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No one has challenged the sheriff's run for re-election, and it appears his supporters aim to keep it that way.
With $215,690 raised in just three months, Sheriff David Gee has amassed more money than any other politician in Hillsborough County by six figures.
Next is Tax Collector Doug Belden, with $112,470. He also faces no opposition.
Incumbent Hillsborough sheriffs historically have raised a lot of money, quickly. It's a nationwide trend, said University of Tampa political scientist Scott Paine.
"The notion is that the sheriff may be the most important person in the county," Paine said. "And you don't cross him."
Quick, impressive fundraising can help ward off opponents in any political race, Paine said. The first candidate has essentially thrown down the gauntlet and unless a challenger expects tremendous support, large campaign coffers can be intimidating.
Gee says he hasn't pitched that angle to supporters.
"I don't set the pace of the donations," he said recently. "All I say is, 'I'm running,' and people contribute. I've just been fortunate."
Gee's parents were the first to donate, giving the maximum of $500 each. Nearly 600 others followed, according to the latest campaign finance reports released in the race. They document donations through Dec. 31. Most donors gave $500.
The list of donors includes about 90 attorneys, several car dealerships and bail bonds companies, as well as the accounting office of Plant City's mayor and the usual Republican donors, including east Hillsborough activist Sam Rashid.
Gee, 52, doesn't like to talk about politics. In a phone call from the Florida Sheriff's Association conference in Jacksonville, the Lithia man says he's humbled by the support, but would prefer for people to think of him as a law enforcement officer, not a politician.
Gee said he doesn't yet have plans for advertisements or mailers. His campaign has only spent about $2,000, he said. It went toward printing supplies, postage, stationery and software.
If he remains unchallenged, his donors will likely see most of their money returned. That's what he did in 2008, when he ran unopposed and raised about of $230,000. He said he plans to do the same this cycle.
The deadline to qualify is June 8.
The last time Gee faced any opposition was his first election in 2004, and even then he was considered the "anointed" candidate, supported by the then-Sheriff Cal Henderson.
That time, Gee raised nearly $400,000 in checks and in-kind donations, garnering about four times more than his main opponent, Tampa attorney Mike Trentalange, who raised $108,220.
The job pays $161,118.
For nearly four decades, Hillsborough Sheriff's Office has produced a sole internal candidate, making it difficult for an outsider to take the reins.
Gee, who has worked for the agency since he was 20, was considered an agency favorite years before Henderson retired.
Henderson received the support of his predecessor, Walter Heinrich, who then-Sheriff Malcolm Beard groomed for the job.
The last formidable battle for sheriff was in 1964, when Beard, the county constable, won against incumbent Ed Blackburn by just under 1,000 votes.
Times news researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Jessica Vander Velde can be reached at jvandervelde@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3433.
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