Rick Scott's fundraising haul: $18.5M and climbing

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Rick Scott already has raised a whopping $18.5 million in pursuit of a second term.

Scott's political committee, Let's Get to Work, is a magnet for big-money donations from a variety of special interests seeking favors or an audience with the governor's office. Scott's incumbency and reliably pro-business positions make him a safe bet for donors.

With nearly 2,600 donors to date, Scott's re-election fundraising strategy is a stark contrast to his 2010 campaign, when he ran as an outsider, was shunned by the Republican Party network and financed his effort with more than $70 million of his money. This time, Scott is the recipient of money from a deep pool of political insiders, and with the election still more than a year away, he runs a lean operation, having spent about 10 cents of every dollar raised.

TOTAL: $18,498,277

CONTRIBUTORS: 2,593

AVERAGE CONTRIBUTION: $7,134

IN-STATE CONTRIBUTIONS: $16,569,640 (90%)

OUT-OF-STATE CONTRIBUTIONS: $1,928,637 (10%)

BIGGEST CONTRIBUTORS

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, $637,500

Seminole Tribe of Florida, $505,000

Florida Power & Light, $555,512

Bill Edwards, Treasure Island entrepreneur, $500,000

H. Wayne Huizenga, Fort Lauderdale investor, $270,500

Sheldon Adelson, Las Vegas casino executive, $250,000

Shahid Khan, Jacksonville Jaguars owner, $250,000

BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR GROUPS

Health care: $2,558,099

Real estate: $1,212,612

Gaming: $1,100,045

Investors: $1,081,582

Agriculture: $980,150

Insurance: $911,368

Political committees: $865,500

Developer: $760,509

Utilities: $729,290

Retirees: $590,197

SOUTH FLORIDA CONTRIBUTIONS: $3,901,849 (21%)

TAMPA BAY CONTRIBUTIONS: $2,001,471 (11%)

GOLDEN ZIP CODES

33408, North Palm Beach: $573,172

32301, Tallahassee: $508,771

33706, St. Pete Beach/Treasure Island: $502,075

33314, Hollywood/Davie: $504,100

33301, Fort Lauderdale: $467,169

CONTRIBUTIONS OF $100,000+: 50

CONTRIBUTIONS OF $10: 149

Notes: Period covered: Jan. 19, 2011 — Sept. 30, 2013. South Florida includes Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe. Tampa Bay includes Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Hernando.

Source: Letsgettowork.net