Former Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson pleaded guilty today to unlawful compensation and official misconduct. The three felony counts will land her in the Broward County jail for four months starting April 15th. As a convicted felon, she loses her right to vote.
Hutchinson voted in favor of rezonings for residential projects and then years later the developer arranged $14,000 worth of free home repairs and improvements including installing a toilet and changing lightbulbs and installing pavers and a fence.
Hutchinson declined to speak to the media but her attorney Bruce Udolf described it as a "fair settlement" since sentencing guidelines called for about eight years.
Udolf wouldn't reveal where Hutchinson now works. Hutchinson represented southern Fort Lauderdale from 2000 until she hit term limits in 2009. She initially launched a bid for mayor but dropped that effort shortly before she was charged. Former Democratic state legislator Jack Seiler won the mayor's race easily.
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