On April 17, 2024, RPOF leadership, led by Chairman Evan Power and Executive Director Bill Helmich, issued cease-and-desist letters to FRA, and thereafter to its individual local chapters, alleging violations of Florida Statute 103.081 for using the word “Republican” and FRA’s licensed and trademarked elephant logo, owned by our national level parent N.F.R.A., the National Federation of Republican Assemblies, “without their permission.” Additionally, they also attempted to de-platform FRA from social media, threatened to remove FRA members from RPOF rolls (potentially violating Florida Statute 103.141, and through Helmich, filed two (2) 30-page FEC complaints, the first against FRA as an organization and the second against FRA’s president personally.

The elephant logo claim was dropped after FRA provided documentation that our parent, the National Federation of Republican Assemblies (NFRA) holds a decades-old U.S. registered trademark for our logo, potentially placing RPOF at risk of infringing FRA’s intellectual property with their new designed and apparently similar “rising trunk elephant” logo.

Their claim regarding the use of the word “Republican” ignored a key exemption in Florida Statute 103.081, which exempts from the protective terms of the statute organizations, like FRA, operating within Florida for periods of over 10 years. FRA has been a registered nonprofit corporation in Florida since August 20, 1998, and thus falls under the exemption with nearly 27-years of operation.

MOTIVES BEHIND RPOF’S ACTIONS:

FRA leadership and its members believe RPOF’s actions were retaliatory in nature, stemming from FRA’s opposition to two RPOF initiatives.

First, FRA’s resistance to RPOF’s alleged plan to remove President Donald Trump from the 2024 ballot in favor of Governor Ron DeSantis. FRA argued such action would cause party division and lead to legal action for election interference and as such adamantly and vocally opposed the destructive and divisive covert plan.

Second, FRA’s widely publicized resolution demanding Governor DeSantis focus on his gubernatorial duties following his 2022 re-election, rather than pursuing national executive office ambitions.

Third, in the 2024 Legislative Session, the RINOs attempted to pass the so-called “Harassment Bill” which sought to make it a felony to question the outcome of our elections. The Florida Republican Assembly banded together with Defend Florida and the Republican Liberty Caucus of Florida, and successfully lobbied legislators to vote it down. This past ’25 Legislative Session saw it come to fruition.

These stances likely positioned FRA as a potential threat to RPOF, but not to general Republican interests, prompting the aggressive retaliation. In our opinion, RPOF Chair Evan Power abused his position by pursuing baseless legal and political attacks suggesting internal dissatisfaction with his leadership. Numerous calls for his replacement reflect the belief that his actions have squandered resources and deepened party divisions all at a critical time.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Dialogue and Reconciliation, Both RPOF and FRA should prioritize unity by committing to mutual respect.

LEADERSHIP ACCOUNTABILITY:  In our opinion, Power’s actions are deemed detrimental to party interests, RPOF members may pursue formal mechanisms (e.g., a vote or recall per party bylaws) to address leadership concerns. However, this should be approached cautiously to avoid further fracturing within the party.

FOCUS ON SHARED GOALS: Both organizations should redirect energy toward common objectives, such as voter turnout and candidate support, to maximize Republican success in upcoming elections.

RESOLUTION AND CURRENT STATUS: The FEC dismissed RPOF’s complaints last month, citing facial insufficiency, affirming FRA’s compliance with relevant regulations. Their actions were frivolous and were wasteful of both time and money.

THE MISSION: FRA and RPOF operate as distinct entities with separate but complementary roles: RPOF focuses on precinct management, poll watching, and voter registration, while FRA emphasizes community engagement, legislative advocacy, and candidate development. FRA members often support RPOF’s efforts, suggesting potential for collaboration if mutual respect is re-established.

LUMB, FRA v. R.P.O.F.  UPCOMING COURT HEARING: June 23, 2025, 3:30pm at the Duval County Courthouse, Court Room 611, at 501 W. Adams Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32202. This is a pivotal moment for us to unite and demonstrate our collective strength! Please plan to attend. 

ALSO, those who would like to donate $20 towards our legal fund would be a big help as well as greatly appreciative.  Please click here: https://floridarepublicanassembly.org/donate-to-fra-state-account/