Protective security details proposed for nominees

Audio By Carbonatix

(The Center Square) – Nominees for the office of governor, lieutenant governor, and cabinet officer would receive protective security details under a bill filed this week in the Florida Legislature.

House Bill 401, authored by Rep. Tyler Sirois, R-Merritt Island, specifies the security detail would be provided immediately upon major party nominees winning the primary election. The Department of Law Enforcement would be responsible for providing the protection.

It’s unclear how much the bill would cost taxpayers. It stands out among similar legislation being proposed in other states in that it would mandate state-provided protection, while other bills make allowances for candidates to use their campaign funds on security.

A California bill would remove the current $10,000 lifetime cap on campaign spending for security expenses.

In Kentucky, proposed legislation would allow candidates to use campaign funds to pay for “reasonable costs” of security for themselves, employees, and family members.

Florida taxpayers spent $9.4 million on security for Gov. Ron DeSantis and his family during the 2022-23 fiscal year, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. However, security costs for political figures and candidates vary.

The last decade has had a substantial increase in political candidates spending money on security, according to a report by Vote Mama Foundation, a research and analysis group.

Its 2025 report Campaign Funds for Security found more than a 7,000% increase in security spending from 2014 to 2024 with spikes in 2020 and 2024.

Federal candidates across the U.S. spent over $41 million on security measures over the last decade, according to the report.

How candidates cover those costs depends on the state in which they reside.

Only five states specifically mention security services in their campaign finance statutes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Those states are California, Louisiana, Minnesota, Colorado and Wisconsin.

In other states, some list security services as an expense candidates can cover with campaign funds.

The Federal Election Commission approved new regulations that went into effect in January that allow candidates to use campaign funds to pay for certain security expenses.

The Conference of State Legislatures noted that heightened security is likely to be a focus in the upcoming legislative session following a year of heightened political violence.

Back in June, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home. Months later, political activist and Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk was publicly assassinated in September.