- June 21, 2025
According to the advisory opinion of a staff attorney with the Florida Commission on Ethics, Flagler County School Board member Lauren Ramirez can continue to volunteer in classrooms and participate in school district career fairs on behalf of her medical training company, but she can’t enroll Flagler Schools students in her certification courses and camps.
Ramirez, who owns Salus Medical Training, had often volunteered in district classrooms, speaking to students about various health topics. She has also participated in district career fairs demonstrating hands-only CPR, AED usage and phlebotomy using a fake arm.
Once she became a School Board member in November, 2024, Ramirez turned down further invitations and asked the commission for guidance “to ensure I fully comply with ethical standards,” according to the commission's public session materials.
The commission is scheduled to vote on staff attorney Stephanie Novenario's advisory opinion at its July 25 meeting after the item was postponed from June 6 to provide Ramirez with enough time to respond to the 17-page opinion. The opinion was released last week.
Novenario’s opinion was based on the second part of State Statute 112.313 (7) (a) covering standards of conduct for public officers, which states: “… nor shall an officer or employee of an agency have or hold any employment or contractual relationship that will create a continuing or frequently recurring conflict between his or her private interests and the performance of his or her public duties or that would impede the full and faithful discharge of his or her public duties.”
The opinion stated that Ramirez can volunteer on behalf of her business, but cannot market or promote her business while volunteering. Sales of her services to district students would violate the second part of the statute, according to the opinion.
Also, the opinion stated that hiring school district employees in a contractual relationship would be a conflict of interest. Enrolling district students in camps or training programs would also a conflict of interest, according to Novenario's opinion.
Ramirez said she recently received the draft opinion and has not had time to draw up a response.
