- As a state senator in 2017, Bean hid a request for $1 million in special appropriations funding that went to his friend’s business in order to launch a mental health screening program. After an ethics complaint was lodged against Bean, an investigation uncovered that Bean and his friend discussed how the funding could lead to everyone involved “making money together.”
- As a state senator in 2018, Bean was accused of trying to secure $12 million in special appropriations funding for the hospital he worked at after his brother-in-law became chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Bean claimed he did not request the funding, but said he voted to approve the funding and would do so again if given the chance.
March 2017: During His Time As A Florida State Senator, Bean Was Accused Of Helping His Close Friend And Nassau County Tax Collector John Drew’s Business Obtain $1 Million In Special Appropriations Funding For A Mental Health Screening Program. According to the Naples Daily News, “A state senator helped a friend's business obtain $1 million hidden in the state budget after the two discussed how the lawmaker would promote the business, budget documents and emails show. Sen. Aaron Bean helped secure a $1 million special appropriation in this year's budget for an early mental health screening program run by Catherine Drew, the wife of Nassau County Tax Collector John Drew. Bean and John Drew have been friends for more than a decade and have supported each other politically.” [Naples Daily News, 3/18/17]
- After Failing To Initially Secure Funding In The State Budget, Bean Allegedly Asked Another Lawmaker To Include A $1 Million Special Request For The Program To Be Hidden In The Florida State University College Of Medicine Budget. According to the Naples Daily News, “Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, initially asked legislative leaders to add nearly $700,000 as a line item in the state budget for the program, but that request was knocked down to $100,000 and eventually rejected by House members, records show. Drew then discussed with Bean seeking the money through other House and Senate channels, emails show. And a lawmaker said Bean asked him to make a separate $1 million request for the program that was hidden in the Florida State University College of Medicine budget. The $1 million secret appropriation, which is not subject to the governor's line-item veto, is among $315 million in special requests granted through universities to lawmakers over the past seven years, with no specific mention of them anywhere in the budget, according to a compilation of the payments by the Naples Daily News. Those special requests were at the center of a clash before this year's session between House and Senate leaders, who resolved the conflict by allowing the requests to continue under certain restrictions.” [Naples Daily News, 3/18/17]
- Emails Sent Between Bean And Drew Showed Them Discussing How To Secure Funding For The Program, Which Drew Said Would Have Everyone Involved “Making Money Together.” According to the Naples Daily News, “Emails between Drew and Bean show they discussed obtaining the state money and how Drew hoped to use it in his Florida Psychological Associates. A Dec. 18, 2015, email addressed to Bean, marketing consultant John Daigle and others features Drew discussing how everyone involved in the effort stood to benefit financially from the deal. ‘I am truly looking forward to this partnership and FINALLY everyone making money together from a product that will help the community,’ Drew wrote to Bean and the others in the email obtained by the Daily News through a public records request for Bean's Senate correspondence. Emails show the Drews planned to use the taxpayer money to create an assessment program designed to reveal early signs of mental illness in students and criminal defendants around northeastern Florida.” [Naples Daily News, 3/18/17]
An Ethics Complaint Was Filed Against Bean For Attempting To Secure Initial Funding For His Friend’s Program In The State Budget, To Which He Denied Any Wrongdoing. According to the Naples Daily News, “Bean declined to discuss the issue directly with the Daily News, instead answering questions submitted in emails through a hired consultant. In his emailed response, Bean said he did not benefit from the state money sent to Drew's company. He dismissed claims that the emails could be interpreted as plans for him to profit from Drew's business. ‘I have always operated above board and this instance is no different,’ Bean said in a statement provided by Tallahassee communications consultant Sarah Bascom. ‘Over the last 20 years that I have been in public service I have never had my ethics or intentions questioned.’ […] Bean also cited a complaint as his reason for not discussing the budget request, ‘because it was all turned over to the ethics commission and they are investigating.’ The complaint questions his role in a failed attempt to secure the initial $100,000 he sought for the Drews' mental health screening program but doesn't mention the $1 million hidden in the state budget.” [Naples Daily News, 3/18/17]
August 2017: A Florida Ethics Panel Cleared Bean Of Any Wrongdoing. According to Florida Politics, “It’s a swing and a miss for The Naples Daily News and its man in Tallahassee, Arek Sarkissian, as state ethics commissioners tossed out a case against Sen. Aaron Bean stemming from his hand in a $1 million special appropriation. The Florida Commission on Ethics found ‘no probable cause to believe that Senator Bean misused his position to secure an appropriation in the State budget for a business venture in which he was personally involved, and dismissed the allegation,’ according to a Wednesday press release.” [Florida Politics, 8/2/17]
Shands Jacksonville Hospital, Where Bean Worked As A Relationship Development Officer, Was Set To Receive $12 Million In Special Appropriations Funding Right After Bean’s Brother-In-Law, Rob Bradley, Became The New Senate Appropriations Committee Chair. According to Politico, “The hospital where state Sen. Aaron Bean works as a ‘relationship development officer’ got a special funding boost of $12 million in this year’s proposed Senate budget, right after Bean’s brother-in-law, Rob Bradley, became the new Senate Appropriations Committee chair.” [Politico, 2/12/18]
- When Confronted About The Funding, Bradley Claimed Staff Made An Error And It Was “Never The Intention Or The Policy” To Give Shands Jacksonville A “Windfall.” According to Politico, “When POLITICO noted to Bradley the extra money tucked into Florida Senate budget documents for Shands Jacksonville Hospital, the Fleming Island Republican said staff made an error that he was unaware of and vowed to fix the problem by removing the extra money from the budget. ‘The Senate isn’t giving Shands Jacksonville a windfall over last year. Period. That was never the intention or the policy,’ Bradley told POLITICO.” [Politico, 2/12/18]
- Politico: “The Appropriation Stood Out Because No Other Hospital Got A Similar Proposed Funding Boost.” According to Politico, "The appropriation stood out because no other hospital got a similar proposed funding boost. And when budget officials with the Florida House spotted the discrepancy independently from a POLITICO analysis that identified the issue, the chamber amended its version of the budget to ensure the Jacksonville hospital didn’t get any extra money." [Politico, 2/12/18]
- The Florida House Amended Its Budget To Ensure Shands Jacksonville Did Not Get Extra Money. According to Politico, "The appropriation stood out because no other hospital got a similar proposed funding boost. And when budget officials with the Florida House spotted the discrepancy independently from a POLITICO analysis that identified the issue, the chamber amended its version of the budget to ensure the Jacksonville hospital didn’t get any extra money." [Politico, 2/12/18]
Bean Claimed He Did Not Request The Funding For Shands Jacksonville But He Voted For It And Would Vote For It Again If Given The Chance. According to Politico, “Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican who was cleared in an unrelated ethics complaint last year over a budget item, said he didn’t request the appropriation but voted for it and would do it again. He also refused to say whether he knew of the special money for Shands Jacksonville before the budget vote. The appropriation stood out because no other hospital got a similar proposed funding boost. And when budget officials with the Florida House spotted the discrepancy independently from a POLITICO analysis that identified the issue, the chamber amended its version of the budget to ensure the Jacksonville hospital didn’t get any extra money.” [Politico, 2/12/18]
- Bean Had Been The Shands Jacksonville Relationship Development Officer Since 2008 Where He Earned A $72,000 Salary. According to Politico, "Bean collects a $72,729 annual salary from Shands Jacksonville as the hospital’s ‘relationship development officer,’ according to his financial disclosure — a document that was prepared by Bradley’s father, who’s a certified public accountant. Bean has been in the job since 2008, but Bradley took over as chairman of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee in November after former state Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater) was stripped of the title amid sexual harassment allegations. Latvala resigned last month." [Politico, 2/12/18]