Close to $50 million has been spent buying airtime in Florida through the end of September by Florida's gubernatorial candidates and their political parties.
While some of the messages include bright pictures of Rick Scott and Charlie Crist touting their economic and education plans, most of the messaging features ominous sounding narration and dramatic music telling an audience what's wrong with the other guy.
According to the Center for Public Integrity at least half of the ad money spent in Florida has been spent on negative ads like these:
And the response:
So far, much of the ad money has been spent not by the candidates themselves but by their political parties.
How does the tone at the top of the ticket impact business? Victor Mendelson, co-president of aerospace parts manufacturer Heico, says it's the attitude that matters.
"If we feel like there's sort of an anti-business climate, that there's a psychological penalty for investing and making money, then maybe we're less likely to pull the trigger on a new facility or a piece of equipment." Mendelson adds that applied to both political parties.
Instead of pro-business or anti-business political rhetoric, Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza would rather hear pro-competitive messages. Yes, this is from the boss at the airline that pioneered unbundling of airfares and charges for carry-on luggage.
"The best thing that the government can do to be both pro-consumer and pro-business," he says, "is to create an environment where competition is encouraged and competition is rewarded and information is shared and open."
Early voting begins Oct. 20. In the meantime, the political ad barrage and spending likely will pick up its pace.
