A new report filed on the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections website reveals Mayor Kevin McCann violated state law following the 2022 election, spending more than $600 on a reception for supporters in the week after the election. State law places tight restrictions on how surplus campaign funds are spent after an election, limiting them to campaign related expenses incurred before the election, candidate loan repayments or donations to charity.
State law and FEC opinions are clear on the seriousness of this infraction, and the Mayor’s apparent disregard of campaign finance law is an all too familiar theme for Winter Springs residents. Politicians are not allowed to misuse donors’ hard-earned money, intended to help them get elected, to instead throw lavish parties for select friends once elected.
Mayor McCann, whose tenure has been marred by a series of financial mismanagements, condemning audits, misstatements under oath, including being confronted by the City Clerk for using his city issued credit card to pay for personal Uber travel, similarly dismissed any wrongdoing when confronted for his documented financial violations.
This revelation came as a campaign report was finally displayed on the Seminole County Supervisor of Elections website years after its filing, thanks to public pressure applied by the Winter Springs Community Association last week demanding access to the report.
An email sent by Jesse Phillips last week, correctly observing the apparently ‘missing’ funds and accurately suggesting they were “submitted on time, and just simply lost”, forced the Mayor’s hand, causing him to turn over the documents showing the misspent funds to a reporter from the Oviedo Community News, the same outlet which originally reported McCann’s ‘inappropriate spending’ on personal Uber charges.
The advocacy of the Winter Springs Community Association, which has always fought for accountability and transparency, resulted in these additional revelations coming to light. We will continue to update as any additional information becomes available.