The Orlando Sentinel reports today that an affiliate of the Florida Chamber of Commerce indirectly provided the funding for a secretive political committee that didn’t disclose its donors and spent more than $160,000 on mail ads in a competitive Central Florida state Senate race in 2020, according to Florida Department of Law Enforcement records.
The revelation is the latest in the newspaper’s investigation into who funded two independent candidates who filed to run in competitive state Senate races in 2020 but did not campaign for the seats.
FDLE sent its findings to 18th Circuit State Attorney Phil Archer’s office, which declined to file charges against anyone involved in running Floridians for Equality and Justice, the political committee that funded the ghost candidates’ races to take votes away from the Democrats in the races.
Archer cited “legal impediments,” in a press release about his decision not to pursue charges but urged state lawmakers to “mandate complete transparency and accountability.”
Read Money for 2020 attack ads traces to Florida Chamber-linked group, FDLE probe finds.