As primary draws near, sugar, health care and utilities spend heavily on behalf of McCollum

While Tuesday’s Republican primary outcome is probably still in doubt, one thing is clear: Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum will be outspent by his self-funded opponent, former health care executive Rick Scott. Scott and his 527 group have spent almost $40 million on his campaign, while the McCollum campaign has spent about $10 million.

Lacking Scott’s self-funding, McCollum has relied on a 527 group associated with him, Florida First Initiative, mostly to run television ads against Scott. The group had raised over $3.8 million, as of Thursday. (Statewide airtime runs at approximately $1 million a week.) While Scott has his own 527, Let’s Get to Work, its funding largely consists of $11 million from one donor — a trust in the name of Rick Scott’s wife.

The Florida First Initiative has taken contributions from groups and industries with interests in state government. In addition, the group has taken contributions from other committees. Two committees, the Florida Liberty Fund and the Freedom First Committee, associated with state Rep. Dean Cannon and state Sen. Mike Haridopolos, respectively, donate to the Florida First Initiative.

A common pattern has emerged: A company will donate to one of those committees and then the committee will transfer a similar amount of money to the Florida First Initiative within a few days. The Freedom First Committee has donated $768,000 to the Florida First Initiative, while the Florida Liberty Fund has donated $975,000.

In addition to those committees, the Florida First Initiative received $600,000 from the League of American Voters, a little-known D.C.-based group associated with former Clinton White House advisor-turned-conservative Dick Morris. The group shares an office with Grover Norquist’s group, Americans for Tax Reform. League of American Voters has run an ad attacking Rick Scott’s tenure as CEO of Columbia/HCA. (League of American Voters did not respond to requests for comment.)

The Chamber of Commerce donated $500,000 to the Florida First Initiative the day it endorsed McCollum. The Chamber Institute for Legal Reform donated $500,000 to the Florida Liberty Fund and the Freedom First Committee, $224,000 of which was donated to Florida First Initiative two days later.

The donations are not just from committees and corporations with established interests in the state of Florida. Contractors, developers, wealthy professionals, beverage distributors, home builders, auto dealers and other politicians running for office also have donated to the Florida First Initiative, albeit in smaller amounts. However, even these amounts are smaller than the $500 limit donors are subject to under Florida law — 527 groups are exempt from this state law.

Other interests that have donated to Florida First Initiative:

SUGAR

United States Sugar donated $150,000 to the Florida Liberty Fund and the Freedom First Committee each on Aug. 6, and within days, each committee gave $100,000 to the Florida First Initiative. The vice president and lobbyist for U.S. Sugar, Bob Coker, told the Miami Herald that he had donated to the League of American Voters, but didn’t disclose the sum, since that group is organized as a 501 (c)(4) social welfare organization.

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