U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna reported nearly $549,000 in new donations in the first quarter. That’s more than any Florida congressional incumbent being targeted by an opposing party in 2026.

The St. Petersburg Republican closed the quarter with nearly $376,000 in cash on hand, according to her April quarterly report with the Federal Election Commission.

That leaves her well positioned as she seeks a third term, even before any political opponent has filed to run against her in 2026. But Luna likely will need the funds, as Democrats early in the cycle announced plans to rigorously challenge the Congresswoman for her job representing Florida’s 13th Congressional District.

House Majority PAC, the super PAC dedicated to expanding the Democratic caucus in the House, announced in December that Luna’s district would be on a list of targeted seats held by the GOP. And just this month, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee listed CD 13 as a “District in Play” and started a fund to support whatever Democrat Luna faces in the 2026 General Election.

That may be Whitney Fox, who appeared at a Democrat-organized town hall in Luna’s district at a time that House leadership is discouraging Republicans holding such events. Luna in November fended off a challenge from Fox, defeating the Democrat with 55% of the vote. Fox hasn’t filed this cycle, nor has any Democrat.

But Luna underperformed Republican Donald Trump, who won Florida’s electoral votes on his road back to the White House. Democrats are hoping for a major political backlash against Trump’s policies during the Midterms next year.

The bulk of contributions reported by Luna, more than $277,000 worth, came from individual contributions, including nearly $174,000 worth of unitemized contributions of $200 or less.

A significant amount came in a transfer of more than $252,000 from the APL Victory Fund, a leadership fund tied to Luna for joint fundraising.

Some major donations of note in her reports include $7,000, the maximum allowed from an individual, from PayPal founder Peter Thiel. Midland Energy CEO Javaid Anwar similarly has hit the $7,000 limit in giving to Luna, as has Miami Beach investment fund manager Saul Fox.

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Members of the House and Senate are getting behind an effort to restrict oil drilling and exploration near the Florida coast.

In the House, Representatives unanimously backed that chamber’s bill on the full floor, prompting cheers and applause from lawmakers.

On the Senate side, the Rules Committee unanimously backed that chamber’s bill, but there were calls to strengthen the Senate version to match the House bill.

The House measure (HB 1143), sponsored Rep. Jason Shoaf, a St. Joe Republican whose House District 7 includes multiple counties in the Big Bend area along the northern Gulf Coast, specifically targets oil drilling near many environmentally threatened aquatic areas in the state.

The House proposal would prohibit any drilling or exploration in areas within 10 miles of National Estuarine Research Reserves that include “crucial habitats that support thousands of tourism and seafood jobs.”

The Senate bill (SB 1300) sponsored by Sen. Corey Simon, a Tallahassee Republican, calls for limitations within 1 mile of the environmentally sensitive areas.

During the Senate Rules Committee meeting, residents of Florida’s Gulf Coast praised Simon’s efforts and reminded the panel that the 15th Anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf is Sunday. But many said the Senate measure, which is now heading to the floor for a full vote, should parallel the House bill.

Adrienne Johnson, Executive Director of the Florida Shellfish Aquaculture Association, said that industry has a $54 million annual impact in the state made possible by concerted efforts after the oil spill in 2010. She thanked Simon for coining the phrase, “Kill the drill,” but added the Senate measure needs to be bolstered to provide wider protection.

“This (Senate) bill in its current form does not do that. The House bill does,” Johnson said.

Hunter Levine, a fifth generation Floridian from Wakulla County, member of the Drifter Fish Club and a podcaster on fishing issues, said the Panhandle area where he’s from can never have too much protection. But he said while the Senate bill is welcomed, it needs to be improved.

The Senate bill should match the House language “so it can provide real protection,” said Levine, who’s been testifying at multiple committee meetings in both the House and Senate as both bills have been winding through the legislative process over the past month.

On the floor of the House, Shoaf said his 10-mile restriction on oil drilling near the Florida coast has been gaining momentum as it gets more attention.

“When this issue first came up, the public really, really got upset,” Shoaf said just before the House vote. “We know about the dangers of oil spills … We’re still carrying those scars.

The 10-mile ban “will safeguard Florida’s critical ecosystems,” Shoaf said.

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U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz ended the first quarter with $293,000 in cash on hand. But two other Republicans signed up to challenge him — Raven Harrison and George Moraitis — added more than the Parkland Democrat in the first three months of this year.

That could forecast challenges for Moskowitz, an incumbent already being targeted by the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).

Moskowitz raised more than $169,000 in the first three months of 2025, according to his April quarterly report with the Federal Election Commission. But he also spent nearly $126,000 of that.

Because he had leftover cash at the end of 2024, he still holds more resources in the bank than anyone now running in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District.

Meanwhile, Harrison, a conservative activist and author, reported the most in collections in the first quarter, though that came nearly completely through self-funding.

Of more than $277,000 reported by the Boca Raton Republican since she filed in March, $270,000 of it comes in the form of loans.

Moraitis, a former state Representative who once served with Moskowitz in the Florida Legislature, also announced his bid in March. Since then, he has raised more than $262,000 for the race.

Again, much of that comes from a loan worth $110,000.

But he also rallied nearly $147,000 in outside donations to his campaign, rivaling the collections reported by the Democratic incumbent. Most of that came from individual donations. He notably received $4,000 from political committees connected to U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, a Sarasota Republican who also once served with Moraitis in Tallahassee.

Moskowitz raised a good amount of his contributions from PACs and finance interests. That included $10,000 from Guidewell Mutual Holding, as well as $5,000 from both the INFiN financial alliance and from Populus Financial Group.

Republican Darlene Swaffar has also filed against Moskowitz but has raised less than $5,000 so far. Republican Joe Kaufman also opened an account but has reported no fundraising.

In November, Moskowitz won a second House term with 53% of the vote over Kaufman. That 9-percentage-point win came when Moskowitz’s seat wasn’t targeted by the NRCC, as it is this year.

When the seat was open in 2022, Republicans made a more serious run in the district. But Moskowitz, then a Broward County Commissioner, won with almost 52% that cycle over Republican Joe Budd’s 47%.

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