Magazine Names Influential In Florida, Broward
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Florida’s political media mogul Peter Schorsch is out with his first list of the top 100 most influential people in the state.
Roughly ten are powers in Broward County. I say “roughly” because I might have missed some.
Those mentioned include:
- Mitchell Berger, the downtown Fort Lauderdale lawyer and veteran Democratic fund raiser.
- Ashley Walker, the Fort Lauderdale-based campaign consultant who ran President Obama’s successful re-election in Florida and now spins her magic for others. I wrote the short piece for the magazine on her.
Ashley Walker
- Ron Book, a leading South Florida and Tallahassee lobbyist for four decades who lives in Plantation. (The magazine includes a wonderful picture of Book.)
- William “Billie” Rubin, another longtime Fort Lauderdale-based lobbyist and close acquaintance of Gov. Rick Scott.
- Steve Bousquet and Mary Ellen Klas, neither of these Tallahassee-based journalists live in Broward, but they provide the best coverage available on the newsstand of state government in The Herald. Bousquet was once The Herald’s Broward political writer competing with me.
Steve Bousquet
- Marc Caputo, another insightful Florida political writer and compulsive Tweeter, formally with The Herald and now with POLITICO Florida. If you are a politician not mentioned by Caputo, you don’t really exist.
- Justin Sayfie, the downtown Fort Lauderdale lawyer/lobbyist who pioneered Florida political coverage on the Internet. His Sayfiereview.com is still must reading for state pols.
- Michael Putney, the Local 10 commentator is South Florida’s premier television journalist and the go-to local broadcaster for political coverage in English.
- Alex Heckler, a Democratic activist, fundraiser and local lobbyist in lobbyist George Platt’s firm.
- Monica Russo, president of the Florida State Council of the most politically active local labor organization, the Service Employees International Union.
Then there are three who are mentioned, but just missed the list:
- Rosemary O’Hara is the editorial page editor of the Sun-Sentinel and a veteran editorial writer from the Tampa Bay area.
- Mike Moskowitz is an active Broward-based lobbyist and prolific Democratic fund raiser. His son, Jared Moskowitz of Coral Springs, is a Democratic state representative.
- Adam Hasner is a Palm Beach County-based Jewish Republican who has run in Broward. He is the former minority leader of the Florida House.
Rosemary O’Hara
The magazine, another fine publication from Schorsch, is linked here.
December 1st, 2015 at 5:56 pm
As recent elections have shown one intelligent rich guy can get what he wants or win election. None of these people listed have significant wealth. As for Peter Schorsch what does a middle class American German Jew from a decidedly insignificant family here or in New York or Germany know about anything? Forbes’ 400 list has been a knee slapper for generations n the other lists are as accurate as a gypsy fortune teller
December 1st, 2015 at 6:30 pm
How accurate can this list be if Sam the Sham isn’t mentioned?
December 1st, 2015 at 9:27 pm
Alex Heckler is a a middling lawyer and a lobbyist with no influence despite his listing in this magazine. If Heckler is the best of the new Democrats, it explains why they are powerless outside of Broward County.
December 2nd, 2015 at 7:52 pm
@3 – They can have Broward. Leave the rest of the state alone with the insanity. OK, you can have Dade too.