Phil Ammann
St. Petersburg entrepreneur Bill Edwards will be helping raise money next week for Let’s Get to Work, the political committee closely tied to Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
The reception begins 6 p.m. Thursday, March 9, at The Club at Treasure Island, 400 Treasure Island Causeway in Treasure Island. Minimum suggested contribution for the VIP reception is $5,000; tickets to the General Reception are $2,500.
Edwards, CEO of The Edwards Group, has been a longtime supporter of Scott and Republicans. He gave $1 million in 2013 for Scott’s re-election effort, as well as about $4.6 million to support Republican National Convention in Tampa in 2012. In 2015, Edwards also gave $350,000 to the political action committee supporting former Gov. Jeb Bush’s presidential bid.
Joining Edwards on the host committee are former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, Jay Beyrouti, Joe White and James Holton, president of real estate development firm Holton Companies. Beyrouti sits on the board of directors for both Space Florida and Enterprise Florida, the state’s job incentives arm currently under fire by the Florida Legislature. Baker, who serves as president of the Edwards Group, is also seen as a potential candidate this year for his old job as St. Petersburg mayor.
As owner of the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Edwards is behind the latest effort to bring a Major League Soccer franchise to St. Petersburg. Edwards will be covering the entire cost of a May 2 special election to vote for giving the St. Pete City Council the authority to negotiate a long-term use agreement for Al Lang Stadium, home of the Rowdies and a key part of bringing MLS to the city.
Although Scott cannot run for re-election, many consider him a likely candidate for U.S. Senate in 2018 against Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. According to the Florida Division of Elections, Let’s Get to Work raised nearly $1.7 million in January.
RSVPs are through Debbie Aleksander at 850-339-8116 or [email protected].
