November wasn’t the biggest fundraising month for Pinellas County Commission candidate Mike Mikurak, but it was the month that saw his campaign donation total surpass the $50,000 mark.
After reeling-in nearly $6,000 last month — according to the supervisor of elections’ most recent candidate finance reports — Mikurak, a 61-year-old Republican from St. Petersburg, has now raised approximately $53,239 for his cause.
Exactly 23 unique contributions made up those November dontions. One was for the maximum allowable $1,000, five were for $500, four were for $250, and 13 were for $100.
Some pretty solid donations came from more than a few recognizable Tampa Bay names as well.
Ken Burke, Pinellas County’s Clerk of Courts, donated $100. Oldsmar City Council member Eric Seidel pitched in $500. Madeira Beach Mayor Travis Palladeno contributed $250. And BayCare Health System President and CEO Stephen Mason gave the maximum allowable $1,000 contribution.
As far as expenditures go, the only notable disbursement of Mikurak’s was for $500, which went towards paying his campaign treasurer.
And while it’s still too early to thoroughly compare Mikurak’s fundraising efforts to that of his competitor’s — incumbent Charlie Justice — the race for Pinellas County Commission’s District seat 3 is definitely underway.
Justice, a 47-year-old Democrat, filed to run for re-election in late October, so he’s only had one full month of campaigning thus far. But that one full month — thanks in-part to a downtown St. Petersburg fundraiser on Beach Drive — netted the county commissioner upwards of $16,000. (Not bad — though Mikurak reeled-in over $33,000 in his first month, back in September.)
The race will be particularly interesting as well, since, if Mikurak wins, he’ll most likely be re-establishing the County Commission as a Republican-heavy board.
Currently — and for the first time in 50 years — the board is controlled by the Democrats. It consists of three Republicans and four Democrats.
In addition to the District 3 seat Mikurak and Justice are fighting for, County Commission seats for Districts 1, 5, and 7 will also be up for grabs during the 2016 general election, which falls on November 8. And three of those four opening seats are currently held by Democrats.
