UPDATED: The Florida Attorney General's Office confirmed Friday it will have no role in investigating charges that could result from allegations businessman Andrew Korge attempted to bribe state Sen. Dwight Bullard to run for reelection in another district. "The jurisdiction lies with the state attorney, not our Office of Statewide Prosecution," the AG's press secretary, Kylie Mason, said in an email.
Bullard, D-Cutler Bay, told Sunshine State News Wednesday Korge offered him $25,000 to get out of the SD 40 race and find another Senate district to run in so Korge could secure what he hoped would be a clear path to the Florida Senate in November.
Bullard said he turned Korge down flat.
Katherine Fernandez Rundle, the state attorney for SD 40 where Bullard lives, was unavailable for comment late Thursday afternoon.
A bribery conviction under Chapter 838.015 of the Florida Statutes is a second-degree felony punishable by a 21-month minimum jail sentence, 15 years maximum and up to $10,000 in fines. A conviction under FS 104.071 -- pertaining to ethics -- carries with it a permanent ban on holding public office in Florida.
Meanwhile, Leslie Wimes, a keen political observer in South Florida, confirmed again Thursday that Korge spoke to her personally about the "offer" he made Bullard to "get out of the way" so he could run in SD 40.
"I think he called me because he didn't want me to write a negative story about him moving into Dwight's district. He wanted to explain," she said. "... then he told me he offered Dwight $25,000 to move to District 38."
Wimes, founder of the Democratic African-American Women's Caucus of Florida, said she has phone records and timed text messages to prove Korge called her about his cash offer to Bullard.
Political newcomer Korge is something of a mystery. On the one hand, his father, Chris Korge, and the family law firm, Korge & Korge, are far better known. Chris Korge has been a Democratic rainmaker for the Clintons for many years. He hosted ritzy fundraisers for Bill and Hillary Clinton at his Pinecrest mansion. He has dined at the White House. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have been guests in his home.
But his son Andrew, according to SocialMiami.com, graduated from Babson College in 2003 and the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida in 2007. "He immediately became involved in the 2008 presidential election and served as the youngest member of President Obama's Finance Committee," the website says. It does not elaborate on what position he held for the committee or what his job responsibilities were. He then "became active in different businesses within the education and insurance industries" and various nonprofits.
When SSN interviewed Korge Wednesday, he said emphatically, "Don't call me a lawyer." Although Korge's bio includes that he passed the Bar exam, there are no records that he ever applied for admission to the Florida Bar. Asked one curious attorney, "Why would you take the Bar exam and endure that most miserable experience, only to not seek admission to the bar?" He was not available to take SSN's call today.
Korge, whose Coconut Grove condominium is listed by the Miami-Dade County property appraiser at $578,000, told SSN, “I’ve seen what it’s like to have a family that struggles. I saw with my own eyes the struggles my aunt had. I want to fight for people who are hardworking Americans ... who want to live a decent life.”
Korge said he wants to bring Florida into the 21st century by creating high-wage jobs, by helping Florida students learn what they’ll need to succeed in the modern world.
“I want to enter public service and build a brighter future in the next generation, and for me the best opportunity to do that is in SD 40 where I grew up and spent half of my life,” he said.
Korge's attempt to cast Bullard aside wouldn’t have been the first time Korge tried to take out an opponent to leave his path to Tallahassee clear. His former opponent in SD 39, Daniel Horton, dropped out of that race last month after speaking with Korge and Democratic Party officials, instead opting to run for the Florida House.
Korge most recently was in the race against Sen. Anitere Flores, a Republican fundraising dynamo who is one of the party’s top contenders for reelection. The battle against Flores would have been a bridge too far for Korge, who likely would have been outspent nearly 7-to-1.
In a recent interview with the Miami Herald, Flores tried to put Korge into perspective. "A year and a half ago, this was a kid running for a safe Democratic seat on the beach. Then he changes to run in Congress. Now he made a decision to run against an incumbent," Flores said, talking about herself. "It sounds to me that things just aren’t going his way, because he’s used to getting support from Democratic circles."
Korge said via email Thursday he would not be interviewed by SSN again.
Reach Allison Nielsen at allison@sunshinestatenews.com. Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
