Michael Dornetshuber

Tampa Bay Times

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Republican Nick DiCeglie defeated Democrat Alex Heeren on Tuesday in the race for an open Florida House seat.

DiCeglie, 44, owns Solar Sanitation, a family-run garbage hauling company. He lives in Indian Rocks Beach with his wife and two children.

“It’s a real honor for me to have the opportunity to serve the community I live in, the community I’m raising my family in, the community I’m running my business in,” DeCeglie said Tuesday.

His life as a small business owner has informed his politics. He said he will work to eliminate regulation, continue the effort to create a statewide private flood insurance market and close loopholes in assignment-of-benefits claims.

Heeren, 31, is a teacher-turned administrator for Pinellas County Schools. He helps teachers integrate technology into their classrooms and is married to a teacher. Education was Heeren’s top priority, specifically increasing funding for traditional public schools.

He released a statement Tuesday congratulating DiCeglie.

“I also want to thank everyone who supported my campaign,” he said. “We may not have won this race, but we have sent a powerful message to those in Tallahassee that we won’t be silent any longer. I plan to continue working to improve our public education system in Florida.”

House District 66 represents parts of Seminole, Largo and Clearwater as well as beach communities from Indian Shores to Belleair Beach.

Florida Politics

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The Florida Retail Federation PAC, the political arm of the state’s retail trade organization, endorsed more than two dozen candidates seeking to earn their first terms in the state House next month.

The bulk of the 26 candidates getting FRF’s seal of approval are seeking open seats in the state House, but a handful of the recommendations went to would-be state Reps. looking to oust incumbents.

“The diversity of these candidates includes some with a direct connection to retail, small business owners, and those new to holding public office, but all are focused on making Florida the most business-friendly state in the nation,” said FRF president and CEO R. Scott Shalley. “Meeting each of these candidates in person has us excited about working with them as members of the Florida House in support of the state’s retail industry.”

Challengers getting the nod: DeLand Republican Elizabeth Fetterhoff, who is seeking the HD 26 seat held by Democratic Rep. Patrick Henry; Orlando Republican Ben Griffin, who is challenging progressive Democratic Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith in HD 49; former Republican Rep. Ray Pilon, who is attempting to win back his old seat from Democratic Rep. Margaret Good; Miami Republican Rosy Palomino, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Nick Duran in HD 105; and Miami Republican Anthony Rodriguez, who is looking to send Democratic Rep. Robert Asencio packing in HD 118.

The other 21 endorsements went to candidates running against fellow fresh faces, and some of the races getting FRF’s attention are among the most hotly contested slated for the general election ballot.

In Orange County’s HD 47, the trade group recommended Winter Haven Republican Stockton Reeves over Anna Eskamani, one of the most promising Democratic state House recruits of the cycle. The pair are competing for the swing seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Mike Miller, who is running for Florida’s 7th Congressional District.

In South Florida, Florida Retailers are putting their weight behind Broward County Commissioner Chip LaMarca’s bid to keep HD 93 in GOP control. He faces a well-funded challenger in Democratic nominee Emma Collum. Additionally, the PAC is supporting Delray Beach accountant Mike Caruso, also a Republican, in HD 89. He faces Ocean Ridge Mayor Jim Bonfiglio.

The rest of the candidates earning a nod for the Nov. 6 general:

—HD 15: Republican Wyman Duggan

—HD 28: Republican David Smith

—HD 32: Republican Anthony Sabatini

—HD 33: Republican Brett Hage

—HD 37: Republican Adrian Zika

—HD 51: Republican Tyler Sirois

—HD 59: Republican Joe Wicker

—HD 61: Democrat Dianne Hart

—HD 66: Republican Nick DiCeglie

—HD 69: Republican Ray Blacklidge

—HD 71: Republican Will Robinson

—HD 73: Republican Tommy Gregory

—HD 79: Republican Spencer Roach

—HD 81: Democrat Tina Polsky

—HD83: Republican Toby Overdorf

—HD 103: Republican Frank Mingo

—HD 105: Republican Ana Maria Rodriguez

—HD 115: Republican Vance Aloupis

Florida Politics

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Republican businessman and Pinellas GOP chair Nick DiCeglie is holding a fundraiser for his House District 66 campaign this evening in Clearwater.

The event is from 5:30 p.m.at Alfano’s Restaurant, 1702 Clearwater Largo Road N. Those interested in attending can give a last-minute RSVP with Rick Porter or Ivey Rooney at 407-849-1112 or Ivey@PoliticalCapitalFlorida.com.

DiCeglie is running for the seat currently held by termed-out Rep. Larry Ahern, who is also on the event’s nearly 80-person host committee, joined by former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker, Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, state Sen. Jeff Brandes and state Reps. Chris Latvala, Chris Sprowls and Kathleen Peters, as well as other leading Republicans.

In the Aug. 28 Republican primary, DiCeglie defeated St. Petersburg attorney Berny Jacques and will face Democrat Alex Hereen Nov. 6.

HD 66 is a safe Republican district. It covers part of western Pinellas County, including Clearwater, Belleair, Indian Rocks Beach and Indian Shores.

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Business owner Nick DiCeglie defeated his opponent in the Republican primary for House District 66, which covers a swath of mid-Pinellas County.

DiCeglie, 44, took about 60 percent of the vote Tuesday compared to former prosecutor Berny Jacques’ 40 percent. That means the owner of Solar Sanitation, a garbage pick-up company, will compete against Democrat Alex Heeren in the Nov. 6 general election.

DiCeglie could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday.

Both DiCeglie and Jacques, 31, made their first runs at public office for the seat left open by term-limited Rep. Larry Ahern, R-Seminole. Jacques works as development director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and was a lawyer before that, first in the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s Office then in private practice.

DiCeglie grew up on Long Island and moved to Florida in 1996 to help his parents run their family sanitation business, which serves customers in unincorporated Pinellas. He is the current chairman of the Pinellas County Republican Party and is a member of the Pinellas County Economic Development Council. He previously served twice as the chairman of the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce.

He lives in Indian Rocks Beach with his wife, Erica, and two kids.

Jacques’ family settled in Florida in 1994 after fleeing political unrest in Haiti. He worked as a state prosecutor and private practice attorney before taking on his current role. He is a past president of Pinellas County Young Republicans and started the Young Floridians for Opportunity PAC, a committee made up of young professionals supporting conservative candidates.

He lives in Seminole.

District 66 covers parts of Seminole, Largo and Clearwater as well as beach communities from Indian Shores to Belleair Beach. State representatives serve two-year terms and are paid $29,697 a year.

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Republican Rep. Joe Gruters wants Belleair Bluffs businessman Nick DiCeglie to join him in the state Legislature.

The Sarasota GOP chair, who co-chaired Donald Trump’s Florida campaign, called his Pinellas counterpart a “true conservative leader” when he endorsed him over House District 66 Republican primary rival Bernie Jacques on Thursday.

“As Chairman of the Pinellas County Republican Party, Nick worked tirelessly to increase Republican voter registration and improve a grassroots operation that helped turn Pinellas County from blue to red,” Gruters said. “His help was a critical part of helping Donald Trump win Florida in 2016. In fact, President Trump and his campaign had so much confidence in his support that they selected him to be one of Florida’s 29 members of the Electoral College, where he cast a vote for Donald Trump.”

While Gruters’ endorsement isn’t from “the big man himself,” it’s about as close as you could expect for a state House race and could carry some weight among HD 66 voters, who broke plus-14 for Trump two years ago.

“I am honored to have the endorsement of Representative Joe Gruters,” DiCeglie said. “He brings a tremendous energy to our party, which proved to pay dividends in the 2016 election. He too is an ardent supporter of our President and his leadership didn’t go unnoticed as Trump named him Florida Co-Chair of his campaign. Rep Gruters and I are like minded individuals who share the same agenda as our President and his support means a great deal.”

Gruters, who is running for state Senate, joins the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Realtors, the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association, Pinellas County Commissioner Dave Eggers, Pinellas County Clerk Ken Burke and many others in backing DiCeglie.

In addition to his leadership role in Pinellas County Republican politics, DiCeglie is the owner and operator of waste management company Solar Sanitation. That part of his resume got the spotlight in his first TV ad, where he said he outlined his plans to “clean things up in Tallahassee.”

DiCeglie and Jacques will go head-to-head in the Aug. 28 Republican primary for the open seat, currently held by term-limited Rep. Larry Ahern. The winner of that contest will face school teacher Alex Heeren, a Democrat, in the Nov. 6 general election.

Jacques, who is also on the airwaves and boasting fresh endorsements, has the advantage in the money race.

At last check in, he had raised $124,260 in hard money and another $81,100 through political committee Protect Pinellas, with about $100,000 banked between them. DiCeglie has raised $132,456 in campaign cash and had a balance of $56,000 on July 20. Heeren has raised $28,000 and has $8,300 banked.

HD 66 is a coastal Pinellas seat covering part of Clearwater as well as Belleair Bluffs, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores and Seminole. It is a safe Republican seat that has been held by Ahern since it was redrawn ahead of the 2012 elections.

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Belleair Bluffs businessman Nick DiCeglie is rolling out his first ad in the race to succeed term-limited Rep. Larry Ahern in Pinellas County’s House District 66.

The 30-second spot, titled “Cleaning Things Up,” is already out digitally and the campaign said it will begin running on cable networks next week. The ad begins with the Pinellas GOP chair on the job with his waste management company Solar Sanitation.

“I’ve made it my business to clean things up in Pinellas County, now it’s time to clean things up in Tallahassee,” he says in the ad before a narrator takes the reins and touts DiCeglie’s conservative credentials.

“Conservative small-business owner Nick DiCeglie knows government must be held accountable. DiCeglie is a Republican leader, husband and father who knows the value of faith, family and service,” the narrator says. “DiCeglie stands with President [Donald] Trump, stopping illegal immigration, cutting taxes and protecting life. DiCeglie, the true conservative who will clean up Tallahassee.”

The ad marks the first TV spot in the three-way race for HD 66, a coastal Pinellas seat that covers part of Clearwater as well as Belleair Bluffs, Indian Rocks Beach, Indian Shores and Seminole.

DiCeglie is running against Seminole attorney Berny Jacques in the Republican primary, while Democrat Alex Heeren, a schoolteacher, has already locked up the Democratic nomination without opposition.

Jacques is the current fundraising leader with more than $200,000 raised for his 2018 effort, including $121,565 in hard money and another $81,100 for his affiliated political committee, Protect Pinellas. He has $139,600 in the bank. DiCeglie is even with Jacques in hard money fundraising with $121,656 raised and $80,406 banked, but he has not started up a political committee.

The pair are also competitive in landing endorsements, though DiCeglie’s stack has some bigger names including the Sun Coast Police Benevolent Association, Pinellas County Commissioner Dave Eggers and Pinellas County Clerk Ken Burke.

The winner of the Republican nomination is likely to succeed Ahern in Tallahassee. He’s held the district since it was redrawn and his closest election was a 6-point win in 2012. He followed that up with a 14-point win in 2014 and a 16-point win in 2016, the same year Trump carried the district with 55 percent of the vote.

The primary election is Aug. 28. The general election is Nov. 6.

The ad is below.

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A straw poll held today by the Pinellas County Republican Party today delivered wins for Gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam, Attorney General candidate Ashley Moody and Agriculture Commissioner candidate Denise Grimsley, while George Buck won the poll for the Congressional race in Florida’s 13^th Congressional District.

“Pinellas County has a history of picking winners in our straw poll and this year will be no exception,” said Todd Jennings, vice chairman of the Pinellas County Republican Party Vice Chair. More than 300 people attended the Straw Poll Picnic at Banquet Masters.

Putnam has come in ahead of Ron DeSantis in five straw polls taken over the past 10 days. He also won straw polls conducted by the Republican Party of Brevard’s Council of Clubs, Central Florida Republican Women’s Clubs, Casselberry Chamber of Commerce and Seminole Republican Executive Committee.

Moody won four of those five straw polls, and was in attendance at the Pinellas event.

The poll also showed Gov. Rick Scott as the favorite Republican to take on U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson.

In local races, Buck came out ahead of Brad Sostack as the favorite candidate to take on U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist.

Ed Hooper came out ahead of Leo Karruli in the state Senate District 16 primary.

In state House primaries, straw poll voters picked James Grant over Terry Power in District 64, Nick DiCeglie over Berny Jacques in District 66 and Ray Blacklidge over Jeremy Bailie in District 69.

Kathleen Peters won the GOP straw poll for Pinellas County Commission District 6.

In Pinellas County School Board races, straw poll voters picked Lisa Cane in District 2, Peggy O’Shea in District 3 and Bill Dudley in District 6.

Florida Politics

March 16, 2018

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Republican Nick DiCeglie is holding a fundraiser for his House District 66 campaign on March 23 in St. Petersburg.

The event is set to run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at The Mayor’s Mansion, 609 11th Ave. South. Those interested in attending can RSVP with Rick Porter at 407-849-1112 or Rick@PoliticalCapitalFlorida.com.

DiCeglie is running for the seat currently held by termed-out Rep. Larry Ahern. He faces St. Petersburg attorney Berny Jacques in the Republican Primary.

Through the end of February, the Belleair Bluffs businessman had raised more than $90,000 and had $72,000 of that money on hand in his campaign account.

Jacques, who entered the race six months ahead of DiCeglie, has raised a total of $138,545 and has a little over $100,000 in the bank.

Also running for the seat are Democrat Alex Hereen and Reform Party candidate Paul Anthony Bachmann. Hereen started March with about $5,600 in the bank, while Bachmann has raised $345 since filing in August.

HD 66 is a safe Republican district. It covers part of western Pinellas County, including Clearwater, Belleair, Indian Rocks Beach and Indian Shores.

The invitation to DiCeglie’s fundraiser is below.

Florida Politics

March 13, 2018

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Republican Nick DiCeglie was the top fundraiser in the House District 66 field last month with $10,560 raised.

The February report brings the Pinellas County businessman’s campaign total to $90,354, with $72,216 on hand.

The new money came in across 29 contributions, including a half dozen for the primary campaign maximum of $1,000.

Max donors for the month included ASG Consulting Group, RSG Consulting Group, Florida Farm PAC, FTBA Transportation PAC, LEMA Construction and accounting firm Sams IV.

Expenditures for the month totaled $2,114 and included a $1,000 payment to Jacksonville-based Political Capital for fundraising consulting and a $998 payment to Tallahassee-based Supernova Digital Communications for social media consulting.

Though DiCeglie posted the highest total for the month, he trails Republican primary opponent Berny Jacques in overall fundraising. The pair are competing to take over for termed-out Republican Rep. Larry Ahern.

Jacques added $1,175 in February and spent $8,291 between his campaign and committee, Protect Pinellas.

The St. Petersburg attorney finished the month with $138,545 in total fundraising since entering the race in March 2017, and had $100,701 in the bank.

Jacques’ February money came in through seven contributions, all to his campaign. Top contributors for the reporting period included Samuel Bright and Sandra Hutton, each of whom gave $500.

Spending included more than $7,000 in payments to Gainesville-based Data Targeting Research for printing and consulting work, with $700 paying for accounting costs through Robinson Hanks Young & Roberts and $500 heading to campaign staff.

Also running for HD 69 are Democrat Alex Hereen and Reform Party candidate Paul Anthony Bachmann.

Hereen raised $3,556 in February and spent $3,939, leaving him with about $5,600 in the bank, while Bachmann reported just $345 in contributions since filing for the seat in August.

HD 66 is a safe Republican district. It covers part of western Pinellas County, including Clearwater, Belleair, Indian Rocks Beach and Indian Shores.

Florida Politics

March 5, 2018

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State House candidate Nick DiCeglie is holding a fundraiser during the height of March Madness, and attendees are encouraged to wear some flair for their favorite team, be it an alma mater or a Cinderella.

The fundraiser is slated for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Angry Pepper Taphouse in Seminole, 9366 Oakhurst Road.

DiCeglie’s invite didn’t say what logo he’ll be wearing, the invite did list his March Madness team, which includes Carol Bumiller, Diane Blum, Janice Hill, Carol Williams, Ann Muller, Diane Nelson and Mary Erickson-Tweiten.

Those looking to attend can RSVP by emailing rick@politicalcapitalflorida.com.

While aren’t set for March Madness, voters have a little bit better of an idea of who’ll be facing off in the House District 66 race.

DiCeglie, a Republican, is running for the coastal Pinellas County seat currently held by termed out Republican Rep. Larry Ahern.

He faces St. Petersburg attorney Berny Jacques in the GOP primary for HD 66, while Democrat Alex Heeren and Reform Party candidate Paul Bachmann are so far uncontested in the primary.

The winner of the Republican Primary will be the undisputed No. 1 seed in the general election – HD 66 has is a safe Republican seat.

Through the end of January, Jacques held the fundraising lead with nearly $108,000 on hand between his campaign account and political committee, Protect Pinellas.

DiCeglie, who runs Clearwater-based trash removal and recycling company Solar Sanitation, had about $64,000 on hand in his campaign account through the same date.

The invitation is below.