A political committee linked to Gov. Ron DeSantis raised more than $1.11 million from Aug. 24 to 30, and the bulk of it came from one local Scientologist megadonor.
The Florida Freedom Fund, a committee chaired by DeSantis’ chief of staff, James Uthmeier, raised $1,115,025 during the period and had almost $3.49 million on hand as of Aug. 30, a report posted on the state Division of Elections website shows.
Most of the money received during the period came in a $1 million contribution from Belleair Shores resident Trish Duggan, who is also the "world’s top donor to Church of Scientology," reports the Tampa Bay Times.
The Times also reports that she and her now ex-husband, billionaire venture capitalist Bob Duggan, have donated more than $360 million to Scientology.
Trish Duggan, a major donor to Donald Trump, was notably a primary financier behind the church's wave of secretive land purchases in downtown Clearwater, which began in 2017.
The Florida Freedom Fund was launched last May, and aims to stop a pair of ballot initiatives that would allow recreational use of marijuana (Amendment 3) and write abortion rights into the state Constitution (Amendment 4).
Earlier this week, Republican presidential nominee Trump came out in support of Florida's recreational pot amendment, and claims he will be voting for Amendment 3 this November.
“As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including safe banking for state authorized companies, and supporting states rights to pass marijuana laws, like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens,” wrote Trump on Truth Social Sunday night.
However, the former president's opinions on abortion are a lot less clear. Trump has previously stated that the six-week abortion ban, currently in place in states like Florida, is too harsh, but has since walked that back.
This story first appeared in our sister publication Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
The Florida Freedom Fund, a committee chaired by DeSantis’ chief of staff, James Uthmeier, raised $1,115,025 during the period and had almost $3.49 million on hand as of Aug. 30, a report posted on the state Division of Elections website shows.
Most of the money received during the period came in a $1 million contribution from Belleair Shores resident Trish Duggan, who is also the "world’s top donor to Church of Scientology," reports the Tampa Bay Times.
The Times also reports that she and her now ex-husband, billionaire venture capitalist Bob Duggan, have donated more than $360 million to Scientology.
Trish Duggan, a major donor to Donald Trump, was notably a primary financier behind the church's wave of secretive land purchases in downtown Clearwater, which began in 2017.
The Florida Freedom Fund was launched last May, and aims to stop a pair of ballot initiatives that would allow recreational use of marijuana (Amendment 3) and write abortion rights into the state Constitution (Amendment 4).
Earlier this week, Republican presidential nominee Trump came out in support of Florida's recreational pot amendment, and claims he will be voting for Amendment 3 this November.
“As President, we will continue to focus on research to unlock the medical uses of marijuana to a Schedule 3 drug, and work with Congress to pass common sense laws, including safe banking for state authorized companies, and supporting states rights to pass marijuana laws, like in Florida, that work so well for their citizens,” wrote Trump on Truth Social Sunday night.
However, the former president's opinions on abortion are a lot less clear. Trump has previously stated that the six-week abortion ban, currently in place in states like Florida, is too harsh, but has since walked that back.
This story first appeared in our sister publication Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Or sign up for our RSS Feed
