Jacob Ogles
He has served in the Legislature and as Lieutenant Governor. Now, Jeff Kottkamp will shape influence as the incoming president and CEO of Florida TaxWatch.
On Wednesday, the Board for the independent government watchdog formally elected the former politico to succeed Dominic Calabro at the organization’s helm.
Kottkamp expects his background, whether holding office or lobbying lawmakers, will inform his work.
“It helps to know from the inside how the process works — helps a lot, actually,” Kottkamp said. “But it also helps with relationships, because really, everything is a people business, but what we do really is too. I’m fortunate enough to have these great relationships where we can call on people to get input.”
The election occurred hours after three former state Senate Appropriations Committee Chairs — Lisa Carlton, Denise Grimsley and Kelli Stargel — offered insight on a panel about the budget process. The organization also hired Brandi Gunder, a former acting Director of Policy and Budget at the Executive Office. So the organization at many levels boasts expert experience and veterans of The Process.
Kottkamp will succeed an outgoing president who worked in TaxWatch for 45 years. Calabro will soon found the Florida TaxWatch Foundation to financially support the organization’s work.
Kottkamp said stepping into those shoes carries a burden, and there is a need to ensure the institution becomes more than one man.
“If you say Florida TaxWatch, the first thing out of people’s mouths is going to be Dominic Calabro, right?” Kottkamp said. “You’ve had a very dynamic personality, iconic really, leading the organization. This can’t be just about a person. It’s got to be about the mission.”
Calabro said as much when opening the Spring meeting of Florida TaxWatch, telling the press that Kottkamp would be institutional leadership, not just charismatic. Kottkamp said that’s an important evolution.
“What he’s really talking about is being more systemic in the way we do things,” Kottkamp said of Calabro’s remarks. “I’m really excited about the staff and who we brought on and just kind of some new energy to the effort. But make it all about the mission. Make sure more people in Florida know about our mission and what we do.”
Kottkamp said the group will become more involved in local government as part of that mission, opening chapters in South Florida and then likely throughout the state.
Throughout the Spring meeting, individuals said a political focus on government efficiently positions Florida TaxWatch as an authoritative voice, very much DOGE before DOGE was cool.
Florida TaxWatch Secretary David Casey, senior vice president of Government Relations and Business Development at Maximus, said as much in a speech at the Chairman’s Dinner on Wednesday.
“I’m looking forward to talking to those small businesses in Southern Florida and to be able to say, here’s why you should be a member of TaxWatch, to break through bureaucracy so that when the next hurricane hits, we don’t have those barriers in order to be able to serve your small businesses,” Casey said.
Kottkamp, a Republican politician, said the group will always remain independent, an essential piece of its integrity. He acknowledged that the mission of safeguarding public revenue is a bit “center-right” by definition. However, the group will always be able to stand up and call out irresponsible spending or actions by members of any party, something most famously conducted in Florida TaxWatch’s annual Budget Turkey List, branding local projects as pork barreling.
Kottkamp will introduce himself as a personality in his own right on the state stage anew. He shares that he started working at 13 and once had the chance to serve as bodyguard to Andre the Giant, thanks to his background in martial arts. “But he’s eight feet tall,” Kottkamp recalls. He doesn’t really need security. He just growled at people.”
Public money is another story. It requires defenders and watchdogs, and Kottkamp is ready to serve in these roles with similar diligence.
“You’re really starting to see how you can expand our footprint and really put a flag in the ground in these local communities,” Kottkamp said. “It’s not just the state capital, but it’s all over Florida.”
