Amid Cloud of Ethics Concerns, Putnam Enters the Race for Florida Gov

Multiple violations tarnish Putnam campaign announcement

This morning, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam kicked off his gubernatorial campaign amid a swirling cloud of ethics problems. In recent months, Putnam’s campaign exhibited a disturbing pattern of behavior, likely violating multiple campaign finance laws.
First, the Miami Herald detailed how Putnam failed to disclose information about the millions of dollars funneled through his political committee Florida Grown. Putnam used the committee to hide the real purpose of much of his political spending. The report prompted a campaign finance complaint filed against Putnam that is still pending.
More recently, Putnam was caught tweeting out materials with his “Putnam for Governor” logo before he had announced his candidacy. Politico reported that Putnam’s campaign likely violated campaign law by making an expenditure before officially getting into the race.
“It’s only day one and the Putnam campaign is already plagued by scandal and shady dealings,” said DGA Communications Director Jared Leopold. “As a career politician and consummate insider, Putnam uses every lousy trick in the book to skirt campaign law and hide his money. The campaign just started and he’s already violated voters’ trust. Floridians deserve better.”

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