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Non-profit

Florida Forward Action Inc. (FFA)

Website:

www.forwardfla.com
Tax ID:

83-9275900
Tax-Exempt Status:

501(c)(4)

Founded:

2019
Executive Director:

Ryan Hurst

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Florida Forward Action Inc. (FFA) is a left-of-center get-out-the-vote organization committed to electing Democrats to state and federal office in Florida. 1

FFA was founded and chaired by former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D). The organization has been involved in controversies surrounding a supposed donation to the Florida Democratic Party and other financial issues. 2

FFA has not been active on social media or its website since December 2020. 3 4

Background and Activities

Forward Florida Action was founded in 2019 after the gubernatorial campaign defeat of former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (D). It is dedicated to mobilizing Democratic voters in Florida. 5

The organization worked to register and activate voters for the Democratic Party, whose relative advantage in registered voters over the Republican Party in the state had been dropping. 6

FFA operated a website that encourages virtual voter registration, permitted voters to check their current registration status, and publicized voter registration events. 7

The organization has not filed publicly available tax returns since 2019. FFA’s most recent posting on Twitter and Facebook are dated in December 2020. No activity relative to the 2022 mid-term elections is available on its website and the most recent news article posted is from February 12, 2020. 8 9 10 11

Controversies

Forward Florida Action’s then-chairman, Andrew Gillum, was reportedly found by police inebriated and unresponsive in a Miami, Florida hotel with a male escort and baggies of suspected crystal methamphetamine. Gillum was not arrested. 12 13 Gillum would later be charged with financial offenses by federal authorities in an unrelated case. 14

Gillum has been accused of using funds from Forward Florida PAC, a related political organization, to pay for legal fees and other bills. 15

In 2019, Gillum presented a poster-sized check with Forward Florida Action branding to the Florida Democratic Party for $100,000, and Gillum promised much more to come. FFA tax returns later showed no record of a donation from FFA to the party. When confronted, Ryan Hurst, FFA’s executive director, stated that Gillum had raised the funds for the party and thus had fulfilled the commitment for $100,000, even though the funds did not come from FFA, and noted that Forward Florida PAC had made contributions to the party. 16

FFA filed an amended tax return for 2019 with multiple changes from the original filing. The organization originally claimed 3 employees and $484,808 in salaries and employee benefits, but reported only one person making more than $100,000, leading to the question of who else received compensation and why were their names not reported. The amended filing increased the number of employees to 10. Ryan Hurst, FFA’s executive director, stated in an interview that the group had 8 employees. The organization has also been questioned about its reported travel expenses, first stated as $153,503 and amended to $168,891, and the reported $184,838 paid to consultants. 17 18 19

 

Leadership

Forward Florida Action was founded by former Tallahassee Mayor and 2018 gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum. Gillum was listed in FFA’s 2019 tax returns as chairman. 20

Rosy Speers is listed as the organization’s director on FFA’s 2019 amended tax return and the only person listed with a salary exceeding $100,000. She was the finance and political director for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick (D) before joining FFA. 21

The organization lists Ryan Hurst, formerly director of programs, as FFA’s executive director. Hurst is an alumnus of People For the American Way Foundation’s Front Line Leaders Academy and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Institute’s Candidate and Campaign Training. 22

Finances

Forward Florida Action reported grants of $250,000 to left-of-center Organize Now Inc.; $100,000 to For Our Future Action Fund, an advocacy group funded by environmentalist and 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination candidate Tom Steyer; and $75,000 to left-of-center Tides Advocacy Poder Latin X, an organization that advocates for voter registration of high school students and is a part of Tides Advocacy. 23 24 25

FFA reported total revenue of $2,022,674, all from contributions and grants, on its amended 2019 return. Expenses were reported as $1,548,730, with grants of $485,500 and salaries and benefits paid of $484,808, leaving it with net assets of $473,944. 26

References

  1. “Who We Are.” Forward Florida Action, March 17, 2020. https://www.forwardfla.com/about/.
  2. Fitch, Sonja, Just Sayin, Methed Up, and Evelyn Cruz. “Andrew Gillum’s Nonprofit Never Actually Wrote a Check to Florida Democrats. so Where Did It Spend Its Cash?” Florida Politics. December 1, 2020. https://floridapolitics.com/archives/385466-andrew-gillums-nonprofit-never-actually-wrote-a-check-to-florida-democrats-so-where-did-it-spend-its-cash/.
  3. Twitter. Twitter. Accessed June 6, 2022. https://twitter.com/fwdfla.
  4. “Forward Florida Action.” Facebook. Accessed June 6, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/fwdfla.
  5. “US Businesses.” U.S. Business Finder. Accessed June 6, 2022. https://bisprofiles.com/fl/forward-florida-action-n19000003774.
  6. “Who We Are.” Forward Florida Action. March 17, 2020. https://www.forwardfla.com/about/
  7. “Who We Are.” Forward Florida Action. March 17, 2020. https://www.forwardfla.com/about/.
  8. “In the News.” Forward Florida Action. October 12, 2019. https://www.forwardfla.com/news/.
  9. Twitter. Accessed June 6, 2022. https://twitter.com/fwdfla.
  10. Forward Florida Action Inc. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990). 2019 (amended). Part I, Lines 12, 18, 22.
  11. “Forward Florida Action.” Facebook. Accessed June 6, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/fwdfla.
  12. “Andrew Gillum Found in Miami Hotel Room with Crystal Meth.” Yahoo! News. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://news.yahoo.com/andrew-gillum-found-miami-hotel-173229449.html.
  13. Bryan, Susannah. “Police Photos Show Andrew Gillum’s Hotel Room Scene.” Sun Sentinel, April 23, 2020. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/fl-ne-andrew-gillum-drugs-hotel-20200422-x5cpq645afbcbfzuydj5pikmsy-story.html.
  14. “Former Tallahassee Mayor and Gubernatorial Candidate and Associate Charged with Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, and Making False Statements.” The United States Department of Justice, June 22, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl/pr/former-tallahassee-mayor-and-gubernatorial-candidate-and-associate-charged-conspiracy.
  15. Schweers, Jeffrey. “Andrew Gillum PAC Fund Keeps Getting Drained for Legal, Other Expenses.” Tallahassee Democrat. June 13, 2020. https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2020/06/11/gillums-political-funds-being-used-pay-off-legal-fees-other-bills/5341232002/.
  16. Fitch, Sonja, Just Sayin, Methed Up, and Evelyn Cruz. “Andrew Gillum’s Nonprofit Never Actually Wrote a Check to Florida Democrats. so Where Did It Spend Its Cash?” Florida Politics. December 1, 2020. https://floridapolitics.com/archives/385466-andrew-gillums-nonprofit-never-actually-wrote-a-check-to-florida-democrats-so-where-did-it-spend-its-cash/.
  17. Forward Florida Action Inc. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990). 2019 (amended). Part I, Lines 5, 15.
  18. Forward Florida Action Inc. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990). 2019 (amended). Part VII, Section A, Line 2.
  19. Forward Florida Action Inc. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990). 2019 (amended). Part IX, Lines 17.
  20. Forward Florida Action Inc. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990). 2019 (amended). Part VII, Section A, Line 1.
  21. “Rosy Gonzalez Speers.” Rosy Gonzalez Speers. January 4, 2021. http://www.rgspeers.com/.
  22. “Our Executive Director.” Forward Florida Action. May 20, 2020. Archived from the original March 22, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210322040926/https://www.forwardfla.com/about/executive-team/.
  23. Forward Florida Action Inc. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990). 2019 (amended). Schedule I, Part II.
  24. “Democrats Roll out $90 Million Super PAC Aimed at Swing States.” Politico. Accessed June 13, 2022. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/31/democrats-super-pac-swing-states-1348502.
  25. Granda, Andrea. “Poder Latinx Educates and Empowers Community by Uplifting Culture.” Tides. December 8, 2021. https://www.tides.org/our-community/tides-social-ventures/poder-latinx-educates-and-empowers-community-by-uplifting-culture/.
  26. Forward Florida Action Inc. Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, (Form 990). 2019 (amended). Part VII, section A, Line 2.
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