TALLAHASSEE -- Fueled by cash from outside political groups, the arms race over political advertising has reached a crescendo in Florida, where more than $133 million has poured into the state since April to finance a record-breaking barrage of television ads.

The presidential race alone has shattered Florida’s previous records and nationwide “this election year will go down as a record pulverizing year for political advertising,’’ said Erika Franklin Fowler, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project which tracks political ads.

Since June 1, more than 915,000 presidential ads have been aired on broadcast and national cable television across the nation, the group reported last week. That is a 44.5 percent increase over a similar period in 2008 and a 43.7 percent increase over 2004.

What’s surprising however, is that the millions spent on advertising in Florida’s 10 top media markets in the final week will not be not aimed at persuading voters who to pick in the high stakes presidential contest. Instead the goal is to get people out to vote — and influence media coverage.

That’s because the tiny fraction of voters who have not yet decided “are the least informed, least likely to vote,’’ said Robyn Kolodny, professor of political science at Temple University who studies political advertising. Media consultants “realize they are throwing some of that money away.”

But the drumbeat of political patter offer another advantage, allowing both sides “to keep alive the idea that it’s all up for grabs and it’s anybody’s race to win,’’ she said.

“The last thing you want in a battleground state is for your supporters to say your guy has it in the bag, especially if they’re going to have to stand in line.”

In the first three weeks of October, Obama and his allies had an ad advantage in every media market in Florida except Jacksonville. Romney, his allies and the outside third-party groups that have aided his campaign — such as Americans For Prosperity, American Crossroads and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — aired 2,225 fewer ads in the top three media markets of Tampa, Orlando and Miami.

“One reason Obama has been able to win the air war in most media markets is that his campaign is funding most of its own advertising, which entitles his campaign to the lowest rate charged by local television stations,’’ said Travis Ridout, co-director of the Wesleyan Media Project. “By contrast, many ads supporting Romney are paid for by outside groups, which must pay whatever the market will bear to get their ads on the air.”

In the final days, the parade of ads will continue to be heaviest in Tampa and Orlando, where the region’s mix of traditional and independent voters usually decides Florida elections. Obama and Democratic-leaning groups ran 4,217 ads in Tampa during the first three weeks of October, 4,719 in Orlando and 3,892 in Miami. Romney and Republican-leaning groups ran 3,775 ads in Tampa, 3,197 in Orlando and 3,631 in Miami, according to an analysis by Kantar Media and the Wesleyan project.

The competitive presidential race is not the only source of advertising. The high stakes U.S. Senate race between incumbent Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican Congressman Connie Mack IV has drawn more than$10.4 million in political advertising in the first three weeks of October alone. An estimated $20 million in political ads from outside political groups is also expected to fuel the ad war.