A new political action committee for the Eileen Higgins campaign for Miami mayor raised $250,000 in its first quarter, showing heavy support from real estate developers, engineering firms, lobbyists — and a political committee that tried to elect James Reyes to Miami-Dade sheriff.
Ethical Leadership for Miami filed its first paperwork on March 24, a little more than a week before Higgins filed paperwork for the mayoral race in April. Its chairman is Christian Ulvert, Higgins’ campaign manager. The total contributions through the end of June was $250,700. Her mayoral campaign picked up another $88,325, for a total of just under $340K. The reports combined show that Higgins had also spent $132,000 as of June 30.
Read related: Poll has Eileen Higgins in Miami mayoral runoff with Emilio Gonzalez
The top donors to her PAC so far are:
$50,000 through four different entities that gave $12,500 each from the real estate developer Related Companies, will need the county’s green light for its plan to build two towers with affordable and workforce housing, a hotel and shops in front of Jackson Memorial Hospital in the city’s health district.
$40,000 (in three separate contributions) from Miami-Dade Safe & Secure PC, a PAC that Ulvert used last year for the James Reyes campaign for sheriff
$25,000 from pharmaceutical heiress, Coral Gables resident and super blue donor Barbara Stiefel
$15,000 from real estate development firm PWV Group 1 Holdings, LLC, which manages the Miami Worldcenter site
$10,000 from developer Morgan Sirlin, vice president at Adler Development
$10,000 from LSN partners, a heavy hitting lobbying firm headed by Alex Heckler and Michael Llorente
$8,000 from four firms with the same address tied to Terra Development CEO David Martin
$5,000 from Alex Heckler as an individual
$5,000 from lobbyist Manuel “Manny” Prieguez, a former state rep
$5,000 from Alfonso Costa, COO of Falcone Group, which develops and manages mixed use projects
The bulk of expenditures have been $51,000 for consulting, production of campaign materials, outreach and staffing through Ulvert’s firms, $31,980 for direct mail, campaign materials and a digital buy through MDW Communications, or Michael Worley — who also conducted a poll last month — and $17,112 for fundraising and events.The report also shows a reimbursement of $2,568 to Higgins and Maggie Fernandez, her chief of staff at the county, for airfare and accommodations and transportation for the Democratic Party’s Blue Gala. But it was at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, so they could have driven.
The post Eileen Higgins rakes in $250K for new PAC in Miami mayoral race appeared first on Political Cortadito.
Read MorePolitical Cortadito
