File this in the got missed at the time, but still interesting category.
Jeff Ryan, a top fundraiser for the Florida Democratic Party, used donations funneled through a political organization run by a Tallahassee attorney to pay off a $209,000 state elections fine.
Ryan got hit with the fine because he was chairman of an outfit called Florida House Victory, which was set up by then Rep. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, to raise money independently of the state party during a time when legislative leaders were at odds with then party chairman Scott Maddox. (Sound familiar?)
The Florida Elections Commission in 2007 ruled that the fundraising committee - which was eventually shut down - accept campaign contributions above the legal limits. Instead of fighting the charges, which Democrats said were due to technical mistakes made when the paperwork was filed, Ryan agreed to pay a fine of $209,000.
But state election records show that $209,000 was paid to a trust account maintained by well-known Tallahassee ethics and elections attorney Mark Herron to pay off the fine. The money came out of a committee of continuous existence also run by Herron called Mark-PAC.
Donations came into the CCE from the Florida PBA, HCA, Hartman & Tyner, Palm Beach County Kennel Club and Jacksonville Greyhound Racing in late 2007 and 2008 - or at the same time that two payments to Herron's trust account were made.
When asked about it on Sunday, Herron said since Ryan was not a candidate the arrangement was legal. Herron also said that donors were told ahead of time what the money was being used for.
So why this bring up now? Some Republicans remain convinced that their fundraising woes get a lot more press coverage than ones involving Democrats. And this one listed above has been included in the list of those items missed. But Ryan's fine did get reported at the time even if it didn't get reported in all newspapers. What's new is how the fine was handled.
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