JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Should public tax dollars be used to prop up statewide political races?
That’s the question Florida voters will be faced with in November when they weigh in on Amendment 6.
It’s been a hotly contested issue going back more than 25 years.
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Florida voters initially agreed to allow public dollars to be used to fund statewide campaigns back in 1998 on the promise it would counterbalance big-money donors and limit overall campaign spending.
That constitutional provision allows statewide candidates to receive public dollars matching individual small-dollar donations of up to $250.
Since 2010, more than 30 million taxpayer dollars have gone to prop up statewide candidates’ campaigns, including $7.3 million to Governor Ron DeSantis’ 2022 campaign and $3.8 million to his opponent Charlie Crist.
Republican Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson was the only statewide candidate not to take public dollars in 2022.
He’s backing the repeal of the public campaign financing option, arguing it’s fallen short of its initial goal and is costing taxpayers too much.
“If you’re a Democrat, do you want your taxpayer dollars paying for Republican campaign ads?” said Simpson.
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State Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) disagrees with Simpson.
“If you’re worried about money in politics, you would vote no on Amendment 6,” said Eskamani.
She argued the public financing option is intended to level the playing field for candidates who may not be independently wealthy or have the backing of big-money donors.
“The goal really is to get people away from corporate donations and to make democracy more accessible and give working class people the opportunity to run for office and also have their donation be matched,” said Eskamani.
But Simpson argued that money would be better spent elsewhere.
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“Just think what we could do with that $30 million that would make a difference in this world. Certainly not spending it on a bunch of politicians,” said Simpson.
State lawmakers also tried to repeal public campaign financing in 2010.
That effort fell short.
14 years later, it’s unclear whether voters’ attitudes have changed enough to get Amendment 6 the 60 percent support it needs to pass.
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