Independent candidate Charles Goston filed an elections complaint using records obtained by Perry's backers

Records tied to a recently dismissed Florida Elections Commission complaint against former state Senate candidate Kayser Enneking confirm that a local consulting firm, used by Republicans, worked with an independent party challenger to defeat her.

The complaint was filed a week before the November 2018 election against Enneking by independent candidate Charles Goston. The complaint was based on emails obtained by Republican operatives working to re-elect Sen. Keith Perry, R-Gainesville.

The FEC determined the claims against Enneking were “legally insufficient” and that she didn't break campaign laws during her quest to unseat Perry, who narrowly won re-election.

Enneking said Tuesday that the election should have been about issues like health care, education and the environment. Much of that, however, was overshadowed by attack ads and mailers whose funding source was not always clear.

“The Perry campaign made it about tagging me with crazy ideas they knew were not my positions,” she said. “Wanting to preserve Mr. Perry’s nice guy image, they had Charles Goston file the complaint accusing me of cheating to smear me. Well, the complaint has now been summarily dismissed and I want people to know who was cheating.”

Goston has repeatedly denied any involvement with Republican operatives seeking to split votes to help Perry win re-election. Perry defeated Enneking by 2,000 votes. Goston received 4,300 votes.

Goston and Perry have not returned voicemails seeking comment.

Campaign records show that much of Goston’s campaign was funded by Republicans with ties to Gainesville-based Data Targeting and Perry. Goston also received $135,000 in dark money through a now-closed political committee.

Goston’s complaint claimed that Enneking, a physician at the University of Florida, violated state campaign law by using her UF email to discuss campaign business and solicit donations. It also claimed that she used a UF webpage to further her campaign.

Leading up to the election, Enneking’s profile page on the UF Health website linked to various stories mentioning her, one of which related to her campaign. UF officials said it was an automated algorithm and removed the article after spotting it.

The FEC found no proof that UF employees added the article to her profile page for her and her campaign, and that the webpage is used for broad university purposes.

Enneking was also accused of using her state-owned email account to solicit a donation from a supporter. The FEC ruled that the email in question was sent as a reply outside traditional work hours and there was no way to know if it was done within a UF building. The letter said Enneking’s use of the email system and webpage was “transient and minor.”

After Goston submitted the complaint to the FEC, he supplied The Sun with a copy of Enneking’s emails.

Curious to know how Goston obtained her emails, Enneking made a public records request with UF.

The information shows Alexander Holzbach, a research director with Data Targeting, made the request on behalf of the company. Data Targeting paid $7,545.86 for the emails.

Holzbach and Data Targeting CEO Pat Bainter have not returned calls seeking comment.

According to Holzbach’s job description on the company website, he conducts “extensive background research on the personal and professional lives of specific candidates.”

Bainter’s company worked closely with Perry throughout his re-election campaign and produced several commercials and mailers attacking Enneking throughout the election. She was also the target of dark money mailers and commercials during the primary.

Data Targeting has been an integral part of helping Republicans win elections across the state.

In Florida, campaign records show that Data Targeting has done work for at least 15 of the 23 sitting state senators, including Perry, and has also worked for half of Florida’s sitting Republican U.S. House members.