With just days before voters will choose just one of three candidates to represent the Republican ticket in the Pasco County Commission District 2 race, Mike Moore will clearly take the fundraising title after a final push this week put him over $100,000.
![Mike Moore is a Wesley Chapel-based entrepreneur that says he can bring his business experience to the Pasco County Commission. He faces a primary against Ken Littlefield and Bob Robertson in an effort to succeed the retiring Pat Mulieri on the commission. (Courtesy of Mike Moore)](https://i0.wp.com/lakerlutznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/PrimMoore.jpg?resize=99%2C149&ssl=1)
Combined with the efforts of fellow Republicans Ken Littlefield and Bob Robertson, the three candidates have raised $134,348, already making it the most expensive District 2 race in the past decade. It tops the $121,111 raised in the 2006 election, and the $116,669 collected in 2010 — both won by Pat Mulieri. And those numbers included the general election.
Moore goes into the primary election day with just under $103,400, picking up $4,400 between Aug. 9 and Aug. 21. That includes $1,000 from the political action committee HCA West Florida Division, and $1,500 from Orsi Development and Springfield Homes in New Port Richey.
In all, Moore has spent just under $100,000 of that, with less than 45 percent of those funds — or $44,376 — staying inside Pasco County. Moore spent nearly $50,000 on advertising, all but nearly $3,000 of it, however, with a Ponte Vedra Beach company called Majority Strategies Inc. He also spent more than $15,000 — or about 15 percent of his money — with an Odessa company called Capital Consulting.
Robertson picked up a little more than $2,000 in his final two weeks of campaigning ahead of the primary, bringing his total to just under $15,600. That includes $500 each from Dobies Funeral Homes in Holiday, as well as listed Tampa property manager Lloyd Riales and also Eric Gilbertson, a volunteer director with the Samaritan Project of Zephyrhills.
![Bob Robertson has stayed closely involved in the community, and wants to continue being the public advocate Pat Mulieri was on the board. In fact, the Zephyrhills financial analyst earned an endorsement from Mulieri heading into the Aug. 26 primary. (Courtesy of Bob Robertson)](https://i0.wp.com/lakerlutznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/PrimRobertson.jpg?resize=119%2C149&ssl=1)
Robertson has spent $14,270 of those funds, half of it locally. However, business cards and signs, among other things, were purchased outside the county — and sometimes the state — including $921 to a Texas company called Signs on the Cheap, and just under $2,300 to Delivery Signs of Orlando. Robertson, however, did do social media and other work locally with the Wesley Chapel company The Busy Buddy to the tune of $1,155.
When it came to advertising, Robertson spent far less than Moore, just $233, or less than 2 percent of his total expenditures.
Despite Friday being the deadline for final primary campaign reports, Littlefield did not file his financials by 6 p.m. with the Pasco County supervisor of elections office. Before that, he had raised $10,450 — about half of what he did four years before in his primary against Mulieri. That includes about $7,600 Littlefield put in of his own money, and not including about $9,000 in a listed in-kind donation on his own behalf for what he said was printing and postage.
![Ken Littlefield, during his years as a state lawmaker, giving a speech on the floor of the state House in Tallahassee. Littlefield wants to continue serving government at the Pasco County Commission. (Courtesy of Florida House)](https://i0.wp.com/lakerlutznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/PrimLittlefield.jpg?resize=102%2C128&ssl=1)
Littlefield spent $10,300, with 57 percent — or $4,967 — taking place locally. Most of his non-local spending was done through Gulf Coast Imprinting in Largo.
After being asked by The Laker/Lutz News about why there was a delay in filing, Littlefield said via email that he was just getting home from work, and planned to file “after dinner.”
Republican voters will have a chance to choose from among the three candidates Aug. 26. The winner will face Democrat Erika Remsberg in the general election.
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