Several candidates running for statewide offices will be getting checks on Friday from taxpayers. But Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink won’t be one of them.

Sink, the Democratic nominee for governor, said this week that is she still hasn’t decided whether she will ask for public campaign financing money.

“I’m delaying my decision,’’ said Sink.

Sink suggested she may not make up her mind on whether to accept taxpayer help until after the Aug. 24 primary between Naples businessman Rick Scott and Attorney General McCollum.

“I’m waiting to see how the race comes out,’’ said Sink.

Sink reported on Thursday that her campaign raised $1.1 million in donations during the last quarter and that she had $5.7 million in cash on hand for her campaign at the end of the quarter, which was July 16 and not June 30.

Sink did agree last month to the campaign spending limit of $24.9 million, which made her eligible for matching funds in her race for governor. But she has not turned in the final paperwork that would allow her to receive the money.

Under the law, the first round of matching money is for contributions that candidates received from Florida residents between Sept. 1, 2009 and March 31, 2010. In order to receive this money, candidates must submit a list of contributions that they wish to have matched.

Sink’s campaign, however, has the right to claim matching money for these initial contributions later.

Sink's decision to wait comes at the same time that Scott is trying to get a federal court to throw out the part of Florida's public financing system that gives a dollar-for-dollar match if a rival exceeds campaign spending limits. Scott lost his first bid last week, but his attorneys appealed the ruling to a federal appeals court in Atlanta. McCollum joined the lawsuit, and his own attorneys have said that if McCollum does not get matching money it could "tip" the outcome of the GOP primary, since Scott is spending millions of his own money.

Sink, however, has not asked to join the lawsuit. 

Originally published in the Florida Current - exclusively distributed via Lobbytools  - Florida's Premiere Legislative and Media Monitoring Service.