Documentarian Billy Corben exposes Ron Book's preferential treatment by Miami City Council while lobbying for a troubled strip club

 A post made by Miami documentarian Billy Corben on Instagram exposed Ron Book sending private messages to a Miami City Councilwoman during a recent council meeting (You should not need an account to watch this video, BTW):

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTmHGHADXAl/

"I’ll just leave this here…"

“At last month’s Miami City Commission meeting, I spotted Ron Book, one of Florida’s most powerful lobbyists, sitting in the front row, in full view, texting with Commission Chairwoman Christine King — while she was on the dais conducting the meeting!"

"I made a live public records request that day for Commissioner King’s text messages and discovered that Book was advocating (though not registered to lobby) on behalf of Playmates Strip Club — whose owners were indicted last September for 79 crimes in an $8 million tax fraud scheme for allegedly bribing a New York auditor with lap dances at Tootsie’s Cabaret in Miami Gardens and other fine adult entertainment establishments.”

As seen in the screen below, there is a text exchange DURING a 12/11/2025 Miami city council meeting in which Book sends a photo of himself boarding a private jet with a shit-eating grin on his face. Book eventually got what he wanted and the agenda was moved up ust for him.

Gee, I wonder what his bimbo daughter thinks of all this?

Ron Book is exploiting a loophole in the law to take kickback from a politician

 No surprise here to see the convicted criminal still engaged in questionable activity with another politician. 

https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/local/2024/11/01/lobbyist-ron-book-looks-to-clear-his-name-sue-pbc-ethics-commission/75940551007/

A lobbyist was cited by the ethics commission; now he's suing and wants to clear his name

Lobbyist Ron Book was cited in September for failing to cash checks from county Commissioner Sara Baxter for a ride on his private jet to Tallahassee to attend the inauguration of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

By Mike Diamond, Palm Beach Post, 11/1/2024

Lobbyist Ron Book has filed a lawsuit challenging the ability of the Palm Beach County Ethics Commission (COE) to take action against him based on an anonymous complaint.

Book was cited in September for failing to cash checks from county Commissioner Sara Baxter for a ride on his private jet to Tallahassee to attend the inauguration of Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2023. Book's lawyer, Mark Herron of Tallahassee, argues in the lawsuit that a new state law should be applied retroactively, a move that would prevent the COE from pursuing the complaint even though it was filed well before the bill was considered by the Legislature.

The new law, SB 7041, adds time limits to the length of ethics investigations, requires sworn affidavits to launch complaints and bans second-hand knowledge from being used in investigations. Critics argued the law would limit the ability of ethics commissions to enforce county ordinances.

The law took effect Oct. 1; Book was cited three weeks earlier. The lawsuit says the statute says it can be applied retroactively. Should Book prevail, ethics investigations that were being pursued before the effective date of the new law could be jeopardized.

Ethics commissions across the state, including the Palm Beach County COE, called on Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto the bill as did newspaper editorials but DeSantis signed it into law in June.

Book argued in September when he was issued a "letter of instruction" that the commission had no right to follow up on the anonymous complaint because the action was taken after DeSantis signed the law. Much of what was alleged in the anonymous letter was confirmed through the COE investigation.

Book cashed the checks 18 months after they were written once a COE investigator asked him for verification. He also paid for Baxter to attend a pricey VIP dinner as well.

Sitting on the checks after 90 days of receiving them turned the trip and the dinner into gifts, according to COE, which meant Baxter had to report them as such, and she did not. The COE has not taken formal action against Baxter but Book's lawsuit discloses that a complaint, not yet made public, has been filed against her as well. Efforts to obtain comment from the COE as to the claim made in the lawsuit that a complaint against Baxter is pending were unsuccessful.

The COE has yet to file an answer to Book's appeal filed in Circuit Court. The case is not expected to be heard for several months.

Will the Ethics Commission cite Commissioner Baxter?

Book was cited for violating that part of the county’s ethics code that bars a registered lobbyist from giving a gift of more than $100 to an official of any governmental agency within Palm Beach County.

“Because the checks were not cashed, the value of the airfare and dinner may be considered a prohibited gift in excess of $100,” the COE concluded. Baxter said she never reported the trip and dinner as gifts because she reimbursed Book. She has said she was unaware that Book did not cash the checks.

The letter-of-instruction penalty for Book was one of the lower citations that could have been levied. He was told “to be more diligent in the future." Book's lawyer, Herron, said Book believes he did nothing wrong and is determined to clear his name. That is why he is asking the courts to nullify what the COE did, Herron added.

Although COE could not establish an exact value of admission to the VIP dinner, Investigator Mark Higgs said in his nine-page report that open-source reporting showed sponsorship packages for political donors ranged in cost from $25,000 to $1 million.

Precedent-setting lawsuit is months away from being resolved

The COE investigation began in August 2023 after the agency received the anonymous letter complaining that Baxter attended the inauguration on Book’s private jet and went to the dinner after the inauguration.

One of Book’s clients is BBX Capital, a real-estate holding company, that is currently building a major warehouse project in an unincorporated area west of Delray Beach. BBX made a $15,000 contribution to Baxter’s political action committee shortly after it was created on Nov. 15, 2022.

It obtained final approval for its project in June 2023 despite opposition by county planners. County Mayor Maria Sachs was the only commissioner to vote against the project.

Corrupt Florida State Senator Lauren Book siphoned millions into her own pockets during her tenure as state senator

Lauren Book's time as a state senator in the state of Florida is finally up. Much like Trump telling us he's going to be a dictator on day one if he's reelected in November 2024, Lauren Book warned us she was not going to abstain from voting in favor of using state funds to fund her private charity or enrich her drunk-driving lobbyist father's clients, and she kept her word. Despite running (mostly unopposed) as a Democrat, Lauren Book received millions from Republican donors, funneled through her charity, of course. (As noted in the Florida Bulldog article, Lauren's kids receive just under $20 million from 2011-2021). And of course, Lauren Book's self-titled charity raken in even more taxpayer dollars through their hideous license plate program.

Under rule 1.39 in the "Florida Senate Rules and Manual 2022-2024":

1.39—Disclosure of conflict of interest and prohibition on voting thereon

(1) Abstention on matters of special private gain or loss.—A Senator may not vote on any matter that the Senator knows would inure to the special private gain or loss of the Senator. The Senator must disclose the nature of the interest in the matter from which the Senator is required to abstain.

 Of course, Floridiots turned a blind eye to all this. Despite having no experience doing more than wiping her own ass without her DUI daddy, Ronald Lee Book, Dems and Repubs alike fell all over themselves trying to curry favor with Bimbo Book. 

So just how much has Lauren Book cost Florida taxpayers? According to a recent news article by the Florida Phoenix, Florida legislators have been paid $29,697 a year, or $237,576 for the 8 years she was state senator. Not bad for 60 days of part-time work, huh? But Lauren' Book's salary from her "Lauren's Kids" charity for 2022, the most recent year for the Lauren's Kids Form 990s, was $235,000. Lauren Book collected just over $1.4 million from her charity just from the time she was in office

2022 - $235,000

2021 - $235,962

2020 - $217,500

2019 - $215,000

2018 - $185,000

2017 - $159,394

(Lauren's Kids 2023 tax forms have not be posted publicly yet)

This, of course, isn't even counting the money she's colected through fundraising efforts, kickback, under-the-table payments, and other ways she's colleected money in ways that aren't documentedo on tax forms. Campaign funds are supposed to go to direct campaign expenses, but she collected so much more money than other candidates despite running unopposed. Now that Lauren Book is termed-out of office, she's back to her money-walk across the state, where pols lined up to kiss her ass once more, plus the trips are paid through her charity, so nothig comes out of pocket for her. 

In 2021, Lauren Book posted a net worth of just under $4 million. Lauren the Launderer does her dirty deeds in plain sight, yet, as noted in one of the Florida Bulldog articles, people did NOT take notice. I presume it is because she has always played the victim. 

Her entire shtick is playing victim. She tried that when she fought to shut down this blog. But she failed. She will NEVER get that win back. There's a reason that bitch never sue me. You know why? Because what I post here, with the exception of opinions I have to state using terms like presume or speculate, is all from legitimate news sources. She can (presumably) pay dipshits to delete criticisms of her on Wikipedia, and she can file SLAPP suits to try to silence critics, then lie about them in court, but she cannot get Logue v. Book, 297 So. 3d 605 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2020), striken from the courts. That's an eternal scoreboard, so Lauren AND her DUI daddy can kiss my ass. 

Back to the task at hand, Lauren Book ripped off Florida taxpayers, but that's FloriDUH politics for you. I will continue to expose her as a fraud and huckster. Get a REAL job!

Ron Book donates $1500 to dubious Palm Beach County housing PAC

Ron Book "cares" so much about the homeless,
he looks like he hasn't slept under a roof in years.

Ron Book's name pops up in yet another dubious housing scheme. By the way, Ron Book doesn't have throat cancer, throat cancer has Ron Book. 

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-op-col-schultz-affordable-housing-pac-20221011-jj365w6eyrbw5cafre3yxoqwsa-story.html

Palm Beach County’s affordable housing scam | Randy Schultz

By Randy Schultz

South Florida Sun Sentinel

Oct 11, 2022 at 3:23 pm

A recent mailer in support of Palm Beach County’s affordable housing bond referendum looks very civic-minded.

Don’t believe it.

The mailer comes from Hometown Housing Trust. It features first responders and teachers and asks voters to support the $200 million bond program on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Hometown Housing Trust also has a website. It promises that the referendum will deliver 20,000 homes and apartments for “the people who keep us safe and provide so many of the things that make Palm Beach County a great place to live.”

The problem of affordable housing is real. But here’s the reality of Hometown Housing Trust.

Randy Schultz is a Sun Sentinel columnist. (Mike Slaughter / Sun Sentinel/South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

Behind this political action committee are developers and their representatives who helped to cause the affordable housing crisis by not building enough affordable housing in the first place. Now they want public subsidies for developers, overseen by county commissioners who get donations from those same developers and their representatives.

Hometown Housing Trust had raised nearly $400,000 through Sept. 29. One of the largest contributions — $25,000 — came from GL Homes.

The company’s headquarters actually is in Broward County. But given how many homes the company has built in Palm Beach County, “hometown” might not be a stretch.

Very little of that building, though, has been affordable housing. As The Palm Beach Post reported, GL lobbied the county to relax rules that required builders to include affordable units in their projects. In just two examples, GL avoided having to build roughly 700 such units, which have lower profit margins.

The company is now offering to build 277 moderately priced units near Boca Raton — but only if GL Homes can build 1,000 high-end homes where rules now don’t allow them. The trade could mean an extra $750 million for the company.

Under Florida law, the seven commissioners and top administrators can’t campaign for the afordable housing referendum. So the Economic Council of Palm Beach County and CEO Michele Jacobs are taking the lead. Which brings us to Hometown Housing Trust.

A GL vice president serves on the council’s board. So does an executive from Minto Communities, which donated $10,000. So does an executive from Florida Crystals, which donated $50,000. In addition to producing sugar, Florida Crystals has a real estate operation.

Indeed, almost all of Hometown Housing Trust’s donations have come from developers or their representatives. One of the many real estate lawyers who donated serves on the council’s executive committee. He’s a registered lobbyist for GL Homes.

Another lawyer/contributor works for the firm whose address is that of Hometown Housing Trust. Several other contributors are council board members.

The group got $25,000 from The Richman Group, which builds multi-family housing. Another $25,000 came from Miami-based Pinnacle Communities, also a multi-family builder.

Just for good measure, Hometown Housing Trust got $1,500 from Ron Book. He’s the very well-connected Tallahassee lobbyist whose daughter is a state senator. From Broward County.

The Palm Beach Post also reported that the economic council helped to craft the referendum at the request of home builders, who resisted options that could cost them. The proposal thus would shift responsibility for solving the problem onto the public and away from the industry that created it.

Hometown Housing Trust’s mailer says the referendum is all about helping regular folks. The money says otherwise.

Florida State Senator Lauren Book voted YES on the Ron DeSantis Budget that included $12 million to send Texas migrants to Massachusetts

FloriDUH State Senator Lauren Book is blasting Ron DeSantis for using $12 million of FloriDUH's taxpayer funds to fly migrants from Texas to FloriDUH to Massachusetts in the much-maligned publicity stunt. 

But Book voted FOR the bill that gave DeSantis the $12 million in the first place, just as I previously reported Book voted FOR the DeSantis anti-protest bill. 

I guess to be fair to Bimbo Book, she was too busy counting the $2 million that her scam... er, her "charity" got in the budget to give a shit where the rest of the money went:

Safer, Smarter Schools (HB 3955) (Senate Form 2097).......   $2,000,000 (For those not in the know, Lauren Book's charity "Lauren's Kids" is the sole beneficiary of this state sponsored program.)

This is why Senate District 35 should've voted for Barbara Sharief. Book cannot be bothered to read a bill because she's too busy collecting a salary from a charity she runs and gives money to while sitting on the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

Multimillionaire Ron Book took out $300k in PPP loans which were forgiven

This is a lot of beer money or enought to buy a new Lamborghini since he crashed his old one in a drunken stupor. Ronald "Stagger" Lee Book took out TWO roughly $150k loans a year apart, and never paid a dime on them:

https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/ronald-l-book-p-a-5763687305

https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/ronald-l-book-p-a-5406828907

Ron and Lauren Book are officers in numerous businesses so it is making looking for more PPP loans the Book Crime Family collected and did not pay off. Maybe Samantha and Chase Book also have unpaid PPP loans?

https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/CorporationSearch/ByOfficerOrRegisteredAgent

I may be able to add to this as I search through the numerous corporations run by Ron and lauren Book at the least:

Officer/RA Name Entity Name Entity Number

BOOK, LAUREN WE DO CARE ABOUT RWANDANS, INC. N99000006293

BOOK, LAUREN F LAUREN F. BOOK, LLC L16000201366

BOOK, LAUREN F LAUREN F. BOOK, LLC L16000201366

BOOK, LAUREN F THE FAMILY JEWELS DESIGN STUDIO, INC. P19000051761

BOOK, RON EXACT HOLDING NORTH AMERICA, INC. F11000001682

BOOK, RON FLORIDA'S FUTURE, INC. N00098

BOOK, RON THE FLORIDA HISTORIC CAPITOL FOUNDATION, CORPORATION N10000004100

BOOK, RON HALL OF FAME FOUNDATION, INC. N22781

BOOK, RON WE DO CARE ABOUT RWANDANS, INC. N99000006293

BOOK, RON CONFECTION CONNECTION, INC. P96000074624

BOOK, RON CONSTRUCTION CATERING/BIJAN'S JOINT VENTURE, INC. P97000070667

BOOK, RONALD GREATER MIAMI ATHLETIC CLUB, INC. 740687

BOOK, RONALD INTERIOR DESIGNERS ASSOCIATION OF FLORIDA, INC. N25852

BOOK, RONALD NEIGHBORS 4 NEIGHBORS, INC. N51340

BOOK, RONALD RONALD L. BOOK GOVERNMENTAL CONSULTANTS, INC. P97000008283

BOOK, RONALD CCK, INC. P97000058027

BOOK, RONALD NORTH MIAMI RACING CORPORATION, INC. V47120

BOOK, RONALD MIAMI SPORTS SPECIALTIES, INC. V47123

BOOK, RONALD MIAMI SPORTS SPECIALTIES, INC. V47123

BOOK, RONALD L RONALD L. BOOK, P.A. J54314

BOOK, RONALD L GIFT SCENARIO, INC. K25472

BOOK, RONALD L GIFT SCENARIO, INC. K25472

BOOK, RONALD L A STEP ABOVE, INC. K46129

BOOK, RONALD L GO BIODIESEL, L.L.C. L07000105660

BOOK, RONALD L MEGAWATTAGE DEPLOYMENT LLC L09000092323

BOOK, RONALD L AXCM, LLC L15000050161

BOOK, RONALD L R B GROW, LLC L15000112560

BOOK, RONALD L R B GROW, LLC L15000112560

BOOK, RONALD L HAV-A-BOOK LLC L18000109747

BOOK, RONALD L OCEAN FRENCHIE, LLC L21000148017

BOOK, RONALD L THE RONALD A. SILVER CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, INC. N02000001123

BOOK, RONALD L MIAMI'S ANGELS, INC. N02000004535

BOOK, RONALD L EMERGENCY ROOM COMFORT PROJECT, INC. N02000004815

BOOK, RONALD L FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF FORENSIC PROFESSIONALS, INC. N04000006096

BOOK, RONALD L FLORIDA WIC GROCERS ASSOCIATION, INC. N06000006353

BOOK, RONALD L LAUREN'S KIDS, INC. N07000009940

BOOK, RONALD L LAUREN'S KIDS, INC. N07000009940

BOOK, RONALD L FLORIDIANS FOR A BETTER TOMORROW, INC. N08000009170

BOOK, RONALD L FLORIDA PARENTS OF MURDERED CHILDREN, INC. N18000003990

BOOK, RONALD L OCEAN LYFE, INC. N19000000691

BOOK, RONALD L OCEAN LYFE, INC. N19000000691

BOOK, RONALD L HOUSING FOR THE HOMELESS IN SOUTH FLORIDA, INC. N21000011052

BOOK, RONALD L. LEISURE ACCESS FOUNDATION, INC. N44554

BOOK, RONALD L. LEISURE ACCESS FOUNDATION, INC. N44554

BOOK, RONALD L BOTANICAL LEARNING CENTER AT V.A.H.O.E.,INC. N97000003666

BOOK, RONALD L ORANGE BOWL FOUNDATION, INC. N98000003702

BOOK, RONALD L WE DO CARE ABOUT RWANDANS, INC. N99000006293

BOOK, RONALD L REIMBURSEMENT RESOURCE GROUP, INC. P01000054254

BOOK, RONALD L KAM COMMUNICATIONS, INC. P02000063645

BOOK, RONALD L SJE CONCEPTS, INC. P02000122391

BOOK, RONALD L JERRON ENTERPRISES, INC. P03000003490

BOOK, RONALD L BRITBRO, INC. P03000086466

BOOK, RONALD L SHUZ, INC. P03000118717

BOOK, RONALD L ED O'DELL & ASSOCIATES, INC. P05000147329

BOOK, RONALD L URBAN INITIATIVES MEDIA, INC. P06000053764

BOOK, RONALD L BRING IDEAS 2 LIFE, INC. P07000128659

BOOK, RONALD L CAPITAL ADVOCACY GROUP, INC. P09000083465

BOOK, RONALD L CAPITAL ADVOCACY GROUP, INC. P09000083465

BOOK, RONALD L AXELIA, INC. P14000074260

BOOK, RONALD L CONCERNED WATERFRONT PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. P15000023251

BOOK, RONALD L CONCERNED WATERFRONT HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATION, INC. P15000030541

BOOK, RONALD L MARTIN OUTDOOR WRAPZ, INC. P16000097203

BOOK, RONALD L MARTIN OUTDOOR WRAPZ, INC. P16000097203

BOOK, RONALD L CONFECTION CONNECTIONS OF MIAMI, INC. P17000004956

BOOK, RONALD L CONFECTION CONNECTIONS OF MIAMI, INC. P17000004956

BOOK, RONALD L QKH OUTDOOR, INC. P18000027788

BOOK, RONALD L QKH OUTDOOR, INC. P18000027788

BOOK, RONALD L LSCRB, INC. P19000024359

BOOK, RONALD L LSCRB, INC. P19000024359

BOOK, RONALD L THE FAMILY JEWELS DESIGN STUDIO, INC. P19000051761

BOOK, RONALD L BEST BUDDIES INTERNATIONAL, INC. P37341

BOOK, RONALD L INTERAMERICAN SPORTS SPECIALTIES, INC. P95000091890

BOOK, RONALD L INTERAMERICAN SPORTS SPECIALTIES, INC. P95000091890

BOOK, RONALD L JMRM INC. P96000014489

BOOK, RONALD L I. LOSANER, INC. P96000074522

BOOK, RONALD L RONALD L. BOOK GOVERNMENTAL CONSULTANTS, INC. P97000008283

BOOK, RONALD L MILO & MILO ENTERPRISES, INC. P97000088235

BOOK, RONALD L GATEWAYS UNLIMITED II, INC. P97000104086

BOOK, RONALD L GATEWAYS UNLIMITED II, INC. P97000104086

BOOK, RONALD L. ESQ. B.P.G. HOSPITAL SUPPLY, INC. H86937

BOOK, RONALD L ESQ. PARTNERSHIP FOR RECOVERY, INC. N05000011596

BOOK, RONALD L ESQ. PARTNERSHIP FOR RECOVERY, INC. N05000011596

BOOK, LESQ., RONALD THE NORTH MIAMI BEACH ITALIAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL, INC. N98000006121

BOOK, RONALD L. ESQ. MY SHOES, INC. P11000044857

BOOK, RONALD L., P.A. ADVANCEINC EVENTS CORPORATION H76658

BOOK, SAMANTHA EMERGENCY ROOM COMFORT PROJECT, INC. N02000004815

BOOK, SAMANTHA WE DO CARE ABOUT RWANDANS, INC. N99000006293

BOOK, CHASE EMERGENCY ROOM COMFORT PROJECT, INC. N02000004815

BOOK, CHASE M OCEAN FRENCHIE, LLC L21000148017

BOOK, CHASE M OCEAN LYFE, INC. N19000000691

If you wish to do your own research into who collected PPP loans:

https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/

Welp, two more years of this dumbass pretending to be "Senate Democrat Leader"

Elect a clown, expect a circus. 

I was hoping for a better result, namely, this feckless cunt voted out of office. 

Of course, much of the new Senate District 35 was Book's prior district, and her opponent, Barbara Sharief, won in the areas that comprised her former district. 

Well, if you vote Republican, that's good news for you, since I've discussed multiple times how Book is the puppet of FloriDUH Republicans.

In related news, Matt Gaetz, another of Bimbo Book's bosom buddies, won his primary. 

Enjoy two more years of political corruption and ineptitude from your "fearless leader," FloriDUH Senate Dems, you deserve this. Just don't let her DUI daddy drink and drive again. 

Fuck Lauren and her whole family. 

Senator Book's plan to use GoFundMe to fund teachers "smells like bribery", says Florida's Chief Financial Officer

If Senator Book actually cared about the teachers, she could start by taking the millions she rakes in to her personal "Lauren's Kids" charity. 

While i'm a left leaning person and would otherwise think this is a good idea, I can't trust Senator Book with a dime of my taxpayer dollars since she's the single biggest leech of Florida tax dollars today. 

https://floridianpress.com/2021/08/patronis-says-senate-democrats-gofundme-school-board-move-sounds-like-bribery/

Patronis Says Senate Democrats’ GoFundMe School Board Move ‘Sounds Like Bribery’

Republicans and Democrats square off in what could be an epic integrity brawl

Javier Manjarres, AUGUST 10, 2021

No sooner than Senate Democratic Minority Leader Lauren Book and fellow Democratic leaders, Sens. Jason Pizzo, Bobby Powell, and Lori Berman penned a letter announcing that they would be setting up a GoFundMe account to subsidize the salaries of school officials if they are suspended for not complying with Gov. Ron DeSantis  ‘no mask mandate’ executive order, CFO Jimmy Patronis calls into question the potential criminality of the move by Senate Democrats.

“If Governor chooses to defund public education and withhold salaries from educators as punishment for protecting students’ health and safety, we will fill the gap to support them in this fight,” stated Leader Book.

“Giving money straight to a public official by using @gofundme to affect an outcome? asked Patronis. “Sounds like bribery.”

Patronis continued, tweeting, “The second any of these superintendents or school board members accept a cent, they may be breaking the law. Maybe a good question for @IntegrityFL?

Patronis’ comments come as several county school boards have openly stated that they would not comply with the governor’s order. The embattled Broward County School Board, which is openly supporting Critical Race Theory and praises Malcolm X  and the Nation of Islam,  was recently served with a warning letter from Florida Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, who told the board he was opening an investigation into their “non-compliance” and potential violation of the Parent’s Bill of Rights that was recently signed into Florida law.

State Senator Manny Diaz (R) spoke to The Floridan today moments after Gov. DeSantis concluded a press conference in Surfside where he was asked about his order to cut the pay of school officials who defied him.

Sen. Diaz defended Gov. DeSantis, asserting that school children would not be affected by the salary cuts.

“To be clear. what he (DeSantis) has said is he’s not withholding the funds that are going to affect the students, what he’s saying is if you’re in one of these positions, if you are a Superintendent or school board member, where you have a responsibility to follow the law. If someone violates state law and they are in a position where they swore to uphold that, then there are consequences,” Diaz said.

We reached out to Sen. Pizzo for a response to Patronis’ remarks but the senator did not want to comment, yet.

FL Democratic State Senator Lauren Book is trying to cover multimillion dollar donations (with a lot of Republican support)

Nothing about the Book Crime Family surprises me. Is any of this new to me? No. The only thing that shocks me any more is that anyone even notices. They've done it so long that it is a given. Lauren Book has never been anything more than a money and power hungry person, just like her daddy. 

https://www.floridabulldog.org/2021/05/new-senate-democratic-leader-lauren-book-conflict-of-interest/

New Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book has conflict of interest as Republicans quietly shower taxpayer millions on her charity

Lauren Book

Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book Tuesday discussing her amendment to the state’s $500-million gambling compact with the Seminoles that aided her father’s lobbying client, the Town of Davie. Photo: The Florida Channel

By Dan Christensen, FloridaBulldog.org

Lauren Book, the newly anointed leader of Florida’s Senate Democrats, has a financial conflict of interest that’s raising questions about her loyalties as her beleaguered party prepares for the challenge of redistricting in January.

For the past two years, House and Senate Republicans decisively showered the Senate Minority Leader’s charity – Lauren’s Kids – with $4 million in taxpayer dollars.

The appropriations, including $2 million awarded in the regular session that ended April 30, were camouflaged to make it difficult for the public to spot them.

Since 2011, the Republican-controlled Legislature has lavished $19.69-million in grants on the sexual abuse prevention charity founded and led by the Plantation Democrat. In addition, Lauren’s Kids has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from other Republican OK’d funding mechanisms, notably a specialty license plate.

State records indicate the charity intends to ask for another $2 million next year. “There is not currently a source of funding available that can be used in lieu of state funding,” says Lauren’s Kids most recent funding request.

Lauren’s salaries – and bonus

According to the latest available federal tax records, Lauren’s Kids paid Sen. Book an annual salary of $200,000 plus an incentive bonus of $15,000 in 2019. The bonus was not further explained.

The compensation Book received from Lauren’s Kids rose 49.1 percent between 2016, when she first took office, and 2019. Her salary from the charity in 2011 was $68,000. Her current Lauren’s Kids salary is $220,000, according to spokeswoman Claire VanSusteren. Book also draws a state senator’s salary of $29,697.

Book has said in the past, and VanSusteren reiterated this week, that “none of these dollars were derived from public funds.” That’s true, as far as it goes. State records show that millions in Lauren’s Kids grants were structured to pay for programs and staff salaries other than Book’s. But Book’s large salary would not be possible without the huge infusion of state dollars that have annually underwritten the charity’s other expenses.

Sen. Book, the daughter of influential lawyer-lobbyist and Lauren’s Kids chairman Ronald Book, did not respond to Florida Bulldog requests for comment. Ronald Book and his Aventura firm lobbied the Legislature for the grants, records state.

In a 2017 interview with Florida Bulldog, Sen. Book said she would not abstain from voting on matters involving her father’s clients or on measures sending millions of state dollars to benefit Lauren’s Kids. “In ALL matters, I will vote my conscience and in what I believe is best for my district, for Broward County and for the people of the State of Florida,” she said.

“I have met with the Counsel of the Senate and have been advised that it is proper that I do not abstain on these matters unless funding directly inures to my benefit, which it does not.”

Political life with father

Just this week, Sen. Book acted to benefit one of her father’s clients, the Town of Davie, that she likewise represents by sponsoring an amendment to the state’s $500-million gambling compact struck with the Seminole Tribe on Wednesday. The amendment changed the formula for determining how much local governments adjacent to the tribe’s reservation casino near Hollywood are entitled to receive.

Lobbyist Ron Book Monday before the House Select Subcommittee on the Seminole Gaming Compact Photo: The Florida Channel

Because of Book’s amendment, Davie will rake in tens of thousands of dollars more annually at the expense of the more populous and more racially diverse Hollywood. The compact is a 30-year deal. U.S. Census Bureau estimates as of July 1, 2019: Davie’s population of 106,000 was 8.8 percent black; Hollywood’s population of 155,000 was 18.2 percent black.

The Legislature’s largesse toward Lauren’s Kids, while no secret to many Republicans or Democrats who, like Sen. Book, voted for it, nevertheless was curiously kept out of public sight. Indeed, Tallahassee insiders Florida Bulldog spoke with were unaware of the millions earmarked to Lauren’s Kids in 2020 and 2021, nor did any Florida media outlet report on those large payouts last year, or while covering this year’s record $101.5-billion state budget.

Why? The House and Senate legislators who sponsored the Lauren’s Kids grants modified the name of those appropriations.

Underlying documentation clearly identifies Lauren’s Kids as the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity that requested the twin $2-million grants to be funneled through the Department of Education. But unlike past years when “Lauren’s Kids” identified the recipient, the grant’s name was changed to “Safer, Smarter Schools” – the name of the Lauren’s Kids curriculum.

The result: the annual list of state-funded charities in the final appropriations bill no longer mentions Lauren’s Kids as receiving any funds. (See page 30 of this year’s SB 2500.)

State descriptions of the Lauren’s Kids program for 2020 and 2021 both say, “Funding will be utilized to continue to provide child abuse prevention curriculum and resources to Florida’s public schools, parents and communities.” This year’s description adds, “The onset of COVID-19 has elevated the need for these critical resources due to the documented rise in child abuse, maltreatment, digital exploitation & trafficking during the pandemic.”

The COVID-19 language looks like window dressing. No documentation to support the assertion that child abuse, exploitation and trafficking increased last year was provided when the funding request was filed on Feb. 17.

‘Troubled’ by camouflaged grants

The sponsors of the 2020 Lauren’s Kids grant were then-state Sen. Bill Montford, D-Marianna, and then-state Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Naples. This year, the sponsors were state Sen. Doug Broxson, R-Pensacola, and state Rep. Vance Aloupis Jr., R-Miami.

This year’s Republican sponsors for Lauren’s Kids $2-million grant. Sen. Doug Broxson, right, and Rep. Vance Aloupis Jr.

Florida Bulldog contacted some prominent South Florida Democrats to ask them about the  recent disguised, multi-million dollar giveaway to Lauren’s Kids by the Republican-dominated Legislature.

“I am troubled by what you’re telling me,” said a former state senator who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It sounds bad, certainly. It may be bad. I don’t know. If I were still in the Senate,I would want to know a lot more.”

Another former legislator now in local elective office said she was “concerned” both by Book’s sizeable compensation from Lauren’s Kids, as well as her charity’s dependence on Republicans for continuing support.

“The challenge for her is going to be that she needs to bend over backwards to be more ethical than other people. Everybody’s watching her,” she said. “She should step aside from the charity while she’s the Democratic leader.”

Florida Bulldog reached out to several key Senate Democrats for comment, including Miami’s Annette Taddeo, Tampa’s Janet Cruz and Jacksonville’s Audrey Gibson. None responded.

Lauren Book sees additional Republican funding

Even before Book was elected to the Senate, her father was a significant presence in Tallahassee. In 2013 Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, filed a bill that amended state law to allow Lauren’s Kids to collect $25 fees from the sale by specialty license plates sold by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Further, the DMV allows Lauren’s Kids to insert in every auto tag renewal notice mailed to more than 6 million vehicle owners a brochure asking the public for donations. Miami-Dade and Broward counties facilitate individual $1 donations by including a box for people to check on their car registration renewal forms. 

In 2019 alone, Lauren’s Kids reported that the department paid it $536,000.

Lauren Book, who was sexually and physically abused by her nanny for six years starting at age 11, founded Lauren’s Kids in 2007. She was elected to the state Senate without opposition in 2016 and again in 2018. She’s running for re-election next year.

To date, her campaign has raised $170,000 and the political committee she chairs – Leadership for Florida – has collected another $246,500. A chunk of that money comes from at least a half-dozen of her father’s lobbying clients.

Incumbent Book, 36, has a Republican opponent in 2022, Davie resident Diana Bivona Belviso, 34. Belviso’s campaign reports receiving a single in-kind contribution: $300, for professional photographs.

Lauren Book established Leadership for Florida in 2014 with the help of Tampa accountant Nancy Watkins, who remains the political committee’s treasurer. Watkins and her husband, Robert, have for decades kept the books for numerous Republican candidates and conservative political groups in Florida and around the country. The Tampa Bay Times reported in 2019 that Watkins’ clients have included then-President Donald Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio and Fort Lauderdale resident Roger Stone’s legal defense fund.

The new Senate Minority Leader has had generally warm relations with Florida’s Republican governors. Gov. Ron DeSantis, not known for praising Democrats, put out an effusive statement calling her “an internationally respected child safety expert” who fights “for Florida’s families.”

In 2015, then-Gov. Rick Scott, now a U.S. senator, hugged Lauren Book and appeared with Ron Book on the steps of Florida’s Historic Capitol amid a rally for Lauren’s Kids.

Book rose to become minority leader less than a month ago after Sen. Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, was ousted following a unanimous vote of no confidence. Book, who became next in line for minority leader after Fort Lauderdale state Sen. Perry Thurston filed to run for the late U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings’ seat in Congress. Book is scheduled to remain minority leader until 2024.

Like peas in a pod: Who is Lauren Book's Tallahasse area ally Barney Bishop?

 Last week, a lobbyist started bashing Tallahassee's City Walk Urban Mission for allowing Registered Persons to enter a shelter during inclement weather, and when confronted about it, he responded by saying, "“I’m working right now [ ]with Sen. Lauren Book and we’re going to make it even more difficult for a homeless shelter that take in registered sex offenders without properly notifying the surrounding community to do so.” 

So just who is Barney Bishop? Here are a few things to know about him:

1. Bishop is a lobbyist who largely represents his own interests: Barney Bishop is a registered lobbyist who represents a handful of interests, primarily two of Bishop's own organizations (Florida Smart Justice Alliance and Barnet Bishop Consulting LLC, both at 204 S Monroe St, Ste 201, Tallahassee, FL 32301), another association ("Citizens For Responsible Spending" another of Bishop's largely on-man shows), as well as a number of sheriff's offices, including the Wakulla County Sheriff's Office. In 2020, Wakulla County had to pay City Walk $160,000 to settle a lawsuit. Bishop must still be smarting from that loss. 

Barney Bishop doesn't exactly strike people as an effective lobbyist. The Eye on Miami blog says this about Barney Bishop: "And what is AIF ass Barney Bishop doing on the Board of the Collins Center anyway?... Whomever put Barney Bishop on this Board should be shot. He knows as much about public policy and smart growth as I know about Bible studies and the Torah -- yep, nothing!" To which one person responded, "Any board that includes Barney Bishop is a fraud from the start."

In fact, the Eye on Miami blog has an entire metatag just for Barney Bishop articles. To say he is not well-respected by anyone is an understatement

2. Barney Bishop was forced to step down as CEO of Associated Industries of Florida: "Several media reports speculated that his resignation came after some AIF board members grew upset with statements Bishop had made earlier this year. In June, the St. Petersburg Times alluded to a possible ouster of Bishop after he "butted heads" with the AIF board by calling for replacement of the entire board of state-run Citizens Property Insurance at a May press conference. The Palm Beach Post, meanwhile, reported that Bishop had caused a stir by declaring earlier this year that the "No. 1 job" of AIF's board is to defeat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012 — a position that may have unsettled some on the board. In an interview with Florida Trend earlier this year, Bishop acknowledged that his outspokenness has occasionally ruffled feathers of AIF board members... Erika Alba, chair of the AIF's board, praised Bishop for his "passion and unequaled round-the-clock effort to rebuild AIF" and pointed to his success with record dues and membership levels. Indeed, the group's form 990 filings with the IRS show that AIF's dues income increased from $839,063 in 2008 to more than $1.1 million in 2009. The income from dues, however, still fell well below AIF's expenses, which totaled $4.2 million that year. Only some $4.9 million in "investment income" kept the group from being in the red for the year." 

So, in addition to being a loudmouth, his lobbying didn't actually do much good for AIF, as a $250k increase isn't a lot of money in relation to the controversies Bishop caused by his mouth. 

3. Bishop's "Florida Smart Justice Alliance" group lost tax exempt status for refusing to pay taxes, and most of the board resigned in 2015: Speaking of Barney Bishop looking out for only himsrlf, we have more evidence from FloridaPolitics.com (a site that has offered unwavering support to Lauren Book over the years) --

A Tallahassee-based advocacy group led by veteran lobbyist Barney Bishop has had a mass exodus of board members in recent weeks, including one who accused Bishop of being motivated by “self-aggrandizement and personal gain.” As of Monday, group founder and former chairwoman Lori Costantino-Brown and members Pamela Alvarez, Catherine Craig-Myers, Jim DeBeaugrine and Mary Lynn Ulrey had all turned in resignation letters to the Florida Smart Justice Alliance. Copies were provided to FloridaPolitics.com. Craig-Myers said the resignations were from those who supported a motion to fire Bishop and lost.

And last month, the Internal Revenue Service posted a notice it had “automatically revoked” the alliance’s tax-exempt status. The group is formed as a 501(c)(6), a category for “business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, etc.,” according to the IRS website. The reason for the revocation: The organization has not filed its annual financial disclosure as required by federal law for three consecutive years...

“Florida business leaders recognized that the state’s approach to criminal justice was costing too much without effectively reducing recidivism,” it says. The organization’s mission is to “make Florida’s communities safer, save the taxpayers money and hold offenders accountable while providing the tools for them to live law-abiding lives.”

But in her Sept. 3 resignation letter, Costantino-Brown said the organization “no longer represents the ideals it was founded upon.” That was also the date that current chair Don Eslinger, the sheriff of Seminole County, called an “emergency meeting” to discuss the group’s yearly Justice Summit, scheduled for December in Sarasota. At that meeting, Ulrey – CEO of the Tampa-based Drug Abuse Comprehensive Coordinating Office – said she suggested the group use a less expensive event organizer than last year’s. Her suggestion was quickly shot down, she added. “When you don’t feel valued in a situation like that, it makes you feel leery about continuing to be involved,” she said in a phone interview. Ulrey, the board treasurer, also quit the board on Sept. 3. When asked whether she was referring specifically to Bishop, Ulrey said, “Well, he’s in the driver’s seat … Barney certainly has his agenda and that’s fine. I just no longer felt I was a good match.”

In fact, Costantino-Brown said in her letter that she could not “support or engage in an entity that is associated with Mr. Barney Bishop in any capacity.” “It was brought to my attention over the last few months that Mr. Bishop’s operations with regard to ‘smart justice’ were directed towards self-aggrandizement and personal gain, as well as substantially damaging to its reputation and advancement of mission,” Costantino-Brown wrote.

On a related note, the Florida Smart Justice Alliance's website and social media pages have not been updated since 2015, suggesting this was the death-knell for the Alliance as a "group". 

4. Barney Bishop suggests vigilante violence is his idea of "smart justice": Barney Bishop, in a testimony to the Florida House Judiciary Committee on March 3, offered this gem of a comment regarding a proposed 50 year minimum sentence for sex offenses law in committee:

"We think that very long sentences are warranted; in fact, we'd like longer sentences. And I would just say in closing that with respect to smart justice that maybe what we ought to really be doing is thinking about giving the victims’ families an opportunity to have visitation with the perpetrators and a pair of scissors. That's our idea of smart justice, Mr. Chairman, not anything short of that."

(it is worth noting he was working alongside Lauren Book's father and fellow lobbyist Ron Book that day. 

When Derek Logue of OnceFallen.com emailed Biship to explain these words, Bishop made threatening remarks to Logue while denying making such statements: 

“Mr. Logue, you (sic) memory is failing you terribly…I have NEVER said anything remotely like that, and I never would…there are many people who testify that use the words Smart Justice, but that doesn’t mean they can speak on behalf of Smart Justice…

If I ever hear from you again – in any fashion – your will be REPORTED to the authorities and I can assure you that you will suffer the consequences…it sounds like you enjoy jail and being confined and I can help you get that good ole feeling again…

Just respond to this email, or try to ever contact me again…I’m a former private investigator, and I’m an NRA member, I would NEVER resort to just scissors….and I will find your picture and put it into my Outlook file…you pic will be burnt into my memory…PLEASE contact me again, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

5. While Bishop feels silencing and threatening a Registered Person expressing his First Amendment Rights is okay, Bishop believes silencing the KKK and Nazis is wrong: It is funny how Bishop, in a span of a few hours, goes from threatening to permanently silence an Anti-Registry activist to saying the KKK has the right to freedom of speech, and if you don't like the speech, just walk away. 

https://www.facebook.com/RamonAlexanderFL/videos/564139997892070

"Ladies and Gentlemen, It doesn't matter whether you like the speech. It doesn't matter whether you like the speakers. It doesn't matter, Rep. Alexander, if it's the KKK, if it's the communists. It doesn't matter if it's the Nazis. It doesn't matter one single bit. Everybody, EVERYONE in this country has the right to freedom of speech and freedom of thought. You don't like it? Walk away. You don't incite violence. Students at Catholic Georgetown feel it is unsafe because a pro-life speaker was invited. Tufts University promotes a retreat to root out racism among white Christian folks, just white Christian folks." 

When Rep. Alexander responded by saying, "“For you to suggest that I should walk away (at) Florida A&M University (from) the original terrorist organization in this country is just shameful, Barney. It’s shameful,” Barney respondede, "The KKK is not the original terrorist organization."

As reported in the Tallahassee Democrat:

"Alexander called Bishop "shameful" a total of five times. Bishop once sat on FAMU's Board of Trustees, as did Alexander. “Complete BS. And you are not a Democrat either,” Alexander went on, referring to Bishop, a former executive director of the state's Democratic Party. The contretemps happened in the House Postsecondary Education & Lifelong Learning Committee.  “To suggest that I should walk away from an organization that dehumanized, murdered and lynched people who looked like me, just because of the color of their skin, is extremely offensive,” Alexander continued. 

After their heated exchange, tempers had not cooled for either Bishop or Alexander. The state representative was hesitant to comment because, he later said, he didn't want to focus attention on what he called Bishop’s “wacko" interpretation of the First Amendment. 

“I had to speak up," Alexander told a reporter. "If you do not stand for something, you will fall for anything.” 

Bishop in turn dismissed Alexander’s protestation as “theatrical”: “He proved my point about the 'cancel culture' and how the left is unable to have a debate without bringing up victimhood or racism or to infer violence.”

Bishop said he spoke at the meeting as a representative of Citizens for Responsible Spending, a Tallahassee-based watchdog group focused on transparency and accountability in government spending...

“Nobody compels anyone to go to these events,” Bishop said in a phone interview. “I may be offended by BLM (Black Lives Matter). I may be offended by antifa, but I am not going to protest to keep them off any campus because I am not afraid of their ideas."

TO SUM IT UP

Barney Bisop is seen as a self-serving lobbyist (already a profession of ill-repute) and has no qualms about expressing what ever opinion serves his own personal interests at the moment. A person like him has no right representing anyone else. It should come as no surprise, then, when he supports a corrupt politician like Lauren Book. 

Barney Bishop should be more mindful of his big mouth. It may only be a matter of time before he is dragged to court over it. 

Lauren's Kids received $10,000 from controversial dispersement of civil forfeiture funds

Israel gave Lauren's Kids ten grand and Ron Book gives Sheriff Israel $3000. This is the literal definition of a quid pro quo.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-ne-bso-trust-fund-audit-20200722-mppdluzrijc3tig6c3vp5acks4-story.html

Broward Sheriff’s Office trust fund had lax oversight, auditors find

By SKYLER SWISHER

SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL

JUL 22, 2020 AT 5:52 PM

A trust fund overseen by the Broward Sheriff’s Office has been plagued with lax rules on conflicts of interest and missing documentation, according to an audit made public Wednesday.

Sheriff Gregory Tony commissioned the forensic audit in September.

The investigation conducted by Carr, Riggs & Ingram LLC examined the agency’s Law Enforcement Trust Fund, which consists of money forfeited during criminal investigations. Auditors examined records from Jan. 1, 2008, through June 30, 2019, when former sheriffs Al Lamberti and Scott Israel oversaw the program.

Tony said he requested the audit because the agency did not have a consistent process for distributing hundreds of thousands of dollars seized during criminal investigations to community groups.

We have been reviewing and analyzing all expenditures in this agency,” he said. “I would be a fool not to.”

Tony is facing his predecessor, Israel, in the Aug. 18 Democratic primary. Israel led the agency from January 2013 until his suspension by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January 2019.


Trust fund dollars are passed on to charitable organizations, but auditors found the Broward Sheriff’s Office did not require grant applicants to disclose potential conflicts of interest with the sheriff or BSO personnel. In several cases, the agency did not perform conflict-of-interest checks.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants were handed out under the Israel and Lamberti administrations to nonprofit organizations with officers who had made political contributions to the sheriff, according to the audit.

More than $790,000 in grants were distributed to 14 organizations with officers who had given Israel’s campaign just over $17,100 in political donations, according to the audit.

The list includes several well-known charitable organizations in the community, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County and Women in Distress of Broward County.

Lauren’s Kids, a nonprofit focused on child sex abuse prevention, received $10,000 through the trust fund.

That organization is headed by the powerful lobbyist Ron Book, who had given $3,000 to Israel’s campaign. His daughter, state Sen. Lauren Book, serves as the organization’s chief executive officer...

Guess who is STILL taking GEO Group's dirty money. Take a guess. Hint, name rhymes with "crook"

Lauren Book the so-called "child victim advocate" is STILL accepting money from GEO Group, the company that settled in a Mississippi Court for allowing rampant physical AND SEXUAL ABUSE

https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/florida-democrats-indirectly-accept-private-prison-money-from-geo-group-despite-ban-11061074

Despite Ban, Florida Democrats Still Indirectly Accepting Private-Prison Money

JERRY IANNELLI | JANUARY 29, 2019 | 9:14AM

Last year, a group of progressive activists convinced the Florida Democratic Party to stop accepting campaign donations from private, for-profit prison companies. The industry, which makes billions by keeping other human beings behind bars, immorally incentivizes cities to needlessly lock people up, many activists agree. One of America's two largest private-prison firms, Boca Raton-based GEO Group, is a major donor to both political parties.

The Democratic contribution ban was approved despite centrist members' argument the party needed the money. But GEO Group's cash has still made it into party coffers. It comes from political-action committees and lobbyists associated with GEO, state donation records show.

Most obviously, there's the Future Democratic Majority PAC, which accepted a $25,000 contribution directly from GEO on October 23. Then on November 1, the PAC donated $5,000 to the Florida Dems. Future Democratic Majority was formed last year by a team of Democratic state senators including Sens. Randolph Bracy, Linda Steward, Darryl Rouson, and Lauren Book, who is the daughter of ultralobbyist Ron Book.

The elder Book has long worked as a lobbyist for GEO. And other PACs have contributed to the party after taking his money. One of these, the "Leadership for Florida" committee, accepted $25,000 from Book on September 14 and then donated $10,000 to the state party. Before 2018, the PAC had taken $100,000 directly from GEO. "Leadership for Florida" is State Sen. Lauren Book's official campaign committee.

There's another group called Truth & Transparency, Inc., which took $40,000 from Book and $40,000 from the Future Democratic Majority PAC. Then, between October 3 and November 4, Truth & Transparency funneled a whopping $279,000 to the Florida Democratic Party in five separate donations.

Though last year's resolution says the party must "refuse donations from the registered lobbyists of, and any PACs associated with, private prison companies," Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Caroline Rowland argues that, since the money passed through multiple hands before reaching party accounts, the donations do not violate party rules.

"The Florida Democratic Party did not take money from a private prison or a lobbyist associated with a private prison," she writes in an email. "The party has not taken money from a PAC or an organization with a board member that is associated with or works for a private prison. The Florida Democratic Party will continue to follow in the spirit of this resolution, rejecting money from private prisons and lobbyists who work or associate with them."

The controversy shows how difficult it is to ban powerful donors from state politics. Although companies such as GEO can no longer directly donate to the Florida Democratic Party, those companies can still easily funnel cash through chains of committees. It's up to party activists to then sort out where PAC money ultimately comes from, a necessary but time-consuming process.

The process becomes even more complicated once lobbyists are factored in. Someone such as Book works for a seemingly endless list of clients and donates money to an avalanche of candidates and committees every year. He's as omnipresent as wallpaper. Though GEO is among his clients, some party members are hostile to the notion of refusing Book's money. According to state databases, GEO currently employs at least seven lobbyists besides Book.

Reached via phone, the party's second-in-command, former public relations and political campaign consultant Juan Peñalosa, seemed frustrated that New Times even brought up the issue. He questioned whether the newspaper would also investigate Republican donations from GEO and other private-prison firms (which New Times has done repeatedly), or if New Times was "just going after Dems." [sic]

Via phone, Peñalosa said he did not know anything about the GEO-funded PACs. "I would love to get money out of politics too, but I also have a staff to pay," Peñalosa said. He added that he knew nothing of the donations and that the party doesn't "check out the donation records of every person who gives to us."

He also said Book, for example, "gives to everyone," and that it would therefore be extremely difficult to ban him or other lobbyists of his stature from donating to the party.

Civil rights activists within the party last year were frustrated with Peñalosa after, in their opinion, he worked against passing the prison-donor ban. Peñalosa denies this, but New Times previously obtained internal party emails showing Peñalosa called portions of the ban "extremely problematic" before encouraging the party to water down the resolution's language.

In fact, the party's current stance appears to differ from what Peñalosa himself stated before the resolution was passed: In the email New Times obtained, Peñalosa told party members he was worried the party would be forced to give back donations from PACs that have taken money from GEO or other private-prison firms.

Most obviously, there's the Future Democratic Majority PAC, which accepted a $25,000 contribution directly from GEO on October 23. Then on November 1, the PAC donated $5,000 to the Florida Dems. Future Democratic Majority was formed last year by a team of Democratic state senators including Sens. Randolph Bracy, Linda Steward, Darryl Rouson, and Lauren Book, who is the daughter of ultralobbyist Ron Book.

The elder Book has long worked as a lobbyist for GEO. And other PACs have contributed to the party after taking his money. One of these, the "Leadership for Florida" committee, accepted $25,000 from Book on September 14 and then donated $10,000 to the state party. Before 2018, the PAC had taken $100,000 directly from GEO. "Leadership for Florida" is State Sen. Lauren Book's official campaign committee.

There's another group called Truth & Transparency, Inc., which took $40,000 from Book and $40,000 from the Future Democratic Majority PAC. Then, between October 3 and November 4, Truth & Transparency funneled a whopping $279,000 to the Florida Democratic Party in five separate donations.

Though last year's resolution says the party must "refuse donations from the registered lobbyists of, and any PACs associated with, private prison companies," Florida Democratic Party spokesperson Caroline Rowland argues that, since the money passed through multiple hands before reaching party accounts, the donations do not violate party rules.

"The Florida Democratic Party did not take money from a private prison or a lobbyist associated with a private prison," she writes in an email. "The party has not taken money from a PAC or an organization with a board member that is associated with or works for a private prison. The Florida Democratic Party will continue to follow in the spirit of this resolution, rejecting money from private prisons and lobbyists who work or associate with them."

The controversy shows how difficult it is to ban powerful donors from state politics. Although companies such as GEO can no longer directly donate to the Florida Democratic Party, those companies can still easily funnel cash through chains of committees. It's up to party activists to then sort out where PAC money ultimately comes from, a necessary but time-consuming process.

The process becomes even more complicated once lobbyists are factored in. Someone such as Book works for a seemingly endless list of clients and donates money to an avalanche of candidates and committees every year. He's as omnipresent as wallpaper. Though GEO is among his clients, some party members are hostile to the notion of refusing Book's money. According to state databases, GEO currently employs at least seven lobbyists besides Book.

Reached via phone, the party's second-in-command, former public relations and political campaign consultant Juan Peñalosa, seemed frustrated that New Times even brought up the issue. He questioned whether the newspaper would also investigate Republican donations from GEO and other private-prison firms (which New Times has done repeatedly), or if New Times was "just going after Dems." [sic]

Via phone, Peñalosa said he did not know anything about the GEO-funded PACs. "I would love to get money out of politics too, but I also have a staff to pay," Peñalosa said. He added that he knew nothing of the donations and that the party doesn't "check out the donation records of every person who gives to us."

He also said Book, for example, "gives to everyone," and that it would therefore be extremely difficult to ban him or other lobbyists of his stature from donating to the party.

Civil rights activists within the party last year were frustrated with Peñalosa after, in their opinion, he worked against passing the prison-donor ban. Peñalosa denies this, but New Times previously obtained internal party emails showing Peñalosa called portions of the ban "extremely problematic" before encouraging the party to water down the resolution's language.

In fact, the party's current stance appears to differ from what Peñalosa himself stated before the resolution was passed: In the email New Times obtained, Peñalosa told party members he was worried the party would be forced to give back donations from PACs that have taken money from GEO or other private-prison firms.

The defeats also have critics wondering if Florida is simply a Republican stronghold nowadays. A report last week from Politico Florida confirmed that 2018's large Republican turnout in 2018 seemed more like a presidential election than a midterm year.

There are also signs the Democratic Party failed to even run a competitive race. Veteran Politico reporter Marc Caputo has reported the party was warned, repeatedly, that candidates were trailing Republicans in reaching out to Hispanic voters. But campaigns (especially Nelson's) dithered. Separately, the party's state treasurer, Francesca Menes, quit after the election and told New Times she felt the party ignored her warnings of improper attention to financial issues and insufficient attention to black voices.

The party was also accused of participating in a bizarre scheme to allegedly alter state documents to seemingly let voters "correct" ballot signatures after the deadline for doing so. The public so far knows preciously little about the allegations — including what top party officials knew. Law-enforcement officials have not charged anyone in the probe.

In the meantime, allegations of abuse and neglect at GEO-run facilities continue to pile up: Earlier this month, the Southern Poverty Law Center filed a class-action lawsuit alleging that kids in the 100-plus federal migrant-detention facilities are being used as "bait" to catch deportable adult sponsors or deter immigrants from taking in refugee kids. As part of that suit, the SPLC cited a previous New Times story that revealed when immigrants in Miami's massive migrant camp turn 18, they are often handcuffed and transported to a Pompano Beach facility called the Broward Transitional Center. That building is operated by the GEO Group.

Florida State Senator Lauren Book is Political Corruption Personified

I absolutely love this headline

https://thenewantifederalist.com/2017/07/florida-state-senator-lauren-book-is-political-corruption-personified/

Florida State Senator Lauren Book is Political Corruption Personified

Posted in Legislation, Politics • 3 months ago • Written by Defender Of Liberty

Democrat Lauren Book is a lawmaker in Florida who is the personification of political corruption. In 2016, Book was elected to the Florida Senate, and has made great use of her brief time in office. Book has been able to accomplish a lot for herself in her seven months in office, including voting for the passage of a General Appropriations Act that included the redistribution of $1.5 million to her non-profit, Lauren’s Kids.

In 2007, Book founded Lauren’s Kids to “educate adults and children about sexual abuse prevention through in-school curricula, awareness campaigns, and speaking engagements around the country and the world.” Book alleges that her female nanny sexually abused her for an undisclosed amount of time and it was this victimization that led her to found her non-profit and serve as its CEO. According to the charity’s website, “Lauren has worked to turn her horrific personal experience into a vehicle to prevent childhood sexual abuse and help other survivors heal.” Book has been able to use her office to redistribute tax dollars to Lauren’s Kids, which will guarantee that the charity has money to cover her annual salary of $135,000.

Book secured $1.5 million of the hard-earned money confiscated from Floridians by taking advantage of a loophole in Florida Senate ethics rules.  Florida Senate ethics rules do not allow a Senator to vote “on any matter” that he/she or a family member would “privately gain” – except votes on the annual General Appropriations Act. Senator Book was able to vote for the $1.5 million tax dollar giveaway to her charity because it was part of the annual appropriations bill.

Florida Bulldog broke the story about Book’s malfeasance and provided relevant facts about her conflict of interest. Lauren Book’s father, Ron Book, a lobbyist, is the chairman of Lauren’s Kids. In his brief time as chairman, the Senator’s lobbyist-father has elevated the non-profit to one of the Florida Legislature’s favorite charities. According to Florida Bulldog, “Since 2012, Lauren’s Kids has bagged more than $10 million in taxpayer-funded handouts.” Lauren’s Kids is flush with cash and is set to spend millions of dollars on educational materials designed to protect children from abusers like Lauren’s nanny; not so fast.

Lauren’s Kids drinks from the public trough, which means it doesn’t have to operate like the typical charity that has to fundraise and answer to donors. Ron Book is very aware of the charity’s new found freedom as can be gleaned in the manner in which the organization spends taxpayers’ money. For instance, the Senator’s charity paid Sachs Media $3.1 million between 2012 and 2015 to build her brand.  According to Florida Bulldog,

“Millions of taxpayer dollars flowed through the non-profit to Sachs Media as it both promoted Lauren’s Kids and cultivated Sen. Book’s public persona as a survivor of child sex abuse. Critics say the domination of Lauren’s Kids by the Senator and her lobbyist-father raises concerns that the work Sachs Media does is about making her look good, nothing more.”

Millions of tax dollars earmarked for a charity that claims it is dedicated to sex abuse prevention going to a public relations firm is beyond sleazy. It sounds like Lauren wants the world to know about and affirm her victimhood; she might want to ride her victim status to higher office.

The story of Senator Book is all too common in national, state, and local government. The greater majority of politicians, Democrats and Republicans, use their offices to enrich themselves; political corruption is bipartisan. In fact, Governor Rick Scott of Florida is a Republican, and he signed the General Appropriations Act that sent $1.5 million to Lauren’s Kids. Scott could have sounded the alarm and refused to sign the legislation, but he looked the other way.

EXCLUSIVE: FEDS EYEING LOBBYIST RON BOOK, FORT LAUDERDALE HOUSING AUTHORITY

From 2011

http://www.browardpalmbeach.com/news/exclusive-feds-eyeing-lobbyist-ron-book-fort-lauderdale-housing-authority-6446585

EXCLUSIVE: FEDS EYEING LOBBYIST RON BOOK, FORT LAUDERDALE HOUSING AUTHORITY

BY BOB NORMAN
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2011 | 5 YEARS AGO

In Broward and Tallahassee politics, influence peddling comes in countless forms. Here's one currently under investigation by the federal government:

A powerful lobbyist, seeking to curry favor with a state senator and benefit a major client, helps to secure the senator's boyfriend a job at the development firm the lobbyist represents. The boyfriend also happens to be a Housing Authority honcho who goes on to oversee two new multimillion-dollar publicly financed projects with the very developer who hired him.

This is one scenario that sources say the FBI is currently investigating as part of a major probe that involves recently convicted GOP fundraiser and lobbyist Alan Mendelsohn, who had deep ties to numerous politicians, including former Gov. Charlie Crist, former Senate President Ken Pruitt, embattled Congressman David Rivera, and state Sen. Eleanor Sobel. The same federal investigation also involves several figures from the massive Mutual Benefits Corp. Ponzi scheme, including MBC fraudster Joel Steinger, who is awaiting trial on federal charges himself.

Here are the players in the scenario:  

The lobbyist: Ron Book, who represents a host of governments, including Broward County, and private clients, including the Miami Dolphins, as perhaps the most powerful lobbyist in Florida.

The senator: Muriel "Mandy" Dawson, a controversial Democratic legislator who was term-limited from office in 2008. She has longstanding close ties to Book and was implicated in federal court records with having received $87,000 in secret payments from Mendelsohn through her former Senate aide, Veronica Blakely.

The boyfriend: Scott Strawbridge, director of development and facilities at the Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority. Strawbridge began dating Dawson in 2006, and they have since broken up.

The firm: Miami-based Carlisle Development Group, which built the $16 million Housing Authority project at Dixie Court and is slated to demolish and redevelop Dr. Kennedy Homes, the historic public housing development on the south side of Broward Boulevard. That project calls for another $21 million in federal funds. Heading Carlisle is Lloyd Boggio, the former principal of the Cornerstone Group, another major player in the government-subsidized affordable housing industry.

Inside, see what Book and Strawbridge had to say about the allegations.

When Book was asked if he helped secure Dawson's boyfriend a job with any of his clients, the mega-lobbyist immediately denied it.

"I never hired the boyfriend, that would be a misstatement of any fact," he said.

When asked if he caused a client of his to hire Strawbridge, he answered: "No not ever. There was a time at which [Strawbridge] worked in the affordable housing world. It was a long time ago and he did work for someone that I represented but not through any involvement of me in any way, shape, or form."

Book claimed he couldn't even remember the name of the client that hired Strawbridge. Another allegation that has surfaced is that Book financed a home in Tallahassee for Dawson, an accusation Book flatly denies.

His close relationship with Dawson, however, is a matter of public record. In 2005 he was one of three lobbyists (including Mendelsohn) who ponied up $2,500 to help finance a trip for Dawson to South Africa via the Florida Caucus of Black State Legislators. The Senate reprimanded Dawson -- who was also charged criminally in 2002 for prescription pill fraud as a result of addiction -- and removed her from the Ethics and Elections Committee.

"Mandy had whatever personal issues and I knew Mandy before she was in the process," said Book. "I haven't talked to her and don't know where she is."

Public records indicate Dawson is now living with her parents in Daytona Beach. I was unable to contact her for this report.  

In the course of my investigation, I learned that the Book client that had hired Strawbridge was the Carlisle Development Group, which had hired the lobbyist to help it gain multi-million dollar public housing contracts with various governmental bodies, including the Broward County Housing Authority. Currently, Book's representation of the firm is a matter of great controversy in North Miami, where Carlisle is vying for a contract to redevelop Biscayne Landing. Book has been lobbying council members on behalf of the firm despite the fact that he's also the paid lobbyist for North Miami, the Miami Herald reported earlier this week.

When Strawbridge, , a former Fort Lauderdale contractor who has fought to preserve historic city sites like the Stranahan House, was questioned yesterday about his employment with Carlisle, he denied that Book got him the job. "I never got a job from Ron Book," Strawbridge said. "The FBI knows that and now you know that too. ... I never met Ron Book, I spoke with him once on the telephone."

Strawbridge said he doesn't remember what the two discussed on the phone, but acknowledged the phone introduction was made by Dawson, his girlfriend at the time.

He describes a tangled web of employment, admitting that there were concerns about a potential conflict of interest. He said he got the job with the Housing Authority before he began dating Dawson in 2006. After he and Dawson began dating, he got the job as a consultant for Carlisle Development Group and "worked with both entities helping them form a new business venture."

While Carlisle employed Strawbridge, the firm won two bids in competition with other firms worth roughly $40 million with the Fort Lauderdale Housing Authority, at Dixie Court and Dr. Kennedy Homes. On its website, Carlisle touts its completed work at Dixie Court. The Dr. Kennedy Homes project -- which will replace 45 cottages with 132 apartment units -- has been met with controversy and has yet to break ground.

Strawbridge said that while he worked with Carlisle on Housing Authority project, he was also paid by the firm for consulting work on the Royalton Hotel renovation project in Miami. Carlisle transformed the Royalton into housing for low-income people and the recently homeless.

"It was kind of a simultaneous thing," Strawbridge said. "I was then working as an independent consultant with both [the Housing Authority and Carlisle]. I was acting as the owner's rep for the Housing Authority interfacing with Carlisle. I was acting in the interest of the Housing Authority. What happened is Carlisle needed my help and I ended up becoming engaged with them in a project called Royalton. We took a 1920s hotel and turned it into transition housing for homeless people."

He said that Housing Authority attorneys cleared him to work for Carlisle.

I went to the Housing Authority and said, 'I already pledged my allegiance, so how do we do this?'" he said. "They put together some kind of document that allowed it."

The matter was never brought to the attention of the Florida Commission on Ethics for an opinion, he said. While he alluded to communication with FBI agents, he refused to provide details. He said he and Dawson ended their romantic relationship in 2008 and that he never gave her anything of value connected to his job with Carlisle.

"I don't know what to say about these allegations except that they are astonishing to me," said Strawbridge. "All along, the reason I've been helping the Housing Authority is that I live in Fort Lauderdale and folks involved in running the agency happened to know that I was available. ... Did I make a mistake by knowing all these poeple at the same time? Yeah. But I was already engaged in that job before I ran into Mandy and she's my only connection to Ron Book."

The federal investigation, according to numerous sources, is continuing.