Anne Geggis
Lantana Democrat Sen. Lori Berman raised $16,000 in October for her bid to retain her seat in Senate District 31 — a performance that is among her best since she opened a campaign account in 2020.
Berman doesn’t yet face a challenger. The money she raised in October means she has $76,765 in her personal account to spend should a rival emerge.
Campaign records show in October she received $1,000 from three different Disney subsidiaries, The Celebration Company, Disney Destinations, and Disney Photo Imaging. Records also show she received two $1,000 donations from the Florida Police Benevolent Association.
Other donors who gave $1,000 each in October were Duke Energy Corp.; American Pharmacy Cooperative; Comcast Corp.; Protecting Coastal Communities Political Action Committee; Novartis Services Inc., a pharmaceutical company; Capitol Alliance Group, a Tallahassee lobbying outfit; E.R. Squibb & Sons LLC, a pharmaceutical company; PHRMA, a pharmaceutical company; and Florida CPA Political Action Committee.
Campaign finance records show Berman spent $4,171 in October. Most of it — $3,500 — went to the Palm Beach County Democratic Party to sponsor a gala.
Berman has introduced legislation that would expand hate crimes to include gender identity and disabilities, broaden the state’s DUI laws to include prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and get guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Ruth’s List Florida, which spotlights women legislators who support abortion rights, recently endorsed Berman in her re-election bid.
Berman was first elected in a 2018 special election in Senate District 31 that was called after Sen. Jeff Clemens resigned unexpectedly after reports surfaced of an affair he had with lobbyist Devon West. Berman was subsequently re-elected in 2020 with relatively little opposition.
Her district now covers parts of Palm Beach County, including Lake Worth, Boynton Beach and Delray Beach. Redistricting maps show she might be losing part of the southern reach of her district, although it will still lean Democratic, according to initial analyses.
Her campaign was facing a deadline last week to report campaign financial activity through Oct. 31.
