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Crist campaign gets boost from PACs with utility ties
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A crowded field is vying to run things at St. Petersburg City Hall. Photo: Kathryn Varn/Axios
St. Petersburg is mulling whether to break from Duke Energy.
- But former Gov. Charlie Crist — a leading candidate in the city's mayoral race — has raked in cash from lobbyists tied to the state's largest utilities, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Why it matters: The city's next mayor could help decide who powers St. Petersburg for decades to come.
Driving the news: Crist leads the crowded mayoral field in fundraising — but the source of much of that money is difficult to trace, with large sums flowing through a sprawling network of political committees.
- Crist had raised about $2 million as of Friday, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
- More than $550,000 flowed into Crist's committee from other PACs, with some of that money tracing back to Duke Energy, Tampa Electric and Florida Power & Light's parent company.
- Crist has also received backing from Republican lobbyists who represent the state’s major electric utilities.
Between the lines: Crist once made his name as attorney general battling utility companies and positioning himself as a consumer watchdog.
- But some allies from that era say Crist is no longer the consumer advocate he once was. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy's political arm has thrown its support behind rival Brandi Gabbard.
- In comments to the Times, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy executive director Stephen Smith accused Crist's campaign of "shaking down" utility lobbyists for donations.
The other side: Crist told the Times that he cannot be bought.
- "If people want to give to my campaign, they give because they like what I stand for," he said. "That doesn't mean that they're going to influence what I'm going to do."
- Michelle Todd Schorsch, chair of Crist's political committee St. Pete Shines, told the Times she has "never spoken to Duke Energy ... other than to report a power outage."