Spencer Fordin
Miami-Dade County mayoral candidate Alex Penelas is letting his funding do the talking for him.
Penelas, who has markedly out-raised his six fellow candidates for his old position, spent $239,366 in the latest filing period, and he has spent $960,243 combined over the last three filing periods.
That total is more than any of his competitors have raised, excluding their political action committees.
Penelas, who previously served as Mayor of Miami-Dade County from 1996 to 2004, has raised $1,344,921 for his campaign and spent $1,127,128, leaving $242,793 in his coffers.
Much of the campaign’s expenditures have gone to one source, AKPD Message Media. Penelas has paid 757,936 to AKPD since July 7, and he paid $175,000 to the firm in the latest filing period.
The Penelas political action committee, Bold Vision, only accentuates his advantages.
Bold Vision has raised $3,192,915 so far and spent just $1,491,798, leaving $1,701,117.
The committee raised $55,000 and spent $199,068 in the latest filing period.
County Commissioner Daniella Levine Cava can boast the second best-funded campaign in the race. She has raised $839,150 and spent $627,634, leaving $211,516 for her campaign to spend.
Levine Cava raised $28,046 in the latest filing period and spent $48,775, with major expenditures paid to Edge Communications ($16,700) and Imaginart Media Productions ($15,000) in that span.
Her political action committee, Our Democracy, has been very active.
Our Democracy has raised $2,650,695 and spent $2,047,041, leaving $603,654 in the coffers.
Fellow County Commissioner Esteban Bovo, who represents District 13 on the Miami-Dade County Commission, has raised $501,761 while only spending $181,246 on his campaign.
That leaves $320,515 for the Bovo campaign to spend, excluding his political action committee. Bovo raised $37,555 in the latest filing period and spent $42,443, with the bulk ($36,121) being paid to DRC Consulting.
Bovo’s committee, A Better Miami Dade, has raised $1,455,830 and spent 1,265,572, leaving $190,258 to spend. A Better Miami Dade raised $45,600 in the latest filing period and spent $375,356 in that timeframe.
The third and final Miami-Dade County Commissioner in the race, Xavier Suarez, has raised $128,200 and spent $108,635, leaving $19,565 in his campaign coffers.
Suarez raised $4,000 and spent $43,385 from July 17 to July 24, paying $16,785 to Noiseworks Media for robo calls and text messages and a radio buy, and he paid $15,514 to Stoneridge Group for a mailer.
Suarez has spent $90,212 of his $108,635 in expenditures in the last two filing periods.
Suarez’s political committee, Imagine Miami PC, has raised $1,517,535 and spent $1,478,304 on the campaign, leaving $39,231 to spend.
The final three candidate campaigns — Monique Nicole Barley, Carlos Antonio de Armas and Lyudmila Dormond — are more modestly funded and none of them raised or spent any money in the latest filing period.
Barley has raised $1,983 and has not spent anything yet.
Areas has raised $305 and spent $300, leaving $5 in his campaign coffers.
Dortmund has raised $5,840 and spent $2,505, leaving $3,335 remaining.
