Late paper: One Collier School Board candidate missed campaign report deadline

Photo by MICHEL FORTIER

Eric Cox, Collier County School board candidate

NAPLES — Those wanting to know who contributed to Collier County School Board candidate Eric Cox’s campaign during the past two weeks had to wait.

Cox, who is running for the District 1 seat, failed to turn in his required financial form, which was expected to be postmarked by Friday, Aug. 6, on time, according to Dave Carpenter, qualifying officer for the Collier County Supervisor of Elections Office.

“He has been noticed and will be fined accordingly, dependent on when we receive the report,” Carpenter wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. “He told me an allergic reaction to something delayed his submittal.”

Carpenter said penalties begin at $50 per day for the first three days the report is late and then move to $500 per day. The maximum penalty is 25 percent of the candidate’s expenditures or contributions, whichever is greater, he said.

“If a candidate fails to file we turn the case over to the Florida Elections Commission,” Carpenter said, adding a candidate can appeal the fines to the Florida Elections Commission.

Cox said Wednesday he didn’t know what the problem was and that his financial forms were in the mail. He said he would take another copy for Carpenter to ensure that the Supervisor of Elections Office received his forms.

Carpenter confirmed the Supervisor of Elections Office received Cox’s financial statements Wednesday. Cox raised $50 and spent $15.89. His maximum fine is 25 percent of the money he raised in the two-week collection period, which amounts to $12.50.

Through the end of the filing period, Cox has raised $3,448 and spent $3,345.71.

Carpenter said the last time the Supervisor of Elections office has to turn a candidate into the Florida Elections Commission involved North Naples fire district candidate Bob McGann in 1996. He said the Supervisor of Elections Office gets campaign reports late every cycle.

As early voting begins and the Aug. 24 primary election draws closer, the candidates for Collier County School Board aren’t taking in as much as they were, but their spending is up.

In the District 1 race, School Board member Pat Carroll loaned her campaign $1,000 during the two-week reporting period at the end of July. She didn’t spend any money during that time, according to records at the Collier Supervisor of Elections website.

Former Naples High School Principal Rosanne Winter, who is running in the District 1 race, collected $111.48 in the two-week reporting period, according to records. The most notable contribution was a $50 donation from Hope Calabrese, the wife of former School Board member Richard Calabrese. Winter also had two in-kind donations for balloons and lumber for signs. During the same reporting period, she spent $366.74 on printing materials for her campaign.

In the District 3 race, former School Board member Barbara Berry raised $5,050, but $5,000 was in the form of a loan to her campaign. Berry spent more than she raised in the two-week reporting period, spending $5,783.55, including more than $4,000 on postage and printing for campaign materials.

Her competitor, Naples Journals Publisher Reg Buxton received $175 from three donors during the two-week reporting period. He spent $593.60 on signs.

Retired Collier County educator Kathy Ryan, who is also seeking the District 3 seat, brought in $120 during the two-week reporting period. In that time, she spent $258.34. Of that, $5 went to the county for a sign permit and the remainder went toward the printing of campaign postcards.

In this District 5 race, Collier County School District instructional specialist Mary Ellen Cash didn’t receive any contributions to her campaign in the two-week reporting period. Her campaign spent $645, including $600 on an advertisement and $45 in printing costs.

District 5 School Board member Roy Terry collected $1,600 during the two-week reporting period. The majority — $1,000 — of that came from his wife, Helen. Terry also spent more than he raised, spending $6,098.47 on campaign materials.

Retired Naples police detective Joe Whitehead, who is running for the District 5 seat, collected $1,300. Of that, $1,000 came from two donations of $500 from Robert and Elizabeth Bednarek.

Former District 5 School Board member Richard Calabrese also donated $50 to Whitehead’s campaign. Whitehead spent $5 on a sign permit fee.

■ CLICK HERE FOR THE DATABASE OF CONTRIBUTIONS