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FOR THE GOVERNORS POST
(SEE COMMENT BY WRITER ON INSURANCE INTERESTS CONTRIBUTIONS)
ARTICLE BY SCOTT MAXWELL IN THE JULY 19, 2005 ISSUE OF
THE ORLANDO SENTINEL. ENTITLED "Take a look at who is giving
the candidates money."

TAKING NAMES
Take a look at who is giving candidates moneyScott MaxwellTaking NamesJuly 19, 2005The guys who want to be your next governor have raised a massive $8.7 million more than a year before the race. You probably don't have time to cull through these spending reports, so Taking Names has done it for you. What follows is a look at some of the donors -- from local notables and special interests to one donor who was once being investigated by the man to whom he's now writing checks -- for each of the five main candidates.
The Republicans
In amassing $3.8 million, Attorney General Charlie Crist has help from local lawyers Charlie Gray and John Morgan and adman Pete Barr Sr. But the local guy who really stands out is boy-band creator and talent scout Lou Pearlman. Crist netted at least 10 maximum-level checks of $500 from Pearlman and the companies he owns and with which he is involved.. That would be the same Lou Pearlman who once controlled a model-scouting company that Crist's office investigated for nearly two years before deciding not to file criminal charges. Former Attorney General Bob Butterworth launched the investigation in which about 2,000 young people and their parents claimed the scouting agency took their money for promises it never delivered, but after Crist took office and continued the investigation, the case was dropped. A spokeswoman for Pearlman said Monday that the donations and investigation were unrelated, stressing that Pearlman gave the money after the probe was closed.
State Chief Financial Officer Tom Gallagher raised about $3.1 million with the help of local lawyer Fred Leonhardt, Amick Construction President and Greater Orlando Aviation Authority leader Jeff Fuqua and CNL exec Jim Seneff (with Fuqua and Seneff giving many times through their multiple companies). What stands out in Gallagher's report are the hundreds of donations from companies in the insurance business -- you know, the one he helps regulate. Gallagher also has gotten money from gambling interests, from Jacksonville Greyhound Racing all the way to the Los Angeles Turf Club.
The Democrats
U.S. Rep. Jim Davis had help from some of Orlando's establishment and longtime Dems in raising $811,000. Among his contributors: former County Chairman Linda Chapin, lawyer Wayne Rich, former Rollins College President Rita Bornstein and Orange County Democratic Party leader Tim Shea. As for what's unusual, Davis seems to have a nod from national Democrats in the check he received from House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer's Political Action Committee.
State Sen. Rod Smith has fewer Central Floridians on his list of donors, totaling $725,000. Among them: former county Democratic leader Doug Head, beer distributor Jeff Schenck and the Florida Nurserymen Political Action Committee. Speaking of PACs, Smith also received help from Wal-Mart's PAC. Any number of gambling interests have placed bets on Smith in the form of campaign contributions, from the likes of Summer Jai Alai, the Florida Greyhound Association and Calder Race Course.
Florida Democratic Party leader Scott Maddox relied on the party structure to help him get just over $300,000. Much of his local help came from lawyer Richard Swann, the father-in-law of former national party chairman Terry McAuliffe. Similarly, the most significant trend on Maddox's report are the tens of thousands of dollars worth of "in-kind" contributions from the state and county party organizations he used to run.