What could “Build Something That Lasts” do?

The eagle eye of Nate Monroe of the Florida Times-Union caught this one yesterday.

A few months back, the Build Something That Lasts Political Action Committee was formed, very quietly.

The Chairman, Eric Robinson, is based in Venice and Tallahassee, and is the registered agent for a couple of dozen PACs statewide.

The group thus far has two contributions, both made on August 21: $10,000 from Peter Rummell, the man who declared it to be open season on Alvin Brown at the beginning of the 2014-15 Jax mayoral campaign, and $5,000 from Gary Chartrand, a Jacksonville marketing executive who has been described, even by critics, as one of Florida’s most influential men in education.

Monroe, in his article, notes the historic nature of this PAC. For the first time, an incumbent mayor will have a political action committee to advance the administration’s agenda, via supporting like-minded candidates or by taking advocacy positions on issues that matter to the administration.

Brian Hughes, the political operator most generally credited with getting Curry elected, serves as spokesman for the PAC. I reached out with a couple of specific questions regarding the PAC’s purpose, and he gave me a quote.

“This committee is working to advance conservative principles and will support political causes and potentially candidates who reflect the same vision for the future of Jacksonville and Northeast Florida. It can support candidates at the state and local level, but those decisions will be made in the future,” Hughes wrote in an email.

This is essentially similar to the quote he gave Monroe in the article.

Though not much information is coming out regarding the PAC, there is precedent for how quickly a PAC can build up steam.

Consider the saga of the Florida Leadership Committee, the Largo based PAC of State Senator Jack Latavla.

Though August numbers are not in yet, the FLC PAC has raised over $3.5 million in just under three years.

It draws big money from donors statewide, and a few outside of Florida as well.

Interestingly, the FLC had a fundraiser in Ponte Vedra Beach last month. The group has spent almost $2.5 million in its existence, yet most of that money has been spent outside of this region.

As of now, at least in terms of what’s put forth for public consumption, Build Something That Lasts is going to have a largely regional focus.

Of course, there is a logical end game.

Despite Lenny Curry drawing a lot of heat for his recent board appointments and removals, even most Democrats see him as a tough man to beat in 2019. It is reasonable to deduce that Curry has an eight year plan, in terms of governance objectives.

Part of Curry’s plan has been to strengthen ties with Tallahassee. The new budget includes $150,000 for a lobbyist, whose job will be in no small part to deliver more of Jacksonville’s share of budget priorities from the state capital.

It follows, then, that for Curry to maximize his stroke, a regional player needs a seat at the table in a meaningful way.

What many folks are talking about locally: when and who will the next NE Florida Speaker of the House be?

There are some folks looking at the early part of the next decade, when a number of NE Florida Republicans will be entering their final years in the House before being termed out.

One name that keeps coming up: that of Paul Renner, who doesn’t represent Jacksonville, but who came within two votes of beating Jay Fant in a primary last year and doing just that.

Renner is reliably conservative, a military veteran, and was the epitome of a good sport after his campaign loss, building a genuine friendship with Fant that confounds observers of their pitched primary.

Would a NE Florida House Speaker qualify as Something That Lasts?

To quote a former VP candidate, “you betcha.”

It will be interesting to track the expenditures of this PAC in the coming years, especially the ones outside of this region. Those farther south in Florida know how these PACs are gamechangers, often committing significant resources to races for allies and against nemeses.

Northeast Florida: welcome to the big time.