John Peters, Eddie Speir, Ed Pope build up coffers to run for open CD 16 seat

Three Republicans have entered the race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan and have already raised tens of thousands of dollars for their campaigns in Florida’s 16th Congressional District.

John Peters, who owns several steam-cleaning businesses, leads in fundraising with almost $41,000, most of it from his own money. Eddie Speir, a private school founder and former GOP Primary challenger, has raised over $24,000. Ed Pope, a Navy veteran and new candidate, contributed $15,000 of his own funds to his campaign.

Sydney Gruters, the former head of the New College Foundation, says she has raised more than the other three candidates combined. However, she will not file detailed fundraising reports until after June since she started her campaign in the second quarter.

Cleaning up

Peters has already invested heavily in his campaign, running radio ads and putting up a billboard to boost his visibility. He lives in Lakeland, just outside the current boundaries of District 16, but has worked in the Tampa Bay area for many years.

Peters previously ran against Democratic U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor in 2024 but lost in the GOP Primary. He first planned to run for that seat again, but switched to District 16 on January 27 after Buchanan announced his retirement. He hopes voters will connect with his experience as a self-made business owner.

“Everything I have, I worked for,” he said. “The only thing I had was an opportunity.”

In the first three months of 2026, Peters raised over $31,000. About $24,000 came from a loan he made to his own campaign, and $7,400 came from donations.

Altogether, Peters has raised nearly $41,000 during the campaign, with about $28,000 coming from loans.

After paying for advertising and repaying $5,000 in previous loan debt, his campaign ended March with only $2,500 in cash.

Peters says he has the personal resources to keep running and feels motivated to compete in a district he sees as more favorable. He believes the main competition will be between him and Gruters, who is married to Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters and has President Donald Trump’s endorsement.

“Only two people stand here, Sydney and I. She will have a lot more money,” he said. “But we are gaining traction. When people see a puppet of the system versus a genuine person, that she feels entitled, we’re going to beat the odds.”

He is campaigning on conservative values and supports term limits.

Back for more

Speir, who founded Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, faced criticism in 2024 for relying on family and using school resources in his campaign. Still, he performed better than any other Republican Primary challenger to Buchanan since Buchanan’s first campaign in 2006.

Buchanan won his 2024 Primary easily, but Speir received over 39% of the vote. No other challenger to Buchanan’s re-election campaigns has ever reached 20% support.

Speir still had $500 left from his previous campaign, but did not file to run again until after Buchanan announced his retirement. Since filing his candidacy on February 5, he has raised over $24,000 for his second run for the District 16 seat, which is now one of only three open U.S. House seats in Florida.

He finished the fundraising period with no debt, so all his funds came from outside donations. Aside from Gruters’ announced totals, Speir has reported the most outside contributions in the race.

In 2024, his campaign spent over $549,000, mostly funded by a $500,000 loan he made to himself. This suggests he may be willing to invest his own money again as he runs for an open seat.

Speir is running as an anti-establishment candidate with a populist message. He has also criticized Gruters indirectly by pointing to her husband’s voting record in the Florida Senate.

“From Florida’s 16th Congressional District to Washington, D.C., it’s bad here, and it’s worse there. Congress has delegated its authority to unelected bureaucracies.” Spier posted on X. “Joe Gruters sought to protect government employee unions SB 256 (2023). These same unions are the backbone of the administrative state in our Federal Government. Now he wishes to continue the march by running his wife against me for Congressional District 16. We, The People, need to fight back here locally and nationally.”

By the end of March, Speir had just under $19,000 left after spending over $6,000 to launch his campaign.

Speir declined to comment on his fundraising to Florida Politics.

Jumpstarting a race

Pope was the last to enter the race before the first quarter ended. After filing on March 2, he loaned his campaign $15,000 and raised about $50 more by the end of the month.

A former Florida Highway Patrol trooper who became a business executive, Pope has been sharing his background with the media and voters in the district.

“The state of the race is still developing, but one thing is clear— voters across Florida’s 16th District are looking for strong, experienced leadership and a candidate with a proven record of service. My campaign is focused on delivering exactly that: real-world experience, a commitment to public safety, and a results-driven approach to the issues that matter most to our communities,” he said.

He says the political landscape has changed since Gruters entered the race, which has frustrated him and many others in the district.

“I have also received a significant amount of feedback from constituents who are concerned about the direction of the race and how a certain candidate is being elevated. Many voters have expressed frustration with what they perceive as a system driven more by political connections than by demonstrated qualifications or earned experience,” he said.

“That sentiment underscores why this race matters—people want a representative who has built their career on service, not circumstance. As the race continues to take shape, I believe voters will ultimately respond to authenticity, accountability, and a demonstrated ability to lead—not just promises or affiliations.”

At the end of the fundraising period, Pope had about $14,000 in cash on hand.

A changing campaign

The race in District 16 is still changing. After Gruters entered in April, she announced raising over $100,000 in her first five hours. Other well-connected candidates might still join the race.

The district boundaries themselves could change soon, as state lawmakers are preparing for a Special Session on congressional redistricting starting April 20. Buchanan’s retirement has led to speculation that both his district and Castor’s could be redrawn.

So far, every Republican candidate has put tens of thousands of dollars into the race for one of Florida’s three open congressional seats this election cycle.