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Records: Democrats took illegal contributions

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published April 16, 2006

TALLAHASSEE - A fundraising effort by Democratic legislators intended to help elect party members to the state House and Senate produced more than $1-million in questionable campaign donations during the past two years, state records show.

The Miami Herald reported Saturday that two political committees organized to raise money to help elect and retain Democratic legislators accepted donations larger than the $500 cap on individual contributions for political campaigns set by state law.

Between July 2004 and this past December, Florida House Victory accepted 214 contributions over the limit, raising $830,803 more than the $500 cap before the committee finally closed down, records show. About $759,000 of the money raised went to the Florida Democratic Party, records show.

Florida Senate Victory took in 54 contributions over the limit, or $211,246, before it was dissolved and re-created as a "committee of continuous existence," records show

That committee has given more than a $539,000 to the Florida Democratic Party.

The donations weren't noticed because state regulators can't investigate campaign law violations unless a formal complaint is filed. But the accounts were changed in the past year to try to bring them in compliance with state laws, after a warning from a lawyer.

State Republican Party officials, who have been the target of Democratic criticism over fundraising activities the past few months, said they may file a complaint and ask for an investigation by the Florida Elections Commission, the newspaper reported.

The Florida Elections Commission declined comment because the matter may come before the commission.

If Democratic legislators or others who helped run the committees are found accountable, they could be charged with a misdemeanor or subject to civil fines triple the amount of the illegal campaign contributions.

"We did not put the money in the party because I had some difficulty with the leadership of the party," said state Sen. Les Miller, D-Tampa, who along with Rep. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, was in control of fundraising for Democratic campaigns in 2003.

Smith said many donors didn't want to give money directly to the Democratic Party, so legislative leaders needed another way to accept the contributions.

The organizations were set up in April 2003, but weren't registered as political committees until one year later. State law requires organizations that plan to give money to candidates running in statewide or legislative offices to register and report their finances.

Smith said he didn't know that Florida House Victory had registered with the state as a political committee in summer 2004. He said everything was "run by the attorneys."

But lawyer Mark Herron said he told Jeff Ryan, a longtime fundraiser for the Democratic Party, in July 2004: "You guys need to shut this thing down." When asked why he gave that advice, Herron replied: "Because it was operating contrary to the requirements of Florida law."

Ryan, a fundraiser for one of the committees, said accountants advised that the organization remain open until the end of 2005 in case there were any tax problems. Democrats associated with Florida Senate Victory said they don't believe they broke the law.

"I'm confident everything we did was legal, ethical and moral and upon advice of counsel," said Geller. He said Florida Senate Victory will be shut down and its fundraising activities folded back inside the state Democratic Party.

[Last modified April 16, 2006, 00:42:15]