Representatives Roth and Caruso Give their Views on the 2024 Session

On Tuesday, May 28th, Representatives Rick Roth and Mike Caruso gave us their impressions of the accomplishments of this year’s legislative session.

As each legislator has their particular areas of focus, each had a different list of highlights. Here are the major items they discussed:

• 207 bills so far signed by the Governor, with 27 awaiting approval and 77 more to be presented to him
• Home schooling has really accelerated under the school choice framework – 77K 10 years ago is now 155K
• 2/3 of the house is republican – the reason we can pass such important legislation
• There was a focus on public safety this year, including:
  • HB1365 – Unauthorized public camping and public sleeping – sets minimum standards for a county to allow homeless encampments
  • HB49 – relaxed rules on hours worked for 16 and 17 year olds
  • HB621 – allows for the efficient eviction of squatters
  • HB549 – reduces threshold for felony theft to $40 from $750 and targets “group retail theft”
  • HB75 – raises penalties for impeding, threatening or harassing 1st responders
  • HB1451 – no ID cards for illegals issued by out of state jurisdictions accepted (issuing them already banned in Florida)
  • HB1036 – enhanced penalty for illegals returning after being deported

• $117B budget, 40% health care, $22B for agriculture
• HB1 – Keeping roads open when closed by protestors
• HB7073 – cuts business rental tax to 2% from 4.5%
• HB1611 – reduced lawsuits against insurance companies and lower taxes on insurance
• CS/SB 7028 – up to $10K to harden homes under “my safe homes”
• HB3 – limit access to social media for under 14
• HB1403 – increases school choice with additional voucher programs
• SB184 – protects 1st responders – stay 20′ back

As reference material, Representative Roth provided his written notes on the session which are available HERE.

The meeting included some elected officials – County Commissioner Sara Baxter and Jupiter Inlet Commissioner Jim Davis were in attendance along with the two representatives.

Candidates introducing themselves included:

Joe LaFauci for State Committeeman
Jody Schwartz and Tami Donnally for State Committeewoman
Anthony Aguirre for House District 94
Michael Gauger for County Sheriff
Deborah Adeimy for Congressional District 22

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.

Mel K and Eric Golub featured at January Meeting

Mel k educated the club members on why the United Nations was started by Rockefeller.
She referred to the Covid pandemic shutdown as a plandemic, suggesting that it was planned. She believes that Trump is needed now more than ever

Eric Golub asked the club members to find a common denominator when talking to independent voters. Eric says not to argue about state of affairs but to ask probing questions such as are you happy with high food prices?

Joyce Kaufman Highlights December Meeting

Our December meeting featured WFTL Radio host Joyce Kaufman who gave us a somewhat subdued analysis of our current state of affairs.

What has been wrong with our message for the last 30 or so years that continue to see the devaluing of life?

The 2024 election, described once again as “the most important in our lifetime” is just that – it will decide if we are going to still have a country.

Referring to the recent Congressional testimonies by the Presidents of Penn, MIT and Harvard, Joyce pointed out the absurdity of their responses to the anti semitism on their campuses. While mobs of students are free to chant “from the river to the sea”, as if genocide was part of the curriculum, we remember how quickly they mobilized against the police when George Floyd was killed.

Through a series of anecdotes involving the liberals in her own family, she pointed out how much of our troubles stem from the things that we are not allowed to talk about such as religion, abortion and living a moral life. It is only going to get worse if we don’t stand up and start having these conversations. One of the reasons she supports Donald Trump is that he is unafraid to talk about anything, and tells us the truths that many do not want to hear.

Asked a question as to “what should the message be?”, her reply was the economy. Are we better off now than under Trump? Most would say no, regardless of their party affiliation. If we can agree on that then we can agree that we need a change of leadership.

Also at the meeting was Charles Bender, CEO of the Place of Hope, the club’s designated charity for this year. Charles described some of this year’s activities and their expansion into other parts of the state.

Comedian Eric Golub, who was selling books and other materials at the event and will be our speaker next month talked about Comedy as a political force, and gave us a taste of his performance.

Candidates included Page Lewis (SB1), Andrew Gutmann (CD22), and Matt Luciano (WPB district 5).

Talk Show Host Joyce Kaufman to be December Speaker

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Joyce Kaufman has been a fixture on South Florida radio for over 18 years without interruption. She started in the market on the original WFTL, 1400AM. Joyce has gained a very loyal following over the years, likely because she knows the difference between right and wrong and has no problem telling you.

Joyce considers herself fiercely independent and is not ashamed of putting America first, like real liberals used to and our weak-kneed politicians and some so-called conservatives claim to.

She has been evolving into an outspoken critic of the “new-left” who she believes view America as a failed state populated with a helpless, ignorant people in need of reeducation and government rescue. She is also sick and tired of those in power who are afraid to stand up for our nation’s Judeo-Christian values and the values of those who through their faith seek only to better themselves and their fellow man.

Joyce still finds America to be the greatest country on earth! She not only supports our troops, she reveres them. She’s also a registered Independent so if you’re looking for a partisan cheerleader, call the Miami Heat Dancers.

Passionate, spiritual, yet angry at times, Joyce also knows how to make an audience laugh. But don’t mess with her. She knows some Krav Maga, carries a .357 magnum (she’s a big supporter of the second amendment) and has a BIG mouth.

So if you can think out of the box, refuse to be labeled and want to debate the issues, The Joyce Kaufman Show is for you!

Listen for her show weekdays from 3-4pm on News-Talk 850 WFTL. You can email her at joycekaufman@hubbardradio.com.

PBC Chair Kevin Neal at October Lunch

Republicans are far outpacing Democrats in voter registration in Florida and we have clearly moved into position as the second largest Red State after Texas. Chairman Neal began his presentation at our October lunch with these positive trends, also noting that Florida is the home for Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, the two dominant players in presidential politics. (Note: Palm Beach county is now D+8.6, 5 points better than going into the 2020 election. Statewide it is R+4.6, also 5 points better). Kevin described the massive migration of conservatives to Florida and the other red states as “live free or move”.

So statewide and in the county we are in good shape to pick up some of the seats that were close in 2022. There are also about 90 seats up for grabs at the municipal level. With filing dates coming up in November for the March elections, the party needs people to step up and run for these seats.

As we move into 2024, Kevin suggests that we all register to receive vote-by-mail (VBM) ballots. You can still vote in person if you wish, but having the VBM ballot is a backup plan. VBM is the method most prone to fraud, but the rules in Florida have been tightened (drop box monitoring, ID requirements, limits on ballot harvesting), and as long as the process exists we should take advantage of it. The most powerful way to fight fraud is to turn out for a landslide result – more votes for our side than they can overcome by cheating.

He suggested that we can’t stop our scrutiny of the process as there is some indication that in 2020, Trump got a lot more votes in Florida than reported.

Also at the meeting was a number of candidates for 2024 races: Deb Adeimy and Andrew Gutmann for CD22, and Page Lewis for School Board district 1.

Donald Trump wins RCPB Straw Poll

The club hosted a forum on September 26th to contrast Florida’s two presidential candidates, former President Donald Trump and Governor Ron DeSantis which included a straw poll.

After an introduction by Fred Scheibl who highlighted the unprecedented nature of this 2024 election, Willy Guardiola (“Christian on a Mission”, “Trump Corner” rallies, anti-abortion activist) explained his personal connection to Donald Trump and why he needs to be re-elected. Then Joe Budd (“Trump-45 club co-founder, 2 time Congressional candidate) outlined why he thinks it is time for Ron DeSantis to take the reins of our country.

The coming election is unique to say the least. The twice impeached front-runner who has been indicted four times by a corrupt DOJ and vindictive prosecutors in New York and Georgia is the left’s worse enemy. They are willing to trash the rule of law, the first amendment, lawyer-client and executive privilege to prevent him from re-taking the white house. The media has dropped all pretense of fairness or impartiality. Leftists in the states are trying to keep Trump off the ballot with the 14th amendment, and there are unresolved election integrity issues, even in Florida. Despite all that, he has a majority in most national polls and in one, beats Joe Biden by 10 points.

Willy referred to the outstanding Trump record – “Making America Great Again” at least until Covid came along and threw the world into chaos, and the awesome experience of being in the crowd of 800,000 for the January 6th rally in Washington (before anything happened at the capitol). Trump is needed again to repair the damage done by Biden’s leftist minions.

Joe explained that although he still loves Trump, he finds the drama exhausting. Trump could have accomplished more if he had picked the right team or fired the ones that proved to be working against him. He contrasted that to Governor DeSantis who has actually fired the “bad ones” – SOEs Susan Bucher and Brenda Snipes, Broward Sheriff Scott Israel, and a couple of rogue prosecutors. He touted the Governor’s conservative record – a CPAC 93 when in Congress, and how the 6 week abortion ban puts him to the right of Trump. As far as the polls are concerned, Joe pointed out that we don’t have national primaries and the results in Iowa and New Hampshire (which he thinks DeSantis can win) will change the dynamics of the race.

The attendees were asked to complete a straw poll ballot after hearing the speakers, and they were collected and tallied during the Q&A session which followed.

The results:

For President
Donald Trump	53%
Ron DeSantis	37%
Nikki Haley	5%
Vivek Ramaswamy	2%
Chris Christie	2%
Mike Pence, Tim Scott, Others	0%
For Vice President
Nikki Haley	24%
Kristi Noem	13%
Vivek Ramaswamy	13%
Tim Scott	11%
Kari Lake	11%
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.	8%
Kim Reynolds	5%
Matt Gaetz, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump	1 vote each

There was also one vote for the ticket of Ann Coulter and Megyn Kelly.

Also at the meeting was candidate Deb Adiemy, running for Congressional District 22.

2024 County Budget Raises $100M in New Property Taxes

Representative Mike Caruso at June Lunch – Grace Templeton Receives AR Scholarship

Our June lunch featured a session review from District 87 Representative Mike Caruso.

This year’s legislative session moved the ball on the Conservative Agenda in a big way, passing many core issues with party line votes. Thanks to a unified Republican super majority, we now have an expanded voucher program, constitutional carry, illegal immigration restrictions, limits on investing in companies that are pushing ESG, $700M for affordable housing, improvements to election integrity, and a 6 week abortion ban.

Rep. Caruso spoke of the long workdays churning out this product under the strong leadership of Speaker Paul Renner who used to command a battleship while in the Navy. The key task, passing the $117B budget, provides funding for our priorities yet still finds room to add to reserves. Fiscally responsible, it is 1/3 the size of the New York budget with 2 million less residents. Some of the bills that Mike personally drove or were especially significant included:

• HB269 “Public Nuisances” – increases penalties for anti-semitic actions such as projecting swastikas on the sides of buildings. The Governor (with Mike in attendance) signed this one in Israel and it passed both houses unanimously.
• HB295 “Substance Abuse Service Providers” – limits the use of controlled substances by rehab facilities
• HB783 “Opioid Abatement” – Using money from the opioid settlement to set up an advisory council to regulate opioid use in the state
• HB1087 “Child Support” – brings state law into synch with the federal equivalent
• HB543 “Public Safety” – removes the requirement for a concealed carry permit (Constitutional Carry)
• SB102 “Live Local Act” – Affordable Housing – use $750M of Sadowski fund
• HB1 “Education” – Significantly increases the availability of vouchers for alternative schooling
• HB1069 “Education” – extends ban on classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender to eighth grade (from 3rd)

Following Representative Caruso, Club Scholarship Chairman Bette Anne Starkey presented this year’s Anne Roberts Scholarship to Grace Templeton. In her remarks, Grace relayed her experience being home-schooled from 4th grade through High School and her plans to study English at Southeastern University. Her career goal is to teach English abroad to non native speakers. She is also planning an internship in the area of information assurance, a topic she is pursuing as a minor.

District 94 Representative Rick Roth was also on hand to talk about his new role as the elected Vice Chairman of the PBC Republican Party. He discussed the “balance” of having two businessmen as Chair/Vice Chair, and two old hands to provide institutional memory in the Secretary and Treasurer seats. Plans include revamping the regional director system and recruiting new members.

Regional Director of Turning Point Action Drienna Sixto was on hand to speak about their upcoming event in West Palm Beach, and three candidates introduced themselves – Andrew Gutman (CD22), Bill Reicherter (HD90), and Gary Warner (Westlake City Council).

2024 – The Year of the Palm Beach Elephant

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