Dark money org appears tied to Bill Carlson

Richard Coates, a prominent GOP lawyer in the Tampa Bay area, filed paperwork to establish a 501(c)(4) organization in late February that appears to benefit Tampa City Council member Bill Carlson, who is widely expected to be considering a run for Mayor next year.

The organization, Leading Tampa, Inc., lists both its principal and mailing address as 1308 E. 7th Ave. in Tampa, which is the same address for Tucker/Hall, the public relations and affairs firm where Carlson serves as President.

Carlson did not respond to an inquiry about the 501(c)(4).

But several of its registered officers have at least some ties to Carlson, and they are politically diverse, including a self-described supporter of President Donald Trump and a Democrat.

One of the officers, Tarah Bluma, is listed as a member of TrumpettesUSA, a group of women from across the nation who support Trump. In her bio on the group’s website, she describes herself as “a proud momma of two daughters raised to love President Trump” who “formerly enjoyed a career in the liberty movement as a conservative nonprofit fundraiser.”

She has become a somewhat regular speaker at Tampa City Council meetings, typically aligned with Carlson. In December, she spoke at a meeting in which a report outlined how city stormwater funds were being used, including to fund parades and other events. Carlson blasted extraneous spending at the meeting. So did Bluma, who said, “we can look in the ditch and see that it hasn’t been cleaned out.”

At a meeting in late January, Bluma also spoke out against more than $21 million in proposed spending to fund the South Howard Flood Relief and Streetscape Project, arguing the money should be split among smaller projects. Carlson voted against the project.

In October, Carlson was one of two Council members — alongside Lynn Hurtak, who has already filed to run for Mayor — to vote against a proposal to allow a Ferris wheel. Bluma had spoken against the wheel previously.

Another officer, John Talbot “Tal” Land, is the son of progressive political activist Peggy Land. Both donated $1,000 to Carlson’s 2023 re-election campaign. He is listed as the organization’s Chair.

Jessica Capin, daughter of former Tampa City Council member Yvonne Yolie Capin, donated $50 to Carlson’s 2023 campaign. She previously served as her mom’s Treasurer in a 2008 House race, which her mom went on to lose. Jessica Capin is also listed as a Leading Tampa officer.

Coates is listed as the registered agent for Leading Tampa, though he does not have any direct ties to Carlson. Coates is a prominent GOP lawyer who, in recent years, has served as an attorney for Republican Rep. Erika Booth and as the registered agent for a political committee supporting Republican Rep. Berny Jacques.

Organizations established under 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code are often described as dark money groups because they lack the type of donor transparency required for campaigns and political committees. Such organizations also do not have contribution limits.

But 501(c)4 organizations have different rules about politicking. They cannot directly advocate for a candidate; rather, they are meant to provide educational information.

For example, If Leading Tampa is meant to benefit Carlson in an eventual bid for Mayor, it could advertise information about Carlson’s support for environmental protection, but it could not tell voters to support him. Likewise, it could inform voters that former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, who has said he plans to run for his old job, didn’t support certain policies, in an effort to disparage an eventual campaign.

Though both are nonprofit organizations, unlike 501(c)(3) organizations, 501(c)(4) organizations can engage in substantial lobbying and political campaigning. In another difference between the two, donations to 501(c)(4) groups, like those made to political campaigns or committees, are not tax deductible.

While 501(c)4s are not uncommon in the political process, they typically exist alongside other campaigning apparatuses, such as a campaign account and political committee, both of which can directly support a candidate.

Carlson has not yet filed to run for Mayor, and he has not publicly confirmed whether he’ll run.

If Leading Tampa, LLC is affiliated with Carlson, it sends an extraordinary message about the Tampa City Council member who has consistently criticized the current Jane Castor administration and the former Buckhorn administration for a lack of transparency.

It is also interesting that it appears Carlson is being backed by both ends of the political spectrum — from those on the far left to those on the far right.

In the group’s articles of incorporation, Coates writes that the group will “operate exclusively for the promotion of social welfare … including but not limited to, advocating, educating and communicating for financially sound public policy.”

The articles of incorporation allow the organization “to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of its purpose.”