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Lawmaker says name misused

A state senator's name was on an invitation to a fundraiser at a gambling magnate's ranch.

By LUCY MORGAN AND STEVE BOUSQUET
Published October 20, 2005

TALLAHASSEE - Sen. Nancy Argenziano says lobbyists used her name without her permission when they staged a fundraiser two weeks ago at a 5,000-acre horse farm owned by a Canadian gambling billionaire seeking to expand gaming at a Florida horse track he owns.

The Dunnellon Republican sent a written complaint Wednesday to Senate President Tom Lee and lobbyists who organized the Oct. 6 event.

Argenziano's name was on invitations to a Fall Legislative Roundup at Adena Springs South for horse farm owners and businessmen in the Ocala-Williston area.

The event boosted the campaigns of Sens. Jim King, R-Jacksonville, Dennis Jones, R-Treasure Island and Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, and Rep. Frank Farkas, R-St. Petersburg, a state Senate candidate. Those four lawmakers took a $48,000 trip to Toronto in July as guests of Magna Entertainment Corp., a gambling firm run by the horse farm owner.

The invitation's fine print says Argenziano's campaign "approved" the use of her name, as required by law. But Argenziano, who's up for re-election in 2008, says she does not have a campaign account open.

"I never saw this before," Argenziano said, holding a copy of the invitation. "I don't want to slam my colleagues, but they should have made sure I'd seen it before they said I approved it."

Lee said he has referred the matter to Senate general counsel Steve Kahn for review.

Kahn is already investigating the Canada trip and the roles of Jones, King, Bennett and lobbyists who attended. The trip was reported by the Republican Party as a $48,000 in-kind party donation, but the party backtracked last week and is paying Magna.

"I don't know what we'll do with it. On the surface, it doesn't seem to implicate our members, but it may be an issue for the Elections Commission," Lee said.

The fundraiser was organized by lobbyists for Gulfstream Park, the Florida Chiropractic Association and the Florida Independent Automobile Dealers Association. It was at a ranch owned by Frank Stronach, chairman of the board at Magna Entertainment and Magna International, the companies that sponsored the July trip to Canada.

Magna owns Gulfstream Park in Broward County, thoroughbred training farms in Palm Beach and Marion counties, and race tracks in a half dozen states, Austria and Canada.

Magna, Stronach and his family have been major campaign contributors in Florida and substantial backers of the drive to add casino gambling at horse and dog tracks. Earlier this year, Magna poured $1.1-million into a political committee formed in January called Yes For Better Schools and Jobs that was created to support an expansion of gambling in Florida.

The fundraiser was attended by more than 100 horse breeders, trainers, feed store owners and others who live in north-central Florida horse country.

Jones said he arranged the event and included Argenziano's name because many of those attending were from Argenziano's nearby district.

The fundraiser invitations and expenses were paid for by Floridians For a More Informed Electorate, a political committee that King controls.

"I don't know anything about it," King said when shown a copy of the invitation Tuesday. King said he was unaware that Argenziano had a problem with it until he was told by a St. Petersburg Times reporter.

Argenziano says she told Gulfstream lobbyist Janet Mabry before the event that she wanted no part of it.

"This is wholly incorrect," Argenziano said in her written complaint distributed to the lobbyists and Lee. "I did not authorize, attend or benefit in any way from the October 6, 2005 political fundraiser in Ocala."

Mabry said Argenziano talked to her after the invitations had been printed and distributed.

"It was my fault, it was a clerical error," Mabry said Wednesday.

Checks made out to Argenziano were returned to donors, Mabry said.

Mabry said the farm is owned by Stronach, but claimed she does not know if he is part of Magna Entertainment, the owners of Gulfstream.

Marc Dunbar, the lead lobbyist for Gulfstream, did not return telephone calls.

Jones, the Pinellas County senator who chairs the Senate committee overseeing gambling, said he helped put the fundraiser together in what he hopes will become an annual event in Ocala horse country. Jones said he raised about $12,500 for his re-election campaign, Farkas said he raised about $11,000 and Bennett said he raised about $12,500.

"It rained like heck," Jones recalled. "We toured the farm in a van and sat on bales of hay in a barn and ate country food."

Jones said he included Argenziano's name on the list of candidates who would receive money from the event because some of the horse breeders and suppliers live in Argenziano's district.

"We were having it in her backyard and felt we'd extend an invite to her," Jones added.

Jones said Argenziano could have opened a campaign account or accepted contributions for her own committee that is raising money to help her seek the senate presidency.

[Last modified October 20, 2005, 01:18:04]