There's another big-money player in the Florida governor's race -- or so it appears.
Josue Larose, a write-in candidate and frequent filer in several previous elections, reports raising $5.8 million in cash, $5.4 million in in-kind contributions and $3 million in loans to himself.
It's all right there on the state Division of Elections website. And if it were all real money, Republican nominee Rick Scott wouldn't be the only multimillionaire in the gubernatorial contest, and Larose's campaign war chest would rival Democratic gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink's.
But the Deerfield Beach man's financial reports -- along with his peripatetic electoral record -- have raised several red flags.
The Florida Elections Commission has 11 separate fines pending against Larose for tardy financial reports. The state Division of Elections last month sent him dozens of letters warning of further action over missing paperwork.
"He's a challenge," said Division of Elections spokeswoman Jennifer Davis. "We try to advise him -- so far, we've been unsuccessful. It's taking up a lot of staff time."
In addition to flashing his apparent multimillion-dollar bankroll, Larose has jammed the state's election system with dozens of new political parties and political action committees -- all of which list him as chairman and treasurer respectively.
Through an elaborate but closely held cash funnel, a corporation called American Venture Capital Group has poured millions of dollars into Larose's labyrinth of political parties -- or so records show -- which then contribute to Larose's gubernatorial campaign.
In July, for example, American Venture Capital Group donated $1 million each to his American Billionaires Party and American Capitalists Party. Each of those Larose-chaired parties directed $450,000 in cash and $450,000 in "in-kind" contributions to his campaign.
On top of that, Larose's multitude of PACs gave him $500 each in the form of in-kind contributions. Funding sources for his PACs were not available since the Federal Election Commission's most recent reporting period closed June 30.
Larose's PAC names, which all start with "United States," include the Republican Club, Petroleum Industries, Intellectual Elites and Medical Doctors.
Peter Lincoln, a spokesman for Larose, said the candidate was not available Monday to answer questions. "He's very busy," Lincoln said, announcing that Larose was in Tampa for the day campaigning.
Lincoln said Larose founded his 34 political parties to appeal to voters.
"We want to attract a broad electorate with lots of parties," Lincoln said. The parties, whose names all begin with "American," range from Bourgeoisie and Catholic to Industrialists and Music Stars.
Florida requires no fees or petitions to establish a party. Parties only need to have two members: a chairman and a treasurer. Valencia St. Louis of Tamarac is listed as treasurer of each of Larose's parties.
Because his parties were registered after the deadline for the 2010 election, Larose opted to run as a write-in ... again.
Since 2009, he has filed as a write-in in at least five other races: a special election in state Senate District 8, a special election in state Senate District 28, a special election for state House District 84, a special election for U.S. House District 19 and a Miami mayoral race. All except the House race were far outside his home district.
Before jumping into the gubernatorial contest, Larose was briefly in the U.S. Senate race. His websites have shown him as both a Democrat and a Republican.
Larose hasn't come close to winning, but he's managed to gum up the works. His entry into the SD 8 contest necessitated a primary at an estimated cost to taxpayers of $300,000, according to the Duval County Supervisor of Elections. He was disqualified from the Miami mayor race prior to the election.
The gubernatorial race is a financial high-water mark for Larose, who reported receiving hundreds of $500 donations (the maximum allowable) from individual contributors. Most donors are from South Florida; many are listed as "business CEO."
But an examination of Larose's cash flow raises questions because one major source -- American Venture Capital Group -- is not registered with the state of Florida and its contributions are classified as loans.
Lincoln said AVCG is a "new company" controlled by Larose, but declined to comment further.
AVCG uses a Fort Lauderdale address, which was unoccupied Monday, while the PACs Larose chairs share a Miami Beach P.O. Box. His political parties are all listed on Hermitage Road in Tallahassee.
No other write-in candidate has attempted Larose's party-PAC parlay, and none claims to have raised even a fraction of what Larose is reporting.
Still, despite all his campaigns, and all his apparent cash and in-kind support for advertising, Larose remains unknown. Lincoln would describe him only as a "businessman" and "Washington lobbyist," declining to divulge client names or details.
Larose's personal website refers to him as a 28-year-old economist and "multimillionaire" and says he is president of the American National Chamber of Commerce (which has no website).
His site is a hodgepodge of inarticulate, if not illiterate, promotion, such as this passage:
"We want to inform you that Josue Larose is the preferred candidate of the Floridians for the 2010 elections, because he has more competences than the other gubernatorial candidates in Florida."
Despite a growing pile of correspondence warning him of $500-a-day fines for failing to file required financial reports on his phalanx of parties and committees, the Division of Elections does not expect to take any action until after the Nov. 2 election.
"It's all legal in the way we can't do anything about right now," Davis said. To act before the election, she said, "Someone would have to file a complaint with the (state) Elections Commission."
Other than the 11 pending fines dating back a year, the Elections Commission said it can neither confirm nor deny any investigation in the past six months.
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Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
