JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Millions of dollars have poured into the highly competitive race to become the next sheriff of Jacksonville.
It was already shaping up to be hotly contested in next year’s city elections when a special election had to be called this year to finish the term of former Sheriff Mike Williams after he retired early amid controversy over his residency following his move out of the county.
Democrat Lakesha Burton and Republican T.K. Waters advanced to this November’s special general election and each has raised well over $1.5 million.
As Burton and Waters have campaigned, they’ve each been supported by a political action committee or a PAC.
“Make Every Voice Count” backs Burton and “A Safer Jacksonville for All” backs Waters.
Unlike the campaigns themselves, which face contribution limits, these committees can accept virtually unlimited contributions from individuals and companies.
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“You’ve literally seen a transformation in political fundraising,” News4JAX political analyst Rick Mullaney said. “The numbers this year are stunning. That’s true in the sheriff’s race and that’s true in the mayor’s race, really more than double in the end, it’ll be more than doubled just a few years ago. And really, it’s been the change in PACs that have done so.”
In 2015, then-candidate Williams was the top fundraiser in the sheriff’s race with over $540,000 in contributions.
We wanted to know, who are some of the biggest campaign donors, putting hundreds of thousands of dollars toward the race? So News4JAX looked through campaign finance records.
We found some of the top donors on both sides are wealthy men who have been influential in the world of Jacksonville for years, but the average resident might not know who they are.
For Waters’ PAC, Tom Petway and his family lead the way.
Campaign finance records show Petway and his son Ty Petway, along with their businesses, have donated $225,000. Ty Petway is CEO and chairman of US Assure, an insurance company based in Jacksonville, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The elder Petway, a former insurance executive who lives in an oceanfront home in Atlantic Beach, has been well-known in Jacksonville business and political circles for years. Most notably, he was part of the committee that helped bring an NFL franchise to Jacksonville.
As a member of the board of JEA, Petway was also one of the first to publicly suggest the possibility of privatizing the public utility in late 2017.
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He has a long history of contributions to the Republican Party of Florida and Republican candidates at the state and local level but has also given to some Democratic candidates.
When it comes to the Burton campaign, the top donor is former business executive Gary Chartrand. He has given a total of $300,000, according to campaign finance records.
Chartrand is the former executive chairman at Acosta Sales and Marketing, a company headquartered in Jacksonville that sold for nearly $5 billion in 2014.
Chartrand, who lives in an oceanfront home in Ponte Vedra Beach, has been influential in the world of education.
He served for eight years on Florida’s State Board of Education after he was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott.
He was also the founding chair of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund and spent $1 million to bring KIPP, a nonprofit charter school, to Jacksonville. He has also donated millions to Duval County Public School initiatives and UNF and has been an advocate for charter schools.
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While Burton is a Democrat, Chartrand has primarily given to Republican candidates in the past including Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Recent campaign finance changes have turned campaigns’ attention to big-money donors like Chartrand and Petway in recent years.
“Now, it’s sort of the era of the big donor, because now big donors can write really big checks,” Mullaney said. “It used to be that you are limited to a specific amount from the donor. That has changed and morphed over time. And then there’s an important Supreme Court case in Citizens United that really opened the door to big donor contributions.”
And that money goes a long way, Mullaney said.
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“Fundraising is critically important to be successful as a political candidate,” Mullaney said. “There are some exceptions, but generally speaking, you have to raise the money, that money is how you get your name out that is how you get your message out. It’s how you define yourself. It’s how you define your opponent. And really, that’s why you’re seeing such a focus on fundraising.”
We reached out to Tom Petway and Chartrand to hear why they donated to the respective candidates, but did not hear back from Petway.
Chartrand told News4JAX he’s backing Burton because she is “qualified” and “real.”
He added that he has been a Republican is whole life, but believes Democrat Burton is a good leader will bring a new vision to JSO and help address ongoing crime issues in the city.
Other big donors
Donated to Burton PAC:
David Miller, co-founder of Brightway Insurance: $249,000
Michael Ward, former CSX executive: $225,000
Wayne Weaver, former Jacksonville Jaguars owner: $160,000
Donated to Waters PAC:
Gunner/Houston Ltd., construction business: $150,000
Nicole Padgett, CAO for Summit Contracting Group: $75,000
J.B. Coxwell Contracting Inc.: $75,000
