So long as the inquiring judicial candidate complies with all of the criteria set forth in Canon 7, its subsections, and this advisory opinion, the advertisement will be ethically permissible. If the candidate does not, then the advertisement is ethically proscribed. The rest of the advertisement provides the results of the challenger's research on the topic. The incumbent is now being paid full retirement in his DROP account.
DROP permits the simultaneous payment of salary and retirement.
The result of the judicial election will not affect the incumbent's right to receive retirement. The inquiring judicial candidate now seeks our opinion as to the ethical propriety of the proposed advertisement. We are pleased that these questions are posed, because they demonstrate the candidates' desires to comply with the terms and conditions of the Code of Judicial Conduct. During the current election season, we have witnessed a significant increase in the number of inquiries by candidates. This intense interest and concern, in our opinion, is directly attributable to the work of the Florida Supreme Court and the overt importance it has placed on compliance with the provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct.