Sybrina Fulton records personal best fundraising total for Miami-Dade County Commission

Sybrina Fulton raised nearly $160,000 from 4,989 donors during the latest filing period, helping to close a massive fundraising gap in her race for the District 1 seat on the Miami-Dade County Commission.

Fulton still trails her opponent — Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver Gilbert III — by more than $70,000 in total funds raised and nearly $100,000 in cash on hand.

But even that disparity represents a remarkable comeback. At one point last September, Gilbert had raised nearly $350,000 while Fulton had raised just over $30,000. 

The two candidates are vying to replace Commissioner Barbara Jordan.

Fulton raised $159,388 from 4,989 donors in the period between June 1 and June 12, an average of nearly $32 per donor. Gilbert, meanwhile, raised $7,370 from 10 donors in the first two weeks of June, including seven donors who contributed the maximum $1,000 for county-wide races.

Fulton’s torrid haul in June follows directly behind a lucrative filing period in the previous month. She raised $73,012 in May compared to just $5,100 for Gilbert in that period. 

Gilbert took an early lead in funding with $165,150 from 195 donors last February, but he’s raised more than $10,000 in just one filing period this year. That includes the month of March, in which Gilbert raised -$800 due to three returned checks at $1000 apiece.

Despite the recent filing periods, Gilbert has raised a total of $438,755 compared to $366,856 from his opponent. Gilbert has also spent less than his rival, notching $181,217 in expenditures compared to $206,437 for Fulton.

Fulton, the mother of Trayvon Martin, has $160,419 in funds that have not been spent yet, while Gilbert has $257,538 on hand.