Peggy Gossett-Seidman campaign kickoff features many political notables

Highland Beach Republican Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman is officially kicking off her 2024 re-election campaign later this month, and she’s attracted an impressive roster of political notables to host an event marking the occasion.

Gossett-Seidman’s campaign kickoff and fundraiser is happening on May 30 at Biergarten Boca, an authentic German and American bar-restaurant three miles from her district office.

She told Florida Politics that while the event’s purpose is to support her campaign, she won’t be its sole focus. Because it’s happening so close to Memorial Day, she and attendees will recognize military service members and have an invocation by local clergy.

There will also be a “surprise entertainer,” and several of Gossett-Seidman’s colleagues in the Legislature will make remarks about her legislative accomplishments.

“My focus is always about ‘we’ and the people, providing good governance and common sense, working out any issues we have, an handling future concerns,” she said.

Close to 50 political players are on her Host Committee to ensure things go off without a hitch.

Among them: Miami Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez and Reps. Jennifer Canady of Lakeland, Mike Caruso of Delray Beach, Vicki Lopez of Miami, Dana Trabulsy of Fort Pierce, Toby Overdorf of Palm City, Rick Roth of West Palm Beach, Jim Mooney of Islamorada, Chip LaMarca of Lighthouse Point and John Snyder of Stuart.

Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer, Highland Beach Mayor Natasha Moore, Highland Beach Vice Mayor David Stern and Boca Raton Council member Marc Wigder are also on the committee.

The full list can be viewed in a PDF below.

Gossett-Seidman ended the 2024 Session with legislative victories on which she can campaign for re-election. She passed a measure to protect voters from errantly having their voting registration changed while renewing their driver’s licenses and a bipartisan bill called the “Safe Waterways Act” to streamline contamination reporting.

Her most headline-grabbing legislation was another product of bipartisanship that Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference to commemorate: a narrowly tailored measure to ease the unsealing of grand jury records from a 2006 case against Jeffrey Epstein that, like the other two bills, won unanimous support from both chambers of the Legislature.

In her first two-year term, Gossett-Seidman secured $12.3 million in appropriations and passed nine bills. She credits her constituents and their engagement with her office for much of her success.

“All those requests and ideas came from people in my district and leaders after review of their needs,” she said. “For example, several canals are clogged with swamp lettuce and other weeds and look like landscaped solid ground, which is dangerous. I’m working with agencies to clear those. We need water and wastewater improvements before pipes break, and we are finding funds for those.

“We need more services for mental health, disabled folks and more. I was able to work with the U.S. Coast Guard, (Florida Department of Transportation) and (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) to change the bridge horn usage on the Camino Real Bascule Bridge. It affected 5,000 people. Those things count, that we need to answer people’s needs. This (event) will be a chance to share ideas with local leaders, businesses and our great residents. That’s how government should work.”

Gossett-Seidman is set to face the winner of a two-person Democratic Primary in HD 91 between lawyer Jay Shooster and insurance agent Michaelangelo Hamilton.

HD 91 covers a southern portion of Palm Beach County including Boca Raton and parts of Highland Beach and West Boca. Previously a dependable Democratic stronghold, the district grew more conservative after redistricting in 2022.

The Primary election is on Aug. 20, followed by the General Election on Nov. 5.

Gossett-Seidman’s campaign kickoff at the Biergarten Boca on May 30 starts at 6 p.m. Her campaign is asking that attendees RSVP by email at [email protected].