Jim Rosica
Adam Putnam is in his second and ostensibly last term as Florida’s Agriculture Commissioner and “loves” the job so much he won’t comment on his future political aspirations – despite the open secret that he’s the GOP heir apparent to the Governor’s Mansion in 2018.
Asked to clarify his future plans, Putnam again punted on the 2018-and-beyond question.
“I love being Commissioner of Agriculture and am enjoying every minute of it,” the 41-year-old Putnam told reporters Wednesday. “We’ve got an awful lot yet to be done to make the most of my second term.”
Yet Putnam’s fundraising is as robust as ever, ginning up nearly $694,000 in October alone to his political committee.
Fundraising and expense numbers for November aren’t due to be reported till Thursday.
Moreover, that committee – “Florida Grown” – has been spending money at an average rate of $69,000 a month, state campaign finance records show.
A fair amount of that went to Silloh Consulting, the company held by Justin Hollis, who chairs Florida Grown.
But other expenditures include “direct mail,” “advertising,” “media services,” “printing,” “design services,” and “event consulting,” to name a few.
In Florida, candidates and committees are required to list basic information about expenses without going into much detail.
And despite being term-limited in his current job, Putnam held a “fall feast” fundraiser at $1,500 per person at his Tallahassee residence just last month that benefited Florida Grown.
Those contributions should be reflected in reports the committee has to file on Thursday.
