A campaign emerges against the amendment that would end Florida’s campaign public financing

Amendment 6 would eliminate Florida's public campaign financing. (Photo credit: Getty Images)

Floridians for Open Democracy, a recently launched group, is campaigning against a proposed state constitutional amendment that would scrap public funding of statewide campaigns and the spending limits that candidates who draw those funds must agree to.

Getting rid of Florida’s matching-fund program for candidates running for governor and the three Cabinet positions would make it harder for people who are not wealthy to run for office, said Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida, a nonpartisan organization behind Floridians for Open Democracy.

“If you put it very simply, public campaign financing gives everyday Floridians more influence, right, and more say in their representatives,” Keith said in a phone interview with Florida Phoenix. “This is in Florida a small-dollar matching program. Candidates only get the funds if they raise money from ordinary Floridians. So, it really provides that incentive for candidates to listen to everyday people.”

Do FL voters want to repeal public financing of statewide elections for governor, Cabinet members?

How does Florida’s public campaign financing work?

Florida is one of 12 states with public financing for gubernatorial candidates, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures .

If Amendment 6 receives 60% approval from voters in November, statewide candidates wouldn’t draw public funds, but they also wouldn’t have to abide by the spending limits in Florida statutes. For example, candidates who accept public funds now can spend only $25,000 of their own money in their campaigns, and their spending is limited in governor’s races to $2 per registered voter and $1 in Cabinet races.

To gain access to public funds, people vying for the governor’s office must raise $150,000 and those seeking a Cabinet position must raise $100,000 from small donors.

With just 66 days until the general election, Floridians for Open Democracy plans to carry its campaign against the amendment digitally and provide voters with a simple message: “If you believe money in politics is a problem, then you want to vote no on Amendment 6.”

Keith said the group waited until after the Florida primaries to start the campaign because voters have been hearing messages about other issues on the ballot. This year, the abortion-rights and recreational marijuana amendments are getting the most attention and money.

“It’s really important to have this messaging in these final weeks as we have the lead-up to the election and make sure that people can understand it in a time frame close to when they’re going to be seeing this is on their ballot,” she said.

Lawmakers wanted the amendment on the ballot

Amendment 6 ended up on the ballot after the Florida Legislature passed it in March. This is their second attempt to remove public campaign financing, which has been a part of the Florida Constitution since 1998. In 2010, 52.4% of voters wanted to can the system, falling short of the 60% threshold, according to the Florida Division of Election’s amendments database.

Miami-Dade Republican Rep. Tom Fabricio, who sponsored the measure in the House, cited the amount of money dispersed to candidates in previous years as one of the reasons he wants to eliminate public campaign financing in Florida.

“We spent $13 million in 2022, nearly $10 million in 2018, and over $4 million in 2014 from the state’s general revenue on public campaign financing. These are substantial amounts that could be better used to support essential services for Floridians,” Fabricio wrote in a statement to the Phoenix.

“Voters will have the ability to remove this funding mechanism to promote a campaign environment where candidates are driven to build broader support from their communities rather than relying on state funds. This not only reduces the financial burden on taxpayers but also aligns with fiscal responsibility and free-market principles.”

In the last election cycle , Gov. Ron DeSantis drew $7.3 million, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis $221,915, and Attorney General Ashley Moody $291,333. State records don’t reflect any disbursements to Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson.

Need for transparency

Although the Florida GOP supports the amendment, not all Republicans agree. Sen. Joe Gruters, of Sarasota and Manatee counties, was the sole Republican in the Legislature to vote against the amendment. He’s also going against the grain in supporting the recreational marijuana amendment, which the party opposes.

“It’s an expensive state to run for statewide office, and, obviously, I’ve already announced that I’m running for CFO. I think what [public campaign financing] does is encourage candidates to go after small, low-dollar donations, which is all transparent and available to the public to see, rather than being dependent on political committees,” Gruters told the Phoenix in a phone interview.

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