Of the $2,556,457 given to Florida politicians and political parties by payday lenders since 2009, more than one-third of the money ($970,050) came from members of the Florida-based MacKechnie family and their payday lending company, Amscot Financial. Amscot was founded in 1986 to provide borrowers a bank-like alternative to a liquor store or pawn shop, said company founder
Ian MacKechnie.
The company has 239 locations across Florida, focusing in areas where banking options are slim. In 1998 Amscot Financial plead guilty to civil racketeering charges and as part of the plea agreement stemming from these charges, the company’s founder, Ian MacKechnie, Sr., was banned for life from selling auto insurance in Florida.
Here are your Democrats who have taken money Payday Lender Lobbyists
Candidates for U.S. House & U.S. Senate (2009 - 2016):
ALCEE HASTINGS $110,700
KENDRICK MEEK $72,800
PATRICK MURPHY $51,000
DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ $50,600
CHARLIE CHRIST $29,000
RON KLEIN $27,400
KATHY CASTOR $17,000
TED DEUTCH $14,500
SUZANNE KOSMAS $14,000
ALLEN BOYD $14,000
GWEN GRAHAM $7,700
ALAN GRAYSON $10,300
JOE GARCIA $12,000
LOIS FRANKEL $10,000
ALEX SINK $9,750
BILL NELSON $5,000
GERALDINE THOMPSON $2,700
DARREN SOTO $2,000
LORI EDWARDS $1,000
Candidates for Florida State House & Senate (2009 - 2014)
that you may just know:
Oscar Braynan II $2,500
Janet Cruz $2,000
Arthenia Joyner $2,000
Rick Kriesman $1,500
Daryl Rousson $2,000
Betty Reed $500
Jeremy Ring $2,000
Sean Shaw $1,000
Alex Sink (governor's race) $4,500
By Beth Eriksen Shoup
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AMSCOT was a sponsor of the
Hillsborough County Democratic Party's
Spring Fling