Florida has issued an investigative subpoena to the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) to determine whether the organization has violated fundraising laws.
“We are examining whether DSA accepted contributions or support from foreign sources of concern, including the regimes in Cuba and China, and whether its fundraising from Florida donors has been fully transparent and lawful,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said on Nov. 10.
Florida law requires transparency from 501c(3) nonprofits on contributors, intended purpose, and final use of funds.
“The subpoena seeks the documents needed to determine compliance,” the attorney general said.
The law specifically prohibits the solicitation and acceptance of any amount of funds from a “foreign source of concern.”
The DSA touts itself as the largest socialist organization in the United States. Several left-leaning political candidates across the country in the 2026 midterm elections declared themselves members, including former Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, whose bid to unseat Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) failed.
There is also DSA Fund, a separate 501c(3) entity, which the DSA describes as its “political education sibling organization,” devoted to spreading socialism across the United States. Uthmeier did not specifically mention DSA Fund in his announcement.
Uthmeier said the scope of the investigation includes scrutiny over recent trips by the organization’s national leaders and national political committee members to Cuba and Communist China made by DSA delegations, and how the tens of thousands of dollars solicited to cover those trips related to the DSA’s Florida chapters.
From late August to early September 2025, five DSA members traveled to China. They participated in a program hosted by the Chinese Communist Party in Guizhou Province on Aug. 26 and attended a major WWII commemoration in Beijing on Sept. 3.
Then in October 2025, the DSA said it sent “a delegation of 40 DSA elected leaders and rank-and-file members from chapters big and small across the country” to Cuba to deliver aid and learn “about the achievements and challenges of Cuban socialism.” During that trip, they met with Cuba’s deputy foreign minister.
If an organization is found to have accepted or solicited money from a prohibited source such as China, a first violation could be considered involuntary with no penalties. But that is only if the organization in question can provide three things: a solicitation or contribution form showing the source hid its true identity, a copy of the refund of any accepted donations within 30 days of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services notifying the organization of the violation, and a plan to prevent acceptance of prohibited funds going forward.
However, if the organization is unable to meet those three requirements, violates the law a second time, or is found to have failed to disclose or lied about any funding information, that organization can be subject to a series of penalties. Those penalties can include cancellation or suspension of a registration, fines of up to $5,000 for each individual violation, and an order to cease and desist from specific fundraising activities.
The Democratic Socialists of America told The Epoch Times in an email that it was aware of the situation but had no comment.
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the month in which five DSA members traveled to China. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
