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Buckhorn gives charity $119,000 in leftover campaign funds

 
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn  had said he might give funds back to supporters.
Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn had said he might give funds back to supporters.
Published June 9, 2015

TAMPA — Back when he was running for re-election, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn raised gobs of money — $404,000 in all, more than he needed to beat his write-in opponent.

Going into the vote, Buckhorn said he was inclined to give as much of that money as possible back to his supporters. Candidates often give excess campaign funds to charity, but Buckhorn said that wasn't likely in his case.

"I don't assume to know what people's charities are," he said in January.

Five months later, Buckhorn has done just the opposite, giving nearly $119,000 to the nonprofit Community Foundation of Tampa Bay, according to a campaign finance report filed this month. It's not a first: Former Mayors Dick Greco and Pam Iorio likewise donated surplus campaign funds to charity.

Buckhorn's contribution went into the foundation's "donor-advised fund," meaning the mayor will make recommendations on the grants the money goes to, according to director of marketing and communications Wilma Norton.

"I want this fund to focus on a couple of things," Buckhorn said Monday. One is scholarships for women or minority applicants who want to be Tampa police officers but need help attending the police academy. Another is grants to nonprofits that work on youth development, urban issues or initiatives that could help "mitigate what we're seeing" in the inner city.

"It's not a lot of money, but I think it can make an impact," he said.

So why the change of direction?

For one thing, he said, refunding what was left over "would have been a pretty significant undertaking given the number of contributors" — 1,359 of them. Plus, "a lot of people came up and told me, 'If you have anything left over, don't send it back to me. Just do good by it.' "

Buckhorn also transferred $20,000, the maximum allowed, to an office account that he can draw on for expenditures related to his job. They include travel, holiday cards and dues to civic or charitable organizations. If the mayor wants to send flowers to a constituent's funeral, money for the arrangement can come out of the office account.

And the rest? It went into Buckhorn's take-nothing-for-granted re-election campaign: $166,500 for cable TV commercials, $7,400 to produce those TV spots, $13,500 for mailers, $9,000 for his qualifying fee, $4,000 for polling, $19,800 for other campaign research, $5,100 for an election-night victory party at Ulele Native-Inspired Food and Spirits, $11,300 for campaign consultant Siobhan Harley, $5,300 for Facebook advertising, and $1,400 for thank-you letters.

Buckhorn wasn't alone in disposing of excess campaign cash. City Council members Frank Reddick, Lisa Montelione, Mike Suarez, Yvonne Yolie Capin and Harry Cohen made contributions to a variety of charities. Montelione and Reddick, who were unopposed, gave away more than $4,600 and $19,000, respectively. Charlie Miranda sent partial refunds to about 190 donors.

While the mayor has wrapped up his re-election campaign, he's not done with fundraising.

A potential candidate for governor in 2018, Buckhorn late last year launched his own statewide political action committee, One Florida, which had raised about $69,000 as of a report filed in Tallahassee last month.

Buckhorn has said he plans to use the funds for things like travel and getting involved in referendums or political races around the state.

Times researcher John Martin contributed to this report. Contact Richard Danielson at rdanielson@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3403. Follow @Danielson_Times.