Connect with us

Politics

Southwest Florida’s GOP leaders watched Joe Gruters rise from ambitious upstart to national party head

Published

4 months ago

on


Republican National Committeewoman Kathleen King recalls first meeting Joe Gruters as a twenty-something campaign staffer.

Two decades later, King stood on stage in Atlanta to make the final nomination for Gruters to chair the national party.

“It’s pretty neat. It’s incredible,” she said. “But we’ve worked hard for it.”

She noted Gruters first ran for office around age 20, then making an unsuccessful challenge against Democratic state Rep. Shirley Brown when Democrats largely ran Florida. She met Gruters when he served as campaign treasurer for now-U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan’s first race for Congress, a contest the Republican won by just 369 votes.

King then served as Chair of the Manatee County Republican Party, and Gruters would within a couple years be Chair of the Republican Party of Sarasota in a neighboring county. That meant the two worked together for years on regional races as both counties shifted increasingly red.

Ultimately, King would become the longest serving county GOP Chair in state history and Gruters would be elected Republican Party of Florida State Chair. Both serve now as Florida’s National Committee members.

Their rise to the top parallels Florida’s ultimate transition from a purple state to a distinctly red one.

“He’s relentless, but I think he’s reliable. He always shows up,” King said. “And those aren’t just things I said. His philosophy is never to be outworked on a campaign or at work.”

In Sarasota, Gruters stepped away from running the county party but continued to work closely with Jack Brill, his successor at the Republican Party of Sarasota.

Brill released a statement cheering Gruters’ elevation to RNC Chair as well.

“Joe’s election is a win for the Republican Party and for America. He was a warrior for President (Donald) Trump from the very beginning, and he will bring the same winning formula that turned Florida deep red, and Sarasota County even redder, to the rest of the nation,” Brill said.

“We are thrilled to have his back at every step and look forward to working with him nationally to ensure the Trump agenda is fully enacted and America is made great again.”

Danielle Alvarez, a Florida-based political consultant working with the RNC, has known Gruters from the campaign trail since around 2010.

“I remember my first event we had, we were building out an office in Sarasota when he was a Sarasota County chair,” Alvarez told Florida Politics in Atlanta. “Joe and I, and like another staffer or two, were up until 2 or 3 in the morning, setting up this office because it was just so important. And it’s that type of work ethic that has made Joe so successful.”

It makes sense, she said, for Florida to export Gruters to the national party after his success in flipping the GOP registration advantage in the state.

“When you look at Florida as a model for the rest of the country in the way that we are able to get out the vote, it’s again, a testament to the candidates that we have and we recruit. It’s a testament to the Republican Party of Florida the way we are able to run campaigns,” Alvarez said. “And that’s a testament to the work that Joe Gruters has done.”

Many reports note Gruters became an early supporter of Trump’s campaign for President. King notes that’s hardly first high-stakes gamble that Gruters made in his career.

He also organized events for Rick Scott when the now-U.S. Senator first ran for Governor, challenging the state’s entrenched GOP establishment. Scott went on to win two terms as Governor before unseating Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2018.

“He (Gruters) is a risk-taker. He doesn’t play it safe with the endorsements,” King said. “But there was always a strategy with that, and always a plan. Joe’s going to help us by keeping us all aligned and organized.”


Post Views: 0



Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Politics

South Florida home sales show upbeat increases for Palm Beach and Broward counties, Miami-Dade still struggling

Published

4 hours ago

on

December 7, 2025

By


Condominium closings also increased in Palm Beach and Broward counties in October.

South Florida single-family home sales for November saw some notable improvement in the year-over-year comparisons while Miami-Dade County is still lagging in the back of the pack.

The monthly analysis of the three coastal counties from the Elliman Report in South Florida was released in the past week and it shows solid property sales in Palm Beach and Broward counties. Both of those counties showed notable upticks in signed contracts on single-family home closings last month with Broward leading the way.

There were 387 homes sold in Broward in November. That’s a 98.5% jump in closing contracts over November 2024 when there 195 houses sold. While the annual comparison is upbeat, Broward saw a slight downturn in monthly sales. There were 466 homes sold in October, accounting for an 18.52% decrease in the monthly sales.

“All property types showed a combined annual gain in new signed contracts for the third time (this year), with outsized annual increases observed in both property types” of homes and condominiums, Elliman real estate analysts concluded about Broward property sales. “New listings across all property types combined have increased annually at a rising rate for the past three months. The number of new contracts signed above the $1 million threshold has shown annual growth for the sixth time in seven months.”

Palm Beach County also witnessed an increase in annual home sales. But it was more modest than Broward with 321 single-family contracts signed in November. That’s a 27.9% hike over November 2024 when there were 251 closings. But the monthly sales were down in Palm Beach County, too. There were 347 closings in October meaning November’s sales posed a 7.49% drop on the monthly ledger.

Miami-Dade is still struggling in home sales, though, as the county has lagged behind its northern neighbors for most of the year. There were 406 home closings in Miami-Dade in November, a 30.6% decline from November 2024 when there were 585. The monthly comparison was also off for Miami-Dade as there were 487 homes sold in October, representing a 16.63% drop in sales.

Condominium sales, which have been struggling in much of South Florida this year, showed some improvement. There were 354 condos sold in Broward in November, a 41.6% jump from a year ago. Palm Beach posted 309 condo sales last month, a 33.2% increase from November 2024. Miami-Dade was the only South Florida county with a dip in condo sales with 406 closings in November, a 30.6% decline from a year ago.



Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

University of Florida breaks ground on College of Dentistry building facelift and overhaul

Published

8 hours ago

on

December 7, 2025

By


The original College of Dentistry building was errected half a century ago at UF.

The University of Florida (UF) College of Dentistry building is undergoing major renovations and a multi-phase overhaul that will add more than 100,000 square feet to the facility.

UF officials announced this month that the 11-story college “dental tower” is undergoing waterproofing and insulation upgrades. There is also a modernization of key spaces in the existing building and a new building addition that will tack on a new area that will cover the 100,0000 of additional space. The original building was erected 50 years ago and the new additions and upgrades are expected to be completed in five years.

“This project represents the largest investment made by the state of Florida in a medical science building at any state university,” said Mori Hosseini, UF Board of Trustees Chair in a news release. “We fought for this because we understand what it will deliver for our community – for our students, our faculty and families across Florida.”

Some of the brick exterior of the original building is being removed. Crews are “sealing” the structure with work that is designed to prevent water intrusion. When that’s complete they’ll modernize the front of the building with a panel system that blend with the new addition. Work on that element is set to begin in August.

“The transformation helps ensure that the College of Dentistry remains at the forefront of academic distinction education, research and clinical innovation for decades to come,” said c, Dean of the college in Gainesville.

When completed, the College of Dentistry will see every room modernized within the building. Technological upgrades will accompany the physical overhaul as well.

“The College of Dentistry faculty and students deserve a space that allows them to focus on the patient, and the patients deserve a building that puts them at ease,” said UF Interim President Donald Landry. “The research done here will be transformative and add to the glory of this institution.”



Source link

Continue Reading

Politics

Monica Matteo-Salinas, Monique Pardo Pope square off in Miami Beach Commission runoff

Published

9 hours ago

on

December 7, 2025

By


Early voting is underway in Miami Beach ahead of a Dec. 9 runoff that will decide the city’s only open Commission seat — a head-to-head contest between Monica Matteo-Salinas and Monique Pardo Pope for the Group 1 seat.

Matteo-Salinas, a Democrat and longtime City Hall aide, finished first last month with 23.2% of the vote. Pardo Pope, a Republican lawyer, advanced with 20.1%.

They outpaced four other candidates competing to succeed outgoing Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez last month, but neither captured a large enough share of the vote — more than 50% — to win outright.

The runoff has sharpened into a choice between two contrasting résumés, platforms and campaign narratives along with a late-cycle revelation about Pardo Pope that has drawn national headlines.

Voters are heading to the polls for the second time in just over a month as Miami Beach faces turbulence on multiple fronts, from state scrutiny over finances and charges that a local ordinance conflicts with Florida’s homelessness law to the removal of cultural landmarks due to their so-called “woke” significance and accusations of pay-for-play policymaking.

Matteo-Salinas, 46, has consolidated establishment support for her campaign, which centers on a promise to work on expanding trolley service, increasing the city’s affordable housing index and establishing a new “water czar” position in the city, paid by resort taxes.

She’s earned endorsements from several local pols, including Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami Beach Commissioners Alex Fernandez, Laura Dominguez and Tanya Bhatt; and former Miami Beach Dan Gelber.

Groups backing her bid include the Miami Beach Fraternal Order of Police, LGBTQ groups SAVE Action PAC and Equality Florida Action PAC, and the public-safety-focused neighborhood group SOBESafe.

Pardo Pope, 45, has centered her messaging on public safety, investing in mental health, backing school choice initiatives, supporting homelessness services, encouraging “smart, thoughtful development” that preserves Miami Beach’s character while addressing flooding and roadway congestion, and alleviating cost-of-living issues for longtime residents and first-time homebuyers through “fair taxation.”

Though she has touted her guardian ad litem work as evidence of her temperament and commitment to service, that part of her record has drawn renewed scrutiny in recent weeks. A review of Pardo Pope’s case records with the Miami-Dade Clerk’s Office shows her listed as a guardian ad litem on just three cases — one of which she was discharged from after trying to get the mother in the case jailed.

She’s also been the subject of negative attention for omitting that her father was the convicted, Nazi-adoring serial killer Manuel Pardo, to whom she wrote several loving social media posts.

Pardo Pope has said that she forgave him in order to move forward with her life and asked voters to judge her on her own life and work.

Her backing includes the Miami-Dade Republican Party, Miami-Dade Commissioner René García, state Rep. Alex Rizo, former Miami Beach City Attorney Jose Smith, Miami Realtors PAC, the Venezuelan American Republican Club and Teach Florida PAC, a Jewish education group.

Two of her former Group 1 opponents, Daniel Ciraldo and Omar Gimenez, are also backing her.

Matteo-Salinas raised about $133,000 and spent $82,000 by Dec. 4. Pardo Pope raised about $190,000 — of which 29% was self-given — and spent close to $170,000.

Early voting runs through Sunday at four locations citywide. Election Day is Monday, Dec. 9.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © Miami Select.