Chapter 106 — Chapter 106

As used in this chapter, the following terms have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(1) “Campaign fund raiser” means an affair held to raise funds to be used in a campaign for public office.(2) “Campaign treasurer” means an individual appointed…

(1)1(a) Each candidate for nomination or election to office and each political committee shall appoint a campaign treasurer. Each person who seeks to qualify for nomination or election to, or retention in, office shall appoint a campaign treasurer and designate a primary campaign…

(1) Each political committee or electioneering communications organization shall have and continuously maintain in this state a registered office and a registered agent and must file with the filing officer a statement of appointment for the registered office and registered agent…

(1) Each candidate must file a statement with the qualifying officer within 10 days after filing the appointment of campaign treasurer and designation of campaign depository, stating that the candidate has read and understands the requirements of this chapter. Such statement shal…

(1)(a) No campaign fund raiser may be held unless the person for whom such funds are to be so used is a candidate for public office.(b) All money and contributions received with respect to such a campaign fund raiser shall be deemed to be campaign contributions, and shall be acco…

(1)(a) Each political committee that receives contributions or makes expenditures during a calendar year in an aggregate amount exceeding $500 or that seeks the signatures of registered electors in support of an initiative shall file a statement of organization as provided in sub…

All funds received by the campaign treasurer of any candidate or political committee shall, prior to the end of the 5th business day following the receipt thereof, Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays excluded, be deposited in a campaign depository designated pursuant to s. 106…

Any person who makes an in-kind contribution shall, at the time of making such contribution, place a value on such contribution, which valuation shall be the fair market value of such contribution. Travel conveyed upon private aircraft shall be valued at the actual cost of per pe…

(1) The campaign treasurer of each candidate and the campaign treasurer of each political committee shall keep detailed accounts, current within not more than 2 days after the date of receiving a contribution or making an expenditure, of all contributions received and all expendi…

(1) Each campaign treasurer designated by a candidate or political committee pursuant to s. 106.021 shall file regular reports of all contributions received, and all expenditures made, by or on behalf of such candidate or political committee. Except for the third calendar quarter…

(1) The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, members of the Cabinet, state legislators, or candidates for such offices who directly or indirectly solicit, cause to be solicited, or accept any contribution on behalf of an organization that is exempt from taxation under s. 527 or s. 501(…

(1) An individual seeking a publicly elected position on a political party executive committee who receives a contribution or makes an expenditure shall file a report of all contributions received and all expenditures made. The report shall be filed on the 4th day immediately pre…

(1)(a) Each electioneering communications organization shall file regular reports of all contributions received and all expenditures made by or on behalf of the organization. Except for the third calendar quarter immediately preceding a general election, reports must be filed on …

(1) As used in this section, “electronic filing system” means an Internet system for recording and reporting campaign finance activity by reporting period.(2)(a) Each individual who is required to file reports with the division pursuant to s. 106.07 or s. 106.141 must file such r…

(1) All user identifications and passwords held by the Department of State pursuant to s. 106.0705 are confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution.(2)(a) Information entered in the electronic filing system for purposes of generating a …

(1) Each person who makes an independent expenditure with respect to any candidate or issue, and each individual who makes an expenditure for an electioneering communication which is not otherwise reported pursuant to this chapter, which expenditure, in the aggregate, is in the a…

(1) As used in this section, the term:(a) “Candidate” has the same meaning as in s. 106.011(3)(e).(b) “Deplatform” has the same meaning as in s. 501.2041.(c) “Social media platform” has the same meaning as in s. 501.2041.(d) “User” has the same meaning as in s. 501.2041.(2) A soc…

(1) A person who is elected to office must report all loans, exceeding $500 in value, made to him or her and used for campaign purposes, and made in the 12 months preceding his or her election to office, to the filing officer. The report must be made, in the manner prescribed by …

(1)(a) Except for political parties or affiliated party committees, no person or political committee may, in any election, make contributions in excess of the following amounts:1. To a candidate for statewide office or for retention as a justice of the Supreme Court, $3,000. Cand…

(1)(a) As a condition of receiving a rebate of filing fees and party assessment funds pursuant to s. 99.061(2), s. 99.092(1), s. 99.103, or s. 103.121(1)(b), the chair or treasurer of a state or county executive committee shall take and subscribe to an oath or affirmation in writ…

(1) As a condition of receiving a rebate of party assessments under s. 103.121(1)(b), the leader or treasurer of an affiliated party committee as defined in s. 103.092 shall take and subscribe to an oath or affirmation in writing. During the qualifying period for state candidates…

(1)(a) A person may not make an aggregate cash contribution or contribution by means of a cashier’s check to the same candidate or committee in excess of $50 per election.(b) A person may not accept an aggregate cash contribution or contribution by means of a cashier’s check from…

Each candidate and each political committee which designates a primary campaign depository pursuant to s. 106.021(1) shall make expenditures from funds on deposit in such primary campaign depository only in the following manner, with the exception of expenditures made from petty …

(1) As used in this section, the term:(a) “Local government” means:1. A county, municipality, school district, or other political subdivision in this state; and2. Any department, agency, board, bureau, district, commission, authority, or similar body of a county, municipality, sc…

(1) Each campaign treasurer designated pursuant to s. 106.021(1) for a candidate or political committee is authorized to withdraw from the primary campaign account, until the close of the last day for qualifying for office, the amount of $500 per calendar quarter reporting period…

Any candidate for statewide office or any political committee created to support or oppose any candidate for statewide office or to support or oppose any statewide issue may obtain, and use in making travel-related campaign expenditures, credit cards. The obtention and use of cre…

(1) Utility companies providing utilities services to a candidate or political committee shall charge a deposit sufficient to meet all anticipated charges during a billing period.(2) Authorization and payment for utilities used during the billing period must be made by the candid…

A candidate or the spouse of a candidate may not use funds on deposit in a campaign account of such candidate to defray normal living expenses for the candidate or the candidate’s family, other than expenses actually incurred for transportation, meals, and lodging by the candidat…

(1) Except as provided in subsection (6), each candidate who withdraws his or her candidacy, becomes an unopposed candidate, or is eliminated as a candidate or elected to office shall, within 90 days, dispose of the funds on deposit in his or her campaign account and file a repor…

(1)(a) Any political advertisement that is paid for by a candidate, except a write-in candidate, and that is published, displayed, or circulated before, or on the day of, any election must prominently state:1. “Political advertisement paid for and approved by (name of candidate) …

(1) Each candidate, whether for a federal, state, county, or district office, shall make a good faith effort to remove all of his or her political campaign advertisements within 30 days after:(a) Withdrawal of his or her candidacy;(b) Having been eliminated as a candidate; or(c) …

(1) As used in this section, the term “voter guide” means direct mail that is either an electioneering communication or a political advertisement sent for the purpose of advocating for or endorsing particular issues or candidates by recommending specific electoral choices to the …

Any advertisement, other than a political advertisement, independent expenditure, or electioneering communication, on billboards, bumper stickers, radio, or television, or in a newspaper, a magazine, or a periodical, intended to influence public policy or the vote of a public off…

(1) Any electioneering communication, other than a text message or a telephone call, must prominently state: “Paid electioneering communication paid for by (Name and address of person paying for the communication) .”(2) Any person who fails to include the disclaimer prescribed in…

(1) As used in this section, the term “generative artificial intelligence” means a machine-based system that can, for a given set of human-defined objectives, emulate the structure and characteristics of input data in order to generate derived synthetic content including images, …

(1)(a) Any text message or telephone call supporting or opposing a candidate, an elected public official, or a ballot measure, and any electioneering text message or telephone call, must include the phrase “Paid for by,” followed by the name of the persons or organizations sponso…

(1) Any person or organization that conducts business in this state consisting of sending text messages or placing telephone calls that are subject to the disclaimer requirements in s. 106.147 must, prior to conducting such business, have and continuously maintain, for at least 1…

(1) No person shall pay money or give anything of value for the privilege of speaking at a political meeting in the furtherance of his or her candidacy, nor shall anyone speaking for such a person pay money or give anything of value for such privilege.(2) No candidate, in the fur…

No person or corporation within the state publishing a newspaper or other periodical or operating a radio or television station or network of stations in Florida shall charge one candidate for state or county public office for political advertising in a county, or for political b…

To the extent permitted by federal law, all broadcast radio and television stations and all cable television stations shall make air time available to candidates for public office at the lowest unit rate.

Each candidate, political party, affiliated party committee, and political committee must use closed captioning and descriptive narrative in all television broadcasts regulated by the Federal Communications Commission that are on behalf of, or sponsored by, a candidate, political…

Any candidate, political committee, electioneering communication organization, affiliated party committee, or state or county executive committee of a political party may authorize or conduct a political poll, survey, index, or measurement of any kind relating to candidacy for pu…

(1) The name of a candidate shall not be printed on the ballot for an election if the candidate is convicted of violating s. 106.19.(2) Any candidate whose name is removed from the ballot pursuant to subsection (1) is disqualified as a candidate for office. If the disqualificatio…

(1) Any candidate; campaign manager, campaign treasurer, or deputy treasurer of any candidate; committee chair, vice chair, campaign treasurer, deputy treasurer, or other officer of any political committee; agent or person acting on behalf of any candidate or political committee;…

Any signature gathered on an authorized form for an initiative petition by a paid petition circulator which has been submitted prior to the effective date of this act may be kept and counted, if otherwise valid, and that form is not required to have the name and address of the pa…

(1) If a successful candidate is convicted of violating s. 106.19(1) prior to the issuance of his or her certificate of election, such certificate shall not be issued, and a vacancy shall be declared and filled as provided by law.(2) If a successful candidate is convicted of viol…

It is the duty of the Division of Elections to:(1) Prescribe forms for statements and other information required to be filed by this chapter. Such forms shall be furnished by the Department of State or office of the supervisor of elections to persons required to file such stateme…

(1) In order to carry out the responsibilities prescribed by s. 106.22, the Division of Elections is empowered to subpoena and bring before its duly authorized representatives any person in the state, or any person doing business in the state, or any person who has filed or is re…

(1)(a) There is created within the Department of Legal Affairs, Office of the Attorney General, a Florida Elections Commission, hereinafter referred to as the commission. The commission shall be a separate budget entity and the agency head for all purposes. The commission shall n…

(1) Jurisdiction to investigate and determine violations of this chapter and chapter 104 is vested in the Florida Elections Commission; however, nothing in this section limits the jurisdiction of any other officers or agencies of government empowered by law to investigate, act up…