A County Update – with Commissioner Steven Abrams

Appointed by Charlie Crist in 2009 and twice returned to office, Steven Abrams is currently our longest serving Republican Commissioner, and one of only two out of seven (Hal Valeche is the other, elected in 2012).

Speaking at our October lunch, Steve gave a relatively upbeat synopsis of the county economy, describing the low unemployment and other official statistics, as well as anecdotal “unofficial” measurements such as the uptick in traffic, tourism, and garbage collection.

The commission isn’t typically partisan he said, noting that they were in general agreement about allowing Uber to operate in the county, but there are exceptions.

Next week for example (Tuesday at 5pm) Mayor Vana is holding a public hearing on a county proclamation to support the Obama Executive Amnesty, and asking that the state of Florida withdraw from the lawsuit opposing it. If you think such unilateral amnesty is unconstitutional, you may want to attend the meeting and give them your thoughts.

In the Q&A, the commissioner was asked some substantive questions concerning the upcoming proposal for a 1 cent sales tax to fund infrastructure, and Monday’s vote to allow more development in the Ag reserve.

The sales tax proposal, if approved, would appear on the November ballot, but because both Fire/Rescue and the School System would also like to increase the sales tax, it may or may not happen. As you consider this possibility, remember that this September, the county passed the largest budget, with the largest adopted tax in county history. The millage did not increase, but the significant run up in property valuation produced a massive windfall. Steve spoke about the possibility, but did not say one way or the other whether he supports the sales tax referendum. A voted General Obligation Bond issue is also on the table to fund roads and bridges.

On the Ag Reserve (that area west of Boca, Delray and Boynton where the county bought $100M worth of land to keep in agriculture), they just voted to ease the rules on selling development rights for small, non-contiguous parcels. This will have the effect of increasing the number of houses that can be developed by about 1000, although Steve argued that the total will not exceed the amount envisioned in the master plan in 1999 (which is about 14,000 homes). What he didn’t say is that the way the land has been developed to date, the contiguity rules limited it to about 13,000. To his credit, Steve has a well thought-out set of reasons for his yes vote, and it is a relatively complex issue pitting developers and small landowners against environmentalists and groups like the League of Woman Voters.

Several candidates or their surrogates were in attendance, including CD18 candidate Rebecca Negron. Club VP Meg Shannon spoke for CD18 candidate Rick Kozell, and club Treasurer Bette Anne Starkey spoke for Jeb Bush.

Join us for the next lunch on Wednesday, November 18th where we will present a tribute to our troops and veterans with Colonel Arthur DeRuve.

PBCTP Candidate Forum Highlights CD18 Candidates

October 28 Meeting Features County Commissioner Steve Abrams

This year has been a busy one for the Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners. Approving the baseball stadium in West Palm Beach, discussing regulations for ride-sharing company Uber, new development, the future of the Agricultural Reserve and passing the largest budget in history have all been on their plate.

Join us at Bear Lakes on Wednesday October 28 to hear Commissioner Steven Abrams speak about these and other county issues.

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Steven L. Abrams has been a member of the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners since 2009, winning reelection twice. He had the distinction of serving as the first mayor of Palm Beach County in 2013.

Commissioner Abrams has a lengthy record of public service. He is the former mayor of Boca Raton, elected in 2001 and re-elected in 2003 without opposition. In the 2005 election, Abrams received the most votes in city history and was later named mayor emeritus when he stepped down in 2008 due to term limits.

The Commissioner also served five terms as a city council member in Boca Raton from 1989 to 1999 and was a member of the city’s Planning and Zoning Board between 1987 and 1989. Abrams is a past president of the Palm Beach County League of Cities and a founding board member of the Florida League of Mayors.

As mayor of Boca Raton, Abrams gained national exposure and local respect during the first bioterrorist attack in American history when anthrax was discovered at the AMI building in Boca Raton in 2001. He received the Distinguished Service Medal from the Israel National Police for his leadership during the ordeal and testified on national television on the government’s response at the invitation of a United States Senate subcommittee.

Abrams is a member of the Florida and District of Columbia Bars. Prior to moving to Florida, he served in the White House as law clerk to the counsel to President Reagan and current Supreme Court Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.
While attending Harvard University, Abrams received the Philo Sherman Bennett Prize for the best government senior thesis and was graduated magna cum laude in 1980. He received his law degree from The George Washington University in 1985. In 2005, Everglades University awarded Abrams an honorary doctorate of humane letters.

Commissioner Abrams was born in Des Moines, Iowa and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He and Debbie have been married for 33 years and have two children.

Currently, Abrams serves as board member on the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, where he recently completed two terms as chairman. He also chairs the county’s Broadband Committee, Multi-Jurisdictional Issues Coordination Forum Executive Committee, and Value Adjustment Board. He also chaired the Coastal Ocean Southeast Florida Task Force.

In addition, he sits on the boards of the Florida Atlantic University College of Engineering Advisory Board; Metropolitan Planning Organization; National Association of Counties Transportation Policy Steering Committee, and the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

Heritage Action Candidate Forum

Last week in Greenville, South Carolina, Heritage Action hosted a Presidential Candidate Forum at which 10 of the Republican candidates participated. Unlike the two cable news debates, this event avoided pitting the candidates against each other, and actually focused on policy.

Stretching from 4:00 in the afternoon to after 9:00pm with only a short break, each candidate was given about 20 minutes on stage, with questions provided from a panel of Heritage Sentinels and CEO Michael Needham. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley closed each session by providing a personal story about the candidate and asking them to expand on it. What came across was an in-depth look at their positions on issues, and a sampling of their human side – some that have not been seen before on the campaign trail.

From this unique format, a very good contrast can be found, and it is worth at least sampling the video from the candidates you are interested in. Links to those segments on the Heritage Action youtube channel can be found below.

Although all of the candidates were enthusiastically received by the audience of about 900 sentinels on the floor and over 10,000 more in the stands of Bon Secours Wellness Arena, two candidates really stood out.

Ted Cruz rallied the crowd with the theme of “don’t elect a President to manage the decline of America”, and was clearly the policy favorite with talk of judicial retention elections, a flat tax, and “breaking the cartel”. But it was Carly Fiorina, when asked by Governor Haley what her most difficult job as a leader has been, who spoke from the heart about the anguish that comes from having to fire a close associate who, although competent and a satisfactory performer, proved to be ethically challenged and could no longer be trusted. Her answer revealed a very admirable mix of courage, compassion and loyalty to the goals of the enterprise.

Following is a brief synopsis of the major points made by the candidates, in order of their appearance. Click on their picture to see the Heritage video of their segment.

Jeb Bush Need for “disruption”, “change the culture” Block grants to states for Medicaid, school vouchers, zero based budgeting Gridlock is dangerous – Congress will come along with right leader Energy – states should decide offshore drilling, expand leases, support XL No federal control of education but states need high standards	Scott Walker Cancel Iran Deal Send power back to the states Defund Planned Parenthood, repeal Obamacare Refundable health tax credits, cross state lines, HSAs Approve XL Eliminate NLRB – make all states “right to work”
Ben Carson Congress should call Obama’s bluff on Planned Parenthood Seal the border, cut off the “goodies”, farms need workers but no citizenship Eliminate regulations, implement a flat tax Obama doesn’t get to decide if we are a Christian Nation Was radical liberal until heard Reagan speak	Ted Cruz Don’t need next president to manage the decline of America Need someone as conservative as Obama is liberal to fix things Break the “cartel”, repeal Obamacare, implement flat tax Judicial retention elections to rein in rogue judges School choice is civil rights issue of our time Day of appeasement and apology for America must end
Rick Santorum “Blue collar conservative” Flat tax, stop illegal immigration, incentivise manufacturing Supports Ex-Im bank, federal minimum wage Refugees – all the Syrians are Muslim, where are the Christians? Reform social security by indexing retirement age	Marco Rubio Reform education – emphasize alternatives to college, trade schools, etc Must address debt and deficit, reform social security by extending age for younger people Moral clarity on foreign policy, expand military, take care of veterans Immigration reform: close border, e-verify, visa tracking, entry based on merit not family Need president with “sense of urgency”, term limits for Congress
Rand Paul Lower taxes, less regulation, defend 2nd amendment Take message to new audiences Resist encroachments on religious liberty Too many government agencies have swat teams Reform social security and medicare with higher retirement age	Carly Fiorina Fix tax code – make it 3 pages long We never roll back regulations – just talk, want to do After winning Senate – should have made a difference Can lead congress through technology, public pressure Core values matter
Bobby Jindal Religious liberty created the USA Need to fire everyone in DC to make things work Don’t accept there is no way to end Obamacare with Obama in White House If Republican party can’t do the job, create a new one that can Education dollars should follow the children	Chris Christie Make the GOP live up to its rhetoric Entitlement reform – raise retirement age, eliminate for those >$400K retirement income Freedom of religion not only for churches, but officials must follow the law Would enforce federal marijuana laws on the states Education – refinance loans, have national service option , colleges should itemize bills

Freedomworks 9/12 Summit Spotlights Freedom Caucus

Public Hearing on the County Budget – What to expect

Magna Carta: Eight Centuries of Liberty

Conservatives and Republicans frequently cite the “rule of law” and “constitutional government” as the basis of our exceptional country, and point to the founding documents – the constitution and Declaration of Independence as defining a new direction in human history. These documents were not created from whole cloth however. We owe much to the British declaration of rights under King John in 1215 – the Magna Carta.

As Daniel Hannan wrote in the Wall Street Journal in May, to mark the 800th anniversary of that document:

“It was at Runnymede, on June 15, 1215, that the idea of the law standing above the government first took contractual form. King John accepted that he would no longer get to make the rules up as he went along. From that acceptance flowed, ultimately, all the rights and freedoms that we now take for granted: uncensored newspapers, security of property, equality before the law, habeas corpus, regular elections, sanctity of contract, jury trials.”

See the full article HERE.

Join us on September 23rd at Bear Lakes to hear PBAU Associate Professor of History Doctor Wes Borucki explain why this document is so relevant today.

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Dr. Borucki, who has taught at PBA since 2003, specializes in the antebellum South, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Colonial America, and presidential history. He teaches undergraduate history and humanities and also serves as a faculty member in the Frederick M. Supper Honors Program. Dr. Borucki’s first book, George H.W. Bush: In Defense of Principle, was published in early 2011 by Nova Science Publishers as part of its First Men: America’s Presidents series. His second book, Ronald Reagan: Heroic Dreamer, was published as part of the same series in 2014.

The history of sports is one of his side interests: his article “Moving on Up?: Whether Leaps to Division I-A in American College Football Benefit Universities” was published in June 2015 in The Journal of Sports Management and Commercialization; and in 2003, his article, “You’re Dixie’s Football Pride: American College Football and the Resurgence of Southern Nationalism,” was published in the journal Identities: Global Studies in Culture and Power.

Dr. Borucki has written book reviews for The Journal of Southern History, The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, and The Alabama Review. He had the honor of serving as both a junior fellow and senior fellow in The University of Alabama’s Blount Undergraduate Initiative, in which he taught the freshman sequence of this interdisciplinary studies program that is similar to PBA’s humanities core program in its subject matter. At Alabama, he served as editor-in-chief of the journal Southern Historian in 1998-1999. He is a contributor to Oxford University Press’s Encyclopedia of African American History, Macmillan Press’ multi-volume Civil Rights in the United States, and the Gale Group’s Women in World History. His dissertation, “Yankees in King Cotton’s Court: Northerners in Antebellum and Wartime Alabama,” was the basis of presentations at the Families at War Conference at the University of Richmond, the Alabama Studies Symposium in Montgomery, and local historical group meetings for the Alabama Humanities Foundation’s Speakers Bureau. Dr. Borucki is a long-standing member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and is currently the secretary of the vestry of Redeemer Lutheran Church in West Palm Beach. He served as a lay delegate to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s convention in St. Louis in 1998 and to the LCMS’s Florida-Georgia District Conventions in 2006 and 2015.

Dr. Borucki has a B.A from Michigan State, an M.A from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, and a Ph.D. from the Univerity of Alabama.

Senator George LeMieux on the Challenges We Face

Opening with “the 2016 election is the most important of our lifetime!”, Senator George LeMieux joked that we always say that, but unfortunately, for the last 10 years it has really been true.

Giving us a broad overview of challenges facing us abroad as well as at home, he made the case that the country can be saved from the ravages of the Obama years but only if conservative ideas prevail. If we lose the White House and/or the Senate in 2016, the country left to our children and grand children will be unrecognizable.

Touching on the “nuclear deal” with Iran, which is the most pressing problem of the day, he spoke of how bad a deal it is. Iran is not our friend, as they spread their radical Shiite ideology into dominance of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen. Much of the inspection regime in the “deal” requires trust of Iran – and we cannot trust Iran.

Isis, as much a threat to us at home as to the people of Iraq and Syria, have been able to create their terrorist “caliphate” because Obama turned his back on Iraq. With Russia rampaging across Ukraine and threatening its neighbors, and China building up its military in Asia and threatening us with cyberespionage, we need a President who is competent to manage America’s role in the world.

At home, we have slow growth and many feel we are still in a recession. Obama’s regulatory regime has bogged down the economy, and it will take a change in the White House before growth can be restored. If we returned to 4% growth, the debt could be retired in 10 years.

In summary, we can recover but it requires a change of direction.

Also at the meeting, were CD18 candidate (and former club President) Rick Kozell, and US Senate candidate Todd Wilcox, each of who spoke briefly, and Jay Goldfarb gave us an update on Lobster Fest. Hanna Matry, one of our scholarship recipients from last month who could not be with us then, also spoke about her current work at NASA.

PBAU President William Fleming Presents 2015 Anne Roberts Scholarships

This year, the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches was happy to award the Anne Roberts Scholarships to five deserving scholars – two new awards and continuing support for three previous winners.

The awards were presented by William Fleming, President of Palm Beach Atlantic University. In his remarks, he highlighted the strengths and accomplishments of PBAU, most particularly its focus on the American Free Enterprise system. Unlike many peer institutions that are openly hostile to the ideas of the free market and capitalism in particular, President Fleming leads an organization that lives and breathes free enterprise, and instills in its students the importance of character, morality and public service.

PBAU is also a partner with former Senator George LeMieux in the LeMieux Center for Public Policy which is located on campus.

The new scholarship recipients are (Click on their name to read their winning essay):

Aaron Mejias

Aaron grew up in Tampa but resides in West Palm Beach at Palm Beach Atlantic University where he is studying Political Science and History. In addition to being a scholar he excelled in music in high school where he was a Concert Master in the Honor Band and led the Marching Band. He is presently interning with the Republican Party of Palm Beach County, expecting to graduate in 2017. Following graduation, Aaron intends to use his leadership skills and education as an officer in the US Army after which he will again become involved in politics and public service.

Ryan Walker

Ryan graduated from Glades Day School, attended Palm Beach State, and is now enrolled at the University of Florida studying Political Science. He was a member of the Republican Executive Committee and led the Western Communities Caucus. He served in the campaigns of Governor Rick Scott and other campaigns for US Congress and City Commissions. Ryan will graduate in 2017. He may not be specific about his future but we see a great political and public service life.

Our returning scholars are:

Daniel Kozell

Daniel grew up in Palm Beach County, graduating from Jupiter High School. He is studying Mechanical Engineering at FSU. He interned at Simmons and White, Inc, Civil Engineering firm in West Palm Beach and was an undergraduate research assistant at Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion at FSU. He is presently Children’s Ministry Coordinator for his church in Tallahassee, ministering to young adults with disabilities. He will graduate in 2017.

Dylan Brandenburg

Dylan grew up in North Palm Beach, graduated from SunCoast Community High School in Riviera Beach and is studying Computer Criminology at FSU. He also works part time at Florida’s Division of Insurance fraud under the administration of CFO Jeff Atwater. Dylan should graduate in 2017.

Hanna Matry

Hanna graduated from PB State with an AA degree before her graduation from our local William t. Dwyer High School. She is in her final year at UF studying Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering. In addition to working through school and tutoring in math, she has worked with the Design and Manufacturing Lab at UF and the rocket team at UF. She is spending her summer at the Aircraft office of NASA’s flight Facility in Wallops, VA as an engineering trainee, working on engineering modifications towards some of NASA’s airborne science missions. Her dream is to become an astronaut or work in her field at NASA’s Cape Canaveral facility after graduation.

Hanna was unable to be with us at the meeting, but her mother, JoAnna Matry, provided us with the following video:

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Candidates present included former RCPB President Rick Kozell who has thrown his hat into the crowded ring for the Republican primary for Congressional District 18. Rick is the brother of Daniel Kozell, our scholarship winner.

Some photos from Delia:

Joe Negron and Pat Rooney Explain the Senate/House Discord on Health Care

Previously scheduled for the May meeting to occur after the end of the 2015 session, our Legislative Update was particularly timely since the Legislature failed to finish their work this year and are headed back for a special session next week.

District 32 Senator Joe Negron and District 85 Representative Pat Rooney gave us their view of a few of the issues that were particularly important to them. For Senator Negron, these included Lake Okeechobee discharges, school testing and veterans benefits, while Representative Rooney spoke about placing limits on “sober houses”, city and county pension issues, and letting bars and restaurants serve beer in 64 oz. “growlers”.

The main event of course was health care. In a strange intra-party battle between the Florida Senate on one side and the House and Governor on the other, Tallahassee has shown that they can be just as dysfunctional as their counterparts in Washington. With an impasse over “Medicaid Expansion” (which each side trys to call something different) holding up the passage of the state Budget and three days left before the scheduled end of session, the House took their ball and went home. Since the constitution requires a budget, the Governor is calling them back for a special session starting next week.

What makes this most curious is the fact that the leadership of both bodies are Republican. Those in the Senate though, perhaps are not your father’s Republicans.

The Senate position, represented by Joe Negron who could be the next Senate President, is one of compassion for the working poor and a desire to make sure that “everybody has health insurance.” Relating anecdotes about uninsured parents bringing their screaming children into emergency rooms because they waited too long to seek care, he spoke sadly about the 800,000 uninsured in Florida in that narrow band between existing Medicaid and Obamacare subsidies (100%-130% of the poverty line). Apparently, Senator Negron’s goal is universal health care, with the Florida taxpayer providing subsidies for those who either can’t or won’t purchase their own health insurance. His arguments about stopping the cost shifting from the uninsured to the hospital emergency rooms (who make it up by charging us more), and the urgent necessity to “solve the problem” of Florida’s uninsured, are very reminiscent of the arguments made by President Obama for the Affordable Care Act. In a state that has fought the imposition of Obamacare on constitutional grounds, and has so far resisted its major expansion of Medicaid – a budget buster in a few years, the Republican Senate has gone all Progressive on us. They are actually proposing a brand new entitlement that will redistribute wealth to yet another class of recipient. It is no wonder that the Senate approach is strongly supported by the Democrat party in Florida, and the Hospital and Health Insurance industries which would profit mightily by its passage.

The House position (supported by Governor Scott) was clearly defined by Pat Rooney – we need to care about the cost of these programs, particularly in the out years which very shortly would add another $3-4B Billion burden on the state budget. The House opposes the expansion of Medicaid provided for in Obamacare (which the Supreme Court ruled could not be imposed on the states), for several reasons, most importantly its unaffordability. The House in aggregate, and Pat Rooney in particular, are still governed by Republican principles.

For more information about the dispute and its likely outcome in the budget battle, see: Retooled health proposal snubbed

Also at the meeting, the passing of long time club member Barbara Hawley was noted with a moment of silence, and GOP vice-chair Tami Donnelly made a pitch for new REC members.

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