Armand Grossman on American Exceptionalism

What is it about our country that sets us apart from all others? Some would say the uniqueness of our founding with rights derived from our creator has put us on a clear path of liberty, equality and prosperity. Many on the left of course reject that notion, postulating that we are no different or better than any other nation and do not deserve our place in the world.

Join us in September as Armand Grossman, current President of the Boca Raton Regional Republican Club, explores this concept.

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Armand Grossman has a long standing, highly distinguished affiliation with Florida Atlantic University. Grossman’s deep affinity for FAU began the same year the university opened, as he was a member of the inaugural class. As an undergrad, he was a founder of the Student Government Association, wrote the SGA Charter and served in the first student senate. He was also a founder of the student newspaper, The Atlantic Sun and served as its first sports editor .Grossman received his bachelor’s degree in political science from FAU, along with a master’s degree in education and an MBA in 1977. Along his academic path, he also has earned a certificate in real estate finance from Harvard University.

Grossman is the former vice mayor of the city of Miami Springs, where he served two terms prior to his candidacy for the state legislature. He also served two years as director of the Dade League of Cities.
Professionally, Grossman has spent 35 years in public and private education. While serving in Dade County schools, he was the basketball coach at Miami Northwestern Senior High School where his teams lost a total of six games over a four-year stint. In the past 18 years, he has conducted nearly 1,500 seminars worldwide on the subject of personal transition and individual achievement.

Professionally, Armand is a commercial real estate broker and developer. He is currently working in the Donald Trump Organization. Grossman served as president of the FAU National Alumni Association for two consecutive terms and as the chair of the FAU Foundation Board of Directors in 2004. Most recently, he was appointed to the FAU Board of Trustees and continues to serve as a member. Grossman and his wife Gina reside in Boca Raton with their sons, Michael, 17, and Mark, 12.

LobsterFest 2019

2nd Annual Rooney’s Bowling Bash

PBC Committeeman and Trump Club 45 President Joe Budd for July Meeting

2020 is coming! What are the state and local plans to re-elect the President and win Republican seats next year? What can we do to help?

With the Florida Democrats pulling out the stops to register 1 million voters and turn the state blue, the 2020 election will be a struggle. Joe Budd will share some of our party’s plans, as well as what the Trump Club 45 will be doing.

Come prepared to get charged up and ready to go!

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President and founder of the Trump Club 45, the largest such club in the country, Joe Budd is our State Committeeman and has been a member of the Palm Beach County Republican Executive Committee Board of Directors. He is a past President of the Boca Raton Regional Republican Club and has been locally active in politics since his run for Congress in 2009. Joe served as a vice chair of the Palm Beach County Trump campaign helping President Trump win a decisive primary victory with 52% of the vote in our county.

Joe has been married to his wife Sherry for 33 years and has three children and one grandchild. Joe operates a successful Financial Planning firm in Boca Raton as well as an Insurance Brokerage firm.

Former Congressman Tom Rooney to Present 2019 Ann Roberts Scholarships

Presenting the awards for the club will be our featured speaker, Former Congressman and Senior Fellow at the LeMieux Center for Public Policy at PBAU, Tom Rooney.

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Tom Rooney recently retired from his position as US Representative for Florida’s 17th Congressional District. Having served since 2008, he was on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Military Construction and Veteran’s Affairs, and State and Foreign Operations. He also served on the House Select Committee on Intelligence and was Chairman of the Intelligence Subcommittee on Emerging Threats. He was also deputy whip when the GOP was in the majority.

Prior to his election to Congress, Rooney worked as an Assistant Attorney General, and was CEO of The Children’s Place at Home Safe, a home for abused and neglected children. He was later appointed by Governor Jeb Bush to the Children’s Services Council of PBC. An attorney, Rooney was in private practice with a Stuart Law Firm.

He has a degree in English Literature from Syracuse University, a master’s degree from the University of Florida, and a JD from the University of Miami School of Law.

Legislative Update at May Lunch

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Gayle Harrell represents Florida Senate District 25, which includes Martin and St. Lucie Counties and part of Palm Beach County. She was elected to the Florida Senate in November 2018 after serving two term in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000-2008 and 2010-2018.

Senator Harrell has over 25 years of experience in healthcare. She has worked as a Healthcare Administrator, managing the Ob-Gyn. practice of Dr. James E. Harrell and was the founder of the Breast Imaging Center, a mammography center specializing in preventive care for women. Her experience in healthcare has made her a leader in setting healthcare policy for the State of Florida

Senator Harrell is Chair of Committee on Health Policy and Vice Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Health and Human Services. Senator Harrell is also a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice; Children, Families, and Elder Affairs; Military and Veterans Affairs and Space and the Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight.

Senator Harrell has won numerous awards for her legislative service. Among her many awards she has received the Legislator of the Year by the Florida Medical Association, the Legislative Leadership Award by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Legislative Award by the Florida Children’s Forum, an “A” Ranking by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Friend of Free Enterprise Award by the Associated Builders and Contractors, the Legislative Achievement Award by Keep Florida Beautiful, and the Distinguished Legislator Award by the Florida Police Benevolent Association.

A resident of Florida’s Treasure Coast for over 40 years, Senator Harrell is committed to serving our community having served as president of many civic organizations such as Hibiscus Children’s Center, Education Foundation of Martin County, Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee Counties, and HPS – Helping People Succeed. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and a Master’s Degree in Latin American History from the University of Florida where she received the Edith Bristol Tigert award as an Outstanding Female Graduate and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.

Gayle has been married to Dr. James Harrell for 51 years, has four children and eight grandchildren, and is an active member of the First Presbyterian Church in Stuart.

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Rick Roth, a 39 year Wellington resident, grew up in Belle Glade. He is the President of the 5000 acre Roth Farms east of Belle Glade, and has been producing vegetables and sugar cane there since 1976.

Although never holding a public office before 2016, Rick has been involved in politics for years, including fund-raising for former Governor Bob Martinez, and he has held a variety of leadership positions with the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and is on the board of the Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. In 2016, he defeated Andrew Watt with 62% in the Republican primary and then beat Democrat Robert Simone in the general with 57% of the vote.

NCNC President Sal Faso at April Meeting

April’s speaker will be Sal Faso, President and founder of the North County Neighborhood Coalition (NCNC). The NCNC is composed of 23 communities from West Palm Beach to Jupiter, and represents 45,000 residents and 30,000 voters. Advocating for quality of life issues in the north county, Sal works with county and city elected officials and staff to relay his member’s positions on western development, traffic issues and the environment, and supports community involvement through candidate forums and invited speakers at monthly meetings. NCNC is similar in operation and influence to COBWRA (Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations) which operates in south county.

As developer lobbyists and other special interests have increasing influence on the leaders of our cities, organizations like NCNC organize and present the positions of the citizens and insure us a seat at the table. They also foster awareness of issues and candidates for office.

Sal will present an overview of some of the issues of interest to county residents, such as the State route 7 extension, traffic issues on Northlake Boulevard and elsewhere, the status of the new developments being constructed west of the turnpike, and what to expect from the fresh crop of elected officials sworn in after the March elections in the Gardens, West Palm Beach and the other northern Municipalities.

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Sal is an experienced executive with sales, marketing and operational knowledge in leading businesses both nationally and internationally.

He retired in 2000 from IBM after working 30 years with geographic responsibilities for customers within the United States, Europe and South Africa.

His organizations were responsible for significant revenue and profits. He held positions such as General Manager for all sales within the Midwest United States, he was CEO of IBM South Africa, a public company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and worked with Emerging markets in Europe.

Soon after retiring he engaged with the local communities, West Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens and became a civic leader. He led the Transition Team for the mayor of West Palm Beach in 2011 and had chaired the City Budget committee and conducted the Fire and Police Pension Task Force. He participated in activities for the WPB and PBG Police radio dispatch system. He currently serves on his community Property Owners Association Board of Directors.

The North County Neighborhood Coalition was formed in 2010 with seven communities and now has grown to 23 communities with 45,000 residents and 36,000 voters. The NCNC promotes working with Government, Business and Community leadership to plan for a better county. The NCNC is a not for profit organization filed as a 617 chapter in the State of Florida.

He recently became the President of the North Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce Foundation and a member of the Strategic Planning committee and Technology and Connectivity committee.

He and his wife celebrated 51 years of marriage and they have two children and four grandsons. Loves golf, tennis and the Arts (Opera). He is a native Floridian born in Coral Gables and graduated from the University of Miami.

March Lunch to Feature Everglades Foundation CEO Eric Eikenberg

As CEO of the Everglades Foundation, Erik Eikenberg has helped bring widespread national and international attention to the perennial toxic algae crisis in Florida that threatens the state’s waterways and tourism industry. He leads a team of nationally recognized scientists, educators, lobbyists, and communications and development professionals, all working together to achieve a decades-long campaign to restore America Everglades – roughly three million acres of endangered habitat that is vital to Florida’s economic and environmental viability.

Join us on March 27 to hear Erik’s assessment of the water crisis in the state.

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Eric Eikenberg is a seasoned political strategist and environmental policy expert who leads one of the country’s most prestigious and respected environmental non-profits – The Everglades Foundation, which has an annual operating budget of more than $10 million.

As CEO, Eikenberg oversees a team of nationally recognized scientists, educators, lobbyists, and communications and development professionals, all working together to achieve a decades-long campaign to restore America Everglades – roughly three million acres of endangered habitat that is vital to Florida’s economic and environmental viability.

Appointed CEO by the Foundation’s board of directors in 2012, Eikenberg has extensive policy and political experience in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C., and served as chief of staff to former Gov. Charlie Crist and former U.S. Rep. E. Clay Shaw, Jr., the latter who authored the landmark $8.4 billion Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP).

Prior to joining The Everglades Foundation, Eikenberg served as senior policy advisor at the law firm of Holland & Knight, LLP, co-chairing the firm’s Florida Government Advocacy Team with former Gov. Bob Martinez.

A sought-after public speaker on the importance of preserving one of America’s most unique natural habitats, Eikenberg is a regular OpEd columnist and a widely quoted source for national and local media outlets, including National Public Radio, CNN, The Associated Press, U.S. News & World Report, Politico, The Miami Herald, and many others.

Eikenberg has been a long-time champion for expediting Everglades restoration, with a knack for innovation and engaging partners in the corporate, philanthropic and political arenas.

This included, most recently, leading an intense public awareness campaign that ultimately led to the passage of critical state and federal legislation authorizing construction of a $1.6 billion reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee – a key component of CERP.

During his tenure as CEO, Eikenberg has helped bring widespread national and international attention to the perennial toxic algae crisis in Florida that threatens the state’s waterways and tourism industry; launched the world’s largest water incentive prize – the $10 million dollar George Barley Water Prize; expanded the Foundation’s Everglades literacy program to reach tens of thousands of students across Florida; and provided scientific, technical and policy support to numerous decision makers in executing CERP.

A graduate of The American University, Eikenberg, his wife Tonya and four children reside in Miami.

Apply Now for the 2019 Ann Roberts Scholarship

The Republican Club of the Palm Beaches’ Scholarship was named after a long-standing and active member of our Club, Anne Roberts.

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 June 26, 2019.

RCPB Scholarship application 2019

Previous Years Winners

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In 2017, our new winner was Jessica Blakley, majoring in Political Science and Economics at Belmont University (she was also awarded an internship during the 2018 session of the Tennessee Legislature). We also continued Jenna Calderaio, studying entrepreneurship at FSU, Lauren Staff who is studying telecommunications at UF, and Ryan Walker who is at Stetson Law School.

Lauren and Jenna were first time winners in 2016.

Lauren graduated from Dwyer High School in 2015 and is presently a Junior at UF. She writes for the Independent Florida Alligator Newspaper and works for ESPN Gainesville Radio 95.3 researching sports statistics. She tells us that Law School is in her future.

Jenna graduated from Jupiter Community High School in 2016 and is attending Florida State University. Her major in business and entrepreneurship will prepare her for a career in product development. She attended the Florida Sunshine Summit in Orlando witnessing 14 presidential candidates which supported her goal to be a strong conservative leader for the Republican Party on a local or national level.

In 2015, our new winners were Aaron Mejias, who studied Political Science and History at PBAU and Ryan Walker, a political science major at the University of Florida.

In 2014, our previous undergraduate recipients kept up their grades to receive additional scholarship: Dylan Brandenburg, John Clark, Jason Ferrara, and Daniel Kozell. Because of the generosity of our club members, we were able to add a fifth recipient, Hanna Matry, a junior at UF majoring in Aerospace/Mechanical Engineering and a member of the University’s Rocket Team in the NASA Hybrid rocket competition.

2013 was an expansive year for our scholarship program, with 6 recipients. They went to Elizabeth Cayson, a county employee who is attending Walden University in Illinois remotely, and Danielle Madsen, who recently graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic and is working at a TV station. Three Florida State students received grants including John Clark (3rd year), Dylan Brandenburg (1st year) and Daniel Kozell (2nd year), and Jason Ferrara who is attending the University of Alabama received his third year scholarship.

In 2012, there were 5 scholarships awarded: James Schackelford in his 3rd year at Florida Atlantic University and Daniel Kozell entering Florida State University. We continued to follow John Clark, Jason Ferrara and Shirley Schaff.

In 2011, there were four scholarships awarded. John Clark attending Florida State University, Jason Ferrara attending University of Alabama, Shirley Schaff attending Northwood University and Kimberly Twoey attending Palm Beach Atlantic University.

In 2010, one scholarship was awarded to Cindy Morris, mother of 5, in her final year with 3.7 GPA at Palm Beach Atlantic College School of Education with endorsements in special education and English and a second language.

The second 2010 scholarship was awarded to James Shackelford, majoring in accounting at Florida Atlantic University. With his passion for politics, he is active in student government and volunteered for Allen West and Marco Rubio campaigns. After receiving his masters in Finance, James plans to attend law school.

The 2009 recipient, Nicole Vega, from Berean Christian High School, aspired to be a civil engineer. After much mentoring by several Club members, Nicole has changed her studies to major in Communications with a minor in Political Science at Palm Beach State College.

RCPB Scholarship application 2019

FH89 Representative Mike Caruso at February Lunch

Our February speaker, newly elected to House district 89, has not yet participated in a Legislative session, but has experienced first hand the chaos that surrounded the 2018 election. As the recount dragged on, his was one of the 4 races that were too close to call, and Mike was down at the SOE facility daily keeping watch on Susan Bucher’s minions as they tried to sort it out in the biggest election fiasco since the butterfly ballot.

Now that Governor DeSantis has replaced Bucher with Wendy Link, we can look forward to 2020 in his words “.. where there’s not any type of circus after the votes are in.”

Join us on February 27th to hear Mike’s thoughts on the matter and what it was like to participate in the that circus as his vote advantage over Jim Bonfiglio shrank with each passing day. The FH89 race was not actually over until Bonfiglio conceded on November 18. The margin was 37 votes.

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Mike Caruso learned from a young age that in order to succeed, he needed to roll up his sleeves and work hard until the job was done. As a child, Mike sold flowers and mowed lawns to earn money. He kept his entrepreneurial spirit alive and worked his way through college at George Washington University, where he earned a degree in Business Administration, specializing in accounting.

After years of experience as a CPA in accounting firms such as KPMG and Grant Thornton International, Mike opened his own CPA firm, Caruso & Caruso, in Palm Beach County. Over the next three decades, Mike 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 account.

Mike is a proud father of 7, a champion barefoot water-skier, a tennis enthusiast, and enjoys spending time at the beach with his wife and two dogs. Mike is honored to call District 89 his home where he has lived for 32 years.

Since being elected to the Florida House, Mike has been assigned to serve on the following committees: Energy & Utilities Subcommittee; Higher Education & Career Readiness Subcommittee;Insurance & Banking Subcommittee; Joint Legislative Auditing Committee; Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee; and the Ways & Means Committee. He is looking forward to passing meaningful legislation and working on good public policy for the people of Florida.

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