Scott Powers
Orange County School Board Chair Bill Sublette picked up money momentum in December in the contest for the Orange County mayor’s office, out-raising three other major candidates who all had decent but not great months of campaign fundraising.
Sublette’s campaign reported he had raised $30,275 in December, bringing his campaign total to $100,700 so far, with just under $99,000 left in the bank at the end of the year. In addition, his new independent political committee, The Committee for Orange County’s Future, reported raising another $15,000, with no expenses, putting his combined available funds at $114,000.
That still places him well behind Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings and businessman Rob Panepinto overall, but both of them, as well as Orange County Commissioner Pete Clarke, raised between $17,000 and $25,000 during the final month of 2017.
Sublette opened his campaign with a strong October, followed by a more modest November. His December haul included 69 checks, the majority of them from individuals, including 14 checks for the maximum $1,000 donation. He also contributed $1,250 to his own campaign on Dec. 31, pushing his official campaign over the $100,000 mark. The Committee for Orange County’s Future started with $10,000 from Freedom Network Management of Orlando, and $5,000 from SGM Engineering.
Demings raised $20,225 during the month, bringing his total donations to $325,000 in six months of campaigning. Minus expenses, he finished the year with $293,000 in the bank.
Panepinto, president of Florentine Strategies of Winter Park and past chairman of Orlando Inc., the Orlando regional chamber of commerce, raised $17,101 in his official campaign fund and another $8,000 in his independent political committee, Vision Orange County. Combined the two committees have raised $312,000 and finished the year with a combined $246,989.
Clarke reported raising $17,160 in December. That brought his total raised to $36,000, and left him with about $33,000 in the bank at the end of the year.
