Rally Reveals anti-Rubio Backlash

On Monday, March 18, a good-sized crowd of Trump supporters rallied in front of Marco Rubio’s office on PGA Boulevard in Palm Beach Gardens. There was a general consensus among those present that “Little Marco” chose to spit in President Trump’s face rather than support his actions on the obvious emergency on the southern border.

Judging by the active support of motorists passing by (thumbs up, honking), many people share our concern that we have a Florida Senator that is a fake Republican. Our other Senator, Rick Scott, stood with the President along with 40 others.

It is curious that “Little Marco” would take this vote given certainty of a sustained veto. He needlessly antagonized the President’s supporters, and will probably feel the consequences in lack of support for his re-election fundraising. A lot of people have “unsubscribed” from his fund-raising emails – you may decide to do the same.

Send him an email and let him know what you think of his actions at his website. You can also call his Washington office at (202) 224-3041.

Here is a sampling of the patriots that supported the rally:

Click on the picture for a larger image.

PBCTP Hosts Debate for Jupiter Mayor and Council

Please join us for the first public

Jupiter Mayoral and Councilman Debate

On deck are:

Cheryl Schneider (Candidate for Mayor)

Todd Wodraska (Incumbent Mayor)

Jim Kuretski (Incumbent Councilman)

Peter Robbins (Candidate for Councilman)

Moderator: Teri Hughes

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Abacoa Golf Club

105 Barbados Drive Jupiter, Fl 33458

TIME: 5:30 PM Buffet 6:30 PM Program

Dinner – $20.00 (Buffet, Cash Bar)

No charge for the debate

Map

Please RSVP below.

Bring your friends so all can make educated voting choices!

PBCTP 2018 Ballot Picks

Two Page Ad in the Weekender

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Future Speaker Jim Jordan Visits PBCTP and Trump Club 45 PBC

On Monday October 8, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan spoke at a combined meeting between the PBC Tea Party and Trump Club 45 PBC. Held at the Palm Beach Kennel Club, 1200 enthusiastic fans showed up to cheer on a possible Speaker of the House. Jordan, one of the founders of the Freedom Caucus, has been a key leader in standing up for conservative principles in the Congress and the Trump agenda. Assuming the House does not end up in Democrat hands (Speaker Pelosi AGAIN!), Jim would have a lot of grassroots support from tea parties, FreedomWorks, Heritage Action, and others, to challenge establishment candidate Kevin McCarthy of California for the Speakers gavel.

In his remarks, Jim outlined some of the players in the Russian Witch Hunt that have payed a price. He has been relentless in calling for transparency for the DOJ documents that lay out the extent of the conspiracy, and is particularly interested in seeing Rod Rosenstein (Deputy AG) sit before a Congressional Committee to talk about his role in the “insurance policy” against Trump.

Some of the leaders of the two clubs were able to discuss many topics with the Congressman at a pre-meeting dinner at the Embassy Suites, along with two other speakers at the event – Fox News contributor Dr. Gina Loudon and FreedomWorks Senior Fellow C.L. Bryant. While it is not assured, there was a lot of optimism in the room for keeping the House majority.

A few pictures from the event:

Jim Jordan, Mel Grossman, Joel Channing

Mel Grossman, Jim Jordan, Mark Miller, Barbara Grossman

Larry Snowden, Jim Jordan, Joe Budd, C.L. Bryant

Why I Will Be Voting NO in November on the Property Tax Increase for the School District

On November 6th, 2018 registered Florida voters will be going the polls to vote in the midterm elections. On the ballot for Palm Beach County (PBC) residents will be a vote to raise property taxes to provide more money for teacher’s salaries and safety in the county’s public schools. The money is intended to subsidize the mandate set forth in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, that includes but is not limited to paid school resource officers. On Wednesday July 18th, by a vote of 7-0, the PBC School Board members agreed to place a proposed tax hike on the ballot that will raise property taxes on Palm Beach County residents by an estimated $150 million a year for four years according to the Palm Beach Post. The proposal would add $1 to every $1000.00 of property value if passed on the November ballot. This will be the second time in two years the PBC school board has asked voters to raise taxes to finance the county’s public schools. This decision was the result of our state lawmaker’s decision to lower school property tax rates for the past four years. On November 9, 2016, 57% of Palm Beach County voters approved raising the sales tax rate from 6 to 7 percent. This resulted in a 16.7 % sales tax increase of which the school district netted half.

As a tax-paying resident of PBC I knew it was my duty to familiarize myself with the relevant data and facts about how our property tax dollars are being spent and to analyze the question, “does the passing of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act justify raising our property taxes.”

I. The FY18 School District of Palm Beach County Proposed Budget

The proposed budget for the School District of Palm Beach County and millage for tax year 2018 was $2,934,318,538 for all funds.

II. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act
When state Legislatures passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, they allotted $99 million in state dollars for schools that applied for it. $97.5 million would go to fund a school resource officer at every school. Each of the 67 districts in Florida would get $1.4 million. The average cost for an officer’s salary and benefits is $100,000 per officer. Palm Beach County School District is adding 75 additional officers and is getting $5.7 million to cover the cost of the hires. PBC has close to $40 million from the 2016 sale tax referendum which can be used to cover the bulk of the expenses.
See State to Issue Funds to Harden Schools

III. Overall Revenues/Dollars per Student
According to two articles by Brian Mudd published on June 6, 2018, I learned the Palm Beach County school district received $447 million over the last year from the state and $629 million over the past two years. Compare that to Broward County which received $87 million over the past year and $152 million over the past two years. Miami-Dade County received $87 million over the past year and $144 million over the past two years. Palm Beach County’s revenue was 72.9% higher than that of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. Palm Beach County spends $15,420 per student compared to Broward County which spends $8,928 per student and Miami-Dade County which spends $9,116 per student.
See: Brian Mudd on School Funding – Part 1 and Part 2

IV. Costs of Education to Floridian Taxpayers for Illegal Aliens
According to a report published in 2009 by Jack Martin, the Director of Special Projects for FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform), based on the estimates of the illegal immigrant population in Florida and documented costs of K-12 schooling, Floridians spent nearly $2.9 billion annually on education for illegal immigrant children and for their U.S. born siblings. About 8.7 percent of K-12 public school students are children of illegal aliens. In addition, more than a quarter million illegal immigrant children and their U.S. born siblings were enrolled in special English instruction classes that cost the taxpayer more than $2,200 per student per year. In sum, the total expenditures for illegal alien public school students is $3, 451 million. Notably, under federal and state law, all Florida schools are barred from making inquiries from a student or his or her parents which may possibly expose the undocumented status of the student or parents.
See: Section 5 – Registration Procedures and Florida Study – The Costs of Illegal Immigrants

V. PBC School District Official’s Salaries
According to an article published in the Palm Beach Post on September 29, 2017, by Andrew Marra the number of Palm Beach County school executives making $140K has nearly tripled in two years. Marra found that since Robert Avossa took office in June 2015, the number of school officials earning at least $140,000.00 a years tripled, from nine to 26. The number of teachers earning at least $50,000 increased by 5%. In the same period the number of officials making at least $120,000 doubled, from 37 to 74. “During Avossa’s tenure, says Marra, Avossa created at least 16 high-level administrative jobs paying $120,000 or more, while boosting the salaries of other positions as he appointed new people to fill them.” Salaries for top administrators under Avossa ranged from $202,000.00 $157,996.00. Avossa was hired at $325,000 per year and when he stepped down from his position in June 2018, he was earning a base salary of $334, 750.

VI. PBC School District Teacher Salaries
According to the palmbeachschools.org website, beginning teachers can receive an annual total compensation package worth $59,653. They receive a base salary of $41,000, medical coverage and Life Insurance worth $9,195, paid time off (10 Sick/Personal Days) worth $2,091, Holiday Leave (6 Paid Holidays) worth $1,255, pension investment plan contributions worth $2,976, Social Security/Medicare Employer Contribution worth $3,136. Additional employee benefits and earning potential include the “Best and Brightest” Annual Bonus Potential of $6,000.00 and the “State Highly Effective” Annual Bonus Potential of $1,200.00.

VII. Palm Beach County School Enrollment and High School Graduation Rate
According to the United States Census Bureau in 2010-2015, the School District of Palm Beach County was home to an estimated 1,422,789 residents. According to the palmbeachschool.org website, the School District of Palm Beach County is the 11th largest in the continental U.S. and is the 5th largest in the state of Florida with 185 schools serving 176,724 K-12 students who speak 150 languages/dialects. In 2010-2013, the PBC School District’s employed 20,810 employees of which 12,480 were teachers. Over 38,256 community volunteers provided academic assistance to students through the Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS) program. Approximately 1,200 partners provided between $3 million and $4 million per year in cash and other resources to support student achievement. The graduation rate for District-operated schools increased to 90 percent for the 2016-2017 school year. The graduation rate for all schools, including charter schools, was 85 percent for 2016-2017.

VIII. Palm Beach County School Options and School Grades.
There are 148 Choice and in-house programs within 25 PBC high schools. The Palm Beach County School District offers Magnet Schools Assistance Program that receives a grant of $11,645,103 from the U.S. Department of Education. According to an article by Scott Sutton, dated June 28, 2018, Palm Beach County received an A grade based on student achievement, learning gains on statewide standardized assessments and high school graduation rate. See:
FY18-Budget

There is no denying that based on my research Palm Beach County School District exceeds the revenue of other Florida counties, has quite the lofty budget and has very well paid administrators. Now we are being asked to cough up more of our taxpayer dollars. Instead of trimming the bloated administrative budget we are being told by the Palm Beach County school district that there are no other options available. I don’t buy it and neither should you.

The Ethical Lapses of Andrew Gillum

The following is excerpted from the Sunshine State News:

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Now that Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum is the Democratic Party nominee for governor, the press and voters need to take a much closer look into his service as our ceremonial mayor.

Gillum has been consistently involved in issues that the FBI is investigating as part of their work into corruption at City Hall and the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

While Gillum alleges he was told by the FBI that he’s not a subject of their investigation, no one has ever corroborated that statement.

First and foremost is the ethical concerns around the New York City trip that Gillum took for his former employer. We now know, after persistent questioning by the Tallahassee Democrat, that Gillum stayed on after that meeting, relocating to a plush NYC hotel, the Millennium Hilton, attending the “Hamilton” Broadway play where tickets cost hundreds of dollars, and even going on a boat ride around Manhattan and the Statute of Liberty with Adam Corey and Mike Miller, where pictures were taken.

Gillum has recently told The Washington Post that sometimes his brother Marcus Gillum pays some of his expenses, and he has said that his brother paid his expenses in NYC.

Congratulations to the GOP Primary Winners!

The Palm Beach County Tea Party supports “favorite son” Brian Mast for re-election to the House in district 18, Governor Rick Scott for Senator, and Representative Ron DeSantis for Governor.

	In a great primary victory, Brian Mast triumphed over his challengers, winning 78% of the 71,379 votes cast in the Republican primary. With approximately 203K Republicans eligible to vote on Tuesday, that represents a turnout of 35% – quite a showing for any primary, let alone a midterm, and a sign that enthusiasm is high. We can’t rest now though as the Democrats had a respectable turnout also – their 57,929 voters was 31% of their 184K eligible voters. Now is the time to give Brian your money and your time to help him hold this seat against the formidble resources that the left will bring to “bear” for Baer.
	In the Governor’s race, our friend Ron DeSantis, backed by President Trump, rode to a 20 point victory over Adam Putnam, proving once again that media polling is fake. Ron also had a turnout advantage over the Democrats who have nominated a Bernie Sanders socialist who could not represent a more stark contrast to the DeSantis/Trump agenda. This one is for keeps, so saddle up.
	For Senator, Rick Scott brought down 89% of the vote against token opposition and will face long term incumbent Bill Nelson, a tiresome politician long past his expiration date. This election is an opportunity to replace obstructionist Democrats and never-Trumper Republicans with those who can advance the Trump agenda. Electing Rick Scott and others like him is key to this and it can succeed with our help.

We are also rooting for our Florida House candidates – Rick Roth for HD85, Laurel Bennett for HD86, and Michael Caruso for HD89.

2018 GOP Political Jamboree

Every two years, during the summer of an election year, the county GOP hosts a “Jamboree” – an old fashioned political picnic for candidates on the upcoming ballot to introduce themselves to the party activists. With a barbecue lunch under the pavilion roof at the South County Civic Center, surrounded by covered booths hosted by candidates and political clubs, it is gathering place for the GOP faithful and those who seek to represent them at all levels of government.

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After remarks by county chairman (and RPOF vice-chair) Michael Barnett, and state committee reps Cindy Tindell and Joe Budd, master of Ceremonies Sid Dinerstein introduced the candidates.

The only state-wide candidates present were Attorney General candidate Ashley Moody who listed her impressive resume and endorsements which include current AG Pam Bondi, and John Mercadante – a long-shot candidate for Governor with lots of enthusiasm.

In CD18, incumbent Brian Mast has drawn a couple of primary challengers, mostly as a result of his controversial stance on gun control which is perceived as a vulnerability. Dave Cummings spoke and presented himself as a conservative in support of the Trump agenda. The winner of this primary will face one of two well-funded Democrats in a race that has drawn national interest.

CD22 was represented by candidate Javier Manjarres who is facing Nicholas Kimaz (who was at the event but left before speaking), and Eddison Walters. The winner will face entrenched Democrat Ted Deutch (who has a long shot primary challenger in Jeff Fandl) in this D+14 district.

For state legislative offices, Belinda Keiser spoke. She is competing with current House member Gayle Harrell for the Senate 25 seat vacated by Joe Negron. The winner will face Democrat Robert Levy in the fall.

For House district 89, vacated by term limited Bill Hager, competitors Matt Spritz and Joe Caruso spoke. The winner of that race will face one of two Democrats in November.

At the city level, we had Boca acting mayor Scott Singer and his opponent BocaWatch founder Al Zucaro. Municipal elections are usually in March, but the departure of indicted former Mayor Susan Haynie prompted a special election to be held coincident with the August primary.

This year, the number of candidates was fewer than past years (9 versus 19 in 2016 and 14 in 2014), partly due to a lack of challengers overall, and partly from the absence of Republican candidates that are running. CD18 incumbent Brian Mast and challenger Mark Freeman were absent for example. This year there are NO Republicans running for open seats on the school board, Port Commission, or County Commission districts 2 or 6.

DeSantis rocks at Trump National

On Saturday, Republican candidate for Governor Ron DeSantis appeared at Trump National in Jupiter with “The Great One” Mark Levin, Fox pundit Dan Bongino, and CD1 Congressman Matt Gaetz. The large crowd was welcoming and enthusiastic, and possibly indicative of a surge in popularity for his candidacy. With some polls showing that the double digit lead held by Adam Putnam has waned, Ron appears to be making the most of his endorsement by President Trump, and has begun to define his value proposition as governor.

Ron has had support among the tea party grassroots since before his election to the sixth congressional district seat (Coastal from south Jacksonville to New Symrna Beach including Daytona Beach) in 2012. A tea party conservative, he is a key player in the House Freedom Caucus. I have long been a fan of his work in Congress, repealing Obamacare, opposing the Iran deal, and pushing for oversight of the corruption at the top levels of the Justice Department and FBI. His candidacy for Governor though, had seemed to be weak.

For the most part, Ron had seemed to be touting his Congressional bona-fides, and his campaign literature and fund raising appeals seemed more a call for Congressional re-election than a bid for the top executive job in the third largest state. A line of attack from the Putnam camp is that he is running his campaign on Fox News (Ron is a regular), has never held an executive job, and knows little about the Florida issues outside of Washington.

It was a different message we heard on Saturday. First, his surrogates described his work in DC as just as much “Florida Issues” as national ones. Health care, Immigration, tax cuts and de-regulation to boost the economy – these are all things that concern us within the state’s borders.

When Ron took the podium, he brought the focus back locally. Water issues and toxic algae, sanctuary cities and immigration, these are state issues, as is opposing common core and introducing civics back into the K-12 curriculum. He drew a sharp contrast to Adam Putnam on Sugar money (he doesn’t take it), ethanol mandates (Putnam opposed a measure to stop the measures that were harming the marine industry), and Congressional term limits (Putnam opposed).

Although his website is still short on specifics, he seems to be holding his own on the issues with Putnam and referred the audience to the Fox News debate between them last month, which he feels he won.

On the Democrat side, Jeff Greene seems to be developing a lead. With the money he plans to put in the race, a unified GOP will be needed to hold on to the Governor seat. DeSantis and Putnam are both credible candidates, but a tightening race may see the race turn negative. Let’s hope not.

At the end of the day, the Trump factor may make the difference. The President has endorsed DeSantis, and praised his work with the Freedom Caucus. There is evidence that Putnam has never really been a Trump fan. We will see how much weight that carries in Florida.

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