'Obfuscation of funding': How a 'new loophole' in Florida law hid Kushner family’s ties to Surfside

20 May 2024

A law signed by Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis last year has made way for billionaire Charles Kushner, and other top real estate developers, to pour "thousands of dollars" into their preferred 2024 candidates in the small oceanfront town of Surfside, Miami New Times reports.

According to documents obtained by the newspaper, the political action committee (PAC) "One Surfside," which is behind a slew of ads for ex-mayor Schlomo Danzinger, former vice mayor Jeff Rose and other 2024 candidates flooding residents' homes, is part of the PAC "network to which Kushner and Fort Lauderdale development group Fort Partners contributed a combined $40,000."

Per Miami New Times, "The obfuscation of the funding – namely, voters' inability to see the funding sources until after the election – was facilitated by a 2023 Florida bill that loosened state political committees' filing requirements, allowing them to make financial disclosures on a quarterly basis outside of general election season." The newspaper notes, "Previously, they had to file monthly."

Additionally, the newspaper reports, "The loosened Florida regulations on state political committee filing requirements apparently enabled One Surfside's funding sources to remain hidden until April."

Ben Wilcox of the government watchdog group Integrity Florida told Miami New Times that the amendment to the law allows for a "'new loophole' that gives political committees another means of concealing donors in a funding environment already lacking transparency."

Danzinger claimed that he's only connected to the nonpartisan group 1,000 Jews of Florida, telling the Florida newspaper, "The objectives of the PAC resonated with my beliefs, and I was dedicated to furthering them through legislative means."

The former Surfside mayor — along with Rose and former commissioner Fred Landsman — were all voted out by the residents and activists critical of Kushner's backing.

Danzinger is now running in Miami-Dade County's mayoral election, according to the report.

"The basic premise of campaign finance reform is who gave it and who got it. We've moved away from that. No longer is transparency possible," Wilcox said. "And now it seems we have a new way to hide money here in Florida, namely for local elections that are not on the same campaign cycle as the primary and general election."

He added, "Companies making large political donations are not doing it in the interest of good government. They're doing it hoping the government is going to be good to them. They're wanting to buy favorable regulations, and at the local level, developers are looking for favorable zoning regulations that allow them to do the projects they want to do. They're expecting something in return. But it's legalized."

Miami New Times' full report is available at this link.

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