In 2019, Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida proposed a change to Florida’s campaign finance laws that would have created a so-called “free flow” of money among political campaigns, allowing any donor to contribute to any Florida campaign without any limits.
The proposal drew immediate criticism from Democrats, including party Chair Terrie Rizzo who warned that the “unchecked cash flow” could be “[t]he greatest threat to Florida’s democracy in decades.” In addition, the Democratic-leaning Florida House of Representatives voted against the measure 116 – 0. Many people have argued that the proposal would allow wealthy interests to have undue influence in elections.
In response to the criticism, Governor DeSantis subsequently withdrew the proposal, citing “people on both sides of the aisle… that it didn’t work for them.” However, DeSantis has not ruled out the possibility of revisiting his proposal in the future.
