Several members of the UF Board of Trustees donated more than $1.3 million to Never Back Down, a super PAC funding Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential bid.
Board Chair Mori Hosseini donated $1 million to Never Back Down through his companies ICI Homes Residential Holdings LLC, Intervest Construction of Jax Inc., MHK of Volusia County Inc. and CC North Central LLC. Hosseini previously supplied DeSantis with a golf simulator in 2019 and private flights as recently as February.
Hosseini is one of at least seven other individual donors to donate more than $1 million to the political action committee.
Trustees James Heavener, Richard Cole and Patrick Zalupski donated a combined $360,000 to Never Back Down. DeSantis appointed Cole and Zalupski to the board in 2020 and 2023 respectively.
Never Back Down raised more than $130 million since February and spent nearly $34 million as of June 30, FEC filings revealed July 31.
Over half of its contribution transferred from DeSantis’ political action committee Empower Parents, formerly known as Friends of Ron DeSantis.
The Campaign Legal Center, a self-identified nonpartisan watchdog organization, filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission against the donation in May.
DeSantis and Empower Parents allegedly violated laws prohibiting the use of soft money, money not subject to federal limits and reporting requirements, according to the complaint.
Ten of 13 trustees have donated more than $1.2 million to Empower Parents since 2018.
PACs are not the only avenue the trustees have used to support DeSantis’ presidential run.
Trustees Hosseini, David Brandon and Daniel O’Keefe each donated $6,600 to DeSantis’ principal presidential campaign. The campaign has raised more than $20 million since its launch in May, according to FEC filings.
Never Back Down CEO Chris Jankowski is hopeful for DeSantis’ White House prospects.
“$150 million raised from across all 50 states between DeSantis for President and Never Back Down shows what a formidable movement is behind Governor DeSantis,” Jankowski wrote in a statement. “The future of the Republican Party is Governor Ron DeSantis.”
Contact Garrett at gshanley@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @garrettshanley.
Garrett Shanley is a fourth-year journalism major and the Summer 2024 university editor for The Alligator. Outside of the newsroom, you can find him watching Wong Kar-Wai movies and talking to his house plants.
