A new ad in the Republican race for Florida governor is launching serious allegations against the frontrunner, South Florida Congressman Byron Donalds. The ad, which comes from a political action committee called “Quiet Professionals Florida” chaired by Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, accuses Donalds of hiding from debates and having a questionable past.

Debate Controversy

The ad claims that Donalds has refused to debate his primary opponents, including Collins, investor James Fishback, and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner. According to reports, the Republican Party of Florida canceled a debate between Donalds and the other three due to eligibility criteria.

Donalds has been open about his past mistakes, including a 1997 arrest for misdemeanor possession of less than 20 grams of cannabis and a 2000 charge of bribery, for which he pled no contest and received two years’ probation. The case was later expunged.

Ad Claims and Facts

The ad also claims that Donalds paid his closest advisor, Larry Wilcoxson, over $400,000 despite Wilcoxson’s arrest on child molestation charges in 2006. Wilcoxson was charged with three counts of child molesting involving a 13-year-old girl, but the case was later dropped.

Additionally, the ad accuses Donalds of trading up to $5 million in stocks as a member of Congress, which is not illegal but requires reporting. Donalds’ campaign states that a third-party broker manages his stock portfolio and that he voted for the Stop Insider Trading Act to ban stock trading while in Congress.

Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.