Rep. Darryl Rouson has proves again that he is no stranger to controversy, even when it is within his own party.
By creating a fundraising committee allowing him to raise and spend unlimited funds without party influence, Rouson has only deepened the widening rift between himself and fellow state Democrats.
According to Matt Dixon of Florida Times-Union, Rouson’s “Affiliated Party Committee” has only further soured the relationship.
APCs are fundraising committees created in 2010 as a response to credit card abuses by the Republican Party of Florida and former chair Jim Greer. They act as a firewall between the parties and House and State campaigns, allowing candidates to raise unlimited funds outside of the party structure. APCs contribute significantly greater amounts to candidates, subject to contribution limits, than other types of political committees.
Affiliated Party Committees relate to the “leadership funds” outlawed two decades ago amid “pay for play” allegations.
As the incoming Florida House Minority Leader, the St. Petersburg representative also heads the House Victory program, making him responsible for working with party leaders to organize campaigns within the state. Rouson’s appointment as minority leader for the 2015-2016 sessions, which he narrowly won in February, did not sit well with caucus members. They even went as far as trying to change the rules to make it easier to remove Rouson from the leadership role.
First, Rouson did not ask the Florida Democratic Party before establishing the committee. In addition, most Democrats have been particularly vocal in opposing the APC program; filing 18 failed or withdrawn amendments to end APCs, which they often refer to as “slush funds.” His creation of the committee makes Rouson the first Democrat to create an APC; no one in the GOP has yet to start one.
