In a stunning vindication of investigative journalism’s role in holding government accountable, Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich has been forced to leave the Florida Commission on Ethics after failing Senate confirmation for the second year in a row. The result? A direct consequence of a citizen complaint filed by Space Coast Rocket founder Robert Burns that exposed the deep legal conflicts undermining Descovich’s appointment.
On February 28, 2024, Burns filed a formal complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics detailing how Descovich’s paid leadership role at Moms for Liberty constituted unregistered lobbying under Florida law. His complaint outlined clear, documented violations — showing that Descovich not only actively worked to influence legislation but also financially benefited from political action committees while judging cases before the very Ethics Commission she served on.

“Members are prohibited from lobbying State and local governments,” the Commission’s own rules state — a rule Descovich blatantly ignored. Moms for Liberty, under Descovich’s leadership, pushed aggressively for legislative changes across the country, and Descovich herself celebrated their work influencing bills modeled after Florida’s “Parental Rights” movement. Burns’ complaint laid out, in painstaking detail, how these activities fit the legal definition of lobbying, creating an irreconcilable conflict of interest for her role on the state’s top ethics body.