BY TONY WINTON
Former Mayor Frank Caplan leads the field when it comes to campaign spending in the race for three seats on the Key Biscayne Village Council. Caplan has spent $17,907, according to campaign finance reports filed with the Village. Candidate Reynaldo Figueredo was a distant second, spending $11,247.
Ten candidates are vying for three seats on the Council.
The numbers reflect financial reports for the period ending Oct. 29 except for candidate Oscar Sardinas, whose most recent reports were not available from the Clerk’s office at publication time. The report is the last one candidates have to make before Election Day.
No other candidate has spent more than $10,000, and several were running shoestring campaigns, money-wise. Newcomer Michael Kelly has spent so little money, he has been filing waivers stating there has been no financial activity. Through the 29th, Kelly reported spending $655. Incumbent Brett Moss spent even less — just $647, although he has raised twice that amount.
Expenditures were typical: for a mix of signs, newspaper and online ads, and in some cases, direct mail. Sardinas has used text messages.
On the fundraising side, Caplan again led the field with about $18,655 collected, although a significant amount – $7,000 – was self funded.
Meanwhile, Protect KB Paradise political committee, which is campaigning in support of the resiliency bond ballot question, reported raising $6,275 and spending $2,572, as of Oct. 9.
Note: An earlier version of this story did not have information about Michael Kelly’s Oct. 29 filing. It has been updated.
| Candidate | Amount Raised | Spent |
| Caplan | $18,655 | $17,907 |
| Figueredo | $11,355 | $11,247 |
| Sardinas* | $3,567 | $3,496 |
| Allegra | $4,050 | $2,630 |
| Bramson | $2,400 | $2,170 |
| Conway | $2,813 | $1,322 |
| McCormick | $1,700 | $1,183 |
| Chapelli | $1,080 | $1,071 |
| Kelly | $582 | $655 |
| Moss | $1,300 | $647 |
| *-As of 10/16. All others as of 10/29 |
Tony Winton is the editor-in-chief of the Key Biscayne Independent and president of Miami Fourth Estate, Inc. He worked previously at The Associated Press for three decades winning multiple Edward R. Murrow awards. He was president of the News Media Guild, a journalism union, for 10 years. Born in Chicago, he is a graduate of Columbia University. His interests are photography and technology, sailing, cooking, and science fiction.
