They come from groups based out of Fort Lauderdale and Miami and as far away as California and New York. The glossy mailers and commercials tell voters to question where a candidate's money is coming from and where ``our tax dollars'' are being spent.

But where is the money coming from for the advertisements?

And, given the out-of-state addresses of some shadowy attack groups, can those behind the mailers really claim to voters that the Miami Beach tax dollars being spent are theirs?

Good luck trying to find out.

In Florida, third-party groups -- also called 527 groups because of a section of the IRS tax code that regulates them -- once had to file reports on contributions and expenditures with the state.

But over the summer, a judge struck down the Florida law that oversees the organizations. Now groups need file with the IRS only if they bring in more than $25,000 in a calendar year.

That is a problem, former Mayor Neisen Kasdin said, because major campaign donors can in turn become major influences on candidates once they get into office.

``Number one, you can't trace who's funding these campaigns as easily,'' Kasdin said in a recent interview. ``Two, there's much more money available to 527s, so the people and organizations that are funding these 527s will undoubtedly have extraordinary influence over candidates they are helping.''

Three of the four candidates running in Tuesday's runoff have been both slammed by third-party groups -- and accused of sending out the attacks.

Recently, organizations with California and New York addresses have backed mailers attacking Group 2 candidate Jorge Exposito. Good Government Now, a group linked with a California area chamber of commerce, says Exposito is beholden to special interests because he accepted $4,000 in contributions from former capital improvements consultant Hazen and Sawyer, blamed in the ad for ``countless delays and cost overruns.''

Exposito said he didn't know he was accepting donations from Hazen and Sawyer employees at the time they were given but that it shouldn't matter because they are no longer a city vendor and that he isn't beholden to anyone.

Exposito says the campaign of his opponent, Maria Mayer, has created out-of-state groups to hide what he says is soft money slamming him or boosting her campaign. Postage for several ads, including one from a Port Chester, N.Y.-based organization, was paid by 50 Blue LLC, a company in which Keith Donner, Mayer's political consultant, is a partner.

``I find it odd that anyone in California is interested in Miami Beach politics,'' Exposito said.

Donner said Thursday he was not associated with the Good Government Now group but has worked with a number of organizations that have sent out advertisements in the race. Groups like Miami Beach Voter Coalition don't have to be registered -- and aren't -- but Donner said the fact that his company's name is on the advertisements should tell voters that Mayer's campaign isn't hiding.

``What difference does it make if it's Port Orange or Port Chester?'' Donner said. ``What counts is what's being said.''

Donner said Mayer's supporters have aided her campaign in the way they feel is appropriate, adding that ``whatever the rules are, we play by.''

Exposito himself has been promoted by Citizens for Ethical and Effective Leadership, a group that was registered with the state until late September, meaning its contributions and expenses are no longer documented.

He has also been accused by Mayer and former opponent Sherry Roberts of attacking Mayer through a third-party group mailer meant to appear as if it were mailed by Roberts. He and consultant David Custin have denied involvement with the ad, though Custin acknowledges he has worked with the organization in the past.

Before the general election, a slew of attack ads also went back and forth between former candidate Alex Fernandez and former Commissioner Michael Góngora, who is now running against Gabrielle Redfern. One commercial against Fernandez was found to be so misleading that Comcast stopped running the piece.

Politicians throughout the state have called for state lawmakers to quickly close the new loophole.

But some question whether attack ads really have a big impact on elections. Former Mayor Seymour Gelber said attack ads are for the most part ignored. ``The voting public is pretty discriminating about those kinds of fliers,'' he said. ``They just look at them and smile and drop them in the trash basket.''

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