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.

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.

Defending Liberty against the Power and Reach of Government

Did you ever feel outraged when predatory regulators attack ordinary citizens, take their property, and impose catastrophic fines for behavior that we “thought” was protected by the Constitution?

If that happens to you, “Who you gonna call?”

Pacific Legal Foundation litigates nationwide to secure all Americans’ inalienable rights to live responsibly and productively in their pursuit of happiness. PLF combines strategic and principled litigation, communications, and research to achieve landmark court victories enforcing the Constitution’s guarantee of individual liberty.

Mark manages the Palm Beach Gardens office of PLF and is fresh from his 8-0 victory in front of the Supreme Court in “Weyerhauser vs U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service”, (aka the “dusky gopher frog” case) which protected the rights of a Louisiana property owner against the “critical habitat” designation of the Endangered Species Act.

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Mark Miller, a PLF Senior Attorney, manages PLF’s Florida office in Palm Beach Gardens. He defends your constitutional rights in state and federal court. CBS This Morning, Fox & Friends, The View, The Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio (NPR) have all featured his work.

An expert in appellate practice, Thomson Reuters lists Mark as a Florida SuperLawyer, Florida Trend Magazine has described him as a member of Florida’s Legal Elite, and Martindale-Hubbell awarded him its AV-Preeminent rating, its highest rating. He serves as a director for the boards of Americans United for Life, Florida Rural Legal Services, Inc., Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal Historical Society, and the Martin County Legal Aid Society. He is both a James Madison Institute senior fellow and a Federalist Society expert and approved speaker. He is a past president of the Martin County Bar Association. In 2018, Florida Governor Rick Scott appointed him to serve a four-year term as a member of Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal Judicial Nominating Commission.

Mark learned to fight for justice and love our country from his two grandfathers: one fought under General George S. Patton in World War II, and the other graduated from NYU Law in the early 1920s. Both men taught Mark to believe in the greatness of the United States but also to keep its government honest; that is what he has done throughout his career and does now as a member of the PLF team.

He attended college and law school at the University of Florida, earning both diplomas with Honors. He elbow clerked for U.S. District Judge Henry Lee Adams, Jr., of the Middle District of Florida and Emerson R. Thompson, Jr., of Florida’s Fifth District Court of Appeal. Mark has represented clients before local zoning boards and through every court level up to and including the Supreme Court of the United States. He served as co-counsel and second chair before the High Court in United States Army Corps of Engineers v. Hawkes Co., one of our recent wins before the Court, and was lead counsel for the family landowners in Weyerhaeuser v. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, PLF’s most recent Supreme Court win.

Charles Bender Featured at December Lunch

Place of Hope is a private-sector community-based child-care agency for abused and neglected children. Charles will share his insights into how the private sector can effectively address social issues and work together with government agencies to help low-income individuals and families, the homeless and at-risk/dependent children and youth.

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Charles is the Founding Executive Director of Place of Hope, a faith-based and state-licensed family-style residential child-caring agency for abused and neglected children, located in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He earned his B.A. degree in Sociology from Florida Atlantic University and also studied at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida.

Charles came to Place of Hope in 1999 following many years of work with various housing, social, and human services organizations throughout Palm Beach County. He has participated in numerous community committees, task forces, special initiatives, and boards. He has been a team member of several other local leading organizations including: Palm Beach County Housing and Community Development, Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches, Inc., the City of Delray Beach Community Development Division. The majority of Charles’ work has involved low-income individuals and families, homeless and substance abusing populations, and at-risk/dependent children and youth. Prior to spearheading implementation of Place of Hope, Charles was a primary volunteer in the multi-year visioning and development processes while still a “vision” of Christ Fellowship (founding church).

Charles has significant experience developing and administering social programs and low-income housing initiatives, executing growth plans, implementing federal, state, and local funding programs, building organizational capacity and community coalitions, enhancing service delivery systems, raising capital and annual operating funds, and managing overall non-profit operations.

Thoughts on the Election Just Past – 11/14

With the election over,  it looks like Florida delivered (subject to a recount on the Senate race).   Although Republicans lost a House Majority, we held our own CD18 seat, the Governor’s Office and (subject to a recount for Ag Commissioner) the cabinet.  At this writing, Rick Scott has about a 22K lead on Bill Nelson.

Nationally, with a Democrat House, it will certainly put a crimp in the Trump agenda and we can look forward to investigations, harassment of administration figures, and the return of “Speaker Pelosi”.   We may even be dealing with the spectacle of impeachment for no reasonable cause – both the President and Justice Kavenaugh.  An expanded Senate majority though, and a new Attorney General will give our side the means of fighting back.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back about your business!

Sid will give his thoughts on what the election results mean for all of us.

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Ballot Amendments to be Explained at October Meeting

The large number of complex ballot questions to appear in November require research to really understand the consequences of their passage. Let us help you through it with a distillation of the important issues and some recommendations on how to approach them. See who put the questions on the ballot, who supports them and who opposes them. You will come away enlightened!

1 Increased Homestead Property Tax Exemption	2 Limitations on Property Tax Assessments	3 Voter Control of Gambling in Florida	4 Voting Restoration Amendment	5 Supermajority Vote Required to Impose, Authorize, or Raise State Taxes or Fees
6 Rights of Crime Victims; Judges	7 First Responder and Military Member Survivor Benefits; Public Colleges and Universities	8 School Board Term Limits, Allow State to Operate Non-Board Established Schools	9 Prohibits Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling; Prohibits Vaping in Enclosed Indoor Workplaces	10 State and Local Government Structure and Operation
11 Property Rights; Removal of Obsolete Provision; Criminal Statutes	12 Lobbying and Abuse of Office by Public Officers	13 Ends Dog Racing		PBC-1 PBC School District Tax Increase

Scott Maxwell Featured at September Lunch

The job of Political Director involves finding Republican candidates for local elections and helping them succeed. As a current Lake Worth Commissioner serving his sixth term, Scott knows how it’s done.

Join us in September to hear Scott’s views on the upcoming election. With highly contested races for Governor, Senator and US Congress, there is a lot riding on what we do in the next 10 weeks. It’s time to saddle up.

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Scott Maxwell is the Executive & Political Director of the Republican Party of Palm Beach County.

Scott’s earliest political involvement and activism dates to the Gerald Ford campaign of 1976 and continued through the Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush campaigns.

Over the past 20+ years, Scott has worked successfully with various candidates, consultants and fundraisers throughout Palm Beach County and is currently serving his 6th term on the Lake Worth City Commission.

He devotes much of his free time to volunteering for a number of local faith based and non-profit organizations such as Sacred Heart Church & School, Meals on Wheels and Little Free Libraries, to name a few.

Scott serves as a Director on several Civic, Non-Profit, Government and Political boards throughout Palm Beach County, Tallahassee and Washington D.C.

Born at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia; Scott was raised in a military family. He attended Xavier University in Cincinnati and transferred to Palm Beach County from Pittsburgh in June 1983. Scott met his beautiful wife Paula in 1984, and they married in 1988.

In addition to their adult son, Scott Jr., they also have two wonderful English Cocker Spaniels and an Australian Terrier; all rescues, Cody, Domino and Archie “Doodle”.

Scott utilizes his experiences to build relationships and coalitions that encourage others to join, support and actively participate in the Republican Party of Palm Beach County.

Primary Candidate Round-up August 22

More are signing up every day, but so far we have:

Dave Cummings CD18	Javier Manjarres CD22	Belinda Keiser Senate 25	Rick Roth House 85 (November)
Michael Caruso House 89	Matt Spritz House 89	John Mercadante Governor	Bob White Governor
Matt Caldwell Agriculture Commissioner

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