6 May 30 - June 5, 2024 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | music | cafe | culture | Night+Day | news | letters | coNteNts | Month XX–Month XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS | SMALL TOWN, BIG SHENANIGANS Charles Kushner funded a PAC network that backed politicians in tiny Surfside. BY ALEX DELUCA AND NAOMI FEINSTEIN A South Florida-based chain of political committees funded by big-time developers, including Charles Kushner, steered thousands of dollars into the 2024 Surfside election to support the then-mayor and other development-friendly town officials — and the source of the money remained a mystery to voters thanks to Florida’s loosened regulations on political funding transparency. In the midst of a tense municipal election last March, residents received a blitz of politi- cal mailers in support of re-electing then- mayor Shlomo Danzinger, then-vice mayor Jeff Rose, and other commission candidates. The ads came from an obscure political ac- tion committee: One Surfside. Records obtained by New Times show that One Surfside was part of the political com- mittee network to which Kushner and Fort Lauderdale development group Fort Partners contributed a combined $40,000. The contri- butions came in the midst of criticism from Surfside residents and activists who claimed town leaders were too cozy with developers and were poised to fast-track pending proj- ects, including a buildout by Kushner Com- panies and others under development by Fort Partners. One Surfside operates out of Plantation, roughly 25 miles away from Surfside, and is run by Florida political consultant Aaron Nevins, a public affairs manager who was thrust into the national spotlight years ago af- ter collaborating with an alleged Russian hacker who sent him 2016 election data. When reached by New Times, Nevins maintained all of the political committees were duly registered and that no improper campaign-financing activity took place. Upon being pressed about the source of the funds, he declined to comment on where the origi- nating committee “Florida Way” – from which funds flowed to One Surfside – was registered. By sifting through local records, however, New Times found that Florida Way was set up in Palm Beach County and funded by Kush- ner and Fort Partners. Described as a “local committee to support or oppose issues or candidates for muni[cipal] or county offices,” Florida Way was formed in February 2023, with Nevins listed as its treasurer. Florida Way’s funds flowed to a state-registered com- mittee called Floridians Together for Change, which then contributed $20,000 to One Surf- side – the entity that funded the political ads in favor of Danzinger and Rose. It’s not uncommon for developers to con- tribute to political action committees (PACs) advocating for their interests. Indeed, there was a lot at stake for Kushner and Fort Part- ners in the March municipal election. For instance, Danzinger’s opponent, former mayor Charles Burkett, ran on a platform centered on scrutinizing new development in the town. But the timing of the contributions and the manner in which the political committees were structured raise questions about fund- ing transparency and the putative methods used by developers to hold sway in the small seaside town, which is steeped in conflict over a wave of resi- dential develop- ments in the wake of the tragic Champlain Towers South col- lapse. Because Floridi- ans Together for Change was a state political committee not required to report its financial disclo- sures until weeks af- ter the election, the source of the political ads in favor of Danzinger and Rose remained unclear to voters at election time. Even after the committee’s records became public, track- ing the money would have been a tall task for your average resident unless they spent un- told hours researching the committees. The obfuscation of the funding – namely, voters’ inability to see the funding sources until after the election – was facilitated by a 2023 Florida bill that loosened state political committees’ filing requirements, allowing them to make financial disclosures on a quarterly basis outside of general election season. Previously, they had to file monthly. Ben Wilcox, research director at govern- ment watchdog group Integrity Florida, says the change in the law opened up a “new loop- hole” that gives political committees another means of concealing donors in a funding en- vironment already lacking transparency. “Political committees can now apparently hide money because those filing deadlines have been turned into quarterly deadlines in- stead of monthly,” Wilcox says. When asked by New Times about their Florida Way contributions and the extent to which they intended to influence Surfside politics, Kushner and Fort Partners, which is led by developer Nadim Ashi, declined to comment. Floridians Together for Change, which also lists Nevins as a registered agent, has the same Plantation address as Florida Way and One Surfside. On January 24 – the same day it sent $20,000 to One Surfside – Floridians To- gether for Change contributed $5,000 to Danzinger’s political committee, 1,000 Jews of Florida, a group that bills itself as a nonpar- tisan entity aiming to meet the needs of the Jewish community and engage Jewish vot- ers. “I must clarify that I am only familiar with 1,000 Jews of Florida,” Danzinger says in an email in response to New Times’ questions about the Nevins-run political committees. “I wasn’t privy to any financial matters, nor did I have access to the finances. My role primarily revolved around advocating for leg- islative initiatives and fostering relationships with supportive legislators,” the former mayor says. After months of political wrangling with opponents, raucous commission meetings, and a heated municipal race, Danzinger and Rose lost their bid for re-election in the town in March 2024. Burkett, who was mayor at the time of the Champlain Towers tragedy, reclaimed the mayorship from Danzinger, while local activist and photographer Tina Paul unseated Rose. High-Stakes Development in Surfside Kushner Companies Charles Kushner is a prominent real estate developer and former attorney whose real es- tate group, Kushner Companies, owns doz- ens of apartment buildings and commercial properties, in addition to a handful of hotels in New Jersey. He and his son Jared Kushner, former president Donald Trump’s son-in-law, built a sprawling, multibillion-dollar real es- tate empire stretching from Texas to New York. Jared stepped down as CEO of Kushner Companies in 2017 after he was named senior advisor to then-president Trump. In 2004, Charles Kushner pleaded Surfside Commissioner Jeff Rose (left) and Mayor Shlomo Danzinger at a July 2023 Surfside commission meeting Shlomo Danzinger commission photo via Facebook | METRO | “THE BASIC PREMISE OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM IS WHO GAVE IT AND WHO GOT IT. WE’VE MOVED AWAY FROM THAT.” >> p8
