Staff Reports
Tallahassee business owner Jay Revell led the pack in July fundraising for the Leon County Commission District 5 seat.
Revell, a former aide to Mayor John Dailey when Dailey was a County Commissioner, raised over $12,000 in July. Included in that pot is a $1,000 contribution from Tallahassee Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram FIAT.
The Revell campaign spent more than $16,000, with $11,000 paid for mailers and printing services as well as $3,250 for various consulting services.
In 2020 Revell stepped down as Vice President of the Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and started a public relations firm. He has been endorsed by the Tallahassee Professional Firefighters Union and the Tallahassee Board of Realtors.
Paula DeBoles-Johnson raised $4,520 and spent nearly $22,000 in July. Leon County’s employee engagement manager spent nearly $18,000 for mailers from Volusia Strategies. Her campaign donated $1,000 to Girl Scouts of Gateway for a Women of Distinction event.
The founder of the Capital City Youth Development Corporation nonprofit has the backing of lawyer Ben Crump and the Big Bend Police Benevolent Association.
Dustin Rivest received close to $3,000 in contributions in July and spent $19,000. The Tallahassee business owner spent over $6,000 on consulting services.
Rivest won a straw poll taken after a forum hosted by the Capital Tiger Bay Club, leading with 13 votes out of the 34 members that voted.
David O’Keefe raised $1,000 during July and spent close to $6,000. At the end of the month the campaign paid Kristin Schlorholz $1,400 for organizing services.
The WFSU Public Media Chief Financial Officer has received several endorsements. He has the backing of Florida National Organization for Women, former Tallahassee Mayor Debbie Lightsey, City Commissioner Jack Porter, and the Leon County Democratic Environmental Caucus.
District 5 is bounded on the east by part of downtown Tallahassee. It includes the Capitol building and the Myers Park and Indianhead neighborhoods, then extends west to include the areas north and south of Apalachee Parkway, including the Southwood development, to the county line.
The quartet of candidates are vying for the District 5 seat left vacant by Kristin Dozier, who is running for Mayor of Tallahassee. The race is nonpartisan, and whoever can secure more than 50% of the vote at the Aug. 23 Primary Election can win outright. Otherwise, the top two vote-getters will face each other in a runoff in the Nov. 8 General Election.
