Costly governor’s race highlights lax state campaign finance laws

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s wide-open race for governor won’t be decided for another six months, but it’s already triggered a wave of expensive television ad buys from groups taking advantage of gray areas in the state’s campaign finance laws.

Campaigns are interpreting the laws so liberally — and some experts think they will get away with it — that it could essentially render the laws meaningless.

So far, at least $13 million has been spent on television ads in the governor’s race that includes two Republicans and four Democrats vying for the job that will be vacated by Gov. Rick Scott. Television ads are poised to play a crucial role in the race since polls continue to show a majority of the state’s voters don’t really know the Republican or Democratic candidates vying to replace him.

Some of the ads are being paid for by groups that insist they have no legal obligation to disclose who’s paying for them. Other ads are being coordinated with campaigns relying on their own legal interpretation to sidestep laws and rules intended to place limits on ad campaigns being funded by large donors.

But the surge of ads highlights Florida’s arcane and loosely regulated campaign finance system. Over the years, the Republican-controlled Legislature has made it easier for candidates and their allies to raise large amounts of money, while at the same time making it harder for the state’s elections commission to go after those who violate the law.

“Florida really has no campaign finance laws,” joked Christian Ulvert, a political consultant who is a senior adviser for the campaign of Philip Levine, the former mayor Miami Beach running for the Democratic nomination for governor.

Adds Mark Herron, an election law attorney based in Tallahassee: “You can do almost anything in Florida if you put it in the right bucket.”

Herron and other critics say state laws are flouted because the commission is slow to handle complaints and operates under too many constraints placed on it by the Legislature.

“They handle nickel and dime cases but overlook the huge problems of unregulated and improper spending,” Herron said. “They will kill you to death if you don’t file a report on time or don’t put a disclaimer on a sign. But to deal with these big issues? It ain’t happening.”

Here’s a look at the ways that campaigns and groups are navigating state laws:

Florida Grown, a political committee linked to Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, has raised millions, much of it coming from large donations from companies such as Publix, Florida Power & Light and Disney. The committee has already spent nearly $3 million to pay for television ads featuring Putnam. Committees can accept unlimited donations, but donations directly to statewide campaigns are limited to $3,000 per person.

A 2016 opinion by the Division of Elections suggests that if a political committee runs an ad featuring a candidate months ahead of an election it could be considered a contribution to the campaign.

But Putnam’s campaign