A.G. Gancarski
Fourth Circuit State Attorney-elect Melissa Nelson scored a resounding victory over incumbent Angela Corey in the GOP primary at the end of August. Though she has no general election opposition, Nelson’s political committee, “First Coast Values”, continues to raise and spend copiously.
Since the end of August, “First Coast Values” has raised, in total, $138,800.
First Coast Energy, a company best known in the Jacksonville market for its Daily’s Convenience Stores, gave the committee $25,000 on Aug. 31.
First Coast Energy CEO Aubrey Edge is a reliable Republican donor, with max donations to candidates like Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio in recent years.
On Sept. 6, the “Integrity Matters” PAC — an Eric Robinson operation based in Venice, just like the Nelson committee — moved $100,000 to “First Coast Values.”
Coincidentally, the major donor to “Integrity Matters” is Gary Chartrand, a charter school magnate who was among Nelson’s staunchest supporters in the primary election.
Chartrand gave “Integrity Matters” $110,000 in total, but it appears “Integrity Matters” is functioning as a pass-through.
And on Sept. 14, $13,800 in new money came into the committee, including donations from Jacksonville lawyer Hank Coxe, from Kevin Hyde, and — most compellingly — $5,000 from OCAI 1995 Limited Liability Corporation, which is associated with Jacksonville orthodontist and philanthropist Gasper Lazzara.
This money is being spent, and virtually all of it – $131,291 – went to Data Targeting for polling and mailers.
As of yet, no money has moved from Nelson’s committee to other candidates or committees.
