Jacob Ogles
Rep. Bob Rommel fundraised with style ahead of the Legislative Session.
The Naples Republican cashed $1,000 checks from the AIA Airport and Limousine Service and the Florida Limousine Association. And cigar maker Swisher International also chipped in $1,000.
All those donations came in on Jan. 13. That was the last day incumbent lawmakers could raise funds before the Legislative Session began.
It was all part of adding some $11,380 to Rommel’s war chest in January.
That brings his total contributions for his reelection campaign to $144,120. And after spending a chunk of that new money with Ballard Consulting, he’s still got $125,041 in cash in the bank.
By comparison, Democratic opponent Sara McFadden pulled in $755 in January but continues to fund her own campaign. She’s already dipped into the $50,000 loan she put in her coffers in June, and closed January with $41,793 cash on hand.
This is the second time McFadden has challenged the second-term state Representative. She said early on she expects to largely finance the campaign herself.
Rommel has continued healthy fundraising of his own. Ahead of the start of the Legislative Session, Rommel saw a flurry of campaign activity.
In addition to the aforementioned vendors of posh, Rommel also received $1,000 donations from Tomahawk Industries in Naples, America’s Export Corp. in West Palm Beach, NBC Universal in California, and Vandergrift-Williams Farm in Loxahatchee.
The incumbent recently opted not to run for an open Congressional seat in Southwest Florida. Instead, he’s rolling toward an expected easy campaign for a third term in Tallahassee.
Rommel won the race in District 106 over McFadden with almost 67% of the vote in 2018.
He faced no Democratic opposition in 2016 when he first won the office. That year, he emerged from a three-person Republican primary, winning about 52% of the vote over Nick Ballo and Lavigne Ann Kirkpatrick.
