TALLAHASSEE — To solidify his grip on the Senate presidency, Sen. Mike Haridopolos is walking a familiar path: He's collecting as much money as possible from special interests to make sure his allies win elections.
Since May, a newly formed political committee that Haridopolos controls has raked in $1.1 million. That's an average of $44,000 on each of the 26 days the committee reported getting checks, or slightly less than the median household income for a Florida family.
The largest check, for $225,000, came from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, D.C. Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida, based in Jacksonville, sent a check for $100,000 to Haridopolos' committee, as did the Petway Co., a Jacksonville insurance firm. Other donors ran the gamut of capital lobbying interests: agriculture, alcoholic beverages, hospitals and real estate development.
Haridopolos' committee is one of nearly 100 that have proliferated in recent years, allowing 76 current and former lawmakers to circumvent the $500 contribution limits to their own campaigns. Contributions to lawmaker-controlled committees are unlimited, and there are few restrictions on how the money can be spent.
Asked whether special interest money pollutes policymaking in Tallahassee, Haridopolos cited the millions of dollars that President Barack Obama received from labor unions in 2008.
"That is the price of doing business," he said, "and I'm not going to leave my friends in the Senate out there without protection."
And Haridopolos said he's just getting warmed up: He said the $1.1 million is a fraction of the $12 million he plans to help the Republican Party raise during the current election cycle to aid the GOP's slate of 2010 candidates.
Thrasher pledged to support Haridopolos for Senate president, so Haridopolos hit up deep-pocketed donors to pay for advertisements attacking Thrasher's opponents, to counteract an advertising campaign against Thrasher funded largely by trial attorneys.
Thrasher had far more money than all three of his GOP rivals combined and won the Sept. 15 primary with ease. Haridopolos has already christened Thrasher as a member of "my leadership team," and Thrasher has pledged to repay a debt by helping to create a winnable seat for former Rep. Aaron Bean of Fernandina Beach, who dropped out of the race and backed Thrasher.
Mark Wilson, president and chief executive officer of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, who sits on the national chamber's board, said the $225,000 check is "an example of things to come" as businesses battle trial lawyers.
"Florida's about to be the third-largest state in the country, and we have an opportunity to make Florida a more pro-business state," he said.
The ever-growing size of individual donations troubles some long-time observers of the Legislature, who say the trend results in only the wealthiest interests being heard.
"It's just the worsening of a bad situation," said Carl Adams, president of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists. "The individual lobbyist doesn't do very well competing against that kind of money. This really takes it away from the overall lobbying corps and puts it in the hands of a few."
While Freedom First financed ads intended to help Thrasher, Haridopolos dipped into his second fund, the Committee for Florida's Fiscal Future, to pay for about $2,400 in travel and dining expenses in the same period. The committee is also supported by special interest money.
Haridopolos, 39, was elected to the Senate in a 2003 special election. He teaches political science courses to graduate students at the University of Florida.
Last week, Public Service Commissioner Nancy Argenziano mentioned the potentially corrosive influence of money in Florida politics. Argenziano, a former Republican state senator from Dunnellon, singled out lawmaker-controlled committees as a particular problem.
"I have seen what influence those large contributions have," Argenziano said at a PSC hearing, without mentioning anyone by name. "And again, not the $500 contributions. I don't think anybody's selling their soul for that. I'm not saying all legislators are doing that, but there certainly are some."
Times/Herald staff writer Marc Caputo contributed to this report. Steve Bousquet can be reached at bousquet@sptimes.com or (850) 224-7263.
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