Brian Farrar puts $50K behind Lee Co. Commission bid

Image via Farrar campaign

Bonita Springs business owner Brian Farrar made a statement with his first fundraising report. As he runs for Lee County Commission, he’s willing to make a personal investment in the ambition.

The BCF Management Group president added $69,300 in June, the first month since filing for the open District 3 seat. Of that, $50,000 came in the form of candidate loans.

“It’s important to have skin in the game,” Farrar said. “This is a very important job for Lee County.”

By comparison, opponent David Mulicka raised $80,500 over a similar period, with $1,000 of that coming out of pocket and another $1,000 donated by wife and Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka. Farrar and Mulicka are set to face off in a Republican Primary in August. Incumbent County Commissioner Ray Sandelli announced he will not seek re-election.

Donations to Farrar included $1,000 checks from Republican Rep. Adam Botana, self-storage developer Jim Magnus, consultant Steven Kissinger and real estate agent Jerry Colton.

As Farrar runs for the seat, he plans to focus on hurricane resiliency and improvements to regional infrastructure. The past year, when Hurricane Ian made landfall at Cayo Costa in September before tearing across the state, the region suffered a record amount of damage.

Local structures and public facilities must be designed and maintained to take the brunt of the next storm, Farrar said.

He hopes the public views his past commitments to the region in a positive light. He spent 16 years on the Lee County Mosquito Control District, an elected position to which he won re-election last year. He also worked with such institutions as the CREW Land & Water Trust. The Navy veteran also serves on the board for Bonita Springs Utilities, where he has served as president for five years.

There is still about a year before early voting in the Primary begins, and Farrar plans to make his case more aggressively as time goes by.

“I’m hearing a lot of great things,” he said.