Florida GOP bill would further shield names of dark money donors

[Zorro]

Dark money groups have come under increased scrutiny recently as a result of a Miami-Dade County “ghost” candidate investigation.

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Republicans are pushing legislation that would enact broad new layers of secrecy around nonprofit organizations’ corporate and individual donors, a move that would allow some political groups to shield sources of funding from local and state government scrutiny.

There are two versions of the so-called “Personal Privacy Protection Act” in the Florida Legislature, and records and interviews show the bill language was provided by a lobbyist who says he was working on behalf of two nonprofit organizations whose tax-exempt status allows them to engage in a restricted level of political activity and does not require them to disclose their donors.

Such groups, which often serve as vehicles for dark money spending because their sources are hidden, have come under increased scrutiny in the last year as a result of a Miami-Dade County “ghost” candidate investigation marked by dark money spending.

The proposed legislation in the House would further limit public knowledge of their funding sources by prohibiting government entities from requiring corporations, associations, and nonprofit organizations to provide information about their direct or indirect support to any entity. The public entities would also be barred from publicly releasing the information if they have it.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/01/20/florida-gop-bill-would-further-shield-names-of-dark-money-donors/

[sop]

1. Some dark money group should find a guy named Jim DeSantis and back his candidacy in the

Republican gubernatorial election this year.

[in2herbs]

2. The Constitution gives the states the right to establish time, place and manner of how federal

elections will be handled. If the Constitution and no federal law gives states control of political groups that fund federal elections how is this FL law going to work if it's intent is to shield donor names in federal elections?