Senate GOP leaders are still steamed over Gov. Charlie Crist’s veto of a campaign finance bill (HB 1207) would have allowed legislative leaders to have fundraising accounts separate from those of the state parties.

Lawmakers outlawed the “leadership funds” more than two decades ago, and Crist in his veto letter wrote that they “allowed legislative leaders to solicit and accept campaign contributions during the legislative session from lobbyists and interest groups outside of the public view.”

An outraged Senate President-Designate Mike Haridopolos blasted Crist yesterday for not reading the bill and today Senate budget chief J.D. Alexander, never a big fan of Crist’s to begin with, said the governor’s comments were inaccurate. Lawmakers are prohibited from raising campaign money during the legislative session but the governor is not. And Crist has kept busy fundraising for his U.S. Senate primary against former House Speaker Marco Rubio throughout the legislative session that began more than five weeks ago.

“So that seems a bit hypocritical to have some of the complaints that he raised in his veto when I believe the bill, although it may not go as far as some would like, could have provided more transparency on fundraising for House and Senate leaders in the party than we’ve had,” said Alexander, R-Lake Wales. “But he’s the governor and that’s his prerogative.”

Crist on Wednesday defended his veto. “I just think it was the right thing to do,” Crist said. “Given the current climate, dealing with those slush funds, the last thing we should do is put the stamp of approval on them. So we vetoed them.”

Haridopolos got even more riled at Crist’s characterization of the “slush funds” and had this to say on Thursday: “You can’t say you shouldn’t be fundraising during session when you’re doing it yourself and you have the extended veto period. I mean, if you want to go completely clean, that’s great. But you can’t say it’s okay if you do it and it’s not okay if we do it.”

Republican Marco Rubio announced today he collected $3.6 million in campaign contributions during the first three months of the year.

It’s a huge amount: it doubles his collections from the fourth quarter of 2009, surpasses the $2 million his U.S. Senate rival, Gov. Charlie Crist collected in the final months of last year and and should well exceed Crist’s 2010 total so far.

Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a campaign finance measure pushed by GOP lawmakers that would have given powerful legislative leaders the ability to open “leadership funds” to influence elections.

Crist said in his veto letter that the accounts, done away with by lawmakers more than two decades ago, “allowed legislative leaders to solicit and accept campaign contributions during the legislative session from lobbyists and interest groups outside of the public view.”

The bill (HB 1207) also would have shed light on electioneering communications organizations, or ECOs, that advertise against candidates or issues without having to identify who they are.

Crist, who is running for U.S. Senate, liked that part of the proposal and asked lawmakers to send him back a revised version.

Democrats praised Crist’s veto while his partisan colleagues blasted it.

“If Governor Crist was serious about giving the people of Florida real election reform and providing accountability for the campaign activity of leaders in the Legislature and at the state’s political parties, he would have made this the law of our great state,” Senate Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla said in a statement.

“Instead, the veto indicates he may be more interested in protecting the status quo and scoring points in his quest for higher office, than he is in providing the people of Florida real and meaningful election reforms,” Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, said.

But Sen. Dan Gelber lauded Crist’s action.

“It was the right thing to do. Floridians are tired of the shenanigans that are increasingly defining state government. The bill was a step in the wrong direction, and I think Gov. Crist recognized so. We need to put an end to cash register politics, not enable it,” Gelber, D-Miami Beach, said in a statement. Gelber is running statewide for attorney general.

Gov. Charlie Crist is remaining mum as the clock ticks down on the midnight deadline to act on a bill that would allow legislative leaders to revive campaign accounts known as leadership funds to impact elections.

Crist can sign the bill (HB 1207) into law, veto it or do nothing and allow it to become law on its own if he does not act by midnight tonight.

Crist’s response to what he will do with the bill was to ask a reporter if he should sign it.

“I’m not sure yet. What would you advise? You’re a citizen too,” Crist asked Jim Ash, Capitol bureau chief of the Tallahassee Democrat and Gannett News Service.

“I’m not allowed to say,” Ash demurred.

“You’re not allowed to say?” Crist asked.

The exchange took place in an elevator en route to the 22nd floor where Crist was scheduled to give a speech to chiropractors.

When pressed, Crist said he hasn’t made up his mind.

“No, not yet. Not yet. Sort of focused on the chiropractors now. Trying to compartmentalize,” Crist said.

Republican lawmakers in both the House and the Senate quickly pushed the measure through both chambers and sent it to Crist last week. Most Democrats, including Sen. Dan Gelber who is running for attorney general, object to the funds.

Gelber repeated his request of Crist to veto the measure in a letter sent this afternoon.

“I don’t believe this is or should be a partisan issue. These committees fell into ill repute years ago when Democrats were in control of the legislature and that is why they were outlawed. Now, with voter confidence in their government at a frighteningly low level, is not the time to bring them back. These leadership funds would allow staff working for legislators to actually fundraise during the legislative session. That sends the wrong message and I believe would result in the kind of cash register politics that justifies the dim view of government that Floridians seem to have,” Gelber, D-Miami Beach, wrote.

The proposal would essentially renew a law barred two decades ago that permitted the House Speaker, Senate President and minority leaders in both chambers to have “leadership funds” used to dole out money to candidates without oversight by political committees.

Legislative leaders would be allowed to raise campaign cash and give it out to candidates outside of the state political parties’ coffers under a measure on its way to Gov. Charlie Crist for signature.

The proposal would essentially renew a law barred two decades ago that permitted the House Speaker, Senate President and minority leaders in both chambers to have “leadership funds” used to dole out money to candidates.

The measure would also crack down on “electioneering communication organizations,” or ECOs, in the aftermath of a recent court decision that allow the political groups to run attack ads without revealing much of who’s behind them.

Sen. Ted Deutch, a Boca Raton Democrat who is running for Congress, and other Democrats objected to that portion of the election reform (HB 1207) because they don’t want “to let people see the six figure contributions that are coming in from special interests. We should ban them.”

The bill creates “affiliated party committees,” or APCs, much like the old leadership funds lawmakers outlawed 20 years ago because they gave lobbyists too much influence in the legislature.

Republicans argued that the change would shed light on a practice that’s already taking place in the shadows.

“Money’s being raised,” said Sen. Mike Haridopolos, R-Merritt Island, who is slated to take over as Senate President next year. “We want to make it so the funds aren’t in one big pool. We want to separate it out so people can be accountable…. this is sunshine. People deserve to know when they see the commercials on TV where the money came from. We are opening up the books.”

Sens. Paula Dockery, a Lakeland Republican running for governor, and Alex Villalobos, R-Miami, were the only Republicans to vote against the measure.

Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, and Democratic Sens. Jeremy Ring of Margate and Gary Siplin of Orlando joined Republicans in the 25-11 vote.

With a slew of lawmakers, including Senate President Jeff Atwater, running for higher office this year, Senate Rules Chairman Alex Villalobos delivered a stern warning to members about using staff for campaign purposes.

Villalobos, who would have been in Atwater’s presidential shoes were it not for a coup staged by Atwater and his backers more than two years ago, sent a memo to the Senate’s 40 members outlining what their aides can – and mostly cannot – while on the clock.

Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, is leaving office early to run statewide for chief financial officer. Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson, forced out because of term limits, is running for Congress, along with Democratic state Sens. Frederica Wilson of Miami, Charlie Justice of St. Petersburg and Palm Beach County’s own Ted Deutch of Boca Raton. Senate Majority Leader Alex Diaz de la Portilla, R-Miami, is also expected to run for Congress.

And Sens. Dave Aronberg of Greenacres and Dan Gelber of Miami Beach are running statewide in a Democratic primary for attorney general.

Senate staff can’t use annual leave or comp time to work on campaigns, nor can they work on a campaign during their lunch hour, Villalobos wrote.

They can volunteer after hours, that means outside the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

But aides can’t take a paying job with a campaign unless they get permission from Atwater and take leave-without-pay first.

“A Senator who uses staff paid by the Senate to work on his or her campaign while ‘on duty’ may be liable for theft,” Villalobos wrote. If the employee earned more than $5,000 or more as a state worker, the crime is a felony.

And the staffer who works on the campaign could also be liable for theft.

Oh, and no using state equipment like telephones or computers for campaign stuff. That’s a misdemeanor.

Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said she learned a lesson from accused Ponzi-schemer Scott Rothstein, the Broward County lawyer and political powerhouse who pleaded guilty this morning to racketeering and other offenses.

Rothstein, a major GOP contributor, and his wife held a fund-raiser for Sink’s gubernatorial campaign in August and donated $200,000 to the Florida Democratic Party before being accused of bilking his law firm’s clients and others of $1.2 billion.

At The Associated Press annual gathering of editors and reporters, Sink said the “first rule of business is to know who you’re dealing with.”

When asked if she applied the same bromide to her dealings with Rothstein, she bristled.

“Well obviously I didn’t because he is an admitted con artist,” Sink said. “Here’s a guy who conned all of Ft. Lauderdale and most of South Florida.”

She ticked off the names of other lawyers whose political stars have fallen including Bernie Madoff and banker Allen Stanford.

“I learned a lesson there,” she said of Rothstein. “Ask more questions.”

A bitterly divided U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money on campaigns right up until the day of the election and upsetting more than 60 years of restrictions will radicalize elections, critics of the opinion say.

“It’s going to be the Wild Wild West,” said Ben Ginsberg, a Republican attorney who has represented several GOP presidential campaigns. “If corporations and unions can give unlimited amounts … it means that the public debate is significantly changed with a lot more voices, and it means that the loudest voices are going to be corporations and unions.”

Read the story here.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled today that corporations and unions can spend as much as they want on “electioneering communications,” the negative ads targeting candidates.

The ruling could have a sweeping effect on Florida campaigns, especially in battleground races like the U.S. Senate GOP primary between Gov. Charlie Crist and former House Speaker Marco Rubio.

The suit was filed by a group behind Hillary Clinton-bashing ads in her U.S. Senate campaign.

The court decided in Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission that banning corporations and unions from paying for the ads equates to a chilling effect on free speech.

“There is no basis for the proposition that, in the political speech context, the government may impose restrictions on certain disfavored speakers. Both history and logic lead to this conclusion,” the ruling reads. “Political speech is so ingrained in this country’s culture that speakers find ways around campaign finance laws. Rapid changes in technology—and the creative dynamic inherent in the concept of free expression—counsel against upholding a law that restricts political speech in certain media or by certain speakers.”

Common Cause said the ruling “creates political crisis” by paving the way for corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of cash on elections.

“The Roberts court today made a bad situation worse,” Common Cause President Bob Edgar said in a press release. “This decision allows Wall Street to tap its vast corporate profits to drown out the voice of the public in our democracy. “The path from here is clear: Congress must free itself from Wall Street’s grip so Main Street can finally get a fair shake.We need to change the way America pays for elections. Passing the Fair Elections Now Act would give us the best Congress money can’t buy.”

National GOP staff breathed a sigh of relief upon Gov. Charlie Crist’s entree into the U.S. Senate race because they believed the governor’s prolific fundraising talents would mean they wouldn’t have to lend a helping hand financially to his campaign.

But that was before three of Crist’s top fund-raisers were targeted in federal investigations in the past nine months.

And now a fourth, Jupiter sports agent and real estate investor Marc Roberts, is facing a federal lawsuit alleging he defrauded a business partner out of $100 million to support his own “lavish personal lifestyle.”

Crist has “never discriminated” in whom he takes money from, said a former state Republican Party staffer with knowledge of Crist’s fund raising. “Now he’s facing the consequences of not being careful. And it raises questions about his judgment.”

Read the whole story here.

Last year's Leather Masked Ball at Purgatory

The Florida trial lawyers political organization – Florida Justice PAC – spent more than $23,000 on food and beverages since the November election, including a $1,700 bash at a Miami Beach nightclub and two inexpensive tabs at a Ft. Lauderdale gay bar, according to state campaign records.

The expenses were filed under “other distributions” unlike most other campaign filings which include food and lodging spending under “expenditures.”

State records show that the association’s political arm spent a total of $125 at Purgatory bar in Ft. Lauderdale – $45 on July 8 and $80 on Sept. 15. The bar’s web site boasts of hosting the annual Leather Masked Ball, the “premier leather event in South Florida.”

The lawyers PAC also spent $1,706.93 on May 14 at Set Nightclub on trendy Lincoln Road in Miami Beach.

Set is a high-end, VIP lounge popular with celebs. Last year, Kevin Federline dropped $1,500 at the hot spot (and left a $700 tip) according to the bar’s web site. Pamela Anderson and Justin Timberlake also made appearances there.

Check back later for a response from the trial lawyers, who are now huddling in Orlando for an executive meeting.

Palm Beach County voters can expect two blockbuster state Senate races if trends from recent campaign finance reports hold up.

In two primary battles among candidates hoping to replace Sen. Dave Aronberg, D-Greenacres, the candidates combined to collect more than $305,000 during the third quarter. The four have a total of $826,000 on hand, more than 10 months away from the August primary.

In the race to replace Sen. Jeff Atwater, R-North Palm Beach, Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, collected $132,921 from July through September. About 20 percent came from insurers and attorneys.

Read the rest here. The story was printed in the Oct. 15 edition of The Palm Beach Post.

To see how all the bankrolls are shaping up for candidates in contested races on the Palm Beach County and Treasure Coast, click here.

After backpedaling on plans to deliver his campaign finance numbers in electronic form, Gov. Charlie Crist said today he was also not inclined to disclose his list of campaign bundlers. Last year, both Barack Obama and John McCain volunteered their list of bundlers, or the men and women who collect hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of checks on behalf of the candidate.

More on the bundling issue here. And background on previous questions about Crist’s bundling here.

Crist answered questions from the media today after visiting the state Department of Children and Families – the last in his tour of state offices around the Capital City.

Asked about news today of the deepening foreclosure problems in Florida, Crist said the best thing to do was hope the economy turns around.

Among the endless ways to slice and dice campaign finance reports, here is the list of top fundraisers of the 2010 election cycle among candidates state legislative office.

These figures include all money raised through June 30 and are largely dependent on the spreadsheet compiled by On3 Public Relations.

A few notes: The top five money raisers in the House and Senate so far are all Republicans and, with the exception of incumbent Dean Cannon, all are chasing open seats. The top Democratic fund-raisers in each chamber are both unopposed incumbents from Weston: Sen. Nan Rich ($185,029) and Rep. Franklin Sands ($53,800).

(more…)

From campaign finance reports due today (Contribution totals are for the 2nd quarter of the year and cash on hand is a total for the race):

Republicans

Adam Putnam: $258,523 raised, $672,982 on-hand.

Carey Baker: $61,787 raised; $230,964 on-hand

Democrats*

Eric Draper: $35,125 raised, $31,965 on-hand

Rick Minton, Jr.: $13,815 raised, $9,531 on-hand

Thad Hamilton: $4,600 raised, $4,297 on-hand

Randy Hatch: $3,300 raised, $1,643 on-hand

*Former Florida Democratic Party Chairman Scott Maddox recently said he will enter the race.

Republican Bill McCollum is expected to report a total of $1.06 million in contributions for the second quarter of fundraising, The Palm Beach Post has learned.

That’s less than the $1.28 million his probable Democratic opponent, Alex Sink, reported earlier today. But McCollum’s haul came in about half the time: he didn’t announce his campaign until May 18th and didn’t hold his first official fundraiser until June.

Democrat Alex Sink said today she raised $1.28 million in the second fundraising quarter, bringing her total to $2.4 million raised for her 2010 campaign. Sink reported that she ended the quarter with over $2.1 million cash on-hand.

“I am overwhelmed by the continued outpouring of support from everyday Floridians who are ready for a new and different kind of leader,” she Sink. “Floridians are coming together to send a clear message that they are tired of politics as usual in Tallahassee.”

Gov. Charlie Crist announced today that he raised $4.3 million in 50 days for his U.S. Senate campaign. That’s more than U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, the Democratic frontrunner has in six months and dwarfs the $340,000 collected by Crist’s primary opponent, former House Speaker Marco Rubio.

The campaign says it hasn’t figured out how much is for the primary campaign and how much is for the general. But what is clear is this shatters Republican Mel Martinez’s Florida fundraising record in Florida of $1.75 million $2.3 million for a U.S. Senate race in a single quarter.

Delray Beach activist Nick Loeb said today he raised $225,955 in his bid to replace state Sen. Jeff Atwater, a North Palm Beach Republican (and sitting Senate president) who is leaving office to run for state chief financial officer.

Loeb is in a GOP primary against state Reps. Carl Domino of Jupiter and Ellyn Bogdanoff of Fort Lauderdale. State campaign finance reports are due on Friday.

Loeb also said he refunded a total of $2,500 to six people who requested their money when he changed races. Loeb initially announced his candidacy for House District 87 to replace term-limited Rep. Adam Hasner, but changed his mind when Atwater announced he would be vacating seat.

Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Marco Rubio announced today he collected $340,000 in contributions during the second quarter. More than 40 percent of that total came from online contributions. Rubio said he received a donation from each of the 50 states.

A quick note on that total: it’s more than the $255,000 he raised in the exploratory phase of his campaign in the first quarter, but less than the $363,000 that Democrat Dan Gelber raised for his U.S. Senate campaign during the first three months of the year. Gelber, who was in the state legislative session for a month of that time, was competing for dollars against U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek. Meek reported $1.5 million during the same time and Gelber later stepped away from the race and is now running for state attorney general. (Meek told us last night he’ll report about $1.2 million for the second quarter)

Of course, Rubio is running against a popular sitting governor, which makes his task considerably more difficult. (more…)