Mayor John Marks | Photo Courtesy Of Tallahassee Democrat

2:25 p.m. update

Tallahassee Mayor John Marks took the stand today in his hearing on whether he violated state ethics laws by voting on matters involving his former law firm and a nonprofit that paid him as a member of its board of advisers.

The Florida Commission on Ethics charged Marks in June with five violations over his votes involving the Alliance for Digital Equality, an Atlanta nonprofit, and the corporate giant Honeywell. He voted on a grant involving the nonprofit while he was serving as a paid member of its board of advisers, and he also voted on matters pertaining to Honeywell, a client of the mayor’s former law firm, Adorno & Yoss.

Diane Guillemette, chief advocate for the Ethics Commission, said in opening arguments that Marks was being paid $2,000 a month by ADE when he voted Sept. 15, 2010, in favor of a federal grant involving the nonprofit, which she said stood to gain more than $700,000 as a result.

Please Click Here To Read The Rest Of The Story From Jeff Burlew Of The Tallahassee Democrat