TALLAHASSEE — Three gubernatorial candidates and two attorney general candidates collectively received nearly $2.5 million in the first distribution of state matching funds for the 2026 election.
Former U.S. Rep. David Jolly, running for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, received just over half the first distribution, nearly $1.3 million, followed by U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor at almost $662,400, according to numbers posted Friday by the Division of Elections.
Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, also running to be the GOP’s nominee for governor, received nearly $118,500.
Of the 24 people running for governor, no others received state funding Friday.
The program allows statewide candidates to receive matches from the state for contributions received since Sept. 2, 2025 of $250 or less from individuals residing in Florida to their campaign accounts.
As of July 10, Donalds has raised $10.3 million through his campaign account.
Jolly has collected $4.08 million with his campaign account.
Collins has raised $319,200 through his campaign account.
These figures do not include money received through associated political committees.
Legislators have repeatedly sought to eliminate the program, which has provided more than $33 million to gubernatorial and Cabinet candidates in the four prior election cycles.
When voters approved the program in 1998, it was promoted as a way to reduce the influence of big money contributors by helping underfunded candidates compete in costly statewide elections. But critics have long described it as welfare for politicians.
“This is money coming out of the general revenue,” said former state Sen. Travis Hutson, a Republican from St. Augustine, as he pushed to get the repeal on the 2024 ballot. “We should put the question back to the voters to see if they would like us to spend general revenue on things other than advertising for statewide office.”
But the repeal effort received only 50.4 percent support, falling short of the 60 percent needed to pass.
A similar ballot effort in 2010 received 52.49 percent support from voters.
The biggest beneficiary of the program has been Gov. Ron DeSantis, who drew $7.3 million in matching funds in his 2022 re-election bid and $3.2 million when first running for governor in 2018.
The other candidates that drew from the program on Friday were Attorney General James Uthmeier and his Democratic challenger Jose Javier Rodriguez.
Rodriguez received almost $240,900, compared to about $142,100 for Uthmeier.
Rodriguez has raised $772,000 through his campaign account.
Uthmeier has raised $1.32 million through his campaign account.
Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson have not applied for the program, although almost all of their challengers have filed requests for the funding.
The division did not report any candidate for chief financial officer or agriculture commissioner receiving state dollars Friday.
