In a last-minute effort to get their preferred candidates elected, a handful of South Florida developers and investors are making big contributions to political action committees.
On Thursday, developer Don Peebles gave $100,000 to Forward Florida, a PAC supporting Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum’s bid for governor, according to the Florida Division of Elections data from the last two weeks. Gillum, a Democrat running against Rep. Ron DeSantis in Tuesday’s midterm elections, also landed $25,000 through the same PAC from Turnberry Associates co-CEO Jackie Soffer. The Related Group’s PRH Investments LLC, which is short for Perez Ross Holdings, gave $10,000 to Forward Florida.
Investor and developer Philip Levine recently gave $10,000 to Forward Florida, and his Baron Wynwood LLC contributed $3,000. WRS Development LLC, an affiliate of Creative Choice Group in Palm Beach Gardens, gave another $5,000.
Billionaire investor and West Palm Beach developer Jeff Greene also recently contributed $100,000 to the same PAC. Greene gave another $25,000 to Florida Consumers First, a committee backing Nikki Fried, who’s running against Matt Caldwell for agriculture commissioner.
The Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC scored $50,000 from the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, $10,000 from McCraney Property Company of West Palm Beach and $25,000 from Benderson Development Company, a real estate firm based in University Park, Florida. Mayi de la Vega, founder and CEO of One Sotheby’s International Realty, gave $2,000 to the PAC.
Voters on Tuesday will also decide the fates of three major real estate projects in Miami and Miami Beach, which The Real Deal previewed here. And here are the major real estate donors to candidates for governor, Senate, House of Representatives, and attorney general.