Some Florida Republicans want taxpayers to pay Trump's legal bills

TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Florida Republicans may set aside millions in taxpayer money to help pay for former President Donald Trump’s multiple legal battles.

A Miami Republican who endorsed Trump’s reelection has filed a bill for this year’s legislative session that could allow the state to hand out up to $5 million to the embattled Republican frontrunner for president. The legislation has already won the endorsement from Jimmy Patronis, the state’s Republican chief financial officer, who for months has been publicly calling for taxpayers to pay to defend Trump from criminal charges.

“We’re in the midst of an historic moment where we’re watching an election that’s trying to be stolen by left wing prosecutors, the Biden Administration and even Blue States,” said GOP state Sen. Ileana Garcia in a statement. “They’re not trying to win at the ballot box; they’re trying to keep President Trump off the ballot by weaponizing the courts. Having a Floridian in the White House is good for our state — and anything we can do to support Florida Presidential candidates, like President Trump, will not only benefit our state, but our nation.”

It’s not clear if the legislation — which would hand out money to presidential candidates who are Florida residents and “subject to political discrimination” — will go very far. There is currently no House companion to the bill, SB 1740, and it has not been something that Republican legislative leaders have been promoting during the start of this year’s session.

There also could be legal questions about the bill since Florida has strict procedural rules regarding legislation that is tailored to an individual or a single business.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, who endorsed Trump shortly after Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped his bid for president, deflected on whether she supported Garcia’s bill.

“President Trump has the means to cover his legal expenses; however, many people do not, which is Senator Garcia’s concern,” Passidomo said in a statement forwarded by her office. “You should reach out to Senator Garcia about her bill. She does a great job. It is not helpful or necessary for me to weigh in on every bill.”

Trump is at the center of four separate criminal cases, including a federal case that he hoarded classified documents at his resort home in Palm Beach County and hindered efforts by federal authorities to retrieve the documents. He is also facing charges in New York in connection to hush money payments made to a porn star as well as charges in Georgia related to election interference. In Washington, Trump is facing charges that he tried to overturn the 2020 election.

Nikki Fried, the Florida Democratic Party chair, blasted Republicans for pushing the bill instead of working on other issues such as the state’s ongoing affordability problems, including the property insurance crisis.

“What this shows you is who the Florida GOP is loyal to because it’s certainly not the people of Florida,” Fried said in a text message. “Senator Garcia’s victim-card bill is a disgrace and should inflame any Floridian who cares about where their tax dollars are going.”

Patronis — who is in charge of Florida’s treasury accounts — asserted there are financial reasons for taxpayers to pay for Trump’s legal bills.

“If we can help and support a Florida candidate for the White House, that’s just good from a dollars and cents perspective,” Patronis said. “From all the decisions the federal government makes with regard to military installations, to roads, to disaster aid — it’s in Florida’s best interest to make sure their champion for the President is allowed a fair shot at the White House without being taken down by some fake witch-hunt.”