Jesse Scheckner
Incumbent Republican state Rep. Alex Rizo added more than $22,000 to his campaign war chest in September, though he nearly wiped out those gains by spending almost as much.
Still unopposed, Rizo holds about $73,500 between his campaign account and political committee, Principled Moral Conservatism, to defend the seat representing House District 110 that he comfortably won in November.
His largest gift came from the medical sector: a $10,000 check from OD-EYEPAC, the lobbying arm of the Florida Optometric Association.
Pharmaceutical company Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., which is seeking FDA emergency use authorization for an experimental COVID-19 pill, gave another $1,000.
The beer industry chipped in with $1,000 donations from Quality Acquisitions Co., a subsidiary of South Florida Anheuser-Busch distributor Eagle Brands Sales; Gold Coast Beverage, a subsidiary of Reyes Beer Division; and Florida Beer Wholesalers Good Government, a political committee run by Daytona Beverages President Kevin Bowler.
A Stronger Florida, a committee run by lobbying firm Rubin Turnbull & Associates Director of Operations Celeste Camm, gave $1,000. Rubin Turnbull gave another $1,000 separately.
Sen. Manny Diaz Jr.’s committee, Better Florida Education, also gave $1,000.
Tamarac-based lawyer Kevin Tynan’s True Freedom committee gave $650.
Other contributions included $2,000 from retail giant Walmart, $1,500 from Hialeah-based real estate company Acosa Properties, and $1,000 from Paul Mitchell, a partner at lobbying firm Southern Strategy Group.
Rizo, who worked as a teacher and administrator with Miami-Dade County Public Schools before switching to sales and education consulting, had his most active month of spending ever in September.
He gave $1,000 to the campaigns of fellow GOP Reps. Nick DiCeglie, who is running for Senate, and Rene Plascencia. He donated the same amount to Hialeah City Council candidate Luis Rodriguez and former Rep. and Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban “Steve” Bovo, who is running to become Hialeah Mayor.
Rizo’s biggest expenditures went to consulting firms. He paid Miami-based DRC Consulting nearly $9,100. Ross Consulting, a Tallahassee fundraising, campaign and public affairs firm, received $2,500.
The remainder of his spending was for campaign materials, communications, accounting and postage, including an almost $5,200 payment to Miami printing company Vital Graphics and Signs.
HD 110 covers a heavily conservative strip of Miami-Dade County west of Opa-locka Executive Airport and includes parts of Hialeah and Miami Lakes. By the time voters go to the polls next year, the district will have remained in Republican hands for 40 years.
The district was previously represented by former House Speaker Jose Oliva, whom Rizo replaced in November after defeating Democrat and fellow education professional Annette Collazo by 20 percentage points.
Candidates faced a Monday deadline to report all campaign fundraising activity in September.
