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January 2013
Integrity Florida identified four challenges with existing regulations
1. Contribution limits outdated and dysfunctional. Most contributions evade limitations on individual candidate accounts, streaming into political committees where there is less disclosure and public transparency.
2. Minimal transparency and accountability. Campaign finance reporting requirements provide less information to voters on a less frequent basis than other states.
3. Litigation risk. Florida may be out of sync with U.S. Supreme Court doctrine potentially increasing the risk of litigation over the state’s campaign finance spending limits.
4. Failing public financing system. Existing system of public financing is failing to achieve goals of limiting the amount of campaign spending, leveling the playing field between candidates and reducing special interest funding.
Four principles to guide policy recommendations
1. Ensure balanced regulations. Ensure transparency and accountability regulations and requirements are equally applied to candidate accounts, interest groups and political parties.
2. Protect political speech.
3. Make disclosure more timely and detailed. Enable the electorate to make informed decisions and give proper weight to different speakers and messages through rapid and sufficient disclosure.
4. Keep it simple. Simplify the reporting and disclosure system.
The solution
To remedy the challenges we identified and achieve our research objective of policy recommendations that increase transparency and accountability in Florida’s campaign finance system, Integrity Florida recommends five policy directions:
1. Eliminate contribution limits.
2. Require 24-hour disclosure.
3. Streamline independent committees.
4. Remove spending restrictions and increase disclosure for political parties.
5. Enhance statewide campaign finance database.
