Jesse Scheckner
Sen. Ana María Rodríguez added more than $45,000 to her reelection campaign to House District 39 in October, with big chunks coming from the energy, spirits, telecommunications and health sectors.
Still unopposed nearly a year from Election Day, the Miami Republican holds more than $457,000 between her campaign and political committee, Ethics and Honesty in Government.
Her biggest gain last month was from clean energy financing company Ygrene Energy Fund, which gave more than $10,000.
Anheuser-Busch Companies, the maker of beer standards like Budweiser, Michelob and Presidente, as well as craft beers Goose Island, Red Hook and Miami-based Veza Sur, gave $5,000.
Orlando-headquartered ABC Liquors gave $2,500.
Florida resident billionaire, automotive magnate and former Philadelphia Eagles owner Norman Braman gave $5,000 through five of his businesses.
Telecoms Comcast Corp. donated $3,500. The Florida lobbying arm of AT&T chipped in $1,000.
NBCUniversal Media, which owns and operates Universal Studios in Orlando, gave $3,500.
Other notable donations included $1,000 apiece from Dade County Firefighters, Maitland-based law firm Akerman, Baton Rouge-based advertising business The Lamar Companies, legal profession political committee Suncoast PAC and construction materials company Cemex Materials, a subsidiary of a Mexican multinational corporation of the same name.
Of more than $18,000 Rodríguez spent in October, nearly 70% went to Tallahassee-based Taylor Strategies, a self-described “boutique fundraising firm with a proven track record of building and executing ‘Taylor’ed’ fundraising plans for Republican” candidates.
Another $3,000 went to Cutler Bay-based political consulting firm Miranda Advocacy.
Rodríguez also paid a $1,500 “sponsorship” fee to the Miami-based Christian Family Coalition of Florida, a group that “works to introduce pro-family legislation at the state and local levels of government.” She paid another $500 to the Florida Federation of Republican Women to advertise at a ticketed event.
She also donated $1,000 to Hernando County Commissioner Jeff Holcomb’s campaign to succeed Republican Rep. Blaise Ingoglia in representing Florida House District 35 next year.
SD 39 is one of Florida’s largest districts, covering all of Monroe County and part of southern Miami-Dade County, including Homestead, Florida City and a small portion of Cutler Bay.
The district would shrink slightly, ceding Florida City to relocated and resized District 40, if the Legislature approves preliminary redistricting plans. It’s remained in Republican hands since 2016.
Rodriguez won her seat last November with more than 55% of the vote. Senators typically serve four-year terms, but all will be on the ballot in 2022 because of redistricting to reflect the 2020 Census.
Candidates faced a Wednesday deadline to report all campaign finance activity through Oct. 31.
