1. (1) The commission is authorized upon the finding of a violation of this chapter or chapter 104 to impose civil penalties in the form of fines not to exceed $1,000 per count. In determining the amount of such civil penalties, the commission shall consider, among other mitigating and aggravating circumstances:

   1. (a) The gravity of the act or omission;
   2. (b) Any previous history of similar acts or omissions;
   3. (c) The appropriateness of such penalty to the financial resources of the person, political committee, committee of continuous existence, or political party; and
   4. (d) Whether the person, political committee, committee of continuous existence, or political party has shown good faith in attempting to comply with the provisions of this chapter or chapter 104.
2. (2) If any person, political committee, committee of continuous existence, or political party fails or refuses to pay to the commission any civil penalties assessed pursuant to the provisions of this section, the commission shall be responsible for collecting the civil penalties resulting from such action.
3. (3) Any civil penalty collected pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be deposited into the ¹Election Campaign Financing Trust Fund.
4. (4) Notwithstanding any other provisions of this chapter, any fine assessed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, which fine is designated to be deposited or which would otherwise be deposited into the General Revenue Fund of the state, shall be deposited into the ¹Election Campaign Financing Trust Fund.

5. (5) In any case in which the commission determines that a person has filed a complaint against another person with a malicious intent to injure the reputation of the person complained against by filing the complaint with knowledge that the complaint contains one or more false allegations or with reckless disregard for whether the complaint contains false allegations of fact material to a violation of this chapter or chapter 104, the complainant shall be liable for costs and reasonable attorney's fees incurred in the defense of the person complained against, including the costs and reasonable attorney's fees incurred in proving entitlement to and the amount of costs and fees. If the complainant fails to pay such costs and fees voluntarily within 30 days following such finding by the commission, the commission shall forward such information to the Department of Legal Affairs, which shall bring a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction to recover the amount of such costs and fees awarded by the commission.

   ¹Note.--The trust fund expired, effective November 4, 1996, by operation of s. 19(f), Art. III of the State Constitution.

History.--s. 61, ch. 77-175; s. 1, ch. 82-46; s. 2, ch. 83-265; s. 4, ch. 86-276; ss. 7, 14, 15, ch. 90-338; s. 5, ch. 91-429; s. 51, ch. 97-13; s. 36, ch. 98-129; s. 3, ch. 2000-355; s. 22, ch. 2004-252.