Jacob Ogles
A historically conservative Manatee County Commission made plenty of headlines the last four years. Now, that may be translating into big bucks in campaign coffers.
Manatee County Commission Chair Kevin Van Ostenbridge in his first month seeking re-election pulled in $170,000. That appears to be the most money any Manatee County Commission candidate ever raised over the course of a campaign. And he is using it to run in a district level race, fighting to retain his District 3 seat.
“And I haven’t had a fundraiser yet,” Van Ostenbridge said.
He credits the significant shift ushered into county government following his own election in 2020, when a conservative majority took control of the County Commission. Quickly, the board pushed out existing county administration and shifted policy focus.
Two years later, Van Ostenbridge and his allies make up the entire seven-member board.
“This is the most conservative County Commission we’ve ever had, with seven Republicans,” he said. “Even when the first four of us came on, we came out in a very ambitious way to change the culture of how county government runs.”
He said the board has two years in a row lowered property tax rates while focusing on fundamentals of government, including increasing the number of deputies and improving long-neglected roads.
As for the source of funds, all of the money comes from maximum $1,000 donations. Sources include major developments, several associated with Neal Communities founder Pat Neal, Lakewood Ranch developer Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, and Carlos Beruff-founded Medallion Home.
When he holds fundraisers, Van Ostenbridge expects to report more support from small donors. But he said the hefty influx of money to his re-election campaign even caught him off guard.
When money flowed, he checked with the Manatee County Supervisor of Elections on what prior fundraising records existed. For a County Commission seat, the prior record was set four years ago by former County Administrator Ed Hunzeker, who raised $154,585. Notably, Hunzeker lost to George Kruse in a Republican Primary. Kruse raised $124,160.
Now Van Ostenbridge has funding to burn, but he acknowledged other economic factors like inflation could still impact his spending.
“Obviously every aspect of a campaign is going to cost more,” he said.
