Political Opposition Research in Bradenton, Sarasota and Tampa Bay

Insight Investigative Group, LLC is a licensed Florida private investigative agency, agency license A3400127, that conducts political opposition research and candidate vetting for campaigns, committees and attorneys across the Florida Suncoast. Every finding is sourced to a public record, documented to evidentiary standards, and delivered by an investigator who can explain exactly where it came from.

What is opposition research?

Opposition research is the systematic review of a candidate's public record: what they have said, filed, signed, owned, sued over and been sued over. Campaigns use it to understand an opponent. Candidates use it on themselves to find out what an opponent will discover. Done properly it is public record work, not spying, and the result is a documented file rather than a rumor.

Candidate opposition research

A typical engagement covers voting history and attendance records for anyone who has held office, campaign finance filings, civil and criminal court records, property and business interests, professional licensing and any discipline attached to it, and the public statement trail across media and social platforms. The deliverable is a sourced report. Every claim in it carries a citation to the record that supports it, because a claim a campaign cannot defend is worse than no claim at all.

Self-vetting for candidates

The same research, run on you, before you file. If there is a lien from 2011 or an old lawsuit with your name on it, your opponent will find it. Finding it first means you control the timing and the framing instead of reading about it two weeks before the vote. Self-vetting is the cheapest insurance a campaign can buy, and it is the one engagement candidates most often wish they had ordered earlier.

Where the line is

We work from public records and lawful open source collection. We do not access sealed or expunged records, bank records, phone records, credit reports or medical records, and no legitimate firm can. We do not manufacture claims, and we do not pad a report with insinuation. If a fact cannot be sourced, it does not go in the file.

Your file stays yours

Under section 493.6119 of the Florida Statutes, a licensed agency may not release the contents of an investigative file to anyone other than the client. Who you researched, what we found, and the fact that you hired us at all are confidential. In political work that discretion is usually worth as much as the research.

Frequently asked questions

Is opposition research legal?

Yes. Opposition research conducted from public records, court filings, campaign finance reports and publicly visible statements is lawful. What is not lawful is accessing sealed records, private accounts, or protected data such as bank, phone or medical records, and a licensed investigator will not do those things for any client. The line is public versus protected, and a professional stays on the right side of it.

What does opposition research include?

A standard engagement reviews court records, campaign finance filings, voting and attendance history for past officeholders, property and business ownership, professional licensing and discipline, and the candidate's public statement trail including social media. Every finding is cited to its source record so the campaign can defend anything it chooses to use.

Should a candidate run opposition research on themselves?

Yes, and ideally before filing. Self-vetting surfaces everything an opponent's researcher will find, which lets the campaign prepare answers on its own schedule instead of reacting late in a race. It is routinely the highest value engagement in campaign work.

How much does opposition research cost?

It depends on how long the subject's public life is: a first-time candidate with no litigation history is a smaller project than a twenty-year officeholder. We scope and quote each engagement before any work begins. Call 941-297-8213 or email josh@insightinvestigationsgroup.com for a confidential consultation.

Who can see the results?

Only the client. Florida law, section 493.6119, prohibits a licensed agency from releasing the contents of an investigative file to anyone other than the client, with narrow statutory exceptions. The engagement itself is confidential as well.

Speak with a licensed investigator
Consultations are confidential. Call 941-297-8213 or email josh@insightinvestigationsgroup.com and we will scope the engagement before any work begins.