Did Multi-Millionaire Skirt Finance Reporting Law?

Multi-millionaire Jesse Biter is being taken to task for failing to file a required city finance report related to his fund-raising organization's efforts to get Richard Dorfman elected to the City Commission and defeat Susan Chapman, Dorfman's opponent.

Biter, 36, is behind a controversial video on YouTube that claims Sarasota's voting schedule, which does not follow the traditional November cycle, amounts to voter suppression. That video is being tweeted across social media. (See video with this post.)

Biter received a notice from the city of Sarasota on Tuesday, April 30, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (See photo of the city's letter.)

According to the Herald-Tribune, Biter was warned by the city auditor and clerk that if his fund-raising organization aims to influence the election, he needs to file a finance report with the city.

According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune:

Biter has already missed one city deadline for reporting the finances of his recently created electioneering communications organization, Biter ECO, which can receive unlimited amounts of money to use on media ads ahead of an election.

Biter told the Herald-Tribune that it was his understanding that he just had to file with the state. That is true, according to city documents, if the city election is in November, when state and federal elections are held. But Sarasota is not on that election cycle, which is the subject of the controversial video that is questioning the status quo.

The next city finance reporting deadline is May 8, and Biter's attorney, Bucky Mitchell, told the Herald-Tribune that the organization will file.

For more posts on Jesse Biter, click on Millionaire Plans Downtown Pub.

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