Mike Caruso, John Snyder snag Chair positions for Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County landed four Committee Chair and Vice Chair positions when House Committee assignments were announced Tuesday. Their neighboring county to the south didn’t fare nearly as well.

Republican Rep. Mike Caruso will serve as Chair of the Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee. Caruso will also serve as Vice Chair for the Higher Education Budget Subcommittee, making him the only Representative from Palm Beach and Broward counties to land two such posts.

Republican Rep. John Snyder, meanwhile, will chair the Information Technology Budget & Policy Subcommittee. And Republican Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman will be Vice Chair of the Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee.

Republican Rep. Chip LaMarca will serve as an Alternating Chair for a Special Committee, the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee. He’s the only Broward lawmaker to earn any position heading a committee in the House.

That power imbalance between Palm Beach and Broward counties is primarily due to the disparity in party breakdown inside a House where Republicans control a supermajority.

The Palm Beach delegation is split 5-4 in favor of Republicans. For districts contained within Broward, it’s an 8-1 split in favor of Democrats (and a 10-1 split when adding two seats that also stretch into Miami-Dade County). And that one Republican, LaMarca, did land an Alternating Chair post.

LaMarca also landed spots on the State Affairs Committee, Ways & Means Committee, Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee, Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee, and Transportation & Economic Development Budget Subcommittee.

In addition to his two leadership posts, Caruso will also serve on the Commerce Committee, Insurance & Banking Subcommittee and State Affairs Committee.

Snyder landed the most assignments overall, at seven. He will also serve on the powerful Budget Committee, State Affairs Committee, Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee, PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee and two special committees: the Joint Legislative Budget Commission and the Security & Threat Assessment Committee.

Gossett-Seidman will also sit on the Commerce Committee, Education Administration Subcommittee, Higher Education Budget Subcommittee, Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee and a Special Committee, the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee.

As for the two other Republican members of the Palm Beach delegation, both Reps. Anne Gerwig and Meg Weinberger landed six Committee posts.

Gerwig was named to the Education & Employment Committee, Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee, Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee, PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee, Student Academic Success Subcommittee and Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight.

Weinberger landed spots on the State Affairs Committee, Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee, Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee, Education Administration Subcommittee, Government Operations Subcommittee and Joint Administrative Procedures Committee.

Democrats still landed some significant roles despite holding little power in the House. In Palm Beach County:

— Joe Casello: Budget Committee, State Affairs Committee, Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee, and Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee.

— Tae Edmonds: Education & Employment Committee, Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee, Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee, and PreK-12 Budget Subcommittee.

— Kelly Skidmore: Ways & Means Committee, Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Economic Infrastructure Subcommittee, Justice Budget Subcommittee, and Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee.

— Debra Tendrich: State Affairs Committee, Health Care Budget Subcommittee, Information Technology Budget & Policy Subcommittee, Natural Resources & Disasters Subcommittee, Student Academic Success Subcommittee, and Joint Administrative Procedures Committee.

And in Broward County:

— Robin Bartleman: Health & Human Services Committee, Ways & Means Committee, Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee, Criminal Justice Subcommittee, and Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee.

— Daryl Campbell: Health & Human Services Committee, Government Operations Subcommittee, Health Care Facilities & Systems Subcommittee, Higher Education Budget Subcommittee and Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee.

— Hillary Cassel: Judiciary Committee, Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee, Insurance & Banking Subcommittee and State Administration Budget Subcommittee.

— Dan Daley: Judiciary Committee, Careers & Workforce Subcommittee, Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee, Transportation & Economic Development Budget Subcommittee, and Security & Threat Assessment Committee.

— Lisa Dunkley: Education & Employment Committee, Agriculture & Natural Resources Budget Subcommittee, Insurance & Banking Subcommittee, Intergovernmental Affairs Subcommittee and Student Academic Success Subcommittee.

— Mike Gottlieb: Judiciary Committee, Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee, Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Justice Budget Subcommittee, Rules & Ethics Committee and Security & Threat Assessment Committee.

— Christine Hunschofsky: Budget Committee, Commerce Committee, Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee, Housing, Agriculture & Tourism Subcommittee, and Rules & Ethics Committee.

— Mitch Rosenwald: Health & Human Services Committee, Careers & Workforce Subcommittee, Government Operations Subcommittee, Health Care Budget Subcommittee, Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee and Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight.