The field for 2026 Tallahassee local races has just now begun to take shape, but candidates in several of the most contested contests have already raised significant funds.
After the first filing deadline of the cycle, candidates in the Tallahassee Mayor’s race have already raised a combined over $230,000.
The four-way Tallahassee Commission seat 3 race also saw fundraising efforts.
Despite the candidates building their war chests early, the election is still a long way away. The candidates will appear on the ballot on August 18th of next year.
Here’s a breakdown of fundraising so far in those contests:
Tallahassee Mayor
Despite having filed under a month ago, Civil rights attorney Darryl Parks is already leading the field with over $90,000 raised. City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow brought in almost $75,000 while former state senator Loranne Ausley brought in almost $65,000.
How the three candidates each brought in their money looks different. Parks relied heavily on his network outside Tallahassee, with about 70% of his contributions coming from outside the city. Matlow and Ausley got most of their donations from city residents.
Matlow received almost double the number of unique donors as Ausley, but she brought in more per donor, averaging $340 to Matlow’s $227 average.
Tallahassee Commission Seat 3
Community advocate Talethia Edwards and teacher PJ Perez are neck and neck, with Edwards raising $15,000 and Perez raising $13,000.
Edwards’ financials include donations from mayoral candidate Darryl Parks, state Representative Alison Tant, as well as Tallahassee Commissioners Dianne Williams-Cox and Curtis Richardson. Perez has the most individual donations in the field, getting support from over 120 people compared to Edwards’ about 70 donors.
Third in fundraising is political consultant Max Herrle, who brought in $7,000 from a combined 46 donors. Former Pinellas County Commissioner Norm Roche brought $800, mostly through a $500 donation he gave to himself.