Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly’s campaign spent roughly $40,000 at Ritz-Carlton properties over the past year, according to campaign finance records, while simultaneously collecting large sums of taxpayer-backed matching funds.

Records show thousands of dollars in payments to Ritz-Carlton hotels, including more than $20,000 directed to the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove in Miami and a payment exceeding $2,200 to the Ritz-Carlton Miami Beach in August 2025. Multiple transactions ran into the thousands of dollars during the period Jolly has sought the Democratic nomination. The Florida Division of Elections requires these disclosures, placing the luxury-hotel spending squarely in the public record.

Jolly’s campaign has raised millions in the 2026 cycle and is listed as the Democratic nominee with Gwen Graham as his running mate. It has also received substantial public matching funds, including more than $1.29 million in the state’s first July distribution and additional amounts in later distributions. The filings identify the payments but do not specify which staffer or candidate used the rooms or the precise purpose of each stay.

The pattern of high-end hotel expenditures raises clear questions about how a campaign benefiting from taxpayer dollars is choosing to spend money raised from supporters. Jolly, a former Republican congressman now running as a Democrat, is attempting to present himself as a viable alternative in the governor’s race. The luxury spending undercuts any claim of careful stewardship of campaign resources.

By contrast, Republican nominee Byron Donalds has consistently emphasized fiscal responsibility and accountability in the use of both public and donor funds. As voters prepare to choose Florida’s next governor, Jolly’s Ritz-Carlton expenditures highlight a difference in priorities between the Democratic ticket and Donalds’ campaign, which has made disciplined spending a central theme.