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Tampa Bay GOP leaders top Bondi campaign

Posted Mar 16, 2010 by William March

Updated Mar 16, 2010 at 11:02 AM

Pam Bondi of Tampa has just released a list of the state leaders of her campaign, and it underscores two prominent aspects of her campaign: Her reliance on her base in the Tampa Bay area, and her ties to the political and fundraising machine of the Bush family.

The top of the list includes former Gov. Bob Martinez of Tampa and his wife, Mary Jane Martinez; former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker; and Ned Siegel, a Boca Raton real estate developer and Bush loyalist.

The Martinezes and Siegel are “honorary co-chairmen,” and Baker is state chairman.

Attorney Martin Garcia of Tampa and former state Senate President Tom Lee of Brandon are among the regional chairs in the campaign.

Other regional co-chairs include Kathleen Shanahan, head of an environmental engineering firm and former chief of staff for both former Gov. Jeb Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney; and Phil Handy of Winter Park, a prominent fundraiser in the campaigns of both Bush brothers.

Bondi’s relationship with Shanahan has helped her recruit support from among the backers of the Bush brothers in Florida, campaign sources say.