Loranne Ausley, Democratic candidate for Florida House District 9, is running a campaign that criticizes the power of special interests while taking significant contributions from special interests.
Tallahassee Reports has learned that Ausley has accepted large contributions given by corporate interests through a political action committee (PAC) called Florida 2020.
Paperwork on file with the Department of State lists the PAC address of Florida 2020 as 118 North Gadsden Street in Tallahassee and notes that Ms. Ausley is the chairperson and the registered agent.
As of the latest reporting period, Florida 2020 has raised $105,523. Top contributors include some of the most powerful corporate interests in Florida.
The top contributors are listed below:
FLORIDA POWER & LIGHT COMPANY (PRIVATE UTILITY), $10,000
DISNEY WORLDWIDE SERVICES, INC.,$10,000
THE FLORIDA EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, $10,000
FLORIDA JOBS PAC, $5,000
FCCI SERVICES (INSURANCE), $5,000
TECO ENERGY (PRIVATE UTILITY), $5,000
UNITED STATES SUGAR CORPORATION $5,000
Our report comes after Ausley has released a campaign advertisement titled ‘Everyday People.”
The advertisement features Ausley who states, “Everyday working people, that is who I represent. But right now special interests run our state government and control our legislators. They get the benefits and we get the cuts. I ‘m Loranne Ausley and I stand with you….”
See advertisement below:
In the advertisement, it appears Ms. Ausley is criticizing the same special interests that are providing significant financial support to her campaign.
In addition, some of the PAC contributors represent policy positions that are in direct opposition to the public positions taken by Ms. Ausley.
For example, Ms. Ausley’s PAC took $15,000 from private utilities that are supporting the passage of Amendment One, a controversial referendum dealing with solar power. Ms. Ausley has spoken out against Amendment One.
Also, Ms. Ausley writes on her website that she “will stand up to those who would rather play political games than preserve the natural resources that help make Florida a great place to live…”
However, a recent investigative report by the Miami Herald found the sugar industry spent more than $57 million over 22 years to influence Florida campaigns and minimize clean-up costs and postpone deadlines.
Despite a number of local forums, no local media has covered the Florida 2020 PAC and how it relates to the election of the Florida House District 9 representative.
Ms. Ausley has refused to talk to Tallahassee Reports and has recently backed out of a political forum held by NEBA, the Network of Entrepreneurs and Business Advocates. The forum was scheduled to feature Ausley and her opponent, GOP candidate Jim Messer.
Loranne Ausley PAC Accepted Donations From Sugar Industry, Private Utilities, and Disney added by Staff on
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Interestingly, Ausley McMullen Law Firm is the general counsel to the Tallahassee Democrat. How is that for a conflict of interest?
Her campaign flyers go straight from my mailbox to the trash bin.
Actually, I should just move the trash can out next to my mailbox during campaign season in Uber-liberal Leon County. She and Killary are cut from the same bolt of cloth, woven with pay-for-play money and layers of lies.
Her contributors list looks a lot like the client list of her fathers law firm. He represents big sugar, utilities, tobacco, railroads and chemical manufacturers. She say she opposes big special interests, but her father works for them. What we have to ask ourselves is whether she would be representing us, or her father’s clients in the legislature. Why would those big special interest corporations be contributing to her campaign? “Why, at this point, does it matter?”
Large corporations don’t contribute to unfriendly political candidates. They only contribute to candidates who they believe will do their bidding in the legislature.
Ms. Ausley is much to beholden to special interests to get my vote.
She looks like the local version of Hillary Clinton, which means the democrat party sheep will show up and vote for her, the hypocrisy notwithstanding.
Interesting how she talks about getting pay raises for state employees but thinks we forget how ineffective she was the last time she was in the legislature.
I would think that if we elected a republican, they would be more successful in pleasing the case for State Employees.
Jim Messer says (paraphrasing) he wants clean water, Good schools, and equity for state employees. OF course, the Tallahassee Democrat will never tell you that.