New Republican PAC was first created in 2013 but rebranded with a media push in May when Gov. Rick Scott took the helm. | Getty Pro-Trump super PAC led by Scott loads up on contributions from session winners

TALLAHASSEE — A pro-Trump super PAC recently taken over by Gov. Rick Scott received contributions from companies that saw big policy wins during Florida’s 2017 legislative session, according to newly filed campaign finance reports.

New Republican PAC was first created in 2013 but rebranded with a media push in May when Scott took the helm. Its aim is to rebrand the Republican Party in the wake of President Donald Trump’s ascent to the White House.


“Donald Trump’s election was a complete shock to the system in Washington,” Scott wrote when announcing he was taking over. “This is the perfect opportunity to do things differently.”

During its first reporting period, with Scott as chairman, the super PAC brought in $270,515 in total contributions, including those from companies involved in some heated session policy fights.

Among the donors: Gulf Coast Health Care, a Pensacola-based company that owns 35 nursing facilities across the state, gave $40,000.

The company, which did not return a call seeking comment, was among those pushing hard in recent years to shift from a Medicaid cost-based approach for paying nursing homes to the use of a formula-based daily rate that would be used for all providers. The issue has been the subject of intra-industry fighting, with LeadingAge Florida opposed to the switch and the Florida Health Care Association in favor.

Gulf Coast Health Care was among the vocal proponents of the switch. Along with holding rallies at its facilities pushing for the change, Jamey Richardson, the company's president, wrote a post on the Florida Politics website defending the change against opponents' criticisms.

“The bottom line is that this PPS plan will, for the first time ever, link the payment system to quality outcomes. How could anyone oppose paying for quality?” he wrote.

After a few years of contentious fights on the issue, Scott this year signed legislation making the switch after a one-year delay. It was considered a win for groups supporting the change. Gulf Coast Health Care will make an additional $11 million annually, beginning the next fiscal year under the changes Scott signed into law.

Prior to the $40,000 it gave to the Scott-led super PAC, Gulf Coast Health Care’s only other federal contribution was $5,000 to U.S. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, who represents Pensacola. At the state level, the company has been a regular donor.

Melissa Stone, a Scott political adviser working for the super PAC, said “no” when asked if policy or specific legislation was brought up when discussing political contributions.

"We are continuing to build momentum,” Stone said. “People all across the country are fascinated by Florida's major economic turnaround under Gov. Scott, and we want to bring the lessons learned from those successes to key states ahead of the midterm elections."

New Republican also received a $5,000 contribution from Herzog Contracting Corp., an affiliated company with Herzog Transit Services, which earlier this year won a $511 million contract to operate the Tri-Rail commuter rail system.

That contract irked Scott and lawmakers because the South Florida Regional Transit Authority awarded it after first finding other contractors ineligible. The issue ended up before a Broward County judge, who said the procurement process could continue.

Scott’s proposed 2017-18 budget included language that would have blocked $41 million in state funding from SFRTA unless it canceled its notice to award the operating contract to Herzog. The state House and Senate later lined up behind the position.

Amid the mid-session controversy, Herzog, which did not return a call seeking comment, hired Jim Boxold, who resigned in February as Scott’s top transportation official. Eventually, language tying state funding to a cancellation of the operating contract was not included in lawmakers' state budget, which was signed into law by Scott.

At the federal level, Herzog has been an active donor, but not generally to Florida-aligned candidates or committees. In 2016, it gave $1 million to a super PAC supporting U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) failed presidential bid. At the state level, the company has not been active over the past few years, but has given this year to Associated Industries of Florida, which is a big donor to Scott and other state Republicans, and $25,000 to a political committee run by state Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who is running for governor.

The biggest contribution to New Republican was $100,000 from The Villages, a massive central Florida retirement community. It has long been a political power in Florida and is no stranger to having its way in the state Capitol. Along with a large lobbying team, it gave more than $200,000 in contributions, including $120,000 to Scott’s political committee during the 2016 election cycle.

Among The Villages' big wins this session was securing a carve-out from a telecommunications bill that allowed telecom giants to attach boxes to telephone polls on public property to help upgrade to 5G wireless technology. Local governments hammered the proposal, arguing that it removed local control over the matter and capped what telecom companies had to pay. An amendment added to the bill, though, exempted The Villages from the legislation.

Christine Sexton contributed to this report.