Drew Wilson
Sanford Republican Rep. Scott Plakon added an even $16,000 to his campaign fund during the first half of last month, bringing his overall fundraising total past the $125,000 mark.
The Sept. 1 through Sept. 14 reporting period saw House District 29’s second-term lawmaker cash more than a dozen checks for the maximum campaign donation of $1,000, including contributions from lobbyist Ron Book and lobby firm Akerman LLP as well as hospital corporation HCA.
BusinessForce, a group connected to the Orlando Chamber of Commerce, also showed up with a $1,000 check shortly before the group publicly endorsed Plakon’s re-election bid.
Plakon also spent and even $10,000 during the two-week reporting period, with all of that cash heading to Tallahassee-based Southern Campaign Resources for consulting work.
He finished the reporting period with $129,065 in hard money raised thus far with $104,420 left to spend.
Challenging Plakon in the Seminole County seat is Democratic nominee Tracey Kagan, who last month defeated fellow Democrat Darryl Block after earning more than two-thirds of the vote in the primary.
Her new report showed $3,926 in new money, with all 16 receipts listed coming in from individual donors. Topping the list was a $1,000 check from Craig Wilding of Lake Mary. Kagan also spent a little over $2,000 during the reporting period, with $1,000 paying for financial services and $450 covering credit card processing fees via the NationBuilder platform.
Kagan’s haul brings her total fundraising to nearly $50,000, including $15,000 in candidate loans. She had about $11,000 in the bank on Sept. 14.
HD 29 covers part of western Seminole County, including Heathrow, Lake Mary, Longwood, Wekiwa Springs and part of Sanford. According to the most recent bookclosing report released by the Florida Division of Elections, there are about 7,500 more registered Republican voters than Democrats within its borders.
The seat is not a total reach for Democrats, however. In 2012, Democrat Mike Clelland pulled off a shocker by defeating former Republican Rep. Chris Dorworth by fewer than 150 votes. Dorworth was in line to be House Speaker after the 2014 elections.
Plakon put the seat back in the GOP column in 2014 with a 57-43 win over Clelland. Plakon won re-election in 2016 without an Election Day opponent, though the district went plus-4 for Donald Trump at the top of the ticket.
