Mike Twitty, in his first-ever run for elected office, has hit the ground running.
The 48-year-old Republican — and Pinellas County property appraiser hopeful — is a 25-year state-certified general real estate appraiser who, so far, has nabbed the endorsement of everyone from outgoing Pinellas Property Appraiser Pam Dubov, to state Sen. Jeff Brandes, and St. Pete Councilman-elect Ed Montanari. (And that’s just the short list.)
Perhaps more impressive still: his fundraising numbers.
In August, Twitty raised over $50,000 for his campaign, making him one of only four county office candidates since 2006 to have raised more than $50,000 in one reporting period.
In September, Twitty brought his fundraising total up to over $70,000, giving him almost three times as much as his lone competitor thus far, former state Rep. Jim Frishe, who raised just over $25,000.
According to Twitty’s initial batch of campaign materials, as the county’s property appraiser he hopes to “identify areas to cut spending and streamline the system to ensure the taxpayers’ dollars are used wisely, with full accountability and transparency.”
He’s also aiming to “update office technology to increase efficiency and provide taxpayers with greater access to the information they need.”
And at a fundraising event last month, while stopping short of jumping into heavy policy details, he also mentioned flood insurance as an issue that’s “going to impact a lot of us,” and one that “we all need to look at carefully.”
Two more fundraising events of Twitty’s are planned for the end of this month. The first is in St. Petersburg, at Smith & Associates (330 Beach Drive NE), on Thursday evening, October 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The second is in Palm Harbor, at Ozona Blue Grilling Company (125 Orange Street), on Monday evening, October 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Both events will offer complimentary drinks and food. The event in Palm Harbor will feature some live music too. And who knows, maybe Twitty will jump on stage for a jam or two.
For more on the Mike Twitty property appraiser campaign, visit facebook.com/VoteMikeTwitty.
