DeSantis hit with second ethics complaint before prospective presidential bid takes off

The head of the Florida Democratic Party filed a complaint against Gov. Ron DeSantis, marking a second possible ethics violation before the Republican governor has even officially launched a White House bid.

Nikki Fried, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, filed an ethics complaint against DeSantis on Monday, alleging the governor’s political committee of receiving improper gifts and spending money that is unrelated to the group’s formal business. The complaint comes after the Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC held a retreat at a Palm Beach resort earlier this year as a way for DeSantis to meet with donors and GOP elected officials.

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“I just filed a state ethics complaint against Gov. DeSantis for accepting prohibited gifts from his political committee,” Fried said in a tweet. “And to the rest of the [Republicans], you may want to check all of your financial filings and campaign reports, as you all are next.”

The complaint centers on a $235,000 payment made by Friends of Ron DeSantis to the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach in February at an event to celebrate the “Florida blueprint.” State law prohibits candidates from receiving gifts from political committees, including loans, donations, or “anything of value that is not primarily related to contributions.”

Fried denounced the retreat as a way for DeSantis to huddle with top Republican leaders “to increase his national profile in advance of an anticipated run for the Republican nomination as President.”

The Democratic chairwoman cited a handful of other improper payments in her complaint, including a $142,388 payment toward the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami and $11,895 to Dirty French Steakhouse. If found in violation, DeSantis could be subject to a penalty “equal to three times the amount of the gifts,” according to state law.

A spokesperson for the governor rejected the accusations, maintaining the events were not held improperly.

“Just like the [ethics complaint] from two weeks ago, we’ll just add this to the list of frivolous & politically motivated attacks,” said Taryn Fenske, referring to an initial ethics complaint filed against DeSantis earlier this month. “Louder for the Dems in the back: It’s inappropriate to use ethics complaints for partisan purposes.”

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DeSantis was hit with a similar ethics complaint by a super PAC backing former President Donald Trump for the nomination. That complaint requested the state GOP to investigate whether DeSantis is using his elected office as leverage to elevate his national profile ahead of a presidential run.

DeSantis has not yet announced a White House run, but the Florida governor is widely expected to do so in the coming weeks. Should he choose to run, the Florida governor is set to be a competitive candidate and top challenger to Trump’s reelection bid.