Tthe head of Florida’s Democratic Party filed a complaint against Gov. Ron DeSantis, marking a second potential ethics violation before the Republican governor has even officially launched a White House bid.
Nikki Fried, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, filed an ethics complaint against DeSantis on Monday, alleging that the governor’s political committee received improper gifts and spent money unrelated to the group’s formal business. The complaint comes after the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC held a retreat at a Palm Beach resort earlier this year as a way for DeSantis to meet with GOP donors and elected officials.
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“I just filed a state ethics complaint against Governor DeSantis for accepting prohibited gifts from his political committee,” Fried said in a tweet. “And to the rest of [Republicans]you might want to check all your financial reports and your campaign reports as you are all next.”
The complaint centers on a $235,000 payment made by Friends of Ron DeSantis to the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach in February at an event celebrating the “Florida plan.” State law prohibits candidates from receiving gifts from political committees, including loans, donations or “anything of value not primarily related to contributions.”
Fried denounced the retreat as a way for DeSantis to rally with top Republican leaders “to raise his national profile ahead of an early bid for the Republican nomination for president.”
The Democratic president cited a handful of other improper payments in her complaint, including a $142,388 payment to the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami and $11,895 to Dirty French Steakhouse. If found in violation, DeSantis could be subject to a penalty “equal to three times the amount of the gifts,” according to state law.
A spokesman for the governor rejected the accusations, maintaining that the events were not improperly celebrated.
“Just like the [ethics complaint] since two weeks, we’re just going to add this to the list of frivolous and politically motivated attacks,” said Taryn Fenske, referring to an initial ethics complaint filed against DeSantis earlier this month. “Harder for Democrats on the back: It is inappropriate to use ethics complaints for partisan purposes.”
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DeSantis received a similar ethics complaint from a super PAC backing former President Donald Trump for the nomination. That complaint called on the state GOP to investigate whether DeSantis is using his elected office as leverage to raise his national profile ahead of a presidential race.
DeSantis has yet to announce a run for the White House, but the Florida governor is expected to do so in the coming weeks. Should he choose to run, the Florida governor will be a competitive candidate and the top challenger to Trump’s re-election bid.
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