Headline Surfer photo illustration / Mike Chitwood got by with a little help from six uber-rich friends, who collectively accounted for 78 percent of his $67,078.95 campaign war-chest - plenty to scare off any potential challengers and with qualifying ending on Friday, he secured his second four-year term as sheriff. Chitwood's hefty contributors were billionaire J. Hyatt Brown (shown far right); and the five millionaires were L. Gale Lemerand (top left), William J. Christy (top right), John C. Hamlin (middle), Glenn Ritchey (bottom left) and Gibb L. Dannehower (bottom right).
By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- When Mike Chitwood took to the podium in the Frank T. Bruno Jr. County Council chambers 9n June 19, 2018, he called then-County Manager Jim Dinneen corrupt and said he and the elected leaders on the dais were part of the cycle of pay-to-play politics.
Dinneen resigned later that day amid political turmoil and Chitwood continued his attacks on other county leaders while picking up where he left off in 2016 by amassing large amounts of political contributions from wealthy influential insiders.
As such Chitwood has been elected to a second-four term in office as Volusia County sheriff without a single vote being cast because he had no opponent when qualifying ended at 5 p.m. today, thanks to a mountain of campaign contributions from six rich influential insiders who provided a whopping $52,300. These six business insiders accounted for 78 percent of Chitwood's overall campaign war-chest.
Among Chitwood's wealthy donors:
• Multi-millionaire Gibb L Dannehower of New Smyrna Beach, (general manager of Daytona Toyota, DeLand Kia and associated entities) -- $15,000;
• Billionaire J. Hyatt Brown (chairman of Brown & Brown Insurance & associated entities, wife CiCi Brown) -- $12,000;
• Millionaire car dealer and former Daytona Beach Mayor Glenn Ritchey (& associated entities) -- $8,800;
• Millionaire William J. Christy of Daytona Beach (& associated entities) -- $6,000;
• Millionaire John C. Hamlin, owner of a surgical marketing company (& associated entities), of Ormond Beach -- $5,500;
• Millionaire restaurant entrepreneur L. Gale Lemerand (& associated entities) of Ormond Beach -- $5,000
Two of the three most prominent and influential insiders, Lesa France Kennedy and Mori Hosseini, didn't provide any campaign contributions to Chitwood this time around, primarily because of Chitwood slamming Hosseini as an opportunist and personal insults to Ben Johnson, the former sheriff who preceded him and who opted for retirement in 2016 after 16 years as Volusia's top lawman.
France Kennedy, a principal in NASCAR, is partial to Johnson, elected in 2018, for the the at-large county council seat, having contributed heavily to his successful multiple runs for office.