§ 106.35 Distribution of funds.
Overview of Statute
This statute governs the process by which the Division of Elections determines who can receive contributions from the Election Campaign Financing Trust Fund.
Statute
(1) The division shall review each request for contributions from the 1Election Campaign Financing Trust Fund and certify whether the candidate is eligible for such contributions. Notice of the certification decision shall be provided to the candidate. An adverse decision may be appealed to the Florida Elections Commission. The division shall adopt rules providing a procedure for such appeals.
(2)(a) Each candidate who has been certified to receive contributions from the Election Campaign Financing Trust Fund shall be entitled to distribution of funds as follows:
- For qualifying matching contributions making up all or any portion of the threshold amounts specified in s. 106.33(2), distribution shall be on a two-to-one basis.
- For all other qualifying matching contributions, distribution shall be on a one-to-one basis.
(b) Qualifying matching contributions are those of $250 or less from an individual, made after September 1 of the calendar year prior to the election. Any contribution received from an individual who is not a state resident at the time the contribution is made shall not be considered a qualifying matching contribution. For purposes of this paragraph, any person validly registered to vote in this state shall be considered a state resident. Aggregate contributions from an individual in excess of $250 will be matched only up to $250. A contribution from an individual, if made by check, must be drawn on the personal bank account of the individual making the contribution, as opposed to any form of business account, regardless of whether the business account is for a corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, trust, or other form of business arrangement. For contributions made by check from a personal joint account, the match shall only be for the individual who actually signs the check.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of s. 106.11, a candidate who is eligible for a distribution of funds based upon qualifying matching contributions received and certified to the division on the report due on the 4th day prior to the election, may obligate funds not to exceed the amount which the campaign treasurer’s report shows the candidate is eligible to receive from the Election Campaign Financing Trust Fund without the funds actually being on deposit in the campaign account.
History:
s. 1, ch. 86-276; s. 25, ch. 89-256; s. 42, ch. 90-315; s. 22, ch. 91-107; s. 69, ch. 2001-40; s. 49, ch. 2007-30; s. 74, ch. 2011-40.
- Cross-References:
- Campaign Finance
- Public Financing
1. Definition for Contribution
(a) A gift, subscription, conveyance, deposit, loan, payment, or distribution of money or anything of value, including contributions in kind having an attributable monetary value in any form, made for the purpose of influencing the results of an election or making an electioneering communication.
(b) A transfer of funds between political committees, between electioneering communications organizations, or between any combination of these groups.
(c) The payment, by a person other than a candidate or political committee, of compensation for the personal services of another person which are rendered to a candidate or political committee without charge to the candidate or committee for such services.
(d) The transfer of funds by a campaign treasurer or deputy campaign treasurer between a primary depository and a separate interest-bearing account or certificate of deposit, and the term includes interest earned on such account or certificate.
Notwithstanding the foregoing meanings of “contribution,” the term may not be construed to include services, including, but not limited to, legal and accounting services, provided without compensation by individuals volunteering a portion or all of their time on behalf of a candidate or political committee or editorial endorsements. Fla. Stat. § 106.011(5).
2. Definition for Campaign Treasurer
An individual appointed by a candidate or political committee as provided in chapter 106. Fla. Stat. § 106.011(2).
3. Definition for Person
An individual or a corporation, association, firm, partnership, joint venture, joint stock company, club, organization, estate, trust, business trust, syndicate, or other combination of individuals having collective capacity. The term includes a political party, affiliated party committee, or political committee. Fla. Stat. § 106.011(14).
4. Definition for Division
The Division of Elections of the Department of State. Fla. Stat. § 97.021(8).
5. Definition for Election
Any primary election, special primary election, special election, general election, or presidential preference primary election. Fla. Stat. § 97.021(12).
6. Definition for Candidate
Any person to whom any one or more of the following applies:
Cases
Florida Cases
Case Name: Secretary of State v. Milligan
Citation: 704 So.2d 152
Year: 1997
Case URL: https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/d2c95b1abe299a54d3c1520c1f621092?query=Secreta[...]
Case Summary: Secretary of State v. Milligan held that the termination of the Election Campaign Financing Trust Fund did not change the Secretary of State's duty to collect and deposit filing fees.
Case Name: Smith v. Crawford
Citation: 645 So.2d 513
Year: 1994
Case URL: https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/2648dd00396b3b7d0dde069c6a0bfbd7
Case Summary: Smith v. Crawford held that the incumbent Commissioner of Agriculture was not required to pursue administrative remedies before bringing action against the other Commissioner of Agriculture candidate, who had withdrawn from the gubernatorial race, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief based on his challenge to the other candidate’s eligibility to be party nominee. However, the candidate who had withdrawn from the gubernatorial race was not prohibited from qualifying as the party’s nominee for Commissioner of Agriculture, since a candidate who withdraws from one race can become a candidate for a newly designated office for which he or she can qualify.
Case Name: Connor v. Division of Elections
Citation: 643 So.2d 75
Year: 1994
Case URL: https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/8ec89177f276958dde495396df47287b?query=643%20S[...]
Case Summary: Connor v. Division of Elections held that doubled public campaign financing matching funds were not limited to the initial $150,000 collected by the gubernatorial candidate.
Case Name: Republican Party of Florida v. Smith
Citation: 638 So.2d 26
Year: 1994
Case URL: https://www.ravellaw.com/opinions/b709b43d71e4492083317635f434a646
Case Summary: Republican Party of Florida v. Smith held that the financing provisions of Florida's Election Campaign Financing Act constituted a valid appropriation.
Out-of-State Cases
Federal Cases
Regulations & Guidance
Additional Resources
Further Reading
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Fla. Jur. 2d Elections s 114, Distribution of funds
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Lobbying, PACs, and Campaign Finance s 11:111, Public financing-Overview