Kelly Hayes
St. Petersburg City Council member Gina Driscoll has raked in $27,785 in the opening month of her reelection campaign.
Driscoll’s January haul is made up of $21,785 in campaign contributions, and an additional $6,000 for her political committee, Friends of Gina Driscoll.
The District 6 member received $1,000 donations from a few businesses, including Inn on the Beach, Lema Construction, Northward Holding and Green Savoree Racing Promotions. Lema Construction, a company led by prominent donor Jonathan Stanton, frequently does business with the city. Green Savoree runs the Grand Prix, which requires City Council support.
She also received financial support from Pinellas County Commissioner Pat Gerard, fellow City Council member Ed Montanari, Progress Florida Director Mark Ferrulo and restaurateur Steve Westphal.
Five donors contributed to Driscoll’s affiliated political committee in January, including a $5,000 donation from Realtor Joann Nestor.
Driscoll’s campaign spent $777 in January on credit card fees. Her committee spent $884, primarily on consulting.
Driscoll has raised about $85,000 in total, including $63,157 from her political committee and the $27,000 from her campaign. So far, her committee has spent $8,393, and with the additional campaign spending, she has about $75,800 cash on hand.
“This is a great first step to continuing our progress. Now, we’re preparing to launch our volunteer program to share my message one-on-one with voters,” Driscoll said in a news release. “We won in 2017 by bringing all kinds of people together to share my positive message with voters. In the coming weeks, we’re getting the band back together and launching our COVID-safe outreach program.”
Driscoll, who was first elected to the District 6 seat in 2017, is the Council vice-chair. Driscoll will appear on the Aug. 24 St. Pete Primary Election ballot, which will also have the open Mayor’s seat.
Driscoll is so far the only candidate who has filed to run for the District 6 seat. Driscoll is a Democrat and could draw a Republican challenger. The district has long been held by Democrats, including Driscoll’s predecessor, Karl Nurse, but is seen as a winnable seat for Republicans despite its large minority constituency in parts of South St. Pete.
Democrats currently have a 6-2 majority on the dais, with the only Republicans serving being Ed Montanari and Robert Blackmon. Both are rumored to be potential contenders for this year’s mayoral contest to replace Rick Kriseman, a Democrat, who is facing term limits.
