Anthony Rodriguez nears $300K raised since entering Miami-Dade County Commission contest

Image via Colin Hackley.

Republican Rep. Anthony Rodriguez added another $59,000 in July as he seeks a transition to the Miami-Dade County Commission.

Rodriguez has shown his fundraising prowess since entering the race on June 1. In two months, he’s raised just shy of $300,000 for the District 10 Commission contest, far outpacing his opponent, Miami-Dade Libertarian Party Vice Chair Martha Bueno.

Bueno raised just under $600 in July and has collected just over $13,000 since declaring her candidacy in February. That $13,000 total includes a $10,000 loan from Bueno to her campaign.

As of July 31, Bueno holds less than $6,900 in her campaign account. Rodriguez, whose political committee holds unused money from previous House campaigns, maintains a war chest of nearly $523,000.

The Miami-Dade County Commission contests are technically nonpartisan. But Rodriguez is one of two GOP House members pursuing seats on the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2022, along with House Speaker Pro Tempore Bryan Avila.

Avila is term-limited heading into 2022, while Rodriguez has announced he’ll step away from the House after two terms. Rodriguez plans to serve through next year’s Legislative Session.

Like Avila, Rodriguez is leaning on financial support from several of his Republican colleagues in the Legislature. Political committees tied to Reps. David Borrero, Joe Gruters and Alex Rizo each donated $1,000, while Rep. Alex Andrade‘s PC chipped in $500.

Other notable contributors include former Rep. Michael Bileca, the Becker & Poliakoff law firm and Kate DeLoach of The Southern Group. DeLoach gave $500 while the other two donated $1,000 each.

Rodriguez collected more than $9,700 from the real estate sector through his campaign account. He added another $8,500 from lawyers and law firms. Rodriguez raised more than $50,000 total through his campaign account during July.

His PC, A Bolder Florida, added another $8,500, including a $5,000 donation from National Health Transport, Inc.

Rodriguez reported nearly $13,000 in expenditures during the month, mostly coming from his PC. The largest spending item was a $10,000 payment to Red Road Consulting. His PC also kicked $1,000 to Rep. Vance Aloupis’ reelection campaign.

Bueno spent just over $1,200 during the month, mostly on accounting and digital marketing services.

Bueno and Rodriguez are vying to replace outgoing District 10 Commissioner Javier Souto. After serving on the Commission for nearly three decades, Souto will be subject to the county’s new term limit system when his current term expires in 2022.

District 10 sits just northwest of Kendall in unincorporated Miami-Dade. House District 118, which Rodriguez currently represents, spans parts of Miami-Dade County including Tamiami and Kendall.

Candidates and political committees faced a Tuesday deadline to report all financial activity through July 31.