MORGAN PUTS $1.8M INTO MARIJUANA DRIVE
Orlando attorney John Morgan is going all-in as he tries to get a measure on the November ballot to legalize medical marijuana in Florida. Morgan, through The Morgan Firm PA, contributed $913,407 in December to the group leading the drive, People United for Medical Marijuana. Morgan’s firm also loaned $909,957 to the effort, according to newly filed campaign finance reports. In all, People United for Medical Marijuana raised $1,137,286 during December, bringing its overall total to more than $2.4 million. Those totals don’t include the loans from Morgan. During 2013, Morgan made about $2.8 million in contributions and loans to the marijuana-legalization effort, records show. Supporters of the proposed constitutional amendment are trying to meet a Feb. 1 deadline for submitting 683,149 valid petition signatures to the state to get on the ballot. As of Monday morning, the state Division of Elections website indicated 377,244 valid signatures had been submitted. That number has quickly grown, but the Morgan-led People United for Medical Marijuana also still needs to win approval of the proposed ballot wording from the Florida Supreme Court. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Republican legislative leaders have objected to the wording, saying it does not fully disclose the effects of the proposed amendment.
SHELDON, THURSTON STRUGGLE TO RAISE MONEY
Democratic attorney-general candidates George Sheldon and Perry Thurston combined to raise less than $19,000 in December for their campaign accounts, while Republican incumbent Pam Bondi continued to widen her huge financial lead, newly filed reports show. Sheldon, a former Department of Children and Families secretary, collected $6,525 during the month, bringing his total to $58,332. Thurston, a Fort Lauderdale Democrat who is the House minority leader, raised $12,315, giving him a total of $33,815. Bondi, meanwhile, raised $116,105 during December and had a total of $642,556. Two Bondi-aligned political committees also have combined to raise a total of about $1.2 million. Candidates and committees were required to file updated finance reports with the state by a Friday deadline.
FIRST AMENDMENT GROUP FIGHTS EMAIL EXEMPTION BILL
Pointing to a potential “slippery slope,” an open-government group Monday requested the withdrawal of a bill that would provide a public-records exemption for email addresses that are used by tax collectors to send notices to taxpayers. The Senate version of the bill, SB 538 by Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, is scheduled to be heard Tuesday in the Senate Community Affairs Committee. A similar measure, HB 421 by Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, has been filed in the House. The Senate bill says, in part, that email addresses submitted to tax collectors are currently public records “and, when combined with other personal identifying information, can be used for identity theft, taxpayer scams, and other invasive contacts.” But the First Amendment Foundation, in a letter Monday to Latvala, said there is “no factual evidence to support” the assertion that a public-records exemption is needed to prevent identity theft and warned that the bill could have broader long-term implications. “This particular legislation protects only those email addresses obtained by tax collectors,” foundation President Barbara Petersen wrote. “If passed, it would create the proverbial slippery slope of Mt. Everest proportions, Senator, provoking similar unnecessary and unsubstantiated exemptions, affecting all government business conducted electronically, creating major problems with efficiency, and increasing costs associated with obtaining public records.” (Disclosure: The News Service of Florida is a member of the First Amendment Foundation.)
–source: The News Service of Florida