Mystery group has ties to GOP attorney

‘Victory Blue’ has attack mailer targeting state Senate Democratic front-runner

The entire advertising budget for a mysterious group targeting the Democratic primary frontrunner in a key state Senate race was paid to a company led by a prominent Republican attorney.

Despite the new company’s Democratic-sounding name, “Victory Blue,” its listed manager is Tallahassee attorney David P. Healy, a registered Republican who represented members of the GOP-aligned firm behind the Florida redistricting process overturned by the courts in 2014.

In late July, mailers paid for by the group were sent Democratic voters in Seminole County, which makes up most of District 9 along with parts of Volusia County.

All of them used progressive-sounding language to attack Patricia Sigman, the candidate backed by the state party in the fiveway primary on Aug. 18. The winner will take on Republican Jason Brodeur in November for the seat being left open by termlimited GOP state Sen. David Simmons.

It is one of the two races Florida Democrats are targeting in an attempt to wrest control of the Senate from Republicans for the first time in decades. The latest mailer quotes Florida Politics story cit

aing the state party’s support of Sigman and includes a picture of Sigman amid giant red hands shuffling a deck of cards. “Caught redhanded,” it reads. “Party bosses admit stacking the deck against local progressives.”

Earlier, one of the mailers claimed, “Establishment Democrats are trying to cram their hand-picked candidate down our throats ... again!” and “Say no to Patricia Sigman.” Another endorsed one of her opponents, Rick Ashby, as the “true progressive,” though he says he’s never heard of the group.

The group, Floridians for Equality and Justice, has no listed members other than its treasurer, Stephen Jones. It filed with the state Division of Elections on July 21, as is required by law, but only listed its conto tributions and expenditures at the end of July. It didn’t name the source of its money — not even listing any so-called “dark money” nonprofit organizations, which by law aren’t required to name donors. Instead, it improperly lists itself as its only contributor.

But it did list $131,500 paid to Victory Blue for advertising, making up all but $10 of its expenditures.

Victory Blue, formed the same day as Floridians for Equality and Justice, is listed by the Florida Division of Corporations as being managed by Healy. The Tallahassee address listed for Victory Blue is associated in public records with another city address listed for Healy.

Healy did not return for comment.

Healy represented requests the

Republican Party of Florida and consultants behind the firm Data Targeting in a 2014 lawsuit by the League of Women Voters, who opposed the GOP-controlled Legislature’s redistricting of congressional and state Senate seats.

The Florida Supreme Court ultimately ruled it was an illegal gerrymander and ordered a new map.

Pat Bainter, a Republican operative who ran Data Targeting, also was represented by Healy. Bainter testified in the same 2014 lawsuit that Healy was “supplied to [him] by the Republican Party.”

State Democrats decried the campaign targeting Sigman.

“Tallahassee Republicans are clearly terrified of Patricia Sigman beating Jason Brodeur in November,” said Anders Croy, spokesman for the Democratic campaign group Senate Victory.

“They’re resorting to dark money funded lies in a Democratic primary because they know that Jason Brodeur’s support of Donald Trump’s extreme agenda ... are out of step with the values of Central Floridians,” Croy said. “Their illegal tactics reflect the corrupt nature of the candidate they’re supporting.”

Brodeur’s campaign has said he has no connection to the group and doesn’t know its treasurer, Stephen Jones. Jones could not be reached for comment.

Alia Faraj, spokeswoman for the Florida GOP, said, “The Republican Party is not involved.”