Last updated March 17, 2024
In the last several weeks, Naples voters have been inundated with glossy political postcards paid for by Political Action Committees (PACs) with names that reveal nothing about their identity or agenda.
I don’t live in the City, so I didn’t receive any of the postcards myself. But because so many Sparker’s Soapbox readers asked about it, I had them take pictures and send them to me. After seeing them and looking into the PACs that funded them, I decided it was important to share the images and what I found with you.
Unfortunately, PACs are only required to submit campaign finance reports quarterly, so we will not see the first-quarter 2024 filings until after the election. Still, what I learned provided important, relevant insight.
But before looking at the PACs and their postcards, let’s consider the context. How should we think about these ads and the role of money in elections?
The Role of Money in Elections
Since the Supreme Court’s landmark Citizens United decision in 2010, there have been no limits on the amount of money corporations and other organizations can spend on a political campaign as long as that spending is independent of and not coordinated with the candidate or campaign itself.
But even if not coordinated, do those independent expenditures give donors unfair legislative influence?
That question has been studied, but the answer is difficult to prove.
“After considerable debate, most scholars have concluded that donors have little influence on [roll call] votes,” concluded a 2013 study on the influence of campaign contributions on legislative policy, the most relevant study I could find. “What voting studies cannot detect are the important, but less observable, opportunities to shape legislation that occur earlier in the legislative process.”
In other words, money probably doesn’t guarantee how a legislator will vote, but it may buy the donor’s access. The legislators likely know who their “friends” are.
The 2024 Naples mayoral election has probably seen more spending by individuals and PACs than at any other time in Naples’ history.
But as a voter, you must decide how much weight to give it. It is just one of several factors you should think about when evaluating candidate, and in my opinion, one of the least important ones.
In my post, Six Things to Consider When Evaluating Candidates, I described the process I use to make an informed choice. In my posts about the Naples Mayor and City Council candidates, I provided the information and links you need to try it out.
With that caveat as context, let’s look at the postcards shared with me and the PACs behind them.
Accountability in Government, Inc.
The Accountability in Government, Inc. PAC, 115 East Park Avenue, Suite 1, Tallahassee, FL, dates back to 2016. From its inception through 12/31/23, the most recent filing, it raised $914,384 and spent $903,394.
Its top donor was the Republican Party of Florida ($150,000 in 2018). Other donors include several PACs with the same address, including Sunshine State First, Sunshine State Freedom Fund, First Coast Conservatives, The Florida First Initiative, The Responsible Leadership Committee, Grow Florida, and the Florida Coalition for Conservative Leadership.
Just one postcard from this PAC was shared with me. Since it targets Heitmann and Blankenship, I assume this PAC supports Gary Price.
Citizens Awake Now, Inc.
The Citizens Awake Now PAC, 3021 Airport Pulling Road N. Suite 202 Naples, FL (website) was started in 2021 by local businessman Francis “Alfie” Oakes. From its inception through 12/31/23, it raised $237,800 and spent $227,732.
Oakes is the PAC’s top donor. He contributed a total of $167,700, making his last contribution in June 2022.
Four Citizens Awake Now PAC’s postcards were shared with me. Based on them, I assume this PAC supports Ted Blankenship. (Blankenship was endorsed by the Collier County Republican Executive Committee with which Oakes is affiliated.)
Collier Citizens for Responsible Government
The Collier Citizens for Responsible Government PAC, 3091 2nd Street NW, Naples, was also started in 2021. From inception through 12/31/23, it raised $69,750 and spent $63,737.
Southwest Florida businessman Miles L. Scofield chairs this PAC. Its top contributors are Robert and Barbara Crown ($30,000), Miles and Mimi Scofield ($10,000), and the Southwest Florida Jobs Alliance PAC ($10,000).
Five of this PAC’s postcards were shared with me. Since they target Blankenship and Heitmann, I assume this PAC supports Price.
Win America
The Win America PAC, 7600 Northwest 5th Place Suite L, Gainesville, FL, was started in 2021 by Marlon C. Bruce, chair of the Alachua County Economic Development Committee.
Since its inception, it has raised $46,000. Its top donors are Big Daddy Unlimited, an online gun store ($21,000); Serious Conservatives, a Tallahassee-based PAC ($20,650); and Florida Foundation for Liberty, a political committee with the same address as Serious Conservatives that is associated with Florida House Speaker Paul Renner ($12,500).
The two postcards shared with me target Price and his fellow Team Naples member Bill Kramer. One that I’m told was only sent to registered Democrats implicitly targets Heitmann. Together, they suggest this PAC supports Blankenship.
Realtors PAC
The Realtors Political Advocacy Committee, 7025 Augusta National Drive, Orlando, FL, is a late entrant to the Naples mayor race based on the timing of the postcard it paid for. The well-funded group raised over $50 million from its formation in 2013 through 2023.
The one postcard shared with me supports Price. It is the only PAC-funded mailer I’ve seen that actively supports a candidate rather than attacking his/her opponents.
Patriots with Principles
The Patriots with Principles PAC, 610 South Boulevard, Tampa, FL, was formed in August 2023, seemingly to raise money specifically for this Naples election. Since its founding in September 2023 through 12/31/23, it raised $78,750. Its top contributors are Naples architect Matthew Kragh ($20,000), Anthony Solomon, EVP and Owner of The Ronto Group ($15,000), Naples hotelier Phil McCabe ($10,000), and luxury homes realtor Donald E. Winkler, LLC ($10,000).
While I am unaware of any postcards funded by this PAC, several of its donors also gave the maximum $1,000 contribution to the Price campaign as individuals.
Then There’s Facebook
Due to time constraints, I did not research the candidates on social media as I have done in the past, despite the fact that that is an excellent way to learn about candidates.
However, one Facebook page caught my attention because of its many posts about this election.
Gap Stand has 4,900 “Facebook friends,” including several local elected officials and political activists. GAP is an acronym that stands for Great American Patriots. Its Facebook posts indicate that it is pro-gun, pro-life, and anti-abortion.
In this election, it targets Price and Heitmann and supports Blankenship.
That’s it for now. The decision is yours.
Thank you for wanting to be a more informed voter in the 2024 Naples City Council elections.
Learn more about the Naples City Council and past elections in these Sparker’s Soapbox posts:
- Naples City Council: a Primer Post
- 2022 Naples City Council Elections
- 2020 Ethics Referendum on Naples’ November Ballot
- 2020 Naples Mayor and City Council Elections
- 2019 Naples City Council Special Election
- 2018 Naples City Council Elections