Carolyn Ketchel raised $79,558.45 for a campaign battle she never had to fight.
The District 2 Okaloosa County Commission candidate's expenditures through mid-June — when incumbent commissioner Dave Parisot announced he wasn’t pursuing re-election — were $44,304.90, according to Okaloosa County Supervisor of Elections records.
She must dispose of $35,253.55 within 90 days.
Florida law states that Ketchel can: reimburse herself for money she spent on her campaign; return a pro-rata share of remaining dollars to contributors; or contribute any or all of the funds to a charity. Florida Statute also grants Ketchel, a Republican Party candidate, the right to turn up to $25,000 over to the GOP. Lastly, it grants her the ability to put $5,000 for each year she’ll serve into an “office account” to buy items she might decide she needs to conduct commission business.
If Ketchel creates the office account, she’ll have to continue filing quarterly reports “until it’s all spent,” Okaloosa Supervisor of Elections Paul Lux said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Ketchel left with $35K in campaign contributions, sure-fire win