PACs more prevalent in local elections

Political Action Committees can often be a transparent way to see who is donating to what cause. But sometimes, they are used to shield the organizations or names of those backing particular candidates.

In Alachua County, there are at least 18 locally-based PACs that donate to candidates, send mailers on their behalf or advocate for specific issues. Over the years, they have become a funding source for candidates trying to send out mailers or reach voters.

“They become more important every year as more money is dumped into politics,” said Fair Florida PAC chair Bryan Eastman.

As the November election nears, two PACs are out to sway voters on a referendum that will dictate the future direction of city-owned Gainesville Regional Utilities. It is arguably the most-debated local initiative on the upcoming ballot.

Eastman, a campaign manager who has helped several local candidates get elected, has helped the PAC raise about $3,000 since August 2017, though he says it’s just starting its donation campaign.

The group wants voters on Nov. 6 to shoot down the GRU referendum, which calls for the creation of a “GRU Authority,” or independent utility board, to run the city’s utility. Currently, GRU decisions are made by city commissioners.

The PAC’s counterpart is Gainesville Regional Business PC, a PAC run by the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce, which is advocating for the ballot item in hopes of lowering the utility's business rates, which are the highest in the state.

The chamber’s PAC has raised about $255,000 since 2016 and has supported several candidates running for office. The PAC receives large donations from various businesses, while Fair Florida has received smaller individual donations. Nevertheless, each group will play a vital role in the upcoming election.

“We have to run our campaign more grass roots,” Eastman said.

Like Fair Florida and the chamber's PAC, most of the county's PACs advocate for specific issues and give money to candidates running for office.

A committee with the most support from local politicians is the Alachua County Stonewall PAC, which is chaired by Jason Stanford. Its treasurer is Terry Fleming.

The group advocates for a range of LGBT issues, and has raised $10,143 in the process. In 2018, the PAC has donated to campaigns for City Commissioner Gail Johnson and school board candidates Robert Hyatt and Tina Certain.

Some of the donors include state senate candidates Olysha Magruder and Kayser Enneking, Sheriff Sadie Darnell, Gainesville Mayor Lauren Poe, commissioners Harvey Ward, Helen Warren, Lee Pinkoson, Ken Cornell and Robert Hutchinson. The PAC has supported campaigns for Susan Bottcher, Harvey Budd, Poe and Warren.

The African American Accountability Alliance (4As) of Alachua County has a PAC, which has gathered $240 this year from its members. The PAC hosts several forums throughout the year to inform black voters on local and national issues. It usually offers an endorsement and a small campaign donation at the end of some debates.

At its most recent forum, the PAC endorsed Florida congressional candidate Yvonne Hinson, who is also the PAC’s treasurer. She has previously been endorsed by the PAC.

And, of course, educators have a voice, too.

The school district has had a PAC since 2013 called “Alachua — Totally Involved in Government and Education Reform,” which is chaired by Kim Cook, an Irby Elementary School media specialist.

It has most recently donated funds for school board candidates April Griffin and Robert Hyatt. It has previously donated to Alachua County School Board member Gunnar Paulson, State Senate candidate Rod Smith and State Representative candidate Marihelen Wheeler.

Sometimes elected officials have their own political committees.

State Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville, operates “Building a Prosperous Florida,” which has been used to pay for some travel expenses during his re-election campaign.

The PAC has raised $202,000 since 2017, about $120,000 of which was raised in 2018 alone. Some of the larger donations he’s received come from Florida Power and Light and U.S. Sugar Corporation. The PAC also paid $3,000 to Republican candidates Lilian Hutchinson, Jose Felix Diaz and Larry Ahern’s campaigns.

Kayser Enneking, a Democrat running against Perry, is the chair of Florida Knows Excellence. Since September 2017, her Tallahassee-based PAC has raised $116,000. Enneking has received donations for her own campaign through the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which has received some funds from alcohol and tobacco companies, as well as local elected leaders.

Former City Commissioner Todd Chase said, for the most part, PACs stay within the laws and regulations and don't cause issues. But that's not always the case.

“In my experience, locally, there’s really just a very small group of people that play politics as a contact sport and those are the ones you see getting upset about this or that when it comes to PACs supporting things they don’t," he said.

City Commissioner Harvey Ward, before he was elected, operated the Democrats for Ethical Government, which is classified as an "ECO" — an Electioneering Communication Organization. The group has had just one donation — from its treasurer — since 2016.

An ECO is separate from a PAC, because PACs can’t coordinate with candidates but can donate to them. ECOs can coordinate and send out communications on behalf of candidates.

“I think PACs that are honestly operating in the public interest are a legitimate part of the campaign process we’ve made in the U.S.,” Ward said. “But if somebody is donating to a PAC to hide their donations, that’s shady.”

Ward, who said he refuses to accept PAC or corporation donations through his own campaigns, said the group has always focused on positive messages and hasn’t sent out any mail since 2016.

“We want to support ethical people for election,” he said. “The plan along for that ECO was to be only positive messages.”

Ward's ECO raised $13,000, almost all of which came in 2016. Current and former commissioners Ward, Poe, Warren, Bottcher, Thomas Hawkins and Warren Nielsen donated. Physicians Joe Rush and Dan Logan donated $11,000 of the funds collected.

Some employees at Nationwide Insurance in Gainesville are part of “Nationwiders For A Better Florida PAC.” State filings show the PAC largely collects employee donations, mostly between $0.75 to $2.50, every two weeks.

In all, the PAC has collected $31,320 from 7,507 donations. About $25,500 of that has been sent to various candidates, regardless of party affiliation.

The PAC donated to Perry’s campaigns in 2014, 2016 and 2018. In 2016, the PAC also donated $500 to Rep. Chuck Clemons, R-Newberry.

Some local PACs are run by labor groups to advocate for better wages, while others support progressive Democratic candidates.

Katy Burnett is the chair of at least two PACs — the Florida Progressives Political Committee and Parents Against Corporate Takeovers.

The progressive PAC is relatively new and is meant to help support candidates from around the state. Ward, Fleming, Magruder, Bottcher have all donated to the group. Burnett has helped raise $11,600 in 2018.

Other local groups are connected to Tallahassee or want more Republicans in office.

Florida Farm PAC, chaired by John Hoblick, the president of the Florida Farm Bureau, has raised $464,000 since 2013, mostly through $1 to $2 increments. About $318,000 has gone toward mostly Republican candidates.

Since 2017, the PAC has donated 46 times to 47 Republican candidates, including Clemons, Perry and Governor candidate Adam Putnam. Another $50,000 was sent to the Republican-funded Florida Grown PC, which also donates to Putnam. Only $2,000 went toward three Democrats since 2017.

United Conservatives, which is operated by William S. Jones, who is tied to about 30 Florida PACs in all, raised nearly $1 million since 2017. About half of that has gone to travel, meals, consulting and marketing.

Some of Jones’ PACs donate to one another, which then often go toward Republican candidates. The amount of groups and funds being swapped around make it difficult to trace what donations are going to which campaigns.