront condo in Palm Coast at a price "well below fair market value", was not presented to the US Ethics Committee, which examines claims against members of Congress if this is justified.

But this has raised questions about the close ties between the three members of Congress and two campaigners, who work for Total Military Management, a Jacksonville-based defense provider that has spent more than $ 700,000 since 2012.

DeSantis' allies argue that the complaint was a political blow against the former congressman, who now stands against Democrat Andrew Gillum, a candidate who continues to question himself on travel with a lobbyist in Costa Rica and Mexico. New York.

Gillum, the mayor of Tallahassee, was seized of an ethics complaint last year because of these travel arrangements that could also be linked to an ongoing FBI investigation of the city.

Although Gillum was not directly involved in the federal investigation, the DeSantis political team often tries to highlight its links with it.

"When it comes to Andrew Gillum's Tallahassee business, his dizzying network of deception quickly hampers his candidacy for governorship," said DeSantis camp in a written statement this month.

The DeSantis living arrangement, first reported by Politico Florida, which resulted in the ethics complaint filed against him, was for a five-month period in 2016 when he was running for re-election.

The courts had recently approved new district maps that attracted DeSantis' home in St. Johns County outside of its congressional district. This prompted DeSantis to rent the Palm Coast beachfront condo from Kent Stermon and Matt Connell while he was looking for a home in Flagler County in his congressional district.

DeSantis paid $ 2,000 a month to stay there. But Miami lawyer Richard Ruben, who filed a complaint against DeSantis with the US Congressional Ethics Office, said he was "troubled by the fact that the campaign representative and lobbyists could offer housing to a representative of DeSantis.

Ruben declined to comment this week and hung up the phone when he was contacted for an interview.

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House rules in the United States are not allowed to knowingly accept gifts, a term generally defined as "favor, handing over, hospitality … or any other object with monetary value".

According to Zillow.com, the rent paid by DeSantis is consistent with the market value estimate of $ 2,000 per month for the condo, which tracks real estate sales and rental data.

The Congressional Ethics Office refers complaints to the Ethics Committee if the claims warrant a review.

"He was never informed of an investigation" by the Congressional Ethics Office or the Ethics Committee, said campaign spokesman Stephen Lawson.

With DeSantis out of Congress, these entities have now lost jurisdiction over the complaint.

While the FBI inquiry darkens Gillum's candidacy, DeSantis' ethical complaint has barely had an impact on his race, even though Stermon and Connell continue to maintain their close ties with DeSantis.

Since February, the two men have paid a total of $ 19,000 to the governor's campaign and political action committee.

Since the first DeSantis home race in 2012, Stermon and Connell each paid him $ 10,500 in political contributions. The defense company's political action committee, which quotes Stermon as treasurer, also paid DeSantis more than $ 18,000 over the six years, according to federal campaign funding statistics.

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The lobbying disclosure forms also show that the defense company has spent more than $ 700,000 lobbying the federal government on Defense Department issues since 2012. DeSantis was Chair of the National Security Sub-Committee of the Department of National Defense.

DeSantis' stay in the Palm Coast condo ended when he bought a house in Flagler County. The purchase was finalized about a week before the November 2016 election, won by DeSantis.

In May 2018, DeSantis and his wife, Casey, sold it to former US GOP representative Kansas, Marc Rhoades, and his wife, Denise.

A few months before the sale of the house in December 2017, DeSantis returned home to St. Johns County and left his congressional district.

While the US Constitution does not require Congress members to live in their districts, they are often criticized if they do not.

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