Some mailers have urged folks to "Re-elect Shlomo Danzinger," featuring flattering photos of a cheesing town mayor. Other, similar flyers have been sent around in support of Vice Mayor Jeff Rose.
But while these ads clearly stated that they're bankrolled by the candidates themselves, residents of the small, eight-block-long town have been flooded with mailers from a more mysterious source: a political action committee named One Surfside. The PAC's mailers advocate for Danzinger, Rose, and commission candidates David Forbes, Jared Brunnabend, and Fred Landsman.
Danzinger is running against Charles Burkett, who served as the town's mayor between 2006 and 2010 and again from 2020 to 2022, a term that coincided with the Champlain Towers South condominium collapse.
Online records show One Surfside is operated out of Broward County, roughly 25 miles away from Surfside, and run by Aaron Nevins, a Florida political operative and public affairs manager who was thrust into the national spotlight years ago after working with an alleged Russian hacker who sent him 2016 election data. Records reveal the bulk of the PAC's cash, which has already been spent on mailers, stems from a $20,000 donation from a state political action committee called Floridians Together for Change, for which Nevins is treasurer.
But here's the catch: Because Floridians Together for Change isn’t required by the state to report its financial disclosures until several weeks after the election, voters might not know who is funding the mailers until after they cast their votes.
As Surfside residents head to the polls this week for early voting in advance of election day, March 19, the flood of political ads raises the question: Who is behind this tangled web of outside campaign cash?
What is "One Surfside"?
Launched in September 2023, the One Surfside PAC is operated by Nevins and based in Plantation. While the PAC has raised nearly $25,000 as of March 7, records show it shelled out almost $15,000 to a series of vendors including Nevins' company Chelsea Road Consulting, IT company AddinSolutions Inc., and graphic design company Mark Graphics for mailers and other advertising. Both the PAC and Rose reported a January 31 payment to Boca Raton-based Mark Graphics.
The bulk of the committee's recently raised money stems from a $20,000 contribution received on January 24 by Floridians Together for Change, a state PAC founded in December. According to online records, the PAC's chairman is Ethan Bazak, a senior at Don Soffer Aventura High School and legislative aide to embattled Florida Rep. Fabián Basabe. Nevins is listed as the committee's treasurer.
Among other controversial legislation, Basabe co-sponsored the Live Local Act, a bill that bans government-enforced rent controls and provides tax breaks to developers for projects designated as affordable housing.
Given that Floridians Together for Change is required to follow state reporting deadlines, which mandate the committee file its quarterly financial disclosures by April 10, the source of the $20,000 contribution might not be publicly revealed until then. Though the sum may seem modest in the context of statewide or federal elections, it represents a significant influx of political ad money for Surfside, a town with a population of less than 6,000 residents.
Bazak has not responded to requests for comment via LinkedIn and Instagram.
The One Surfside PAC also received a $4,000 contribution in February from a South Carolina-based company, Inspiration Museum.
While it’s unclear what the corporation, which is based in Myrtle Beach, does exactly, South Carolina public records show that it's run by registered agent Jeff Brown and was created in March 2021. A corporation of the same name and agent appears to have been active in Florida with addresses in Fort Lauderdale and Plantation; its purpose is vaguely described in a 2010 filing with the State of Florida as "the fulfillment of internet's ideas and businesses, which contribute to society and improve people's lives."
In response to a request for comment on the PAC activity – specifically, about residents' concerns that outside money is pouring into Surfside's election –– Danzinger tells New Times that his main concerns about the election are not related to political committees.
"My primary concern lies not with the interests of political action committees (PACs) that appear to be following the law, but rather with the dirty politics, surreptitious anti-Semitism and dissemination of misinformation within our community," Danzinger tells New Times, referring in part to an email circulated to residents that he says falsely claimed the Shul of Bal Harbour, a local synagogue, does not support his re-election.
Danzinger says he is "proud to serve as the first Orthodox Jewish conservative mayor in our predominantly Jewish community."
"There are many who would like to see me succeed in this role. It is incredibly humbling and an honor to receive such widespread support from various individuals and organizations who are invested in my success in this role," he says, adding that the "election has veered away from addressing local concerns and descended into a realm of tribalism."
His opponent Burkett's campaign platform is in part based on curbing overdevelopment in the town, where some residents in recent years have been critical of the mayor and commissioners over perceived concessions to powerful developers, including DAMAC International, the company developing the site of the Champlain Towers South collapse.
Who is Aaron Nevins?
Nevins, the son of former Sun Sentinel political writer and columnist Buddy Nevins, works as a state lobbyist and political consultant. He previously worked as a legislative assistant and chief of staff for Republican politician Ellyn Bogdanoff when she was a state representative and later state senator.According to Nevins' LinkedIn profile, he is the managing member of Chelsea Road Consulting, which specializes in governmental affairs, lobbying, and campaign consulting. His profile also indicates he is the president of Painted Dog Productions, a digital media production firm.
Following Russia's meddling in the 2016 presidential election, the Wall Street Journal reported Nevins received hacked data from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and later posted the information on his blog HelloFLA.com.
He reportedly made contact with the hacker known as "Guccifer 2.0," writing, "Feel free to send any Florida based information," before he received 2.5 gigabytes of data. He was not charged with any crime in the Russian interference investigation, though he did voluntarily speak with special counsel Robert Mueller's team, according to the Sun Sentinel.
In the days after a gunman killed 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas on February 14, 2018 in Parkland, Nevins solicited donations in $17 increments to his political action committee People Over Politics.
Using the slogan, "It's not about politics, it's about Parkland," and an image of the high school, he sought donations to "help support Parkland's leaders" and "show support for this community that was shattered by gun violence." The move garnered criticism from Parkland residents who accused Nevins of trying to "cash in" on the tragedy.
Warren Sturman, who was running for the Fort Lauderdale city commission at the time, terminated Nevins as his campaign manager after he found out about the donation effort, according to a Sun Sentinel report.
"Taking money in the wake of a tragedy I think is horrible," Sturman said.
According to his professional profile, Nevins has organized a grassroots campaign to protect the Bright Futures Scholarship Program and a campaign to support the Brightline high-speed passenger train.
Nevins declined to speak with New Times.
