The municipal charter is a good start. Defined in the charter, municipalities in Florida offer citizens powerful tools such as the right to recall elected officials, as well as referendum and initiative. These don’t exist for citizens of unincorporated Escambia County, a non-charter (constitutional) county.

The charter committee has considered language to prevent elected officials from financially benefiting from contracts made with the town while in office and restricting them from working for the town within a certain time frame.

Strategies exist to institute accountability, oversight, and transparency at a local level in a way that greatly reduces the risk of corruption. By establishing such frameworks early on in the municipal incorporation process, communities can be light years ahead regarding government ethics. Columbia Law School put together a valuable toolkit for local governments, which has provided guidance with the formation of the draft municipal charter. You can read it here: Fighting Small Town Corruption: How to Obtain Accountability, Oversight, and Transparency.