Rick Scott continues committee spending spree
Rick Scott is touting Florida's strong private-sector job gains.

FILE PHOTO:    Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks about hurricane relief measures for Florida and Puerto Rico at the White House in Washington

A political committee controlled by Gov. Rick Scott posted $10,000 in contributions and $95,000 in spending, marking the fourth month in a row expenditures outweighed income.

Let’s Get to Work took in a pair of $5,000 contributions, one from Illinois-based Covenant Aviation Security and another from Kansas City-based HNTB Holdings PAC.

A good chunk of the spending, $26,606, went to Maryland-based OnMessage. Scott has used the company for media production and consulting for years and has paid the company more than $2.5 million for its services since the political committee was formed in 2014.

Contribution Link received $16,000 last month for database services, while former Republican Party of Florida Finance Director Debbie Aleksander received nearly $19,500 for consulting and expenses and Robert Manders received $6,400 for finance consulting.

Let’s Get to Work has brought in nearly $57.5 million since its inception, but at the end of January the political committee had about $338,000 on hand. The on-hand total has dwindled at a fast pace over the past four months, as the committee has spent nearly $2.6 million while raising just under $150,000.

Scott is widely expected to challenge U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in his re-election campaign in the fall.

Nelson is one of a handful of incumbent Democratic senators who is running for re-election in a state carried by President Donald Trump in 2016.

Through the end of 2017, Nelson had about $8 million on hand in his re-election account. That figure includes about $2.3 million in contributions and $792,000 in spending in the fourth quarter.

Drew Wilson

Drew Wilson covers legislative campaigns and fundraising for Florida Politics. He is a former editor at The Independent Florida Alligator and business correspondent at The Hollywood Reporter. Wilson, a University of Florida alumnus, covered the state economy and Legislature for LobbyTools and The Florida Current prior to joining Florida Politics.



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