A new bill approved by Gov. Rick Scott will allow political supporters to dig a little their pockets to support their candidates' campaigns.
But in a weird twist of fate, that move could work against Scott in his next bid for office.
A few weeks ago, Scott had said there is no reason to raise the limits on campaign contributions, but now he has approved a bill that does just that. Under the new law, contributors can now donate as much as $3,000 to a campaign, instead of just $500.
This was a trade-off so Scott could get lawmakers to pass some of his priorities. However, there could be a downside to this.
If former Gov. Charlie Crist has a handicap going into 2014, it's money. Facing a millionaire incumbent governor with the backing of millions more from political committees, raising cash $500 at a time was shaping up to be quite the challenge.
But now Scott has effectively opened the money spigot for Crist.
Democratic strategist Steve Schale said more money from more people could be a game-changer for the former governor.
"Most of the groups in Tallahassee are going to support the incumbent, whether it's Republican or Democrat, and most of them will support Governor Scott," he said. "So, Governor Crist, in order to compete, is going to have to go out and get money from individual people around the state. Being able to do it at $3,00 a clip rather than $500 a clip means he can raise money faster and get on TV quicker - these are all things that'll help him in his race."
Scott has his own fundraising advantages, as he has been better at raking in unlimited campaign donations through his political committee.