After winning one of the state’s fiercest legislative elections last month, Sen. Maria Sachs, D-Boca Raton, has filed a bill that would crack down on malicious attacks against candidates.
The bill (SB 114) would allow the Florida Elections Commission to impose fines up to $5,000 against candidates, political parties and various types of political committees and organizations if they run ads or do other types of communications that include libel or defamation against an election opponent.
The bill says libel or defamation would mean a “false or malicious statement that injures the reputation of a candidate and exposes the candidate to public hatred, contempt or ridicule.” The bill also would require candidates who run ads to attest to their truthfulness within 72 hours.
Sachs defeated former Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, last month in a multimillion-dollar race that included attack ads against both candidates.
