Alina García financially outpaces HD 115 opponent in June with support from GOP, firefighters

Republican Alina García is no longer running alone in House District 115, but when it comes to finances, she’s far ahead of her late-coming Democratic opponent, Christie Cantin Davis.

García in June added to her substantial war chest — $411,000 by the end of the month — by collecting more than $40,000 between her campaign account and political committee, Florida Always First.

She also spent more than in any month prior, paying out $34,000 mostly for voter outreach, consulting and legal costs.

Her largest gain was a $25,000 infusion from the Florida House Republican Campaign Committee, a contribution not yet reflected in the organization’s reporting to the state Division of Elections.

She received ample support from first responders, including $7,500 from the Professional Firefighters/Paramedics of Palm Beach County. Dade County Fire Fighters Local 1403 gave $1,000, as did a political committee backing the Hialeah Fire Department.

Other $1,000 contributions came from the Dade County Medical Association, Miami Property Partners LLC, Tallahassee-based Cynergy Consulting and Miramar-headquartered alcohol company Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits.

The majority of García’s June spending went to Marin and Sons. She paid the Miami-based public strategy firm almost $16,000 for advertising and mass mailer costs, plus $7,500 for general consulting.

García spent another $6,000 on legal fees from Coral Gables-based RHF Law Firm and $3,700 in self-reimbursements for office supplies, event food, meeting and parking.

She also kicked $1,000 to the campaign of Monica Colucci, a Gov. Ron Desantis-approved candidate for the Miami-Dade County Public School Board who hopes to unseat incumbent Board Member Marta Pérez.

The Republican Party of Florida contributed $3,750 worth of in-kind aid to García’s campaign in June — the most of any month so far — to cover staff costs.

Cantin Davis, who filed for the HD 115 race June 6, added just $2,000 to her campaign coffers since. All of it was her own money.

By the end of last month, the Palmetto Bay resident had just $51 of that remaining after paying a qualifying fee with the Florida Department of State and buying checks for her campaign.

García is a veteran GOP operative with more than three decades of federal, state and local experience. An anti-abortion, anti-communism candidate, she has worked in the offices of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, Florida Chief Financial Officer and Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis, Hialeah Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo, Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo, former U.S. Rep. David Rivera and former state Sen. Frank Artiles.

Cantin Davis, a comparative political novice, said last month that she chose to “turn (her) life upside down” and run for state office so that García wouldn’t be able to coast into office unopposed. She cited García’s stance on abortion and the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade as factoring heavily into her decision.

The current Representative of HD 115, Vance Aloupis, announced March 30 that he would not seek a third term in the House.

HD 115 covers a diverse portion of Miami-Dade, including the coastal municipalities of Cutler Bay, Palmetto Bay, Pinecrest and the unincorporated neighborhoods of The Falls, Kendall and Westchester.

Candidates faced a July 8 deadline to report all campaign finance activity through July 1.