Bail bonds money pushes Jacksonville sheriff’s political committee over $100K

Embattled Mike Williams didn't make the hurricane briefing. Image via AG Gancarski, 2017.

“A Safe Jacksonville,” the political committee of Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams, cleared $100K cash on hand in August.

August, of course, was the first deployment of the committee’s muscle: a well-timed poll from the committee, dropped during budget hearings, helped the Sheriff make his case that his department needs 100 new officers.

Williams’ committee brought in 17 contributions totaling $27,500 in August (against $1,050 spent). Ten of those contributions are from bail bonds companies, with the most evocatively named of them all being “Ankle Monitor Bail Bonds.”

The poll mentioned above was not reflected in the August campaign finance report.

All told, Williams’ committee has over $105,000 banked.

His next election is in 2019, and no competition has emerged yet.

This allows Williams’ committee the flexibility to devote resources to messaging and, perhaps, backing candidates who align with his vision for public safety.