Mike Bloomberg becomes first Democratic presidential candidate to open a Tampa Bay office

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg opened his St. Petersburg campaign office Wednesday, becoming the first Democratic Presidential candidate to open an office in the Tampa Bay Area.

It’s the second Florida field office opening this week.

“This is just another example of Mike Bloomberg’s commitment to investing in the campaign infrastructure we need to defeat Donald Trump,” former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn said.

Buckhorn endorsed Bloomberg along with a trove of other Florida Mayors Tuesday and was on hand for Wednesday’s opening reception.

Dozens of Bloomberg supporters showed up to hear Buckhorn and Bloomberg Senior Adviser Tim O’Brien speak. The St. Pete Office opening comes after an Orlando office opened Monday.

On Saturday, the campaign will open its office in Little Havana, with a plan to open nearly 20 in the next couple of weeks.

“People are energized by the message Mike is bringing to Florida,” said Scott Kosanovich, Florida State Director for Bloomberg’s 2020 campaign. “We are going to continue to talk to voters about Mike’s plan to expand access to health [care,] address gun violence and take much needed action to protect our coasts.”

Earlier Wednesday the campaign announced a weekend of action this weekend. More than 500 volunteers are scheduled to attend 50 organizing events.

While other candidates have been spending the week in Iowa and New Hampshire drumming up support ahead of key elections in those states, Bloomberg has been targeting states like Florida where more delegates are available to secure the Democratic nomination.

A recent St. Pete Polls survey put Bloomberg in second place in the state behind only Joe Biden, positioning Bloomberg well for the state’s March 17 primary.

He’s also been spending heavily on advertising in Florida. In about six weeks time, the Bloomberg campaign has aired more than 10,000 commercials on Florida television stations, backed by more than $11 million in spending.

Bloomberg’s No. 1 priority is to defeat Trump in November. He’s vowed to spend as much of his personal fortune as necessary to make it happen. Bloomberg plans to retain his staff to work in support of the Democratic nominee, even if that’s not him.