Groups ignoring lax Florida election law

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 law 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 rules intended to place limits on ad campaigns being funded by large donors.

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 from large donations by 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.

But Putnam’s campaign maintains the ads not violating contribution limits. Bucky Mitchell, an attorney for the committee, contends that the first ad launched by Florida Grown focuses “on issues and public policy rather than express advocacy or electioneering on behalf of a candidate.” In the ad, Putnam talks about how he is guided by faith and that he has learned to work hard.

■ Levine also has a political committee that paid for more than $4 million worth of television ads, but Ulvert stressed that the initial ads discussed issues such as oil drilling and guns and not Levine’s campaign for governor. He noted that Levine has started to pay for new television ads directly out of his campaign account.

■ An organization known as The Collective Super PAC, which is linked a national group that promotes black political candidates, has taken out ads in south Florida that sharply criticize Gwen Graham, one of the Democrats running for governor. The group supports Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum.

But the organization has not registered with the state and is not reporting how it is paying for the ads. Graham’s campaign maintains this is against Florida law, which states a committee must register with the state if it is receiving contributions for the purpose of influencing a state election.