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