Santa Rosa County candidates raise over $300k as primary day nears

County Commission District 2 race

Santa Rosa County Commissioner Kerry Smith, who is the incumbent in the District 2 race, has raised more than double the amount raised by the second-highest earning candidate, Jeff Snow. Smith has taken in $45,190, with Snow accumulating $20,485.

Of the $45,190 raised by Smith so far, $22,000 of his donations can be tied to people who list their profession under the umbrella of real estate and development, such as land developers and real estate brokers, and political committees such as the Northwest Florida Commercial Real Estate Development Association and Associated Builder Contractors.

Smith has also spent $30,846.31 during his reelection campaign. The bulk of his expenses is $17,974.89, which was spent on signage materials. Smith also spent $5,460.06 to qualify for the ballot.

Also in the race are Jeff Ates IV, who raised $10,198.97; Reni Johnmeyer, who raised $10,898.04; Erin Nisewonger, who raised $6,990.75; and RC Pittman, who raised $4,247.70.

County Commission District 4

District 4 candidate Dean Light outpaces current Commissioner Ray Eddington by $3,712 as both men enter the final stretch of the election cycle.

Light has raised $29,562.88. Of that total, $22,500 comes from self-loans, with the rest coming from donations smaller than $1,000. However, unlike District 2, Light has not spent more than his opponent.

Eddington has raised $25,850 in this election cycle, and he has nearly spent all of it. Of the $24,976.16 spent to date, all of it is tied to petitions, signage and mailing advertisements.

As for Light, of the $23,613.83 spent, $21,531.96 has been spent on advertising.

School Board District 1

Incumbent School Board Member Linda Sanborn leads David Farrow when it comes to monetary donations. Of the $22,750 Sanborn raised so far, $21,000 has been self-raised, with several other donations from supporters.

Of the $14,330.90 Sanborn has spent so far, all of it is either tied to petitions or advertising.

As for Farrow, of the $10,800 he raised, most of it comes from donations under $1,000, with only three donations eclipsing that mark. Of the total he raised, $10,320.98 has been spent so far, with most of it going to petitions, advertising and signage costs.

School Board District 3

Current school board Chairwoman Carol Boston leads Kyle Connolly, raising $24,010 this election cycle. Of her total, $20,000 can be tied to self-funding her campaign.

Boston has spent $16,593 this year, with all purchases going to candidate qualifying, forum fees and advertising.

Connolly has raised $3,900, with $2,000 of that being a self-donation. She has also spent $3,395, with that being tied to advertising, qualifying fees and event expenses.

School Board District 5

Jill Broxson-Teston leads all Santa Rosa County candidates in funds raised, totaling $54,420. An early $10,000 self-loan has now been followed by $35,000 in donations from July 18 to July 24.

Broxson-Teston has only spent $11,762.98 on her campaign, with all funds going toward advertising and candidate qualifying.

Marie Locklin has raised $27,686.51, and incumbent Scott Peden has only raised $3,200, which is a county low in the major races.

What if a candidate doesn’t spend all their money?

According to state campaign finance laws, candidates, regardless of whether they win or lose, must spend or dispose of all of the funds in their campaign account within 90 days. Candidates must either return contributions to each donor, donate their funds to a qualified charity, transfer funds to a future campaign or give up to $25,000 to their affiliated party committee or political party.

Unused funds cannot be used for personal expenses or unrelated purchases.