INFLUENCE Magazine’s 2023 class of the Rising Stars of Florida politics

Some people spend entire careers honing their skills to truly make it in the complicated Process that is Tallahassee politics and governance. Others seemed destined for the Rotunda spotlight practically from birth.

In the Spring edition of INFLUENCE Magazine, we pay homage to the Rising Stars who, despite youth and inexperience, are on the fast track to success. This year’s cohort comes from all corners of The Process, whether it’s lobbying or serving as an elected official, staff or regulator.

Their backgrounds are varied, from a high school student to an immigrant, whether from political legacy or first-generation college grad. Regardless, each has clearly found a calling, and it shows.

We spoke with those who work closest to them and found a lot of similarities. Words like “passion,” “drive” and “inspired” came up often. Most were also described as humble, owing their success to the mentors who are helping shape them.

This year’s cohort exudes focus, drive and acumen in their fields. It may well be that staring up from the pages of this magazine is Florida’s next headline-making politician, lobbyist or regulator.

Read about them all in the Spring edition of INFLUENCE Magazine:

KETEN ABEBE

Keten Abebe hasn’t graduated high school yet, but already boasts connections to national leaders in the progressive movement. She worked on U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost’s successful campaign for Congress last year, helping elect a man eight years her elder as the youngest Congressman in the country.

She’s also served as an intern for state Rep. Anna Eskamani, worked on Charlie Crist’s campaign for Governor and organized a vigil in Orlando for Tyre Nichols, a Memphis man who died after a beating by police captured on video.

“I’ve always been inclined toward politics,” Abebe explained.

The 18-year-old speaks with the authority of a politico pro with years of experience and the conviction of someone whose life experience exposed her to threats against human rights. Indeed, both statements are true. Born in Ethiopia, her family fled violence there and ultimately left Africa for a life in the United States.

She moved to Florida in 2018, where she was startled at the mundane acceptance of shooting drills in school. “I was in eighth grade, and I remember feeling so confused why the teacher was turning off the lights, telling us to hide under the table, and wondering why this was normal,” she recalls.

That year brought a vivid explanation why such drills occur when a school shooter killed 17 people, most students, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day. That prompted Abebe to action. She started attending March for Our Lives rallies, where she heard Frost speak years before he ran for office.

Now a student at University High School, Abebe serves as president of the Black Leaders of Tomorrow chapter at her school, which is why she organized the Nichols vigil. She has also spoken out in the media against legislation like the Stop WOKE Act.

She holds a special interest in immigration and has enjoyed interning in Eskamani’s office because it gives her the opportunity to directly help some individuals struggling to navigate those bureaucratic processes.

She hasn’t decided yet where to attend college, but she plans to pursue political science and law.

The young activist, having worked on the legislative and political sides of the process, hasn’t decided exactly what career path to pursue. She enjoys learning about the grit of crafting real policy, like a popular tax exemption on diapers sponsored by Eskamani and embraced by conservative Gov. Ron DeSantis.

But she professes a “deep love” of the campaign trail. “I love canvassing and meeting people where they are,” Abebe said.

ALYSSA AKBAR

It’s difficult for young people to find a place in The Process, and it’s hard for them to get peers engaged at all. That shifted significantly in 2018, when a tragic school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School spurred the March for Our Lives Movement, drawing in Alyssa Ackbar.

“I was always aware of social issues, but was a little too young and too detached,” she said. “But when that incident happened and all opportunities to get involved arose, I couldn’t see not doing something.”

Just a junior at Robinson High School in Tampa at the time, Ackbar threw herself into the movement. “It helped show me what grassroots politics looks like in Florida,” she said.

She’s now a national organizer for March for Our Lives. She’s also the national lobbying coordinator for Team Enough, the youth outreach arm of Brady: United Against Gun Violence. For more than a year, the 22-year-old has served on the executive council for the organization.

Her focus right now is on making the lobbying process as accessible as possible to young people. She organizes collectives in Florida, California, Virginia and Washington focused on bringing young voices to state government.

“It’s hard to get young people to Tallahassee,” Ackbar said.

She notes the simple logistical challenges that stem from the Florida Capitol sitting in the Panhandle of a state where the greatest population concentrations are in the south.

She graduated in December from Florida State University with a major in international affairs and has remained involved in activism. She’s expended plenty of energy this year fighting facets of the permitless carry law that rapidly worked its way through the Legislature.

Ackbar concedes politics can be a disillusioning process, making pleas to politicians and hearing excuses and demands repeated over time. But she’s also learned a greater appreciation of the intersectionality of issues and how causes interlap and build off the work of one another. She happens to feel a connection to a range of groups that need a voice on policy.

Ackbar is the child of immigrants, with a father from Trinidad and a mother from Brazil. She’s also a member of the LGBTQ community.

“As a brown woman growing up in this state, I have experienced a lot of different things,” she said. “That has allowed me to see different from my White counterparts.”

MAYA ANDERSON

Maya Anderson is barely old enough to vote. But she’s already making a mark on the political process.

The 19-year-old worked phone banks for Joe Biden and managed call time for U.S. Rep. Frost and for former Gov. Crist. Her résumé included internships with state lawmakers, volunteer hours with the Florida Democratic Party and finance drudgery with statewide political committees.

“I love the feeling like I can make a difference in something I know a lot about and feel passionate about,” Anderson said. “I just see all the ways I can help Floridians in their everyday lives.”

The potential for impact became clear when Anderson worked as an intern for state Rep. Eskamani during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. At a time when many people were losing their jobs without notice, she helped individuals secure benefits through the state.

“We did a lot of help escalating cases with the Department of Economic Opportunity, helping people regardless of their political stance and who they voted for,” she recalled.

That taught her the value of making sure to elect people of integrity into public office, characteristics she sees as more valuable than ideology.

Meanwhile, she’s rapidly developed a love for campaign finance. Before managing call time for a congressional and gubernatorial campaign in 2022, she worked for Eskamani’s political committee on the fundraising side.

“It’s something I do care about and find really exciting,” she said, “and something a lot of other people would find very mundane.”

Despite her age, Anderson expects to graduate this summer from Florida State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in political science before she’s old enough to legally buy a drink. She came to campus with plenty of credits under her belt earned in high school.

Already on the fast track for life, Anderson has a summer internship lined up in Washington working for Grassroots Analytics, that could give her a taste of national politics. “Florida will always be the state I am most passionate about, but I want to help anywhere I can make a difference,” she said.

Her ambitions remain behind the scenes, at least for now. She wants a job working on campaigns but is happy to man the books instead of appearing on the ballot.

“I don’t think I want to run for office,” she said. “I feel weird when people have running for office as their No. 1 aspiration. There are so many other things you can do to make a difference.”

NATALIE BROWN

Natalie Brown, a senior legislative assistant for state Sen. Danny Burgess, almost left The Process.

“I tried to leave politics once. I spent more than a year in marketing and communications for a cigar company in Tampa,” she recalled. “But after watching the 2018 election cycle from the sidelines, I knew I had to get back in.”

That pull led her to join the office of then-Sen. Tom Lee, bringing her back into the fold and allowing one of the Rising Stars of Florida politics to shine.

Brown got her first small taste of the political world while volunteering as an election equipment tech at the Martin County Supervisor of Elections. “I helped thousands of voters cast their ballot in 2012, but wasn’t old enough to vote,” she said.

She went on to major in economics at Florida State University. Shortly before starting college, she attended a local Lincoln Day dinner and met then-CFO Jeff Atwater.

Atwater “told me to call his office and that he’d love to have me as an intern in the Department. Of course, it was a surprise for his team when I actually called,” Brown said.

She took that internship position once she was a student at FSU. She also would intern with then-state Rep. Manny Diaz, and with Chris Moya and Emily Buckley at Jones Walker.

Later on, Brown worked in Washington in a communications role for Concerned Veterans for America and Americans for Prosperity.

AFP-Florida State Director Skylar Zander called Brown a “key piece” of the team there.

“Natalie’s intellect, calming presence, and drive are so welcoming in a process full of individuals who typically freak out and react out of haste,” Zander said. “Her loyalty and focus on not only her success, but her boss’s success, separate her from the pack and are more reasons why she is going to excel in this crazy Process long term.”

Brown said she was thankful she returned from her 2018 break and landed in Lee’s Office.

“He kept me on my toes and was the toughest boss I’ve ever had,” Brown related, “but he wanted me to succeed and I learned a lot from him.”

This is now her fifth Session in the Senate, and seventh Session overall, and she says several individuals have impacted her along the way.

Danny Martinez, now at AFP-Florida, was working for Diaz at the same time Brown was an intern.

“They could have just had me answer the phones,” Brown said, “but instead, they gave me every opportunity to learn about The Process from committee weeks to Sine Die. I met constituents and lobbyists, sat in on meetings, and wrote talking points and press releases. Danny has been a mentor and friend for 10 years.”

She also shouted out Kathy Galea and Patty Harrison on the Senate side. At the time Brown started there, Galea was with then-state Sen. Bill Galvano and Harrison worked for then-state Sen. Wilton Simpson.

“My first few months in the Senate were incredibly challenging,” Brown remembered. “Sen. Lee told me on Day 1 that he had never trained new staff, so it was up to me to make friends and learn the role as quickly as possible. Fortunately, both Kathy and Patty kept their doors open for me.”

Brown isn’t sure what her future will hold going forward, but said she’s worked hard to hone a skill set to enable success in the Legislature.

“I am a problem solver, and for me ‘work smarter, not harder’ means working together. Across the aisle or across the state, in the chamber or in the rotunda, it doesn’t matter. We are all a part of The Process and no person or policy is an island,” she explained.

“Sometimes working together means solving a problem with a quick phone call. Other times, we work on legislation for years before we see solutions. The variety keeps the job exciting. Also, there is something special about being able to read a statute you helped write and to see the impact of your work in your local community year after year.”

AMY CLIMENHAGE

The camera stays on the woman’s face because she has an important message: She has survived a close call with breast cancer. Her eyes shine. We learn she has already triumphed in astonishing ways. Chaunte Lowe is a four-time Olympic high jumper, meaning she beat out top-tier competition over 16 straight years.

But she would never have overcome triple-negative breast cancer, had early detection not made that possible. The one-minute spot is an argument to support the Mary Brogan Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program, which promotes access to care for underserved populations. The nonprofit was hoping for state funds to supply that care. To get the message out, they turned to Sachs Media and Amy Climenhage, one of the brightest stars at the well-known communications firm.

Climenhage, 25, was a driving force behind the video. She likes producing content that is both intimate and immediate. It is not far removed from her lifelong passions for writing and reading, a visual injection capable of drawing in even a casual viewer.

“I always appreciate being trusted with someone’s story and getting to tell it well for them,” she said.

Her bosses appreciate it too. Three years after hiring her, they made Climenhage the youngest account manager in the company’s 27-year history.

“Amy’s skills and enthusiasm were evident right from the start,” said Herbie Theile, a Sachs partner and spokesperson. “She already had an exceptional skill set — and what she didn’t know, she was able to figure out or learn quickly.”

Her journey began in 1998 as Amy Cook, the only child of three in the family to be born in Florida, or to stay here. Others returned to Michigan, where the family had previously lived.

“I’ve always kind of felt like I paved my own way,” she said.

That sentiment includes putting down roots here: “I love the state of Florida. I guess I’m quite loyal to it.”

Because of her love of reading, she originally grew up thinking she might want to be a teacher. She’s a big advocate of early childhood education, and has also used her public relations savvy to get help to coastal Floridians in the aftermath of major storms.

As a communications intern at UF Health Shands Hospital, she gravitated toward writing profiles of nurses and other health care workers. They were not famous, nor were they professional communicators, but they had stories, each one unique. Gradually, a portrait of the institution emerged through the descriptions and experiences of its staff.

“My eyes just kind of opened,” she said. “I quickly found out that I absolutely loved doing that kind of work.”

Her relationship with Sachs began during a college internship.

“She recognized right away what questions to ask, and understood the answers and how to apply them to her work,” Theile said. “And she only grew in her knowledge from there.”

As a public affairs account manager, Climenhage is able to move in the direction of her clients’ needs. Strategies vary from traditional news to traditional advertising, social media or the kinds of testimonial videos that can make a difference, depending on the audience a client needs to reach.

Payoff from promotional spots such as the Chaunte Lowe video is abundant. The Mary Brogan early detection program is now enshrined in a Florida 2022 statute, which authorizes state and federal funds to underwrite free or low-cost breast and cervical cancer screenings for qualifying candidates.

In her free time, Climenhage enjoys running the Florida trails, sampling dining spots with her husband, Brandon Climenhage, or meeting up with friends.

She has passed the lessons of mentorship from partners like Theile and Drew Piers, the managing director, on to new colleagues, challenging or cheering them on. She hopes to continue creating effective, moving content by and for Floridians.

“I think people are very much moved by a personal story,” she said, “giving an issue a voice, highlighting that person and what their story is or says about the general issue. Floridians understand that.”

ZACH COLLETTI

In January 2021, Zach Colletti started work as a legislative aide to state Sen. Jeff Brandes. It was a baptism by fire.

“My first day there, he handed me 80-plus pages of research and said, ‘Take a look at this and let’s talk about it tomorrow,’” said Colletti, 25. The document laid out the dynamics of a property insurance crisis threatening companies and customers alike. Providers were reeling from a flood of lawsuits, many of them fraudulent. Companies were leaving the state and those that remained were kicking customers off their rolls or charging higher rates.

“I was just shocked,“ Colletti said. “I was like, ‘How haven’t I heard about this? I’ve lived here my entire life, this is crazy!’”

Why would he? Like most of his peers a couple of years out of college, Colletti had never taken out a homeowner’s policy. He spent that night poring over the complexities that have allowed Florida to account for 9% of the insurance market in the country and 79% of its litigation, according to a 2022 report by the state’s Office of Insurance Regulation.

But as his employers have discovered, Colletti feels most at home when tearing apart the thorniest issues affecting voters, then framing them in easily digestible language. He worked for Brandes’ office 16 months, leading other staffers on both insurance and transportation.

“Our office was typically one of the busiest in the Legislature as far as bills and amendments went,” Brandes said. “And (Colletti) had two whole areas of policy that he oversaw for our team. He was consistently outperforming his peers on almost every level.”

“In many ways he reminds me of Chris Spencer,” Brandes said, referring to another former legislative aide and INFLUENCE Magazine “30 Under 30” winner. Spencer now directs policy and budget for Gov. DeSantis.

In addition to work ethic, both men possess an “ability to creatively think around problems,” Brandes added.

After two Legislative Sessions, Colletti rejoined Enwright Rimes Consulting. That relationship had begun serendipitously a few years earlier, as he was completing a bachelor’s degree at Florida State University and interning with the Republican Party of Florida. Enwright Rimes is located one floor below the RPOF headquarters on East Jefferson Street, in the same building.

“The internship was kind of ending, and he wound up coming downstairs and working for us,” co-founder Jim Rimes said.

The initial stint lasted 15 months in the company’s digital arm. He worked under Zach Monahan, another former INFLUENCE Rising Star who is now Enwright Rimes’ creative director. Colletti returned in April 2022 as director of operations, and has since contributed to the winning campaigns of state Reps. Shane Abbott and Jason Brodeur, state Sen. Nick DiCeglie, and Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Julie Marcus.

His verbal acumen comes in handy in a variety of roles, whether it’s writing newsletter content for a client, explaining what’s at stake this week in the Legislature or prepping candidates for a debate. “He’s got a really good feel for how to take those complex issues and make them relatable and understandable to people in real life,” Rimes said.

He grew up in West Palm Beach, the son of a shop foreman for county school buses who once cooked for restaurants. “He’s the best cook I’ve ever met,” Colletti said. “That’s objective. I’m not saying that because he’s my dad.”

While some kids rely on an allowance, Colletti got his extra money working at Publix stores from the ninth grade through his freshman year of college. He went to FSU with plans for law school, majoring in political science because that seemed like a decent bet to pave the way.

Because law and politics are often intertwined, he took an internship with the Mayernick Group for the 2018 Session. And a funny thing happened: He liked it.

“I had a really great experience with them, and that made me decide to keep pushing forward in this field,” he said. In April of that year he joined the gubernatorial campaign of Adam Putnam, at the time a solid favorite to win the Republican nomination. That all changed with a timely endorsement by President Donald Trump for DeSantis.

“I certainly realized how quickly the tide can turn in politics, and especially in elections,” said Colletti, who worked in the final months of the DeSantis campaign as a recruiter. He spent the next two and a half years with the National Federation of Independent Business, then as a digital project manager for Supernova Digital (an Enwright Rimes company), which proved eye opening.

“That was my first time seeing how things on the higher level of campaigns are done,” he said. “How the fundraising happens, how the messaging happens, and all of the factors that go into getting your message out effectively.”

Colletti said he enjoyed that learning experience and hoped to return to Enwright Rimes once his time working for Brandes, an equally irreplaceable opportunity, had passed. In a sense, the next 16 months brought him full circle, beyond the art and science of campaigns to their purpose.

“Most of the people who vote are not poring over policy,” he said. “Their jobs are not involved in politics. They have a laundry list of other things in their personal lives. So for me, making it easy for someone to stay informed is a really important part of civic society. The more information you can put in front of someone before they vote, the better it is for our democracy.”

Taking phone calls from the public brought home the stakes, none more vividly than those from anxious homeowners who had lost their insurance, or unwittingly signed on to a contractor’s lawsuit that did not benefit them.

“Fielding those calls is hard,” he said. “We know what has to be done, but sometimes there are serious roadblocks. That’s hard to explain to somebody who says, ‘I can’t afford to live in my home anymore that I’ve owned for 20-plus years.’ It really affects you. But it makes working on issues like that seem even more important.”

Away from work, Colletti said he enjoys cooking. Grilling in particular was “a big COVID hobby of mine,” he said, one he could get right or wrong without grave consequences. He aims for impeccable flavors, the way his father taught him.

MILES DAVIS

Politics is a bit like jazz.

It alternates between exciting and dull, rote and unpredictable. There are any number of players, each responsible for honoring but adding to the creations of their forebears.

And like the jazz great whose name he shares, Florida’s Miles Davis is damn good at his job.

Davis, a 26-year-old Fort Myers native, is in his sixth year in Democratic politics. For more than a third of that time, he’s been the Chief of Staff to Miami Gardens Sen. Shevrin Jones.

Those who know Davis share a glossary when discussing him: Organized. Composed. Pleasant. Outgoing. Deliberate. Careful. Knowledgeable. Driven. Kind.

“People know that he comes in peace,” Jones said, “but he’s very good at what he does.”

Davis entered politics in May 2016 as a field organizer for the Florida Democratic Party, the first of three roles of increasing import he held with the organization over four-plus years.

Through late 2018, he ran the election campaigns of Gainesville Rep. Yvonne Hinson, Iowa state Sen. Nate Boulton, former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman and former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine.

He then joined the office of Tampa state Rep. Dianne Hart, who sought him out to work as her first legislative aide after an impressive meeting with him years earlier.

Veteran political operative Janae Murphy, who introduced them, said Davis was something of a “hidden gem” at the time, though that distinction has become less apt as his reputation has grown.

“Miles is the person you hope and pray you get on your team, because he goes the extra mile,” Murphy said. “He’s loyal, knows his stuff, knows the Capitol backward and forward, and what he doesn’t know, he learns quickly.”

Davis worked under Hart for only a year, but she said the impression he left on her staff, colleagues and constituents lasts to this day.

“Miles was so patient when talking to people, and he was doting to me, handled everything I needed him to,” she said. “Years later, everybody still asks after him.”

Davis is responsible for overseeing the office’s daily operations, staff meetings, bill and appropriation filings, committee preparations, conferring with lobbyists and serving as Jones’ proxy when the Senator is otherwise occupied.

And though Davis’ reputation as a measured, intentional leader might suggest he’s uncomfortable in tense situations, the contrary is true.

“Even when we’re putting out fires left and right, Miles can look at the situation to determine the most effective way to move forward,” said Marina Braynon-Moore, Jones’ senior district secretary. “That’s invaluable.”

Davis maintained that energy last year while sick and quarantining with COVID-19, said Emily Rodrigues, Jones’ former legislative aide.

“He still guided us from home,” she said. “Miles just stays so collected in high-stress moments. He’s really good at focusing and managing different expectations.”

Davis’ combo of attributes, like a well-practiced jazz band, have led some — including Jones — to suggest he could enjoy a bright career as an elected official himself one day.

Davis hasn’t voiced any such aspiration, Jones said, “but I’ve told him he should.”

MARY KATHERINE DELEGAL

On the one hand, the teenage Mary Katherine Delegal had the widest array of options ahead of her. The Tallahassee native was a good student and came from a supportive family, one that would surely back whatever career choice she made.

On the other, the same family members had tracked toward one choice in their own lives. “Both my parents are lawyers, my grandparents were lawyers and all their friends are lawyers,” said Delegal, 25 (who goes by MK). “So that’s all I knew and what I thought the path was going to be.”

During her freshman year at the University of Florida, she took a prep course for the LSAT. “As a 19-year-old, it was daunting,” she said. “Your whole life is, ‘Go to college and then you’ve made it.’ But what do you do when you get to college? I sort of fell in line with what I’d observed and then I realized, ‘Oh wait, this isn’t what I want to do.’”

From then on, the things she got involved in were things she wanted to do. She majored in journalism, picking up freelance work for the Independent Florida Alligator and an internship with a local PBS affiliate. She interviewed inmates at Florida State Prison who were learning to become electricians, covered preparations for self-driving cars, and wrote about responses to the coronavirus.

She also interned for a vanity book publisher, the campaign of state Rep. Chuck Clemons, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and Allison Aubuchon Communications. She was a captain on Dance Marathon, which raises hundreds of thousands of dollars every year for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, and later joined Florida Blue Key, a 100-year-old honor society that has attracted many future state and civic leaders.

“I do tend to think deeply about my next move,” Delegal said. “I think ‘thoughtful’ is an adjective I would use to describe myself, and alongside that, ‘ambitious’ and ‘driven.’ I’m a very loyal person as well.”

Those who know her best would add confidence and coolheadedness to the list.

“I’d say she knows a bit more than the average bear when it comes to experience in this process,” said Josh Aubuchon, a partner in a legal consulting business with Mark Delegal, MK’s father. “I’m excited over her career path, the trajectories taken.”

Delegal already understands politics, policy and funding, and “she exudes a presence that belies her age,” Aubuchon said.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, she returned to her hometown of Tallahassee and networked for job leads. She learned of an opening at the Florida Behavioral Health Association (FBHA), the state’s largest trade association, representing more than 70 mental health nonprofits. Soon, Delegal was directing its communications and public affairs. She stayed abreast of all aspects of FBHA’s work, from its committees to meeting with lobbyists to shape her press statements and internal communications.

“Your comms strategy has to coincide with your legislative strategy,” she said, “to make sure you’re pushing out the right message.”

One big message was the mission of the association itself, advocated in recent years by public figures including First Lady Casey DeSantis: destigmatizing depression and other mental health challenges.

“With the First Lady championing mental health, it kind of opened a door,” she said. “Maybe even five years ago no one wanted to admit, ‘I might have anxiety or I might be depressed,’ right? Now it’s kitchen table conversation, and people are more willing to talk about it and listen as well.”

Delegal also earned a master’s degree during her first year with the association, graduating in December 2021 from Florida State University’s (FSU) Applied Policy and Politics program.

In March 2023, she joined the communications team at the Department of Business and Professional Regulation under Secretary Melanie Griffin. “She is just incredibly dynamic, very intelligent, and somebody I’ve already learned a tremendous amount from,” Delegal said of Griffin.

She’s grateful for the counsel of seasoned women in the field, including Allison Aubuchon and Alia Faraj-Johnson, a former spokesperson for Gov. Jeb Bush who now runs her own lobbying and communications firm.

“From Alia I think I’ve learned grace and poise, how to handle a difficult situation,” she said. “She’s someone I’ve just kind of leaned on for support as a friend.”

Another long-standing tie goes all the way back to her high school youth group at Faith Presbyterian Church. That’s where she met Holton Graham. They eventually started dating, maintained a long-distance relationship as undergraduates (he went to FSU) and are now planning a December wedding. They enjoy jaunts to Alligator Point to catch the sunset, a boat they bought during the pandemic, and exploring hiking trails with Hank, a Dalmation mutt.

A couple of weekends in the fall, they’ll head to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, thanks to her dad, who has season tickets. There, Delegal can let loose with two words you don’t hear much in Tallahassee: “Go Gators!”

AMOL DHALIWAL

Amol Dhaliwal is the current Director of Government Relations for St. Petersburg College (SPC).

In that role, Dhaliwal leads government relations at the local, state and federal level through building and cultivating relationships with elected officials and other key stakeholders.

He also proposes and drafts SPC’s legislative budget requests to the state Legislature, a crucial component to ensure the school has access to fiscal resources to grow and thrive.

Before his work with SPC, Dhaliwal served as the public and legislative affairs coordinator in the Office of the Attorney General under Ashley Moody.

Before that, he was a legislative assistant to state Sen. Burgess.

“When Amol walks in, the first thing you notice is his energy,” Burgess said of his former staffer.

“Since Day 1, he’s shown initiative, ready with problem-solving ideas and passion for whatever it is he is working on. My team and I joke that if the Energizer bunny worked in this process, he would look like Amol Dhaliwal. Amol has a bright future and I can’t wait to see where he goes.”

Dhaliwal’s legislative and Cabinet-level experience provides a strong foundation for government affairs work, with strong connections to key players in Tallahassee and foundational knowledge about the legislative and budgeting process.

“I have known Amol since he worked with Sen. Danny Burgess’s office. His work ethic and professionalism set him apart from others,” said Shawn Foster, a veteran of the political process. Foster previously served as a lobbyist with the Southern Strategy Group and worked for U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis and Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano when he was a state Senator.

“Amol is a great example of how talent, mixed with skills, and a positive attitude, add up to success.”

RYAN MICHAEL FERNANDEZ

Ryan Fernandez was doing his best to get through his first semester at Florida International University, bagging groceries and aiming for law school. He did find the time one day to show up for a campaign event for Vance Aloupis, who had already practiced law before deciding his heart was in public policy.

Aloupis, a Miami-Dade Republican and a former Young Floridian of the Year, was running for a House seat in 2018, campaigning on free markets and good schools. Fernandez liked what he stood for and told him so.

“He said, ‘Come out and campaign’ and I said, ‘Sure,’” Fernandez recalled. They knocked on thousands of doors.

Then he tore his meniscus playing flag football, which ruled out all of the walking for a while. Aloupis had other ideas: He wanted Fernandez to serve as his Deputy Campaign Manager.

“I said, ‘Deputy Campaign Manager? I have no experience, know nothing about politics, and I’m a bagboy at Publix.’”

Aloupis stood his ground, hired the bagboy and won by 579 votes. The mood was high among his young staffers, including an Aloupis aide named Alexis Calatayud. Aloupis departed the House after two terms. But Calatayud is now a Senator, and Fernandez is a political consultant working for Alex Miranda, another key player in a tight-knit contingent of young Latino Republicans.

“What I always appreciated about Ryan was that he was always eager to work,” Aloupis said. “Eager to learn. Always wanted to exceed expectations. Those qualities are how he differentiated himself (on campaigns), and how he will differentiate himself in life.”

Fernandez repeated as Deputy Campaign Manager for Aloupis in 2020, while also assuming the legislative aide spot vacated by Calatayud, who had become Policy and Programs Director for the state’s Department of Education.

“We’ve been working really closely with each other the last five, six years, kind of rowing in the same direction,” Calatayud said. “So I’m just really proud of a great success.”

Fernandez grew up in Miami, the son of a 31-year law enforcement officer and a mental health professional. His campaigns tended to win by more comfortable margins than that 2018 nailbiter, but his own pace actually increased. At one point around 2020, he was working  multiple campaigns, while participating in student government and taking six courses in order to graduate a semester early.

“I drank a lot of coffee,” he said.

Fernandez then completed Florida State University’s Masters of Applied American Politics & Policy program in 15 months. Some of his most enduring campaign lessons were also the first, from that initial 2018 stretch run.

“You build a compelling story and you knock on doors,” he said. “And try to connect with voters, whether they agree with you or not.”

JULIE FAZEKAS

Julie Fazekas, director at Red Hills Strategies, is to co-workers, clients and those who know her kind and loyal. But that’s just the surface.

Amanda Bevis, Fazekas’ boss at Red Hills, describes her as not only smart, but savvy on strategy and a master of details — a person who knows her way around an Excel spreadsheet better than most. Detail oriented and thorough, Fazekas is a critical part of the Red Hills team.

Those who know Fazekas describe her as someone who refuses to let any detail fall through the cracks, and she is a critical part of the team at Red Hills Strategies.

“I knew I could count on Julie to hit the ground running. I just had to convince her to join me,” Bevis said. “I’m lucky to count her as my colleague. As an added benefit, I’ve gotten to witness her capabilities expand and career develop over the years. Her future is bright.”

Fazekas joined Red Hills, a Florida-based communications firm that focuses on public policy, in 2019. She had previously worked with Bevis on the Putnam campaign. Bevis saw in Fazekas a strategist who could help meet the needs of the firm’s growing client base.

Before joining Red Hills Strategies, Fazekas managed PAC activity for the Florida Hospital Association. She worked for Putnam‘s gubernatorial campaign and his Florida Grown Political Committee.

“Julie is a thoughtful, talented, and trusted adviser to many, but more than that, a loyal friend,” said Justin Hollis, a partner at Southern Group and executive director of the Beer Industry of Florida. “But don’t let the niceness fool you, she’s willing to have a knife fight in a phone booth for the things that matter.”

Fazekas is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she studied marketing and was a member of Florida Blue Key, which organizes homecoming celebrations on campus and facilitates and sponsors the Florida Blue Key Speech and Debate Tournament to help high schoolers in Florida develop into the next generation of leaders.

When Fazekas is not placing media stories or planning amazing Capitol events, she’s planning a wedding. After Session, she’ll marry Jack Rogers, part of the legislative affairs team at the Florida Department of Transportation, and another rising star in the political process.

Expect to see these two in a future issue featuring Power Couples.

JOHN PAUL FIORE

At first, finding himself working for the Department of Children and Families (DCF) could have looked to John Paul Fiore like a pleasant coincidence, the kind people rely on to say a given partnership, job or marriage was meant to be.

And it might have been that, the way Fiore stumbled across an application form for a fellowship program while looking for something else. Fiore was working as a Weiss Legal Fellow then for the First Amendment Foundation, while going through his third year at the University of Florida (UF) law school.

The application was for aspiring Florida gubernatorial Fellows, a state program that seeks promising students to immerse in key areas of in state government. A storybook sequence of events followed, starting with the gubernatorial Fellows placing him with DCF. Today, Fiore, 30, is both a lawyer and lobbyist serving as DCF’s Director of Legislative Affairs.

“The best thing I can say about him is his attitude,” said Justin “JD” Davis, the Cabinet Affairs Director for the Department of Environmental Protection, who met Fiore when both men worked at DCF. “Even when things were stressful, you never had any doubt that he was going to get the job done.”

Lindsey Zander also worked alongside Fiore for three years at DCF, and now serves as Executive Director of the Florida Education Foundation. “He is incredibly dedicated, hardworking, professional, intelligent, loyal and extremely dedicated to the mission the Department serves,” Zander wrote in an email.

In fact, pivotal developments in his own childhood played a larger role in preparing Fiore for his current role than anything that has happened since.

He spent most of the first decade of his life in Connecticut, the only son of a Brazilian mother and a father with New York-Italian roots. When Fiore was 10, his mother took him with her to a town in Minas Gerais, a state in southeastern Brazil.

The boy admired the resilient spirit of the Brazilian people but struggled initially to learn Portuguese. He spoke with a slight stutter and feared public speaking. A middle-school “contemporary studies” class changed all that.

Students were assigned to follow news events and come to class ready to discuss an issue in a clear-eyed way. Instead of simply talking about rampant government corruption, he said, students were told to provide information that might help explain any causes.

“That really sparked my interest,” he said, “and made me pay attention to the importance of having a seat at the table, and making sure that you are engaged, tuned in and involved.”

The class presentations also improved his confidence; he lost the stutter and no longer feared public speaking.

Mother and son returned to Fort Myers when Fiore was 14. Both parents put in extra hours, his mother in her hair removal business and his father as a retail manager, to make sure JP could get through college without student debt.

He studied political science and geography at UF, volunteered for Dance Marathon and joined Florida Blue Key. He joined DCF in 2018 through Florida Gubernatorial Fellows and has only moved up the ranks since, from legislative specialist, Deputy Legislative Affairs Director and now the Department’s Legislative Affairs Director.

DCF deals with a wide range of crises, including child abuse, substance abuse and mental health, homelessness, adult protective services and human trafficking. “The best role of government is in acknowledging the good government can do as a catalyst for moving the needle in the right direction.”

Toward that end, the Department relies on Hope Florida, founded by Florida’s First Lady DeSantis, and other nonprofits.

Away from work, Fiore is a self-described homebody. Last fall he married Gabi Oliveira, who was born in Brazil. They have a 6-month-old daughter, Penelope. Being a new husband and father has enlarged his passion for the work he does.

“All we want is to be able to provide a shelter, a home where they’ll be safe and have food every night,” he said. “It’s bare-minimum things we can’t turn a blind eye to.”

SYDNEY FOWLER

Sydney Fowler grew up in Panama City learning from two of the best kinds of role models.

Her mother, a lifelong educator, taught her diligence. Her father, a pilot and Army attaché, instilled in her a sense of duty and American pride.

So while her path to becoming the Republican Party of Florida’s Member Liaison for House Campaigns under Speaker-designate Danny Perez wasn’t exactly a straight line, it’s an apt role, and one at which her colleagues agree she’s exceeding.

“In my household, there was an air of public service to your country, state and local community, and a belief in hard work and dedication,” she said. “And I won’t work for someone who’s in this for the wrong reason, who I can’t support. I believe in Chair Perez, his goals and mission.”

As Member Liaison, Fowler, 25, works with every GOP Representative in the House to capitalize on engagement opportunities to promote themselves during the 2024 election cycle.

“I’m constantly checking with the members — how things are back in the district, seeing how things are up here in Tallahassee,” she said. “It adds that extra touch and reassures them that we’re here to use this office over the next two years to make sure we get all 85 current members re-elected.”

Her career in politics began in mid-2018, while she sought a master’s degree in law enforcement intelligence from Florida State University. She’d just completed an internship with the nonprofit Catholic Charities Migration & Refugee Services in Washington and was keen on applying to work for one of the intelligence agencies near the Capitol.

Then another opportunity arose closer to home: a job in the office of newly elected Pensacola state Rep. Alex Andrade. Fowler jumped at the chance, and for roughly a year she learned the ropes of constituent services and grew invested in politics.

Before she knew it, she was staying up to watch Session and learn more about lawmaking. Her boss took note. When a legislative aide position opened in then-state Rep. Jayer Williamson’s office, Andrade suggested she pursue it.

She worked in Williamson’s office for the next three years.

“I got even more involved and interested,” she said. “I realized that I just loved The Process.”

She left Williamson’s office last June to run the campaign of state Rep. Danny Alvarez, who went on to unseat a Democratic incumbent.

In December, she joined House Campaigns in the newly created role of Member Liaison.

Perez describes Fowler as “a hidden gem” who has been “going 100 mph” since joining.

“She carries herself very well, is extremely bright, works hard, and she’s loyal — all important characteristics for our team,” he said. “The sky’s the limit for her. Sydney is going to be a bright star not just in the House but in politics.”

BD JOGERST

Growing up in the shadow of the Capitol, BD Jogerst long said he did not want to go into politics. It wasn’t until attending college at Florida State University that he realized there was something about The Process that felt like home.

The countless hours of conversation with his father Brian Jogerst, a longtime contract lobbyist, helped spark his desire.

“Even though I didn’t realize it initially, there was no way I was ever going into any other line of work besides politics,” BD said. “What choice did I have when it was the typical topic of conversation around the dinner table? I never stood a chance.”

While working toward his bachelor’s in political science, BD served as a legislative intern at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services under then-Commissioner Putnam and credits that role with solidifying his desire to work in The Process. From there, Jogerst joined then-state Rep. Jim Boyd’s legislative staff, where he worked around his class schedule to collaborate with legislators, constituents and other stakeholders on policy initiatives.

“BD has consistently impressed me over the years with his exceptional understanding of the political process and an unwavering commitment to serving the needs of our state — both public and private,” now-Sen. Boyd said. “I know we will continue to see BD succeed in his future endeavors.”

Jogerst had just graduated when he moved south to Monroe County to manage then-state Rep. Holly Raschein’s successful re-election campaign in House District 120 — securing a decisive victory for her final term in the House.

“No surprise here — the Keys were awesome. Monroe County is home to wonderful people and a lifestyle unlike any other,” Jogerst said. “It took a little getting used to for a North Florida boy, but after the first good sunburn while door knocking, I looked the part.”

With election season in the rearview, Jogerst moved back to Tallahassee to join the team at Associated Industries of Florida, where Brewster Bevis said he was “known for his dedication and work ethic to advance public policies that fostered a strong business climate in our state and promoted economic growth.”

Jogerst took his knowledge of government affairs and policy to his current role as a Government & Public Affairs Manager for Sunshine Health, a subsidiary of Centene Corporation.

“BD’s experience in the public and private sectors has given him a unique perspective,” said Craig Hansen, Senior Vice President of Legislative and Government Affairs for Sunshine Health. “He understands the challenges businesses face and has the experience to navigate our state’s regulatory landscape.”

CHAD KUNDE

The Policy Director for the Florida Chamber of Commerce arrived at that position, at least in part, because of his hunger for the chase.

“There are two kinds of dogs,” said Delegal, a legal consultant who recommended Chad Kunde to the Chamber. “One kind you have to hold back. You have to say, ‘You’re eager, that’s good. Slow down.’ The other kind you have to kick in the ass to motivate them.”

Kunde, 28, is the first kind. “He is, No. 1, naturally curious, interested and hard working,” Delegal said. “That’s the main attribute I have observed.”

Kunde grew up in the Washington area around federal workers, starting with his dad, and symbols of influence in stone and marble. His father, a staunch Republican, and mother, who worked for Fannie Mae and voted Democratic, sometimes talked politics at the dinner table. But never once, in Kunde’s memory, was their disagreement contentious.

Too many problems, he maintains, come down to a human tendency to underestimate complexity.

“A lot of people get caught up looking at an issue as if it were 6 inches deep,” he said.

“I think a lot of nuance is lost on us sometimes. And nuance takes (putting in) the hours to be able to know what you’re talking about, to understand both sides of an issue. That makes you a better advocate for your position, but it also makes you better at thinking, and thinking is good.”

He majored in political science and government at East Carolina University, graduating in 2017. Casting around for jobs, he thought about Florida, where he had family, or on Capitol Hill. Kundee landed with state Rep. Paul Renner in 2018. Renner, a Republican whose district includes Flagler County, is the current House Speaker. It turned out to be a fortuitous relationship.

Kunde worked as his aide for nearly a year, driving him around and contributing grassroots campaign strategies.

He moved to Palm Coast in the heart of the district, with Renner’s encouragement, and got to know it intimately.

“I didn’t come in with a MAPP degree, or even have an understanding of what Florida politics looks like,” he said, a reference to Florida State University’s vaunted master’s program in policy and politics. “When you have the opportunity to be with (Renner) every day, you’re kind of held to a standard and you have to learn quickly. And there was nobody better to learn from.”

He talked to residents who had called the legislator in distress. Those calls left a lasting impression.

“It was eye-opening,” he said. “Some of that stuff you don’t see in Washington.”

Kunde joined the staff of state Rep. Wyman Duggan in 2019, first as a district aide and then a Campaign Manager. That same year, he started grad school at Jacksonville University, studying public policy. He earned a master’s degree in 2021, and worked as public policy coordinator for Florida Realtors, the state’s largest professional trade association with more than 238,000 members.

Representing Realtors allowed him to drill down further on a growing property insurance crisis, with Florida accounting for 76% of insurance litigation nationwide. Those costs get passed to customers.

“There is a lawsuit abuse pandemic in this state, where every business is sued constantly,” he said. “It’s really the No. 1 issue facing this state.”

He had been doing that job for 16 months, at which point Delegal told Kunde that the Florida Chamber was looking for a director of business climate and government policy. “I reached out to him and said, ‘This would be perfect for you to get into this,’” Delegal said.

The timing couldn’t be better, Delegal believes, and the reason is his colorful theory on three career “layers.” The first layer is learning every possible answer about a subject, with real estate policy generally and insurance litigation being two examples.

“Now, as he goes on with his career, in phase two, he will pretty much know the answer but he’s going to have to double-check himself,” Delegal said.

In phase three, the one in which Delegal would place himself, “You do know the answer and you are the answer.”

Look behind the lawyer’s jocular tone — there is, for example, a fourth phase, the “kooky old man no one listens to” — and a serious point takes shape: A lot of promising young people with talent and credentials invest too much in prestige and power and forget about acquiring expertise.

“Some of these young guys come along,” he said, “and they don’t want to spend the time learning. They want to go out, hang out at the Governor’s Club, fool around and think about golf tournaments on the way to public policy events. And that’s not Chad. Chad is wanting to become a subject matter expert and put his time in.”

Kunde recently bought a house in Tallahassee 45 minutes from the Gulf Coast. He enjoys spending time with his fiance, Kayla Nocella, and a circle of friends. He relishes a work and social environment in Tallahassee that allows for people to form bonds despite their differences, an example his parents deliberately modeled for their children.

“That’s something I really love about Tallahassee,” Kunde said. “Everyone has a difference of opinion, but to be able at the end of this thing, when you hang your boots up at the end of the day, to say, ‘Yeah, we’re all friends.’”

HANNA LITTLEJOHN

Hannah Littlejohn’s foray into politics wasn’t born of an innate interest, but once she caught the bug, she was in it for life.

Now, less than four years since she took her first job in the field, Littlejohn is coordinating the House campaign finances of the Florida GOP during one of its most dominant periods in history.

The job involves organizing a four-person finance team, running events, tracking funds and following up with donors to ensure the party meets its goals. It’s also helping Speaker-designate Perez, who chairs House Campaigns, to get in front of the right people and steer the party in its mission to not only keep but add to its sizable advantage in 2024.

“It’s really important for Chair Perez to continue the growth, which obviously involves raising a lot of money,” she said. “We’re going to keep all 85 seats and get more.”

Littlejohn began her career in politics in mid-2019 when, at her father’s suggestion and with his help, she secured a legislative internship with the high-powered lobbying firm, Rubin Turnbull & Associates. The job wasn’t especially involved, but it gave her a glimpse of The Process.

She kept at it. Later that year, the Parkland native worked as a petition staffer for Delray Beach Republican state Rep. Mike Caruso. That led to a job on Perez’s 2020 re-election campaign.

“I would go knock on doors, didn’t really know what I was doing,” she said. “But it sparked something in me that was like, ‘I think I want to do this forever.’”

After helping Perez secure another term last year, she moved to Miami, political science degree in hand, and worked on several races for the Miami-Dade County Commission, including at EDGE Communications under Democratic consultant Christian Ulvert.

The candidates she campaigned for — Republicans Kevin Marino Cabrera and Anthony Rodriguez, and Democrats Danielle Cohen Higgins and Micky Steinberg — all won their technically nonpartisan contests.

“I was grateful to have a front-row seat, gain that experience, help those candidates and also witness this Republican wave we’ve seen across the county,” she said.

Perez then hired her as Finance Coordinator for House Campaigns.

At 23, Littlejohn is one of the organization’s youngest team members, but Perez said she’s also among its smartest and most versatile.

“Hannah is a utility player,” he said. “She got into the political world a very short time ago, but she caught on quick. And she’s important to my success. She’s been by my side since we took over House Campaigns, and I’m excited to have her along for the ride.”

MAX LOSNER

For Becker & Poliakoff government relations specialist Max Losner, politics isn’t just a passion; it’s part of his DNA.

A fifth-generation Floridian, Losner grew up in Homestead, Miami-Dade County’s second-oldest city.

It’s where his great-great grandfather, his namesake, and grandfather’s great uncle served as City Council member. Today, it’s where his father is seeking a third mayoral term.

But his original aim wasn’t politics.

Losner attended a medical magnet high school and spent years volunteering at Homestead Hospital. Health care fascinated him, and he decided to seek a degree in health service administration, albeit with a minor in political science, at the University of Central Florida.

While there, he got word of the school’s legislative internship program. He applied, and before he knew it, he was in Tallahassee working for Rep. David Smith and former Rep. Scott Plakon.

“I got firsthand experience in state government and realized I wanted my career to be in the world of government,” he said.

Losner finished the internship and returned to school in March 2020, with an earnest zest for politics. He landed Campaign Manager jobs for two Republicans running for office in Monroe County, Cheryl Meads and Rhonda Rebman Lopez, the latter of whom narrowly lost  to now-Rep. Jim Mooney.

From there, his stock skyrocketed. In December 2020, the same month he graduated from college, Losner won a race for Florida GOP Secretary. He then reached out to Becker lobbyists Alex Alamo and José Feuntes, whom he’d met while working at the Capitol, to see if they wanted an extra hand during Session. They did.

“I was their boots on the ground during the ‘COVID Session,’ in the office acting as an administrator, helping service clients, attending meetings, tracking bills and so on,” he said.

He stuck with them after, traveling back to Miami-Dade to work from the firm’s Coral Gables office. When Alamo departed in mid-2021, Losner succeeded him.

Since then, he’s helped to attract billions of dollars in funding to local governments and nonprofits the firm represents while successfully advocating for policies benefitting top-tier clients, including Miami-Dade, Miami, CVS, Aetna, Motorola, Siemens Corp. and a passel of engineering firms.

Last year, former Miami-Dade Commission Chair Jose “Pepe” Diaz appointed Losner to the county’s Planning Advisory Board, a panel that counsels the County Commission on annexation and incorporations. The board elected him Chair this past December.

Asked where he sees his career going from here, Losner said he feels like doing his current job forever, but he admitted to aspirations akin to those of his paternal forebears.

“I love my work now, but I certainly want to find time to go to law school and expand the scope of what I can do in the practice,” he said. “I want to keep climbing the ladder here, working on impactful legislation. And who knows? Maybe I’ll follow in my father’s footsteps and run for local office.”

AVERY LOPEZ

There is a shortcut to the top in Florida’s political world, but it’s easier said than done: Win early, win big and keep winning.

Avery Lopez did just that, working on political campaigns in South Florida — ranging from the municipal level up to the presidential contest — amid the region’s unprecedented shift from a Democratic bastion to a clear Republican lean.

In the 2022 election cycle alone, Lopez helped orchestrate a successful re-election campaign for Rep. Demi Busatta Cabrera. He also helped now-Miami-Dade County Vice Chair Rodriguez make the move from the state House and ushered in newly elected Miami-Dade County Commissioner Cabrera.

In politics, people who ride the bench don’t get a championship ring, and Lopez was a starter in each campaign. During the first act of his political career, he oversaw all facets of campaign operations, from grassroots and volunteer organization to logistics, polling, messaging and fundraising.

Each of the candidates he’s served attested to his work ethic, political acumen and winning mentality. As Busatta Cabrera put it, “He always finds a way to get the job done, no matter the task before him.”

Outside of campaign season, there is, of course, the business of governing. Lopez has built an impressive résumé in that arena as well.

Lopez has served in multiple capacities in state and local government, and since 2019 he has worked as the legislative assistant to House Speaker-designate Perez. Throughout his tenure in the House, Lopez cultivated strong relationships with staff and legislative members in both chambers and across both parties.

Those relationships will serve him well as he starts the next chapter of his career in The Process, working for one of — if not the — top lobbying firms in the Sunshine State.

The Southern Group, which recently expanded its footprint in South Florida, plucked Lopez ahead of the 2023 Legislative Session.

In his new role, the Florida International University graduate and Miami-Dade native will continue to work on statewide policy and appropriations issues in Tallahassee while also assisting clients in navigating county procurement and policy issues on his home turf.

“Miami-Dade County is one of the hottest political markets in the country and Avery has distinguished himself there as a trusted operative who knows how to deliver,” Southern Group Founder and Chair Paul Bradshaw said.

CODY MCCLOUD

When someone moves from working as a legislative intern with a lobbying firm to becoming a first-stringer for one of the largest and most important state Republican parties in the country, people will take notice.

So it is with Cody McCloud.

The Political Director for the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF), McCloud has spent most of his career thus far in communication roles for Govs. Rick Scott and DeSantis. For someone placed in such a public view, he has a remarkably light internet presence compared to most in such a high-profile communications environment.

“While a lot of politics can be about promoting yourself, those who know me know that has never been my M.O.,” McCloud said. “I’m much more of a behind-the-scenes type of guy, and I’ve always tried to just keep my head down and focus on the work at hand. This profile is definitely outside of my wheelhouse and comfort zone.”

McCloud began his career with The Fiorentino Group, a Jacksonville-based government relations firm that has significant influence in Tallahassee.

“Cody interned for us as a college student years ago and was a cut above,” said Joe Mobley, a partner and principal at The Fiorentino Group. “It has been a point of pride to watch his career take off and it’s a testament to his sharp intellect, friendly disposition, and keen political compass.

“I expect he’ll continue to make a positive impact on Florida’s political landscape for many years to come.”

McCloud gives The Fiorentino Group credit for launching his career.

“I learned so much so quickly during my time there, but I think most importantly, I learned that in this business you’re only as strong as the team around you,” McCloud said. “And while this may sound cliché, I’m fortunate to have been a part of some of the best teams in the Process, and I consider myself extremely lucky to have gotten to work with so many incredible colleagues and friends.”

After a time with Greenberg Traurig as a legislative assistant, he began serving as a communications specialist in the Governor’s Office — first for Scott, then DeSantis — moving up to Press Secretary for DeSantis in January 2020.

He spent another year as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation before getting into the mix with the state GOP.

“After having spent most of my career in state government, coming to RPOF for the 2022 cycle provided an exciting opportunity to do something different,” McCloud said. “Working at the party has given me new experiences and perspectives on the political process that I didn’t have before, as well as introduced me to some great people I wouldn’t have met or interacted with otherwise.

“Every single day presents unique challenges that force you to adapt and be nimble in order to win the day and be successful, which I really enjoy.”

JOVAN MICKENS

The College Democrats chapter at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) has chartered and dissolved repeatedly, but Jovan Mickens couldn’t stand for the group staying dormant. He worked with peers at the university last fall to resuscitate the organization anew.

“With us being just a couple blocks away from the Florida Capitol, I think it’s important to teach students and the FAMU community the works of civic engagement,” he said.

He led the organization into the 2022 election cycle, which involved voter registration drives, organizing panels and doing everything possible to raise awareness that the College Democrats would not abandon the state’s most prominent historically Black university. The group has since grown from a small group to 30 active members, then 50, and it’s continuing to grow.

The organization adopted a street and started conducting workshops. In a short time, the organization has won face time with some prominent political leaders. Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the group during a visit to Tallahassee. Before his election to Congress, Democratic U.S. Rep. Frost made a trip to the Capital City to speak to members about community organizing.

Mickens, a political science major earning a minor in public administration, plans to pursue a career in public service. That could include running for office someday, but he’s already started political work, including volunteering for Democratic state Rep. Eskamani’s campaign in 2020. He later interned in Eskamani’s legislative office, where he made an impression with the lawmaker.

“His skills in constituent services sharpened, as our office responded to economic struggles across the state,” Eskamani said.

For Mickens, the experience taught him about the good lawmakers can achieve even serving in the minority. He helped constituents deal with problems with EBT credits and to secure assistance to make housing payments.

“Democrats have not had a majority in the House, Senate or any part of government but we were able to do little things,” he said.

Mickens plans to utilize the three E’s of public service — education, empowerment and engagement — to further rise in political stature and to continue helping as many people as he can through The Process.

CHAD REVIS

Chad Revis, an associate at the law firm Holtzman Vogel, is quickly becoming the go-to expert on the intersection of law and politics.

His practice focuses primarily on environmental law and political compliance, two areas of critical importance in The Process, especially considering Florida’s unique challenges related to climate change mitigation and resilience.

But Revis doesn’t just stick to the boxes where he’s most comfortable, which may make him a particular force in Tallahassee. He also works with any client navigating complex legal issues in heavily regulated industries — and he gets results.

“Chad Revis is a true triple threat — exceptional legal mind, strong public policy chops and sharply-honed political acumen. His network is expansive and ever-growing, and his work ethic is inexhaustible. He is the textbook definition of a political rising star in Florida,” Vogel Group Principal Eileen Stuart said.

That’s saying a lot for a young associate who only just joined Holtzman Vogel in September.

And his superiors with the firm aren’t the only ones taking notice.

“I have watched Chad excel before, during, and after law school and attain every goal he set his sights on. His positive attitude, people skills, stellar work ethic, and intellect have been assets to the State of Florida as he worked at the Attorney General’s office and the Florida Supreme Court,” Attorney General Moody said. “I know he will continue to accomplish extraordinary things, and I am proud to have been a part of his professional journey.”

Originally from Ocala, Revis grew up in a self-made, small-business-owning family, which likely contributed to his go-get ‘em drive.

It started early. Drawn to the agriculture industry, Revis got his start raising and showing animals at his county fair and served as a state officer for the Junior Florida Cattlemen’s Association, where he advocated on behalf of the state’s beef industry. Later, he took that advocacy with him to college where he volunteered on a number of campaigns, ultimately deciding to combine his interest in public policy with his drive for advocacy to attend law school at the Florida State University College of Law.

It paid off, landing him his first official start in Florida politics, as an executive staffer in Moody’s Office. Over three years, he worked on content creation for special projects and statewide initiatives, including Moody’s banner work on human trafficking and the opioid epidemic.

Revis’ résumé also includes work as a legal intern for the Republican Party of Florida and, after graduating law school and passing the Florida Bar, serving as a judicial law clerk for Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz.

That brought Revis to Holtzman Vogel, where he will no doubt continue his meteoric rise.

ALEX SANTANA

For the last decade, Alexander Santana has pushed himself toward politics like a man in a hurry to catch a train. In high school he secured his first internship, at the district office of U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in his native Miami. He continued internships through college, in every semester at The Catholic University of America except the first one, and that was only because his parents insisted that he prove he could handle his course load before taking on more.

In early 2020, the year he graduated, Santana interned in the Washington office of U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who called Santana a “highly motivated, goal-oriented individual who works tirelessly to succeed in whatever tasks he undertakes.” His duties included conducting hourlong tours of the U.S. Capitol building, from the old Senate chamber to the Rotunda.

Santana, 25, spent a dizzying 2022 working for a Tallahassee lobbying firm, then the State University System of Florida and the Supreme Court of Florida, all while taking overloads to complete Florida State University’s Master of Science, Applied American Politics and Policy (MAPP) program in 11 months.

In November, the month before he graduated, he joined Floridian Partners as a government affairs coordinator, where he has quickly made himself indispensable. On any given day, he might be asked to track a bill or an entire issue, its historical origins and sponsors, the people it is designed to help and the primary arguments for or against its passage. He follows legislative committees and writes concise summaries of their work while also performing necessary administrative tasks, such as setting up meetings between clients and legislators, or group meetings.

“What impressed me was that he just has a maturity to his approach to what we do in the political world,” said Charles Dudley, the managing partner for Floridian Partners. “He’s got what I call the ‘two ears, one mouth’ preferential approach, waiting until it’s appropriate to ask a question.”

That humble demeanor contrasts with a sterling résumé. After Ros-Letinen, Santana interned with U.S. Rep. Carlos Curbelo, where his tours of the Capitol building started, and the U.S. Department of Justice, where he sometimes attended oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court.

He worked with the Department of the Treasury in the spring of 2020, arranging travel and proofreading briefing books for Secretary Steven Mnuchin as the office was responding to an accelerating COVID-19 pandemic. “Mr. Santana thrived, and performed with aplomb, during an unusually stressful period,” wrote David Dwyer, counselor to the undersecretary for international affairs, on Santana’s behalf.

Throughout his journey, Santana has used politics as a way to learn about government. “I have learned to like doing research,” he said, “to learn why is this issue important to the people sponsoring (a bill) or working on it? How does it make a change or a difference? If it’s something I’ve never researched before, I like to see what I can do to make myself better aware of it.”

When the time comes, he can delineate pending issues and the stakeholders clearly.

“He’s also a very good writer,” said Dudley, who serves as General Counsel and chief lobbyist for Florida Internet and Television. “While oral communication is critically important, as are the nuances with social media and other digital communications, there is still, in my opinion, a strong need for someone who is an effective communicator in the written form.”

It is not a stretch to believe the seeds of Santana’s curiosity about American democracy were planted before his 1997 birth in Miami. Both sets of grandparents emigrated from Cuba in the early 1960s, a fact he links to national pride and appreciation for the opportunities here.

“I think it’s important to recognize that and to honor that, and realize that they came from another place because there was something wrong with the previous homeland,” he said.

Santana’s paternal grandfather founded the small business his father still runs with an uncle. That taught him the American Dream is real. Santana attended Catholic University in part because it was in Washington, where he double-majored in political science and history. He studied early American history, the Civil War and the tumult culminating in the 1960s, all of which informs his perspective on today.

“When you watch TV,” he said, “every channel has its own point of view and then some people are not willing to listen to other people, no matter what they say. But we just need to stay focused on what unites us as a country, our common values like a free press and freedom of speech.”

He turned on the television Jan. 6, 2021, expecting to see Vice President Mike Pence certify the results of the 2020 Presidential Election. The first thing that struck him was the sheer number of people milling about the Capitol building he loved.

“At first I was like, ‘How can they have all those people there for a tour or whatever?’” he said. His tours had been for small groups. Over the next few hours, he watched with dismay as that crowd smashed windows, vandalized congressional office space and attacked Capitol police.

“It was a very sad day,” he said. “I know we’ve had difficult times but that just wasn’t right.”

No disruptions, however, could deter Santana from his goal. He packed three straight semesters of work into a calendar year, joining Floridian Partners as his graduation approached. The 2023 Legislative Session lay just ahead, and he wanted to be able to give all his energies to that.

His attitude and preparation had made him an attractive candidate for the job, said Toby Philpot of Floridian Partners, himself a former “30 Under 30” Rising Star who specializes in health care.

“He’s got an impeccable résumé and that’s really what kind of drew us to him,” Philpot said. “If you look at that, I can’t think of another peer or contemporary his age who has embraced every opportunity to build a strong and diverse résumé. And all of those experiences pay dividends to the counsel and experience he provides to our client base.”

And so, a decade of continuous effort resulted in a job with a prestigious firm, straight out of graduate school. The running man finally caught the train, with time to fasten his seat belt and open a newspaper.

“Luckily, it all worked out,” he said.

JEFF SCALA

For most people, staying on top of policy opportunities for each of the state’s 67 counties would feel about as comfortable as a hand on a stove burner. Jeff Scala, who does that and much more for the Florida Association of Counties (FAC), has seized upon that kind of work like a kid with an Xbox.

Scala, FAC’s senior associate director of public policy, recently worked behind the scenes to design and pull off the first statewide broadband conference of this size and scale. Access 67 Broadband Summit, held in January in Ponte Vedra, drew around 250 conventioneers representing state and federal agencies, with a goal of connecting counties with the tools to apply for millions in federal grants.

“We put everybody in one room, under one roof at the same time, with nothing competing with it,” said Ginger Delegal, FAC’s Executive Director. “Jeff ended up really heading the programming, putting together the workshops and getting the moderators, which for someone of his age and experience was a tall task. And he delivered with flying colors.”

Since joining the association as a policy analyst, he has delved into water and the environment, taxes, economic development, rural affairs — and, most recently, cybersecurity and other tech issues. “Maybe because I’m the millennial on the team,” Scala, 31, said.

Scala also serves as president of the Florida Association of Intergovernmental Relations, an association of city and county governmental relations professionals.

It almost didn’t happen that way. Scala grew up in Tarpon Springs, where his parents had moved from the Philadelphia area. For as long as he can remember, he always followed political news.

“I just always had this fascination,” he said. He chose Florida State University in part because it was in the capital city, majoring in political science. He learned the value of public service from his father, Howard Scala, who died when Jeff was 18. The elder Scala was also a poli-sci major who had once dreamed of being a political staffer.

“He switched to business,” Jeff Scala said. “I think that probably stuck with me a little bit during those years.”

With graduation looming, Scala gave his long-standing plans to go to law school another look. He decided on FSU’s MAPP program instead.

After graduating with a master’s in policy and politics, he spent the next several years working for legislators, either on campaigns or at the Capitol. His first post-degree job offer came in 2015.

Rewards came in dense, information-laden increments through five Legislative Sessions with then-state Sen. Eleanor Sobel, then-state Rep. Kristin Jacobs and state Sen. Lauren Book. His first bill with Jacobs, for example, was about protecting a coral reef stretching from St. Lucie Inlet to Biscayne National Park, a 105-mile stretch now named after Jacobs, who died of cancer in 2020.

FAC required him to add more layers of expertise. Through disparities revealed by the pandemic, broadband has become foundational for digital literacy and access to school, telehealth and readiness for future development. The Access 67 audience heard from keynoters Gary Bolton, president and chief executive officer of the Fiber Broadband Association, and Evan Feinman, who directs broadband equity, access and deployment for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Delegal, the executive director, praised his work ethic and acumen. “He comes in with a strategic mind and an appreciation for politics, and then how policies can work their way through and come to life. So he has a great combination of policy and strategy. And that’s rare. Usually you either find one or the other.”

“It’s about home rule,” Scala added. “Local government is the government closest to the people — and we here in Tallahassee represent those values in the halls of the Capitol.”

PAMELA SIROTA

Pamela Sirota grew up believing she would follow in her father’s footsteps.

The South Florida native imagined going to college, then on to law school before arriving at her destination working as an immigration lawyer.

But her dreams changed in high school, when she took a U.S. government class. It sparked an interest she didn’t know she had — all of a sudden, she was fascinated with policy and the processes that forge it.

When she arrived at Florida State University the next year, she had her major picked out: political science. And, due to an unfortunate turn of events, she already knew how she wanted to put her future degree to use.

During her senior year in high school, Sirota’s father was diagnosed with stage three multiple myeloma, an aggressive blood cancer that required him to undergo a bone marrow transplant the week after she graduated.

Government and policy were still her primary passions, but her father’s experience renewed her interest in health care. So, when she had the opportunity to become involved with FSU’s Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program, she didn’t think twice.

It was through that research into workplace and academic accommodations for individuals with disabilities she discovered that, well, health care policy is kind of a big deal — the kind careers are made of.

Heading into her junior year, her father died due to complications from his second bone marrow transplant. A few weeks later, fate handed her a way to turn her grief into action — as she was scrolling through internship opportunities, she happened upon a posting from the Moffitt Cancer Center Government Relations Team.

Once again, Sirota didn’t think twice. Once they saw her application, Moffit’s government affairs team didn’t either.

That internship soon turned into a permanent position — one she excels at, according to Jamie Wilson, Moffitt’s Vice President of Government Relations.

“After so many years in this process, I know it’s not every day that you find someone so young who truly has what it takes to succeed in the field,” Wilson said. “As our intern, Pamela’s work ethic and personal story left me so impressed that I knew I had to hire her. She’s a huge asset to our team and I have no doubt she will go very far in her career.”

Sirota started working as a Legislative Affairs Coordinator during a period of rapid growth at Moffitt. The state’s premier cancer facility is in the process of building a medical community that will feature 16 million square feet of space — a bigger footprint than Downtown Tampa — all dedicated to researching new and better ways to fight cancer.

State support is crucial, and Moffitt needs everyone to be on their “A” game. Sirota has been and continues to be, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by Moffitt’s State Legislative Affairs Director, Ellen Anderson.

“From the day I met Pamela, I knew she had the grit needed to be successful in the legislative process,” Anderson said. “Not only is her personal story a firebrand, but her self-determination to learn the process is very admirable. I’m so happy to have her as part of our Moffitt Government Relations team.”

Maybe Sirota isn’t brushing up on logic questions in an LSAT prep class or sending cover letters to the T14, but there’s no doubt her father would be beaming, too.

ALEX SMITH

To hear Alex Smith tell it, it almost doesn’t feel like work. The Pensacola native landed a job last year in his hometown, helping people he grew up with, no two days the same.

Smith, 23, is the special assistant to Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves, who took office in November having won 51% of the vote, just enough to avoid a runoff in a four-person race. Smith managed the campaign, and is now the right-hand man for Reeves, 38, a former sports reporter and the city’s youngest Mayor in more than a century.

“He has said, ‘If you asked me (in the past) if I would be Mayor, I would have said oh my gosh, no way,’” Smith said, quoting his boss with an enthusiasm that mirrors his own. He hadn’t planned on getting into government or politics.

The son of two speech therapists who run an outpatient clinic, Smith was originally trying to decide between law and criminology. But he was soaking up details on the evening news, and always turned into Presidential Elections as if they were the Super Bowl. On a family trip to Washington, Smith — a third grader at the time — stunned his dad by identifying three Congressmen walking by them at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

He took courses in criminology and political science at Florida State, ultimately majoring in the latter. Smith interned for state Rep. Andrade, and he thrived on the pace and the excitement of the Legislative Session.

“I loved the Session,” he said. “You’ll be watching a committee about one bill, and another bill starts blowing up on your phone.”

On a deeper level, taking phone calls allowed him to connect residents in crisis to services built for that purpose. Experiences like that stayed with him and are why he says, “I think government gets a bad rap.”

Those opportunities led to full-time work with Tripp Scott, a Tallahassee law firm. He stayed nearly 18 months as a senior legislative director, including chunks of his junior and senior years at FSU.

“It didn’t matter what you threw at him,” said Robby Holroyd, a Tripp Scott governmental relations consultant and a former “30 Under 30” honoree for Florida Politics. “He was able to excel and at a constant level, whatever we gave to him.”

Smith graduated cum laude in 2021, and joined the Reeves mayoral campaign in January 2022. He left Tripp Scott in March to devote all of his time to the campaign, which he was managing, then led the transition team after the victory. He turned down an offer to return to the law firm.

“We made our push to bring him back over here,” Holroyd said. “But I know he’s doing everything he wants to do back in his hometown of Pensacola.”

Smith was the rare star this year who volunteered how uncomfortable he felt being the subject of a magazine story, a sentiment belied by an easy demeanor and verbal fluency.

“I don’t want to be the center of attention,” he said. “My job is to make my boss look good, to make sure he’s prepared and is going to have a great day.”

He prefers to credit his parents and his brother for supporting his career decisions. Reeves pushed through the first 100 days as Mayor with the same energy that distinguished his campaign — repainting downtown, expanding the airport and trying to position the area as a hub for rail travel, a move that could attract billions in federal funds.

For now, Smith can hardly believe his luck to be working in his hometown, relaxing on its pristine beaches.

There are other places too. Smith enjoys the occasional getaway to Nashville to visit some college friends. Someone told him not long ago that it’s important to learn when to turn your phone off and just chill, advice he has tried to take to heart.

On the other hand, he got to his current position through his accessibility, so the phone doesn’t stay off for long. People will be calling, Holroyd is sure of it.

“I just have no doubt that he’s going to be doing incredible things as he continues to grow in this process,” Holroyd said. “Whether it’s staying on the official side or coming back over to the lobbying side. He’s going to bring a lot to the table.”

DERICK TABERTSHOFER

Derick Tabertshofer, the Legislative Liaison for Americans for Prosperity (AFP) Florida, took that role after working for several lawmakers in the Legislature. It’s safe to say his career in The Process is prospering, landing him on this year’s list of Rising Stars.

A Cape Coral native, Tabertshofer eventually moved to Tampa to attend the University of South Florida (USF). He describes his parents as “apolitical,” but recalled that his grandparents talked politics with him “every chance they got.”

“I truly got involved in politics when I moved to Tampa to attend USF,” Tabertshofer said. “I never thought I would get involved in politics and it sort of fell into my lap. While attending USF I had the opportunity to volunteer on a campaign and volunteering eventually turned into a full-time job as a legislative aide.”

His first job was working with former state Rep. Shawn Harrison. He later worked for then-Rep. Díaz, now the state’s Education Commissioner, where he met Martinez, now his colleague at AFP-Florida.

Martinez calls Tabertshofer’s feedback “invaluable” to his own productivity when Martinez joined AFP-Florida. Martinez said Tabertshofer’s success stems from his ability to lobby for a policy, but not come off as a “traditional lobbyist.”

“He is a natural policy wonk and has the passion and vision to be our best resource in Florida,” Martinez said. “Our Florida team is better right now with Derick and he is using his talent to make others better.”

Tabertshofer also worked under current state Rep. Traci Koster. And that experience in the Legislature was critical to Tabertshofer’s later success.

“The political process is very complex,” he explained, “and I am thankful to have had the opportunities that I did that gave me the ability to be where I am today.”

That job with Rep. Koster is where AFP-Florida State Director Skyler Zander first crossed paths with Tabertshofer, and Zander has welcomed Tabertshofer to the team.

“Derick’s steadfast dedication to our craft is rivaled by hardly anyone I’ve ever worked with; he’s hardworking and dedicated to getting the job done,” Zander said. “He has increased our ability to understand key pieces of policy and has put us in a position to successfully advocate our position.”

Tabertshofer is slated to take on major responsibilities heading into the next campaign cycle.

“Derick is also going to be a major factor on ideas and strategy for our 2024 Session and action cycle,” Martinez said. “He truly enjoys the legislative and campaign process and puts in the effort that our organization thrives on.”

As Tabertshofer has gone from an apolitical family to a dedicated member of The Process, he said noble aims keep him moving forward as his career progresses.

“Having the ability to give back really motivates me,” Tabertshofer said. “I am in the unique position to be the voice for those that don’t have the ability to speak for themselves.”

COURTNEY THOMAS

Courtney Thomas is often referred to as a walking billboard for the City of Tallahassee, a description fitting her role as Director of External Affairs for the city.

In her role, she leads community and constituent relations within the Office of the Mayor.

Thomas is Tallahassee. She was born and raised in Florida’s capital city, she earned her undergraduate degree in political science and a master’s in applied American politics and policy at Florida State University, and now teaches at FSU as an adjunct professor.

The Tallahassee Democrat last year named her one of Tallahassee’s 25 Women You Need to Know.

Not only does Thomas wield power as a member of Mayor John Dailey’s executive staff, she’s cultivating and forging a new generation of leadership to keep Tallahassee on a sustainable path to progress.

She mentors young women in the city through Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and the Leon County Chapter of the Charmettes. Last year, she co-hosted AKA Day at the Capitol, an annual legislative advocacy event.

Through her day job, she spearheaded an initiative to install free period product dispensers in City Hall and city community centers. Tallahassee is one of the only cities in the nation to provide free menstrual products for residents, according to the Tallahassee Democrat.

And Thomas gives back in other creative ways, too. After earning her certification as a yoga instructor during the COVID-19 pandemic, Thomas began teaching yoga classes downtown. But she doesn’t pocket the proceeds. Instead, she directs them to a number of nonprofits she supports, such as the Girl Flo Project, Second Harvest and Capital Tea. She also donates proceeds to a breast cancer support group at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare.

Thomas’ past professional work includes service as a legislative assistant for the Florida Dental Association, work on former U.S. Rep. Al Lawson’s 2016 congressional campaign, and a stint as a constituent services representative for Lawson and former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham.

At just 32 years old, it’s clear Thomas has plenty more to add to her résumé. Might that include running for office herself someday? It might. In 2020, Thomas participated in the She Should Run Virtual Cohort program, which aims to increase the number of women considering running for public office by providing workshops, courses, resources and networking to women looking to take the leap.

NIKKI WHITING

In some ways, Nikki Whiting was born ready. Her Cuban American family has experienced both political repression and a hard-won prosperity. In her 30 years, she has studied hard, chosen carefully and stayed current with world events in the face of fragmenting economies abroad and divisions at home. She has proven an adept learner and a clear speaker, traits that have led to at least two large steps upward, most recently to her role as Communications Director for the Florida Department of Health.

Being chief spokeswoman for such a critical Department with COVID-19 still afoot does not intimidate her. Neither did the duties of her previous job, which included advising Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez on issues related to the Western Hemisphere and their impact on the state.

“I always come with the attitude of, you know, ‘Put me in, coach,’” Whiting said.

Those coaches have been quick to oblige, starting with U.S. Rep. Ros-Lehtinen, the first Cuban American elected to Congress. Whiting interned for Ros-Lehtinen on her way to earning a bachelor’s in English at the University of Florida. She returned for two additional years, this time on Capitol Hill, working as Ros-Lehtinen’s legislative assistant and Press Secretary.

“I had an absolute ball,” Whiting said of the popular Republican, who had chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee and easily won re-election in a predominantly Democratic district. “Ileana was the most enthusiastic member of Congress. She approached everything with enthusiasm, whether on foreign affairs or talking to a constituent. It was a lot of fun just standing alongside her and amplifying what she was doing.”

In 2017, Ros-Lehtinen announced she would retire after 38 years in legislative service. Whiting stayed on, but in the meantime enrolled in a graduate public administration program at the University of Miami. By January 2019, she was midway to a master’s degree and handling communications for Esteban Bovo, a Miami-Dade County Commissioner.

“It was a fun two years,” Whiting said. “He was a man of the people, with blue collar values and a servant’s heart.”

Bovo entered the Miami-Dade County mayoral race in 2020 and lost. “I was devastated,” Whiting said. But before long, another opportunity surfaced. It always seemed to work that way, that even a tough loss hid something else just ahead, something better than she could have planned.

Her family history and that of Miami’s Cuban community had prepared her for deeper disappointments. Whiting’s mother had a good relationship with her own father, a police officer in Cuba. But she didn’t get to grow up with him. Authorities arrested him shortly after Whiting’s mother was born in Miami in 1960 on charges of plotting against Castro’s government. He remained imprisoned for 20 years while her maternal grandmother played the piano and sang to make ends meet.

“My mom didn’t meet him until she was 20 or 21,” Whiting said. “It’s those stories that motivate me to preserve the freedom that we have, and advocate for it as well.”

As a child, she was mesmerized by the monthslong standoff over 7-year-old Elian Gonzalez, whose mother had drowned in the migration from Cuba and whose father wanted custody. Nikki was just a year older than the boy, almost to the day.

“I said, ‘Mom, who is that lady going to Elian’s house and playing with him?’” she said. “She was like, ‘Oh, that’s Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.’ That was really kind of the transformative moment, weirdly enough, when I put it into perspective.”

Whiting is quick to note enormous variety within Hispanic populations. Still, she saw Hispanic voters moving toward the GOP before pollsters did.

“I saw Miami-Dade County was always going to turn,” she said. “No one owns any voting bloc or should ever get complacent about it.”

Meanwhile, no sooner had her candidate lost that county’s mayoral race in a runoff before a plum opportunity showed up. Whiting gained much from her two years as senior adviser to Nuñez, the Lieutenant Governor, who she admired because “faith, family and freedom are the values that inform her life and have made her who she is.”

Stephanie Smith, a TECO Energy vice president of state and regional affairs, saw the way Whiting absorbed the demands of that position and performed at a high level.

“She is extremely savvy when it comes to the political process,” Smith said. “She is a fiercely loyal person, very strong in her convictions. She is very well read, very smart. She does her homework and just carries herself on a different level.”

That kind of talent would likely carry Whiting much further, Smith figured. It already has.

RACHEL WITBRACHT

In a way, our final honoree has been preparing for her current responsibilities her whole life. She didn’t know it, but growing up in a military family can do that for you.

Rachel Witbracht has moved quickly since her final semester of undergraduate school, during which she helped manage the successful campaign of her hometown state House candidate. In the final months, and with Andrade, of Pensacola, comfortably ahead, she joined Rep. Frank White as District Secretary during his run for Attorney General.

White lost that race to Moody, and Witbracht returned to state Rep. Andrade, who had campaigned in part on “pro-military” values. Thirteen months later, then-state Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, who chaired the State Affairs Committee and would soon chair Commerce, lured Witbracht onto his own staff, a move that benefited both the Representative and the aide.

“She’s a rock star,” said Ingoglia, now a Senator. “She was with me when I was in leadership, and being in that position offered me the opportunity to carry a lot of very substantive bills with a lot of impact on the state of Florida. And she was right there with me doing the research, making sure the language was right. Quite frankly, I couldn’t have done it without her.”

Today, Witbracht serves as Director of Government Relations for the University of West Florida, her alma mater. At 27, she is the youngest member on the cabinet of President Martha D. Saunders by a few decades. She acts as the university’s lobbyist while contracting with outside lobbyists and consultants, contributing to strategic planning and much more.

“In just a few short years, she has really grown,” said lobbyist Rich Heffley, who, with partner Kelly Horton, has seen that evolution from aide to managing external relations for a university. “The fact that she has pre-existing relationships with legislators, with staff, with lobbyists and with the university folks makes her particularly valuable.”

Witbracht believes her formative years prepared her for Tallahassee’s quick shifts and redrawn allegiances. “I spent my entire childhood moving from place to place,” she said, “and learning how to adapt. So, I think that (state politics) wasn’t quite as much a challenge for me, just because I am so used to having to learn new experiences, and where to fit in and how to pivot to get things done, no matter what the circumstances are.”

The daughter of a Coast Guard engineering officer and a teacher, Witbracht was born in Key West. Her father’s duties would take the family to Jacksonville, also to California and Hawaii. Sometimes after school, her mother took her to a pristine beach near Base Honolulu.

“Those are some of my most cherished memories,” she said.

They resettled in Pensacola when Rachel was around 10, this time for the long-term. A peripatetic childhood yielded to a cozy mooring spot with an underrated beach. The University of West Florida was just 20 minutes away. There, she double-majored in journalism and legal studies, edited UWF’s chapter of Her Campus, an online magazine for female college students, and directed government affairs for the Student Government Association.

On an SGA trip to Tallahassee, Witbracht pitched causes alongside her peers and entertained a new thought. “It dawned on me that, ‘Wow, this might be really fun to do in real life,’” she recalled.

That journey started almost immediately and then picked up speed. By November 2019, she was joining Ingoglia’s office and preparing for grad school at Florida State University. “I got to work on a lot of the Governor’s priorities,” she said. “It was an honor for me to be able to collaborate with people at such a high level who know policy so well.”

With an eye for exactitude, she helped refine legislation to its clearest elements. For example, a professional deregulation bill she worked on in 2019 (HB 27) was at least a hundred sections thick, relaxing licensure requirements critics saw as anticompetitive (say, for out-of-state landscape architects who were licensed in other states) and repealing others altogether (auctioneers, boxing time keepers, talent agents who only work with adults).

“It was rewarding to work on policy that uplifted our industry workers and made employment more accessible for Floridians,” she said.

Along the way, she learned to master subjects she had known little about before they came up in the House.

“Rachel loved diving into complex policy issues, which is one of those things, I think, that set her apart,” now-Sen. Ingoglia said. “The bigger the task, the more focused and better she got.”

Witbracht undertook this work while completing FSU’s Master of Applied American Politics and Policy program. In September 2021 she returned to the University of West Florida, now as Director of Government Relations.

Her accomplishments since include helping to secure last year a $6 million increase in UWF’s base budget. The school, which has an enrollment of around 14,000 students, had not previously seen an increase since 2016.

“That will go a long way to ensuring students’ success is at the top of our priorities,” she said.

She’s glad to be back on campus as a staffer, now advocating for students. “The biggest thing for me right now,” she said, “is that I got my start in politics at the University of West Florida. And now I’m doing this professionally for the university. So it feels like a full-circle moment for me, that I get to effect some good for a school that I know is amazing, that has amazing teachers and administrators and does a lot of good for the region.”

There is another kind of preparation, an ongoing one, words from Aristotle she uses to challenge herself: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”

She likes to spend downtime reading or listening to 1970s music. Pensacola Beach, with its sugary white sand and emerald waters, is a good place to bring a blanket and a book.