Rodney Jacobs adds $200K to SD 35 war chest with boost from FACDL President’s PAC

Image via Rodney Jacobs Jr.

Miramar Democrat Rodney Jacobs added nearly $200,000 between June 1 and July 12 toward his bid for the open seat representing Senate District 35 in Broward County.

More than half came from one source: Together We Stand, a Fort Lauderdale-based political committee (PC) run by lawyer Jason Blank, who took over as President of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers last month.

Jacobs, the Executive Director of Miami’s now-weakened Civilian Investigative Panel police watchdog board, collected $197,000 between his campaign account and PC, A New Hope for Florida.

He also spent more than $173,000. Some of that spending sent money back to a donor responsible for a good chunk of his gains in the period.

Jacobs, a first-time candidate, is competing in a heated Primary against former Broward Mayor Barbara Sharief, who is running a mostly self-funded campaign, and lawyer Chad Klitzman. Through mid-July, the trio raised close to $980,000 and spent $730,000 combined.

Thirty-five people donated to Jacobs directly between June 1 and July 12. His average personal check was $60.

Together We Stand gave $101,000. Mark PC, a political committee Jacobs’ Treasurer, Mark Herron runs, donated $53,750. It also gave Together We Stand $25,000 this month, Division of Election records show.

Florida Politics reported last month that Jacobs’ PC funded mailers through Marc PC attacking Klitzman as being aligned with “extreme Republicans” because a law firm he previously worked for donated to GOP candidates like Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis and Marco Rubio.

Jacobs, a captain and battalion commander in the U.S. Army Reserve, accepted $25,000 from Coral Gables-based law firm Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen, which hosted a fundraiser for his campaign early this year. Dominick Cunningham & Yaffa, a Palm Beach Gardens-based law firm, gave $14,000.

His biggest single expenditure was a $100,000 payment to Screen Strategies Media for advertising. Next biggest: $66,000 to Deliver Strategies for mailers. Both companies are headquartered in Virginia.

Jacobs also made a $28,500 transfer back to Mark PC. He kicked $22,500 to Tampa’s Tomorrow, a PC run by Democratic political operative John Fox that in turn paid $12,500 to consulting firm ENH Industries, which Jacobs’ campaign manager Dan Newman runs.

Jacobs paid another $5,000 directly to ENH for consulting services. Other consulting expenditures included $2,500 to Miami Shores-based GW Strategies and $1,000 to Rubato Strategies in Coconut Creek.

He spent close to $700 for salon services. The rest covered web fees, legal fees, food, shipping, travel, lodging, dry cleaning, campaign apparel, donation processing fees and a $1,782 qualifying fee that all other candidates paid as well.

As of July 13, Jacobs had just over $47,000 left.

Sharief remained largely self-reliant last month and 12 days into July. Of $82,000 she added to her campaign account, $77,000 was self-loaned.

Altogether, she’s poured almost $292,000 of her money into her campaign this cycle. Combined with her spending during an unsuccessful 2022 campaign to unseat Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book in SD 35, Sharief has depleted her personal wealth by $922,000 to seek state office.

Term limits prevent Book from running for re-election.

Thirteen people donated to Sharief between June 1 and July 12. Among her personal checks: $1,000 apiece from Medley Mayor Roberto Martell and Matt Caldwell, the President and CEO of the Florida Panthers hockey team.

Sharief spent more than $88,000 in the period, leaving herself with less than $20,000 by July 13.

Her spending included dozens of two- and three-figure payments to individuals for consulting services. She also paid $22,000 to AJ Shorter Photography in Pembroke Pines for video production, $19,000 to Coral Springs-based Win on the Ground Consulting for consulting and mailing services, $15,000 to Comcast Corp. for cable TV spots and $2,000 to Broward-based Coopa Inc. for advertising.

The rest covered software, phone service and bank fees.

Klitzman’s campaign account and political committee, Future of Broward Inc., collected $28,000 through a blend of contributions from unions, advocacy groups, Florida residents, and real estate and fuel companies.

Close to 40 people gave to Klitzman. His average personal check was $300.

13th Floor Manager, a subsidiary of Miami-based real estate firm 13th Floor Investments, chipped in $5,000.

Sunshine Gasoline Distributors and a sister company, Sunshine Dade Investments, gave $1,000 apiece.

So did Broward County Professional Firefighters, the Hindu American PAC of Florida, Florida Association of Insurance Agents (FAIA) and the Real Property and Trust Law Section of the Florida Bar.

IMPACT, a PC run by FAIA Chair Steve Clein, gave $1,000. A PAC associated with the Bar’s Real Property and Trust Law Section gave the same.

Klitzman, who narrowly lost a 2020 contest for Broward Supervisor of Elections, spent $102,000, leaving himself with $181,000 halfway through July.

Since filing to run in October, he’s raised close to $247,000. Of that, $102,000 was self-loaned.

He paid $83,000 to North Miami-based Image Plus Graphics for mailers and “campaign literature.” Another $19,000 went to TLE Analytics in Fort Lauderdale for polling and consulting.

The rest covered donation processing fees, web expenses and photography. Klitzman also reported roughly $5,000 worth of in-kind spending, all from his wallet, for travel, food, postage, event tickets and supplies.

The winner of the Democratic Primary next month will take on Vincent Parlatore, a former Broward Sheriff’s Deputy and the lone Republican running in Democrat-heavy SD 35.

Parlatore briefly ran for Book’s seat in 2022, but later switched to a House race he didn’t win.

He filed in September to run this cycle and has since raised $2,125, inclusive of $1,625 in self-loans.

He had $304 left after paying the state qualifying fee.

SD 35 spans a large area of Broward stretching westward into Alligator Alley, including Cooper City, Miramar, Pembroke Pines, Southwest Ranches and parts of Davie and Hollywood.

Forty-three percent of registered voters in the district belong to the Democratic Party, compared to 32% who belong to no party, 23% who are Republican and 1% who are Independent Party members.

The Primary Election is on Aug. 20, followed by the General Election on Nov. 5.