With months to go, race for sheriff already most expensive in St. Lucie County history

ST. LUCIE COUNTY — With a month still to go until the Republican primary, and nearly four months until the November general election, the hotly contested race for sheriff has already become the most expensive local campaign in county history.

In fact, the campaign of current interim Port St. Lucie Police Chief Richard Del Toro has on its own spent more money than was spent total, by all candidates, for any other race ever run in St. Lucie County.

In total, when all active candidates and affiliated political committees are added together, over $1.15 million has been raised by qualifying candidates in this campaign, with more than $772,700 having been spent so far.

That compares to just $177,080.22 raised and spent in the previous sheriff's race. The previous most expensive race in county history, according to campaign finance records, was the 2014 campaign for county court judge, group four, which saw $266,994.23 raised.

Richard Del Toro

The Del Toro campaign on its own has raised $411,075 since he first filed to run as a Republican more than three years ago, in January of 2021. In that time, his campaign has spent $316,948.99, leaving it with $94,126.01 in cash on hand as of July 12.

The campaign received a number of notable donations in its most recent financial filings. Fort Pierce City Commissioner Michael Broderick donated $500 in June, after having donated $250 in December. Another local government official, Stuart City Manager Michael Mortell, donated $125, also in June.

Del Toro also has a political action committee, known as "Friends of Richard Del Toro," that has raised $229,950 separately from the campaign. It has spent $93,804.10, leaving it with $136,145.90 in cash on hand as of July 5. Donations to the PAC have increased in recent months, particularly in June, which saw multiple six-figure donations.

The PAC, which does not have the same $1,000 donation limit as a campaign, has received support from some other PACs, including $1,000 each from Friends of John Snyder and Friends of Mike Giallombardo, both Republican state representatives. Snyder represents parts of Martin and Palm Beach counties. Both PACs had previously donated the maximum to Del Toro's campaign.

Support for the PAC also came from the International Union of Police Associations Port St. Lucie Officer's Association, with a $500 donation in April. The union had previously given the maximum to the campaign.

One of the largest donors to the PAC has been KOA Development LLC, a Port St. Lucie company affiliated with the camping ground chain KOA. It donated $25,000 in June.

Beyond that, much of the PACs donations have come from family members, with Joyce Del Toro donating $11,000 across three donations, and Peter Del Toro donating $55,000 in June.

Between the two accounts, Del Toro has raised $641,025 and spent $410,750.09, both unprecedented sums in the history of St. Lucie County local politics.

Keith Pearson

Second in fundraising, and third in spending, is the campaign of current Sheriff Keith Pearson, a Republican who was appointed to the job in December by Gov. Ron DeSantis in December to replace former Sheriff Ken Mascara.

The Pearson campaign has raised $256,533 since he officially filed to run, days after that appointment. In the same period, the campaign spent $118,573.10, leaving it with $137,959.90 in cash on hand, as of July 12. That is the most cash on hand of any individual campaign or PAC account, though it is less than Del Toro's two accounts combined.

Pearson's fundraising has slowed in recent weeks, raising just $335 in the first two weeks of June, $4,355 in the following two weeks and $0 in the first two weeks of July, according to his campaign finance filings. Those numbers came after raising $216,696 in the month of December, $24,452 in the first quarter of the year and $10,695 in the second quarter.

The nearly $217,000 December haul included $100,000 Pearson loaned to his own campaign.

Pearson also has a PAC, called "Friends of Keith Pearson," though it has reported raising and spending no money as of July 5.

Steven Giordano

The only Democrat left in the race, Steven Giordano, will face off against the eventual Republican nominee in the November general election.

The campaign of Giordano, a veteran law enforcement and security profession who currently works as a nuclear security officer at the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant, has raised the third most and spent the second most in the race. It has raised $236,909.36, while spending $228,321.54, since first filing to run in March of 2023. That leaves the campaign with $8,587.82 in cash on hand, as of July 12.

Giordano's fundraising has slowed slightly compared to previous financial filing periods. His campaign received about $306 in the first two weeks of June, followed by about $1,453 the following two weeks and about $2,541 in the first two weeks of July.

That compares to some past filing periods where he has raised as much as $100,000, which he did twice, and $29,725. However, those periods included large loans made by Giordano to his own campaign. In total, $227,100 of the nearly $237,000 Giordano has raised has come from loans made to the campaign by the candidate.

Preston Michael DiFrancesco

The final candidate to qualify for the race is Republican Preston Michael DiFrancesco, a former law enforcement officer and past candidate for sheriff, having run unsuccessfully against Mascara in 2008.

The DiFrancesco campaign has raised $17,900 and spent $15,061.87, leaving it with $2,838.13 in cash on hand as of July 12.

Much of that money, $12,400 in total, has come from loans DiFrancesco made to his own campaign.

In the month of June and the first two weeks of July, the DiFrancesco campaign reported raising $0. It spent $12,703.92 on June 4, an expenditure listed as being paid to the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections as "funds to qualify to run for sheriff." Candidates must either collect a certain number of signature or pay a fee in order to appear on the ballot.

Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: With months to go, race for sheriff already most expensive in St. Lucie County history