BATON ROUGE — The state Board of Ethics is deciding whether to file charges against West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard over his business dealings involving his bar and parish tourism contracts.

According to the board, members met Thursday afternoon and debated in executive session whether Havard’s ethics violations warrant fines and formal censure.

In April, the board determined Havard violated state ethics laws by directly benefiting from cruise lines that brought passengers to eat at his restaurant, The Oyster Bar, as part of their scheduled stops.

The board found that Havard and his son Davis, operating through Ferdinand Catering, received more than $250,000 from American Cruise Lines. Potential penalties include formal censure, a fine of up to $10,000 or civil recovery of the $250,000 plus an additional penalty.

Former state attorney Johnny Adams was also on Thursday's docket. The board alleges Adams partnered with the Louisiana Oilfield Restoration Association to plug orphaned oil wells while serving as an attorney for the state Office of Conservation.

During that period, the board said LORA loaned more than $2 million to companies tied to Adams to issue below-market-rate loans to him and his relatives. That included an alleged $780,000 loan Adams used to purchase a home on Oakbrook Drive.

In July, the board fined LORA, Chromos Wealth Solutions and LORA’s chief financial officer $5,000 each. Adams has not been fined and has denied any wrongdoing.

There is no timeline for when the board will publish its decisions. Some recent cases have taken months, while others are posted within a week.