Clearwater businessperson Leo Govoni, accused of taking an unsanctioned $100 million loan from a charity that administers trust funds for the medically needy but is now seeking protection in bankruptcy court, is also one of the Tampa Bay area’s big political donors.
Giving in his own name or through numerous businesses registered at the same addresses in Clearwater, Govoni has given hundreds of thousands of dollars over the last several years to state, local and federal candidates, the vast majority to Republicans.
An exact accounting is difficult because Govoni has given political money through numerous corporations. Florida law allows corporate political contributions, and it’s not unusual for numerous corporations controlled by a single individual to make separate contributions.
But a partial survey of campaign finance reports suggests the Govoni state and local contributions reach well into six figures over the last decade or so.
At the federal level, where corporate contributions aren’t allowed, Govoni has given nearly $500,000 under his own name since 2009, with major beneficiaries including the Republican Party; Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott; and Reps. David Jolly, Anna Paulina Luna and Dennis Ross.
Locally, the Pinellas County Republican Party has received about $46,000 since 2011. Other recipients have included many of the most prominent Pinellas officeholders and candidates — State Attorney Bruce Bartlett, former state Sen. Jeff Brandes, Sen. Nick DiCeglie, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, former state Sen. Jack Latvala, state Rep. Chris Latvala, former state Rep. Chris Sprowls, plus statewide candidates including Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and former state Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Some Democrats have also received the Govoni contributions, including former state Rep. Ben Diamond, and Democrats in nonpartisan races including Tampa City Council member Bill Carlson. Carlson got two dozen contributions of $1,000 each from the Govoni-linked corporations in his 2023 reelection campaign, more than 17 percent of his total campaign fundraising.
Among the donating companies is Boston Finance Group LLC, located at the same Clearwater address as Big Storm Brewing. Big Storm is owned by Govoni’s son, L.J. Govoni, who filed for the state House in 2014, receiving contributions of the legal maximum $1,000 from several of the Govoni companies — much of which was refunded when he withdrew.
In the court filing, the charity Govoni founded, the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration, alleges that Govoni transferred $100 million of its funds over several years to Boston Finance Group, and that center officials can’t find authorization of the loan by its board of directors. The filing says it hasn’t been repaid.
The center administers trust funds for more than 2,000 people with medical needs, enabling many to receive damage awards for medical care while remaining eligible for government benefits. The center says more than 1,500 of those trust funds have been partially or completely depleted by the money transfer.
Leo Govoni did not respond to Times calls seeking comment on the bankruptcy court filing, or to a call and text message Thursday concerning the political contributions. His attorney, Eric Koenig, denied the allegations in the filings and said, “We look forward to resolving this issue through the bankruptcy process or otherwise.”
