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.)
Discover more from Florida Action Committee (FAC)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
The day her name is no longer mentioned will be a glorious day indeed.
I have been harassed by Senator Lauren Book and her lobbyist father for years. (“Val Parkworst” is the Book family’s paid troll, BTW; he also posts here as Barry Williams or “Lucky Larry” Lynch at times.)
She filed a SLAPP suit against me that was recently overturned by the Florida 4th Appeals Court and upheld by the FL Supreme Court. She also assisted in having me falsely accused of a crime.
Now that I’ve gotten victories on both counts, I want to sue the shit out of Lauren Book and her DUI daddy, Ronald “Stagger” Lee Book. Maybe Florida Bulldog could write about it.
I looked it up.
Can a government entity donate money to a 501c3?
Answer. Yes.
“The Internal Revenue Service recognizes charitable organizations as tax-exempt nonprofits under Section 501c3 of the Internal Revenue Code. … Even small or new nonprofit businesses qualify for grant funding through federal, state and local governments as well as private charitable foundations.”
I think the real question should be, when will pfr’s realize that politicians will do what ever they can to get votes up to and including what we have seen time and time again by piling on as many punishments as inhumanely possible while obviously lying by stating they are not punishments knowing this obvious lie wont be questioned and funding organizations that perpetuate the big lie all while feeding the revenge monster living inside voters that want justification for punishments to anyone not themselves.
Aka: The great vote getter.
Also see, Ceaser and the Coliseum.
Thank you for your time
While it is true that a government entity can donate tax dollars to a property registered charity, the public dollars must still be properly appropriated.
Even if she stepped away at this time during her rise in stature by others, she’d still be most likely pulling strings well behind the scenes as she could to ensure her organization was run the way she sees it, regardless of who the puppet is they place upfront. Daddy would ensure that.
Both Book’s are nothing but corrupt personal agenda types, like virtually all politicians. This is not a surprise for me.
So, let me get this straight. Lauren Book has been the recipient of public monies that were concealed so the public didn’t know about it? The Books=Corruption.