Broward County Commissioner Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat who served two years as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ emergency management director, announced Friday he will run for a congressional seat that will be open this year because U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch is not seeking re-election.
Moskowitz served as mayor of Parkland before he was elected to the state House in 2012. DeSantis, a Republican, tapped Moskowitz to serve as director of the state Division of Emergency Management shortly after the governor took office in 2019.
Moskowitz stepped down last year after helping oversee the state’s response to crises ranging from hurricanes to the COVID-19 pandemic. A news release issued Friday by Moskowitz’s campaign said he resigned from his state position to spend more time with his ailing father, Michael, who was a major Democratic fundraiser before his death in January.
DeSantis appointed the younger Moskowitz to the Broward County Commission in January. Moskowitz will run in what is now Congressional District 22, a Democratic stronghold in Palm Beach and Broward counties, though districts will see changes this year because of the once-a-decade reapportionment process.
The news release also highlighted Moskowitz’s accomplishments as Florida’s emergency management czar. “Under his leadership, FDEM (the Florida Division of Emergency Management) developed programs to prioritize vaccines for Holocaust survivors; partnered with over 250 African American churches to offer vaccines to their congregants; and worked closely with the Biden administration to open COVID-19 testing sites across Florida,” the release said.
Moskowitz also played an instrumental role in the Legislature’s response to the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which he attended. In the release, Moskowitz said he intends to “uphold the high bar set” by Deutch, who was elected to Congress in 2010 and is leaving to take a position as chief executive officer at the American Jewish Council.
“In Congress, I will fight to guarantee access to the ballot box, protect Social Security and Medicare, work for real gun safety measures and fight for the safety and protection of the state of Israel,” Moskowitz said.
Moskowitz, Former State Emergency Management Director, to Run for Congress added by The News Service of Florida on
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A Skeptic,
You are absolutely correct!
I believe Mayor Dailey’s contributors and Seminole BOOsters knew it wasn’t hard to convince the mayor to go along with them since they were contributors to his campaign.
Dailey lacks the leadership to tell the BOOsters and FSU “NO” that they had the resources to raise the funds and acquire grants. He simply could not turn away the quid pro quo in campaign donations that would come his way.
In order to make this look halfway not corrupt they used TCC and FAMU as pawns to throw them a bone to cover over their real scheme… scratching each other’s backs.
To put an outlay of taxpayers dollars to any entity there should have been an extensive review, research, fiscal analysis, and a few years of planning. If it all seemed viable then implement the funds to go to TCC and FAMU. But, our mayor lacks leadership and fiscal responsibility and had to rush this through to capitalize on funds needed now for his re-election campaign.
I am not going to beat up FAMU and TCC because they are recipients of funds improperly planned out. They are good community neighbors and provide much to the integrity and fiber of this community and don’t deserve the fallout.
Hope this helps.
@Hope,
My issue is that once money is given to any entity that’s outside the city’s control, precedence is set and other similar entities are “entitled” to the same consideration. Putting funding of FAMU and TCC projects on the backs of Tallahassee’s taxpayers is wrong no matter how badly they need funding for their projects. So is funding FSU’s projects.
It’s a stretch for the CRA funds to be given to other governments to fund their own projects. (I wonder what the ROI is on those 3 projects?) And for the CRA to have $30M just lying around looking for a place to go is ludicrous. That’s more than $100 for every man, woman, and child in the county. More than $150 for every person in the city.
Fund none of them and use the CRA for something to make the lives of Tallahassee’s residents better.
A Skeptic,
I don’t have a problem with money going to FAMU or TCC. They do not have the resources to raise the money, grants, and are overshadowed by FSU. An investment into those institutions are well-founded.
20 million dollars is a lot of money, but not to FSU, Seminole BOOsters, and the resources they have to secure private donations and grants.
Mayor Dailey sold out the taxpayers for a giveaway to his contributors.
From their Sky Boxes they will exclaim, “Let Them Eat Cake!”
@Hope,
I fail to see why the $20M to FSU is a problem but the $10 to FAMU isn’t. Both checks are to be written from the same account with both schools intending to upgrade their football stadiums.
The bigger problem, though, is that the city has another slush fund with millions of dollars sitting in it looking for a place to be spent. With Maddox, Burdette, et al no longer able to access those funds perhaps it’s best to shut those programs down rather than the city shout “squirrel” while they just move the money to another government group that has its own funding sources and rules.
NE Moderate,
There should be an investigation into Mayor Dailey spearheading the $22 million stadium seats give away so his campaign contributors would not be assessed fees for renovating their Sky Boxes, taxpayers will be assessed…
Broward congressional campaign coverage but close to nothing on the Doak stadium giveaway? Whatever OEV, Chamber cartel and local govs are spending on TR, they’re getting their money’s worth.
Was Jab pusher.
“Jared Moskowitz, the director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, wants more help from the federal government to vaccinate Florida’s seniors. Moskowitz says he receives updates from Operation Warp Speed only once a week and the state is not getting enough vaccines to inoculate seniors at an acceptable rate.”
You should remember the name.
When measuring rope. Maybe cut it a little short.
Over the last 10 days, gas prices have risen to $4:40/gallon. What Democrat Energy Policy/Goal is so important that it justifies letting the American People suffer? Return to the Trump Energy Policies and cut working families some slack.
Translation:
“In congress I will fight for more election fraud to tilt the scales to enable the election of more leftist idiots like myself and the Brandon Administration to hasten the destruction of American values. Also I’m taking away the guns of law abiding citizens and ramping up crime so you dirty people will rely on government more and more. And please ask me about my plans for $8.00 a gallon gas!!!