Kelly Hayes
Republican Rep. Nick DiCeglie raised more than $40,000 in July for his bid to succeed Sen. Jeff Brandes — including a $25,000 drop from the well-known retirement community, The Villages.
DiCeglie raised $42,570 between his campaign and affiliated political committee, Economic Freedom Committee. DiCeglie’s raised $3,570 last month for his official campaign, and his committee brought in $39,000 in the same period.
With the added money from his committee, DiCeglie outraised Democratic opponent Eunic Ortiz, whose campaign collected $6,388 in July.
DiCeglie’s campaign reported 10 donors in July, including two donations worth $1,000 from property management company First Service Residential Florida and the ABC of Florida PAC.
The candidate’s affiliated political committee received only six contributions totaling $39,000 in July. That includes $25,000 from The Villages of Lake-Sumter Inc., as well as $5,000 donations from NextEra Energy Capital Holdings and Better Roads for Florida PC.
DiCeglie spent $16,568 in July between his campaign and the political committee. His campaign dished out $4,291 primarily on consulting services. The committee spent $12,277 split between consultation services, mail marketing, and a $5,000 donation to state Rep. Blaise Ingoglia’s political committee, Friends of Blaise Ingoglia.
DiCeglie, who has raised a total of $451,285 between his campaign and committee to date, will enter August with $573,313 cash on hand — a large funding advantage over Democratic competitor Ortiz, who just entered the race in June.
Ortiz’s July contributions came from 71 contributors, most of whom donated less than $100. Ortiz received two $1,000 donations, one from 1199 SEIU and another from Florida For All director Corryn Freeman.
Ortiz spent $703 last month, primarily on processing fees.
Since she kicked off her campaign in mid-June, Ortiz has raised $46,166 and has spent $1,950. She will enter August with $44,216 available.
Currently, DiCeglie also faces Republican challenger Timothy J. Lewis, who has so far not raised any funds in the race.
SD 24 covers much of Pinellas County, including parts of St. Petersburg, Seminole, Largo, most Gulf Beaches and parts of southern Clearwater.
Ahead of the 2020 election, the district was home to about 357,000 voters, about 37% of whom are registered Republicans. Democrats held a 33% share of the electorate. In 2018, the last time the seat was on the ballot, Brandes defeated Democrat Lindsay Cross by about 10 points.
