Jacksonville City Council President Nick Howland boarded a private Gulfstream G280 owned by real‑estate developer Patrick Zalupski earlier this month to attend a Tampa Bay Rays game at Tropicana Field. Howland told the Florida Trib that the trip was intended to raise funds for his political committee, Florida Freedom PAC, and that all expenses would be disclosed in the committee’s finance reports as required by state law.
Flight details and participants
According to publicly available flight data, the jet departed Jacksonville International Airport on a Sunday morning, spent roughly 40 minutes in the air, and landed at St. Petersburg‑Clearwater International Airport. The aircraft returned to Jacksonville later that evening. In addition to Howland, Zalupski – the founder and CEO of Jacksonville‑based Dream Finders Homes – was on board, along with several of his lobbyists and former Mayor Lenny Curry, who posted about the game on social media.
Legal context and campaign‑finance rules
Florida law prohibits elected officials from accepting gifts valued at more than $100 from lobbyists or their employers. However, the state’s campaign‑finance framework allows officials to use political committees, which can receive unlimited contributions, to pay for travel if the trip is tied to a campaign activity such as a fundraiser. In practice, officials can price a private‑plane seat at the rate of an economy‑class airline ticket, effectively reducing the cost of the trip by thousands of dollars.
Howland’s use of his committee to cover the jet ride therefore complies with the letter of the law, though critics argue it skirts the spirit of the gift‑limit provisions. The council president declined to provide further details about the fundraiser, emphasizing that the information will appear in the committee’s required financial disclosures.
Reactions from local officials and observers
Former council member Matt Schellenberg expressed disappointment, saying he would have driven the four‑hour trip instead of flying privately. “He’s supposed to be a leader,” Schellenberg said. “In a political environment where everything is suspicious, this looks very suspicious.” He added that using a political committee for the expense “actually sounds worse” than paying out of pocket.
Zalupski, who was appointed to the University of Florida’s Board of Trustees by Governor Ron DeSantis and recently purchased the St. Petersburg‑based Rays, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Broader concerns about travel funding
Travel funded by political committees has been a recurring controversy in Jacksonville politics. Former Mayor Lenny Curry, for example, often financed his trips with a committee partially funded by the Jacksonville Jaguars’ owner. While gifts given directly to an elected official must be disclosed, contributions to an associated committee do not trigger the same disclosure requirements, creating a loophole that some watchdogs find troubling.
The city’s ethics rules require that any reimbursements for official travel appear in the committee’s expense reports, but the timing and detail of those disclosures can vary. Critics argue that greater transparency is needed to assure voters that public officials are not receiving undue influence from wealthy donors.
What comes next?
Howland’s flight will be reflected in the upcoming finance reports for Florida Freedom PAC, which the public can review once filed. Jacksonville’s City Council has not announced any formal investigation, but the episode adds to ongoing debates about the adequacy of the city’s ethics guidelines and the role of private‑jet travel in local politics.
Original reporting: Jacksonville Today — read the source article.
