Lauren Book has conflict of interest as Republicans quietly shower taxpayer millions on her charity
Lauren Book, the newly anointed leader of Florida’s Senate Democrats, has a financial conflict of interest that’s raising questions about her loyalties… For the past two years, House and Senate Republicans decisively showered the Senate Minority Leader’s charity – Lauren’s Kids – with $4 million in taxpayer dollars.
The appropriations, including $2 million awarded in the regular session that ended April 30, were camouflaged to make it difficult for the public to spot them.
Since 2011, the Republican-controlled Legislature has lavished $19.69-million in grants on the sexual abuse prevention charity founded and led by the Plantation Democrat. In addition, Lauren’s Kids has collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from other Republican OK’d funding mechanisms, notably a specialty license plate.
According to the latest available federal tax records, Lauren’s Kids paid Sen. Book an annual salary of $200,000 plus an incentive bonus of $15,000 in 2019. The bonus was not further explained. The compensation Book received from Lauren’s Kids rose 49.1 percent between 2016, when she first took office, and 2019.
Tallahassee insiders Florida Bulldog spoke with were unaware of the millions earmarked to Lauren’s Kids in 2020 and 2021, nor did any Florida media outlet report on those large payouts last year, or while covering this year’s record $101.5-billion state budget. Why? The House and Senate legislators who sponsored the Lauren’s Kids grants modified the name of those appropriations. Underlying documentation clearly identifies Lauren’s Kids as the 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entity that requested the twin $2-million grants to be funneled through the Department of Education. But unlike past years when “Lauren’s Kids” identified the recipient, the grant’s name was changed to “Safer, Smarter Schools” – the name of the Lauren’s Kids curriculum.
The result: the annual list of state-funded charities in the final appropriations bill no longer mentions Lauren’s Kids as receiving any funds. (See page 30 of this year’s SB 2500.)
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Sounds rather illegal to me. Besides, government shouldn’t be financially sponsoring charities.
Isn’t this called money laundering, for which several have gone to jail for. If she goes to jail it would sure be ironic if she ended up in the same cell as the biggest and badest sex offender in the prison.
Sen Broxton, one of two sponsors of this years quid pro quo donation to Sen Books charity, represents this part of Florida. I decided to write his office an email expressing my concern and provide a link to the article, which I am sure they have read while hoping none of their constituents have.
Once again we see how corrupt Floriduh politicians are. Once again, nothing will come of it. How many times have the Bookends been exposed and faced no consequences?
You can go about your business. move along, move along.
Yes….and bless her heart she is a quick learner. Daddy taught her well. Just another corrupt politician getting rich, being a hypocrite, and goodness getting her plaque in heaven for all the good work……yea right. Too bad Lauren is not a critical thinker or have decent reading comprehension skills. Oh, and a democrat? Only to be elected..she is a republican. Though neither party is blameless for ANYTHING.
Just a suggestion:
The FAC Speaks comment on the Bulldog page is excellent.
I wanted to comment but decided not to so that the FAC Speaks comment would stay on the top of the list for as long as possible.
Please also refrain from commenting so that the FAC Speaks comment stays on top as long as possible. (More people will read it, perhaps.)
Just a suggestion.
Florida Bulldog posts are always posted in order so the oldest comment stays on top. You need not worry about it being bumped from first billing, it isn’t facebook.
We could really use some support on this article. Please comment in the comment section of this article. You do not need any type of account to do so. You can use a fictitious name. An email address does have to be given, but it is not published. A section for a website is included, but many news sources do not require that section to be filled in.
Just facts — no name calling, which would only hurt our cause.
Thank you all. We have all seen this year the power in numbers.