Without opposition, Northeast Florida senators raise and spend in June

State Sens. Aaron Bean, Rob Bradley, and Audrey Gibson don’t have to worry about opposition this election cycle. Yet all three of them had notable campaign finance activity ahead of the June 24 qualifying date.

Interesting spends in some cases. Strategic donations in others. And one $500 expenditure to a school of dance.

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Sen. Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican, raised $13,100 from June 1 to June 24. Aside from a solitary $100 check, the remainder of Bean’s donations came in chunks of $500 and $1,000.

PACs abounded: the FDA-PAC, FOMA-PAC, the Realtors Political Action Committee, the Pool Industry PAC, and quite a few others ponied up for the incumbent.

Bean spent $23,278 through the period. Client Focused Media got $13,541 for advertising. The Pass Consulting Group got $2,773 for consulting and petition verification.

As well, the Bean School of Dance got $500 for advertising.

Bean has just over $70,000 on hand.

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Sen. Bradley, meanwhile, raised $5,500 and spent $78,854, which leaves him just under $259,000 in hard money for a campaign that isn’t happening.

Among his spend in June: $46,600 to Data Targeting for research and direct mail, and $15,000 for social media consulting to Em Campaigns.

Bradley’s political committee, “Working for Florida’s Families,” raised $25,000, largely in PAC money, and spent over $13,000, including $1,000 spends on the Lizbeth Benacquisto and Chad Farnsworth campaigns, and $5,000 to “Floridians for Strong Leadership,” a committee associated with Sen. Anitere Flores.

Farnsworth, for those not in Bradford County, is the school superintendent, in a four-way race for re-election.

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Sen. Gibson, like her Republican counterparts, scored donations in the June period, the bulk of them in the days before the qualifying deadline, where it was clear she would be unopposed.

All but $500 of the $12,500 she received came between June 17 and June 24.

US Sugar, Southern Wine and Spirits, and numerous health care concerns all donated at least $500, with many maxing out, to the incumbent Jacksonville Democrat.