Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice is holding two fundraisers later this month in his re-election bid. The scheduled events come as Justice lags far behind his opposition in fundraising totals.
Justice has brought in just $24,000 compared to his Republican candidate, Mike Mikurak, who has raised more than $73,000.
Justice will attempt to bridge that gap on Saturday, March 19th from 9:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. at Larry Biddle’s Planning Works location in St. Pete.
Another Sunset Reception fundraising event is scheduled March 22nd at the home of Dr. Lars Hafner, former Florida lawmaker, in St. Petersburg at 5:30. That event is also being backed by Justice’s extensive Host Committee, which includes several prominent Democrats including St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman, Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch and St. Pete City Council members Amy Foster, Darden Rice and Charlie Gerdes. Several community activists like St. Pete Clinic CEO Beth Houghton and St. Pete Preservation’s Monica Kile also comprise Justice’s host committee.
This is Justice’s first re-election bid. He was elected to the Commission in 2012. Justice faces a potentially difficult race against Mikurak who has strong party backing from the local GOP.
The local party has made regaining control of the board a top 2016 priority. They lost control of the Commission in 2014 when Democrat Pat Gerard replaced Republican Norm Roche.
The race will be decided in November coinciding with the presidential election.
