Florida Politics

Who is writing the checks? Here are the Top 5 donors to each candidate for governor

Billionaire Jeff Greene, accompanied by his wife, Mei Sze, and their three sons, Brandon, Malcolm and Cameran, turns in his qualifying papers to run for Florida governor as a Democrat on Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Tallahassee. Greene said he would finance his own campaign and pledged that he would not take any outside donations over $100.  He has not had to file a campaign finance report yet.
Billionaire Jeff Greene, accompanied by his wife, Mei Sze, and their three sons, Brandon, Malcolm and Cameran, turns in his qualifying papers to run for Florida governor as a Democrat on Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Tallahassee. Greene said he would finance his own campaign and pledged that he would not take any outside donations over $100. He has not had to file a campaign finance report yet. AP

From national advocacy groups to hedge fund managers to local real estate tycoons, lots of big donors have placed their bets in the race for Florida governor.

But not all of them are household names — in fact, several large contributors donated from their company accounts so their names did not initially appear on campaign finance documents.

In total, about $80 million has already been raised. The following is a Top 5 roundup for each of the candidates running for governor.

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The list notably excludes Jeff Greene, a Democrat from Palm Beach, who has only recently joined the race and has not yet filed campaign finance documents. However, Greene, a billionaire real estate investor, said he would finance his own campaign and pledged on Wednesday that he would not take any outside donations over $100.

The analysis below clumps donations from immediate family members, or individuals and their companies, where applicable, and includes donations through the end of May:

Republicans:

Florida Agriculture Commissioner and candidate for governor Adam Putnam.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner and candidate for governor Adam Putnam. MARK WALLHEISER AP



Democrats:

Former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham speaks during a gubernatorial debate ahead of the Democratic primary for governor on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Miramar.
Former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham speaks during a gubernatorial debate ahead of the Democratic primary for governor on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Miramar. Brynn Anderson, Pool AP
Philip Levine in his gubernatorial campaign headquarters in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood on June 14, 2018.
Philip Levine in his gubernatorial campaign headquarters in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood on June 14, 2018. Jose A. Iglesias jiglesias@elnuevoherald.com
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum speaks during Monday's debate ahead of the Democratic primary for governor in Miramar.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum speaks during Monday's debate ahead of the Democratic primary for governor in Miramar. Brynn Anderson AP Photo/Pool
Chris King, Democratic candidate for governor.
Chris King, Democratic candidate for governor. AL DIAZ adiaz@miamiherald.com
Herald/Times Tallahasse Bureau reporter Lawrence Mower contributed to this report

Editor’s note: This story was updated on July 2 to reflect corrected information provided by the Chris King campaign, which corrected the amount donated by Paul W. Morgan and replaced the No. 5 slot with the accurate donor.

This story was originally published June 21, 2018 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Who is writing the checks? Here are the Top 5 donors to each candidate for governor."

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