Jenna Persons not wasting time raising big money for House race
Jenna Persons speaks at a fundraiser at The Edison. Photo by Jacob Ogles

20190603_182138
Matt Caldwell among supporters spotted at The Edison.

Many of Sarasota’s prominent business and political leaders gathered Monday for Jenna Persons’ second major fundraiser.

The Fort Myers Republican still has 15 months ahead of her before the primary election for a seat in the Florida House. But she doesn’t want to take anything for granted.

“It’s a large ballot and it’s going to be a big year. We need to start early,” Persons told supporters gathered at The Edison. “Your trust means everything to me.”

Lee County Tax Collector Larry Hart hob nobs at a fundraiser in Fort Myers.
Photo by Jacob Ogles

With an intro by local business leader Gary Tasman and a closing pitch for donations by Tax Collector Larry Hart, she sought votes and dollars.

It’s part of building of resources that immediately set Persons apart. After announcing her candidacy in February, the attorney pulled in upward of $110,000 within weeks.

Much of that came from a Feb. 25 fundraiser. The event on Monday event marked the second organized event. Through the end of April, she built up more than $130,000 in donations.

But she’s also trying to set her apart in terms of who is supporting her. The Monday event saw drop-ins by former Agriculture Commissioner candidate Matt Caldwell, Lee County Republican Party chair Jonathan Martin and business leaders like auto dealership owner Sam Galloway.

Former state Rep. Matt Caldwell spotted at a fundraiser for Jenna Persons.
Photo by Jacob Ogles

In remarks to guests, Persons stressed her family’s generations-long history in the area. She also laid out a desire for a business-friendly tax environment while also providing support for law enforcement to combat an opioid epidemic.

“We need clean water,” she said to applause. “We know it is vital to our community’s health and welfare to have clean water here in Southwest Florida. We know this is a chore, a task that will not be fixed overnight but will take steady, continuous, hard work by diligent leaders in Tallahassee.”

Persons faces local philanthropist Roger Lolly in the Republican primary.

Lolly, who hasn’t fundraised as aggressively while dealing with certain critical family issues, only pulled in a little more than $6,000 through April.

“We have a long time in this race,” Lolly said. “We are going to be fine with numbers.”

Democrat Shawn Michael Williams has also fled but has not reported any contributions to date.

Incumbent state Rep. Heather Fitzenhagen, a Fort Myers Republican, cannot seek re-election because of term limits.

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at [email protected].



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, William March, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704