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Hernando Today

Leftover Campaign Cash Headed For Charity

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By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: November 7, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - A pile of leftover campaign cash is headed for local charities.

Nonprofit organizations in the region - including several in Hernando County - stand to gain about $170,000, according to some candidates polled Thursday who didn't have to scrape the bottom of their war chests to get elected.

State and local candidates have a couple of options allowed by law. They can return the money to donors, or give it to a 501c3 organization.

The latter tends to be the most popular.

So popular, in fact, that local charity groups started lobbying County Commissioner-elect John Druzbick to make sure he knew they would welcome any money he had remaining after what proved to be a successful bid to oust Commissioner Diane Rowden.

"A number of people have approached us," he said.

Druzbick raised about $45,000 and has about $4,000 left in the kitty. He loaned his campaign about $5,000 and said he'll probably repay himself a portion of that money and give at least some of the remainder to one or more nonprofit groups in Hernando County.

Among the other candidates who say they'll pass on campaign contributions:

• Veteran lawmaker Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, handed out money after his last victory and will do so again this time around.

Fasano said he has about $100,000 remaining of some $675,000 in contributions. He said he will take about $20,000 and put it in his Senate overage fund. Lawmakers use the fund to pay for costs associated with their jobs.

The remaining $80,000 will go to charities in Fasano's 11th district. He said he's already promised $6,000 to Bishop Larkin Catholic School in Port Richey for the purchase of electronic whiteboards. Another $5,000 will go to YMCA of the Suncoast.

• Rep. Rob Schenck, the Spring Hill Republican who won a second term in the Legislature, said he's still paying bills and didn't have an exact figure Thursday for how much of his $230,000 will remain. He estimates he'll have between $5,000 and $10,000.

He plans to put some in his House overage account and the rest will go to charity. Schenck said he hasn't committed to any charity but likely will give at least some to SeniorRx, a program he created to help defray costs of prescription drugs for seniors.

• Sheriff Richard Nugent estimates he has about $7,500 left over from the $33,000 raised for the campaign to help him keep his job, a task that proved easy when no serious challenger materialized. Nugent said he will dole out the money to Hernando County nonprofits but hasn't decided on which ones.

• State Sen. Paula Dockery, R-Lakeland, ran unopposed and didn't spend a dime of the $64,000 she raised. Dockery divvied up the entire amount between 32 groups in District 15, which includes portions of Hernando, Sumter, Lake, Osceola and Polk counties.

The groups in Hernando include Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boys & Girls Club, the Dawn Center and Hernando Pasco Hospice.

Brown-Waite looks to future bid

U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite has a cause in mind for the roughly $375,000 she has remaining in her coffers: Her re-election two years from now.

The Brooksville Republican won a fourth term in convincing fashion Tuesday. She has spent about $500,000 in the last two years toward that goal.

U.S. House and Senate members can carry over money to their next campaign, and Brown-Waite is doing just that, said spokesman Charlie Keller.

"She will be using it for her 2010 race," Keller said.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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