Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz at October Lunch
Our October meeting featured newly elected State Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz. A rising star in the PBC Republican party, supporting GOTV efforts and candidates at all levels for the last 5 years, Jodi won almost 25,000 votes (40%) in the August election in a county-wide race against two opponents, including a past Vice Chair and candidate in several House and Senate races. As Committeewoman, she will represent the county party to RPOF and connect local candidates with the movers and shakers in Tallahassee.
Jodi started with the various ways that members can help get our candidates elected on 11/5. At this point we are “past the point of persuasion” and focused on Get Out the Vote. Early voting has already started, and Republicans have done better this year in returning Vote by Mail ballots.
Some of her suggestions suggestions are:
- Sign up for a slot at one of the GOP tents at the early voting sites
- Wear a flag pin or Trump hat and talk it up in supermarket lines and other public places
- Sign wave at the Early Voting sites
- Sign up at the office to door knock and phone bank
- Bring friends and family to the polls
- VOTE EARLY!!
With a full list of our candidates, she urged support for them as well as our positions on the ballot amendments: NO on 3 (Marijuana) and 4 (Abortion), YES on the others, and NO on the sales tax surcharge. It looks good for our incumbents Peggy Gosset Seidman and Mike Caruso, and Meg Weinberger in the seat vacated by Rick Roth. We have the chance of a pickup in HD93 where Anne Gerwig is challenging incumbent Katherine Waldron.
We had asked her to say a few words about election integrity, and that clearly is on people’s minds as there were a lot of questions. She made a good case for the strengths of our checks and balances, and the improvements that have been made since Wendy Link was appointed Supervisor of Elections by Governor DeSantis.
State Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz to speak at October Meeting
State Committeewoman Jodi Schwartz
In particular, we asked Jodi to discuss:
- How members can help get us to the finish line
- The outlook for the various races and questions
- Election integrity and what RPOF and the local party is doing to provide oversight to the SOE processes
- The future of the party in PBC and Florida and how it would differ depending on who wins the federal races
Program Noon – 1PM, Buffet starts at 11:30AM
Cash Bar Available
Palm Beach Kennel Club – Paddock Restaurant
1111 N Congress Ave
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
MAP
$28/Members $35/Guests
Pay at the door.
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
213 29th Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
(561) 855-0749
Jodi Schwartz has been a full time, very active, grassroots volunteer in Palm Beach County politics since January of 2020. She has worked on Congressional, State House, State Senate, County Commissioner, School Board, and City Council Campaigns. She has held leadership roles in the Republican Party of Palm Beach County as a Regional Director and Deputy Director of Election Operations. Jodi looks forward to taking her activism to the next level, representing you in the State Party.
Her story is similar to a lot of us in South Florida. She was born in Brooklyn, NY, and moved around the Northeast, from NY to Massachusetts, then to New Jersey to Connecticut, before moving to Boca in 2017. Jodi graduated from Northeastern University with a BS in Business with a concentration in Management Information Systems, and started her career as a Technical Recruiter and Corporate Trainer before leaving to raise a family. Married to Duane for 20 years, they have two children, Andrew (18) and Hannah (15).
PBCGOP Chairman Kevin Neal to Speak at September Meeting
County GOP Chairman Kevin Neal
Program Noon – 1PM, Buffet starts at 11:30AM
Cash Bar Available
Palm Beach Kennel Club – Paddock Restaurant
1111 N Congress Ave
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
MAP
$28/Members $35/Guests
Pay at the door.
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
213 29th Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
(561) 855-0749
Kevin Neal is a populist, nationalist, America First Republican and currently serves as the Chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County. Kevin’s primary goal is to get Republican candidates elected in Palm Beach County to municipal, county, state, and national offices. Kevin is also focused on recruiting new members for the Republican Executive Committee.
Kevin is the founder and CEO of Neal Development Company. He has almost 20 years of experience in design and real estate development and has developed projects totaling over 3,000 units and over one billion dollars. As a Real Estate Executive Kevin has led projects with teams made up of hundreds of people and budgets totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. Kevin is also a trained Architect and he has designed and developed some of the most successful multi-family apartment projects in Florida. Kevin earned a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a Masters in Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Kevin and Laura live in Delray Beach with their twin sons.
School Board Candidates on the Challenges and Opportunities of the 2024 Education Legislation
Challenges and Opportunities in the School System
SB1 candidate Matthew Lane
SB1 candidate Page Lewis
SB5 candidate Mike Letsky
SB5 candidate Suzanne Page
SB5 candidate Gloria Branch
At least until November, when ballot amendment one will decide if they remain that way, the School Board races are non-partisan. The candidates who are registered as Republicans tend to let you know that by advertising in the wire and appearing at clubs and the REC, and we have asked them to participate in our forum on July 23rd.
In district one, the far north part of the county and heavily Republican (R+17), Matthew Lane and Page Lewis are facing Democrat Francesca Wernisch.
In district five, which is the far south part of the county mostly south of Clint Moore Road and evenly divided (R+0), Gloria Branch, Suzanne Page and Mike Letsky will face off against Democrats Mindy Koch and Charman Postel.
In both districts, all the Republican candidates have agreed to join us.
If no candidate receives a majority of the votes in August, a run-off with the top 2 will appear on the November ballot.
Besides hearing the candidates present their value proposition – why they are the best choice, we have asked them to comment on some of the legislation passed this year that affects K-12 education. That includes for example, a focus on courses supporting the building trades (HB917), the introduction of chaplains (HB931) and presentations by patriotic organizations (HB1317) and the teaching of the history of Communism in the curriculum (SB1264). There were also enhancements to school choice (HB1403) and the school guardian program (HB1473), and the use of Artificial Intelligence to improve classroom effectiveness (HB1361). We would also like to hear their views on Amendment one which would make their races partisan.
We will also be awarding our 2024 Anne Roberts Scholarships at this meeting.
Please join us for what should be an interesting event!
Program Noon – 1PM, Buffet starts at 11:30AM
Cash Bar Available
Palm Beach Kennel Club – Paddock Restaurant
1111 N Congress Ave
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
MAP
$28/Members $35/Guests
Pay at the door.
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
213 29th Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
(561) 855-0749
President’s Council Red White and Blue BBQ
In lieu of holding a meeting in June, we are asking our members to attend the Republican Club President’s Council Barbeque on Saturday June 15th. Many of the federal, state and local candidates will speak in addition to Peter Ticktin’s anecdotes about former (and next) President Donald Trump. The club will have a tent at the event, so drop by and say hello!
May Meeting – Session Review with Representatives Roth and Caruso
A Review of the 2024 Florida Legislative Session
District 94 Representative Rick Roth
and
District 87 Representative Mike Caruso
Program Noon – 1PM, Buffet starts at 11:30AM
Cash Bar Available
Palm Beach Kennel Club – Paddock Restaurant
1111 N Congress Ave
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
MAP
$28/Members $35/Guests
Pay at the door.
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
213 29th Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
(561) 855-0749
Representative Rick Roth is the current representative for District 94, which encompasses most of the western part of Palm Beach county, including the Glades cities, Westlake, Royal Palm Beach, Loxahatchee Groves and the parts of Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens west of the turnpike. Rick is term limited this year and has completed his eighth Legislative Session since his election in 2016 in what was then district 85. He currently serves as Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County.
With a degree in Mathematics from Emory University, Rick became President and principal owner of his family’s farming operation in 1986. Today, he is primary owner of both Roth Farms Inc., a diversified vegetables, sugar cane, and rice farming operation and Rays Heritage LLC., a vertically integrated state of the art packinghouse and sales operation in Palm Beach County. Rick has served in numerous leadership roles in his community, including on the Board of Directors for the Western Palm Beach County Farm Bureau, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida.
Representative Mike Caruso is the current representative for District 87, a coastal district running from Juno Beach south to Manalapan and including parts of Palm Beach Gardens, North Palm Beach, Lake Park and Jupiter. Prior to the redistricting in 2022, Mike served two terms in district 89 which includes parts of Boca Raton and Delray Beach.
With a degree in Business Administration from George Washington University and several years as a CPA at KPMG and Grant Thornton, Mike opened his own CPA firm, Caruso & Caruso in Palm Beach County. He is deeply entrenched in the community both personally and professionally. In addition to his professional work as a CPA, he owns several residential and commercial properties throughout the county and is the CFO of Delray Beach Executive Suites. Mike has used his skills to benefit the community, serving on many community organization boards, and serving as an expert witness in many local and national court cases as a forensic accountant.
Gloria Giorno to Speak at the April 23rd Meeting
Educating parents, grandparents and students about the truth of the indoctrination happening in our schools today.
Gloria Giorno
Author, speaker, panelist
Program Noon – 1PM, Buffet starts at 11:30AM
Cash Bar Available
Palm Beach Kennel Club – Paddock Restaurant
1111 N Congress Ave
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
MAP
$28/Members $35/Guests
Pay at the door.
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
213 29th Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
(561) 855-0749
Gloria Giorno is the author of “Outcast-How the Radical Left Tried to Destroy a Young Conservative”. She is a Conservative Christian mother and wife. Born in the suburbs of Chicago, she lived in Communist Yugoslavia in 1972 while attending first grade. Gloria has first hand experience of the tragedies under Communism and a deep appreciation for the freedoms that are taken for granted in America.
2024 Anne Roberts Scholarship
The Republican Club of the Palm Beaches’ Scholarship was named after a long-standing and active member of our Club, Anne Roberts.
Anne Roberts
Anne Roberts, a petite but strong and dedicated Republican, was born in Virginia in 1920. She lived and worked in Maryland until 1954, and then moved to Palm Beach County. Interestingly, this was the year after our Club was chartered.
While working as an R.N. for 50 year, she and her husband served on the REC. She was presented the Jean Pipes award by Palm Beach County Republican Party as an acknowledgment of her dedication to Republican principles. She never sought the limelight herself, working behind the scenes, continually letting others take credit. She always admonished us to “do the right thing”, make sure there’s education involved, mentor the young to follow in the right path, have fun, be prepared, and by all means, don’t lose money doing it!!! That is who Anne Roberts was!
In the late 80’s she had worked her way to 2nd Vice President of the Florida Federated Women. She was tasked with the “Entertainment”/Program for the NFRW National Convention held in Orlando on the 50th anniversary of the organization. She had the entire PB delegation, consisting of 6 Federated clubs, involved –even doing a “can-can” dance for one evening’s entertainment. What a “hoot” Anne was!
Her many committees remember her, not only for her great character and good judgment, but as the epitome of organization –always ready with even the tape, paper clips and scissors. She chaired a Lincoln Day Dinner in the 90’s, and true to who she was, read up on protocol for seating. She knew the value of research for allowing her to be sure everything ran smoothly—and many of us remember she knew how to delegate that research..
In 2005, Anne chaired the FFRW State Convention held in West Palm Beach. Despite a recent hurricane which cancelled the keynote speaker, she found a better one; and the show went on! If there were glitches, no one knew.
Anne left us before our club chartered with Republican Party of Florida. But, being a renaissance woman who realized that times change, I am sure she is smiling as we carry our Club’s Legacy onward. She would be very proud of the young folks who have received a scholarship in her name.
The Anne Roberts Memorial Scholarship is available to any resident of Palm Beach County who is a full or part time undergraduate or graduate student seeking to further their education. Students must have a GPA of 3.0 or above and plan to attend an accredited college. Applicants must be registered (or pre-registered under 18 yrs. of age) Republicans. Current members of our Club may refer applicants for this scholarship. The deadline for this application is May 31. The recipient will be eligible to receive up to $500 to be sent to the school they will attend. Award will be presented at the monthly luncheon in June 2024.
RCPB Scholarship application 2024
General Mark Holler’s Remarks at the February Meeting
General Holler told us some of the stories of serving under and with Generals we read about in the paper while serving several tours in the Middle East, South Korea, and in between and while serving as Executive Officer in the Army Inspector General at the Pentagon. The General also talked about the time he spent in Afghanistan and remarked how he was disappointed with the way the US exited from the country and gave us a 250 year history lesson on the practicality of the military from isolationism to pragmatism.
Dr. Rob Otto to Speak at our March Meeting
Creating Safety
Doctor Rob Otto
Program Noon – 1PM, Buffet starts at 11:30AM
Cash Bar Available
Palm Beach Kennel Club – Paddock Restaurant
1111 N Congress Ave
West Palm Beach, FL 33409
MAP
$28/Members $35/Guests
Pay at the door.
Make sure you submit your RSVP in advance by clicking on our link below:
Republican Club of the Palm Beaches
213 29th Street
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
(561) 855-0749
Dr. Rob Otto grew up in Boca Raton. He was the 7th in his family to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated with a degree in aerospace engineering. Dr. Otto served for many years as an Infantry officer and is Airborne and Ranger qualified. Rangers are experts in small unit tactics and are trained to deal with threats in very dangerous situations. He has extensive training on creating safety for those around him and often speaks and teaches on this topic. After leaving the Army in 1998, he pursued a PhD in family therapy at Nova Southeastern University. He has a counseling office in Boca Raton. Dr. Otto and his wife, Shannon, have been married for more than 3 decades. They have two sons and a daughter who are all married. They are known as Ranger and Mumsy to their 5 grandchildren.