Federal Election Commission closes complaint against Diaz-Balarts, Ros-Lehtinen

The FEC closes a complaint against the trio, finding that there was so little money spent to host the event, "it is appropriate to dismiss the complaint."

At issue: a May 2008 fundraiser in which Reps. Lincoln and Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen participated, requesting that contributors write separate checks to each campaign. The South Florida AFL-CIO filed a complaint, arguing that such joint fundraising events "must either establish a new political committee...or select a participating political committee to act as the fundraising representative."

The three Republicans told the FEC, however, that the event qualified for a "volunteer exemption," which allows individuals to contribute up to $1,000 for invites and food and beverage. Read the decision here..

Sink's want ad: Donors without rap sheets

Two donors rejected by Democrat Alex Sink's campaign for governor this week apparently were good enough for other political candidates.

Ex-Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton donated the maximum amount to Democrat Annette Taddeo when she tried to unseat U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in 2008. And George Lindemann of the Bass Museum of Art has given to a slew of politicians, including U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, Sen. Bill Nelson, and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, according to the Center of Responsive Politics.

Click here to read Beth Reinhard's column on vetting donors.

Sink axes fundraiser's co-chair

Democrat Alex Sink is removing another organizer of a reception planned for Monday in Miami Beach. Her gubernatorial campaign said it failed to vet participants and did not know that co-chair George Lindemann, the wealthy chairman of the Bass Art Musem's board of trustees, had served time in the 1990s for insurance fraud related to the killing of his show horse.

On Wedneday, Sink removed as a co-host ex-Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton, who was suspended from office after a drunken fight with police. On Friday, Lindemann was out, too.

"We make decisions on a case by case basis, and Lindemann was convicted of insurance fraud," said Sink spokeswoman Tara Klimek. "This particular circumstance is over the line, making him not an acceptable co-host."

Seeking comment from Lindemann...

Another Sink donor with checkered past

Democrat Alex Sink's decision to reject ex-Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton as a co-host from an upcoming fundraiser -- see Miami Herald story here -- raises questions about where candidates draw the line when vetting donors.

One of three co-chairs of the fundraiser slated for Monday in Miami Beach is George Lindemann, who was sentenced to 33 months in prison in 1996 for insurance fraud. He collected $250,000 on his show horse after it was electrocuted by a hit man.

Another co-chair of the Sink reception, publicist Seth Gordon, was removed as a volunteer campaign advisor to Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle in 2000 after police told her he was a suspect in the 1975 death of his first wife. Gordon has denied murdering his wife and never been charged.

"We strive to vet all hosts and co-hosts, but there was a breakdown in this particular case,'' said Sink spokeswoman Tara Klimek. "We're going through this invitation now."

Klimek declined to go into specifics about how these decisions are made, saying "It's on a case-by-case basis."

Sink boots disgraced Miami pol from fundraiser

Alex Sink, the frontrunning Democratic candidate for governor in 2010, is removing ex-Miami City Commissioner Johnny Winton as a co-host for a fundraiser slated for Monday.

Winton was suspended from office by Gov. Jeb Bush after a drunken, profane scuffle with police in 2006.  (See mugshot, left.) Gov. Charlie Crist refused to give him his seat back after he pleaded guilty to charges of misdemeanor battery and disorderly intoxication.

Winton's reputation was also damaged by revelations that he had quietly partnered with Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and former City Manager Joe Arriola in a real estate deal. He paid a $750 fine and accepted a reprimand from the Florida Ethics Commission in 2007.

He has since kept a low public profile, but his name was among 22 co-hosts listed on a invitation circulating for a Sink fundraiser at the Miami Beach home of developer Andi Greenwald. Download Alex_Sink_for_Governor_6.29.09_(4)

After The Miami Herald asked the Sink campaign about Winton, spokeswoman Tara Klimek said he would be removed as a co-host.

"He was added without our approval,'' Klimek said. "We don't think it's appropriate for someone with that type of history to co-host a event.''

Jeb for McCollum

Former Gov. Jeb Bush is headlining a fundraiser for Attorney General Bill McCollum's campaign for governor on June 30 at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables.

Co-chairs of the event include sugar baron Jose "Pepe'' Fanjul, Hialeah Mayor Julio Robaina, Brickell Motors owner Mario Murgado and former Wall Street Journal managing director Radames Soto.

Bush -- an icon in the Republican Party -- will help McCollum close out his first fundraising quarter in a big way. Download McCollum Reception with Special Guest Jeb Bush

Crist's fundraising sprint continues

If it's Monday, the Republican governor and U.S. Senate candidate must be in Fort Lauderdale. This event is hosted by Art and Belinda Keiser of Keiser University He's a Republican; she's a Democrat.

Invitation here: Download FUNDRAING RECEPTION HONORING GOVERNOR CHARLIE CRIST JUNE 29TH

Ann Herberger don't come cheap

Of the $40,000 spent by Republican Senate candidate Marco Rubio in the past three months, $30,000 went to Ann Herberger, a veteran fundraiser for the Bush family.

Rubio's fundraising report, due to the Federal Elections Commission last week, shows two $5,000 donations from political actions committees, one from the GEO Group security company and the other from ophthalmologists He also received large donations from Cesar Alvarez, CEO of the Greenberg Traurig law firm, and Stanley Tate, chairman of the Florida Pre-Paid College Tuition program.

Rubio, who calls his campaign account "exploratory,'' says he will announce whether he's in the race for real by the end of the week.

Meek rakes in $1.5 mil for Senate bid

When a candidate arranges a conference call with reporters to announce a quarterly fundraising total, it's usually a big one. U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, did not disappoint, announcing that he collected $1.49 million in the first three months of his campaign.

That's less than the record-setting $1.7 million collected by Republican Mel Martinez in the first three months of his campaign in 2003, but more than the $1.1 million raised by the leading Democratic candidate at the time, Alex Penelas.

Meek's donations swelled at two receptions headlined by former President Bill Clinton, which took in about $400,000.  Two-thirds of Meek's money came from Florida, and 60 percent of the donors gave less than $200.

Donate to Meek, win tote bag and coffee mug?

 

With the March 31 fundraising deadline quickly approaching, U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami is pitching potential donors to his Senate campaign with a video as earnest as a public radio fundraising drive. Says his finance director, Jon Adrabi, who worked for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, "Kendrick's right.Your donation can help us build a strong financial foundation...Will you join us?''