Drew Wilson
Future Senate President Wilton Simpson added more than a quarter-million dollars to his committee account last month, according to fundraising reports filed with the Florida Division of Elections.
The committee, Jobs for Florida, brought in $263,000 in the week leading up to the 2017 Legislative Session. Lawmakers are not allowed to raise money while the legislature is in session.
The largest committee donation came from the Florida Jobs PAC, which gave $25,000, followed by $15,000 a piece from Benderson Development Co., OD-EyePAC, and the Fontainebleau Resort. Another six donors pitched in $10,000, including the Florida Manufactured Housing Association, Aetna and the Associated Industries of Florida through their Voice of Florida Business political committee.
Simpson’s political committee spent $47,295 in March, leaving it with a little more than $1.1 million in cash on hand.
Capital Finance Consulting received the bulk of the committee’s spending, with about $34,000 heading to the Tallahassee-based firm.
In addition to the committee cash, Simpson brought in $24,600 for his 2018 re-election in SD 10, which covers Citrus, Hernando, and part of Pasco counties.
The Trilby lawmaker spent more than he brought in on the campaign side, however, with about $27,000 in expenditures mainly for campaign consulting. He had about $275,000 on hand in the account heading into April.
The SD 10 senator is set to become Senate President in 2020 after fellow Republican Sen. Bill Galvano.
