TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis announced his support of House Bill 1185 filed today to add required transparency measures in Florida law to protect Floridians from crowdfunding charity scams from companies like GoFundMe. A top priority of the CFO, this proposed legislation combats fraudulent crowdfunding accounts created following disasters by requiring the organizer to produce a complete and accurate accounting of all donations received by and expended by the campaign and publish this information on the website. The Senate companion bill will be filed soon.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “As we saw first-hand following tragedies like the Surfside condo collapse and Hurricane Ian, crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe allow fraudulent accounts to run rampant across the internet, tugging at the heart-strings of those that want to help victims of a terrible disaster. Often these accounts are outright scams, and you have no idea where your money is going or if it will be used to aid the victims of these tragedies. I’m fed up with the lukewarm response from companies like GoFundMe and it’s time Florida fights back to protect our consumers. GoFundMe defunded Canadian truckers because they weren’t vaxxed, helped fund an alleged Milwaukee cop killer, and allowed more than 20 fraudulent accounts to steal donations during the Surfside tragedy.

“Enough is enough. This year, I’m calling on the Florida Legislature to help pass meaningful consumer protections to crack-down on crowdsourced fraud by adding much needed transparency. Unfortunately, tragedy will strike Florida again, and we must step up and stop these scams from using disasters to defraud well-meaning Floridians to line their own pockets. Thank you to Senator DiCeglie and Representative Giallombardo for filing this legislation and stepping up to protect Florida consumers.”

CFO Patronis has been outspoken in protecting Floridians from crowdsourcing scams and fraud related issues with sites like GoFundMe. In October 2021, the CFO sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) related to fraudulent GoFundMe campaigns and the Surfside tragedy to insist that the federal government step in and help combat fraud.

Senator Nick DiCeglie said, “I’m proud to stand with CFO Patronis to protect Floridians from crowdfunding scams and websites like GoFundMe who have shown little to no ability to protect consumer from scams. It’s despicable that someone would use tragedies to defraud people and steal donations from victims. This legislation will go a long way in stopping crowdfunding fraud.”

Representative Mike Giallombardo said, “CFO Patronis is absolutely spot on by calling for more transparency with charity sites like GoFundMe. For too long these crowdfunding sites have been allowed to profit off of fraudulent accounts that steal money from honest consumers just trying to donate money to what they think is a good cause. I’m honored to work with the CFO and the legislature to put measures in place to fight back against crowdfunding scams.”

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About CFO Jimmy Patronis 
Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis is a statewide elected official and a member of Florida’s Cabinet who oversees the Department of Financial Services. CFO Patronis works each day to fight insurance fraud, support Florida’s firefighters, and ensure the state’s finances are stable to support economic growth in the state. Follow the activities of the Department on Facebook (FLDFS) and Twitter (@FLDFS).