Qualified to Advertise

The last step in getting your name on the ballot is qualifying. In Florida, the qualifying for judicial, state attorney, public defender, and congressional races, was last week. From October through March, my team had worked to gather 4,652 petitions from registered voters in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties. We were successful in this effort which also meant that we did not have to pay a filing fee of over $9,000 last week. However, I did have to prepare and file a detailed financial disclosure which even required that I inventory the contents of my home. I also had to sign a loyalty oath, and get the packet to the Secretary of State's office in Tallahassee. I put my trust in the United States Postal Service and started checking the Division of Elections web-site on Wednesday afternoon. The web-site was experiencing problems that day, probably because candidates throughout the State were getting anxious. Late Wednesday night the word "qualified" appeared next to my name and so now it is on to November.

My greatest challenge is how to reach the nearly half-million registered voters in the three counties that make up the 12th Circuit. One of my opponents has begun putting up a lot of signs but I think I will hold off on those for the time being so as not to add to the clutter along our roadsides. Instead, I have begun an ad campaign on the Sarasota Herald Tribune web-site that will hopefully drive traffic to www.Adam4pd.info If that is how you made your way to this blog, please consider dropping me a note at Adam@adam4pd.info I am also trying to build recognition for my logo which appears at the top of this page. Some seasoned political consultants don't like it because they say it is too hard to read. I like the fact that it might require a second look and I am hoping it stands out in a crowded field. I would be interested to know what you think.

Last week I had supper with Sheriff Brad Steube and several hundred citizens of Manatee county . I also had dinner in DeSoto County with about 100 members of the Democratic Party there. I also attended the meeting of the Southwest Alliance in Englewood and the property appraiser debate at Sarasota Tiger Bay. The public defender candidate forum will be held on June 5th and will likely be the first time that the three of us share an appearance together. Maybe this week I will see you at Lakewood Ranch on Wednesday evening, the Teen Court Golf Tournament on Friday, or at Pride-Fest on Saturday,