An allegedly illegal effort to promote a Boca Raton man s sham candidacy for a state Senate seat in South Florida bears resemblance and apparent connections to two other shadowy legislative campaigns in the fall.
The mysterious source of money an entity called Grow United paid for mailers in the three races, including Miami-Dade’s Senate District 37.
There, former state Sen. Frank Artiles has been indicted on charges he offered money to no-party candidate Alexis Alex Rodriguez to run in the race, an action that is illegal under Florida law. Rodriguez, who is from Boca Raton, is also facing charges over the alleged funding of a shill campaign.
Joel Greenberg accused of election smears before downfall orlandosentinel.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from orlandosentinel.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sen. Lauren Book speaks during a Florida Senate session. | Steve Cannon/AP Photo
Book wins backing as Senate Democratic leader, will forgo statewide run in 2022
TALLAHASSEE State Sen. Lauren Book will lead Senate Democrats as they head into a potentially bumpy election season that could be complicated by redistricting.
Senate Democrats on Wednesday held a closed-door caucus meeting in the Senate chamber, where they selected Book to take over as the Democratic leader in November 2022. After the short vote, both Republican and Democratic legislators could be seen hugging the South Florida Democrat.
The decision takes Book out of the running for any statewide campaigns, including a potential challenge to incumbent Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis.
Artiles and shill candidate plead not guilty; hints to defense strategy emerge
Artiles’ attorneys want to keep raid evidence from Alex Rodriguez
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MIAMI – Former state Sen. Frank Artiles and Alex Rodriguez, the sham candidate Artiles is accused of masterminding, have entered written not-guilty pleas. Both face four felony charges in an alleged plot to swing the District 37 state senate race in November.
Judge Andrea Wolfson presided over the brief virtual court hearing Friday morning, which neither Artiles nor Rodriguez attended. A prosecutor was on, along with two attorneys representing Artiles.
Artiles’ attorneys want to make sure that any incriminating information found during a March 17 raid of his house is not shared with Rodriguez, who may strike a deal with prosecutors to testify against Artiles.
Capitol Watch: April 16, 2021 mysuncoast.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mysuncoast.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.