Palm Beach County Perspective

PALM BEACH COUNTY is arguably the greatest place to live, work, learn and raise a family. However, many of our urban communities are showing signs of their lack of attention. To reverse the decline, redevelopment has been the most effective method for updating and improving the urban environment. My guest today, Steven Michael, CEO of Banyan Group, has proven to be a visionary in urban development...

PALM BEACH COUNTY, like the rest of the country, has seen life changed (and continuing to change) in the shadows of a world pandemic (which put a pause on our lives for over a year), smartphones (which, it could be argued, have rewired the brains of the Gen-Z generation), and, perhaps most impactful, the burgeoning technology of Artificial Intelligence. How this is changing the way people communic...

PALM BEACH COUNTY prides itself on being a great place to live, work and play. The fact is, some parts of our community are in need of an upgrade. Communities like Boca Raton, which is currently celebrating its centennial anniversary, have recognized the need to redevelop blighted areas to attract visitors and residents. My guest for this episode is Scott Brenner. Scott has over 35 years of experi...

PALM BEACH COUNTY prides itself on providing a nurturing environment for our children. In previous episodes we’ve addressed educational opportunities available and explored the challenges posed by food insecurity and homelessness. My guest today, Renée Layman, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with almost thirty years of experience in mental health. As President and Chief Executive Officer for...

PALM BEACH COUNTY offers an abundance of educational opportunities for our children. As a community, we must ensure we provide a solid foundation of education for our children to allow them to thrive and achieve to their full potential. My guest, Monica Gupta, brings a unique perspective, forged in the intensity of the courtroom and tempered by the joys and challenges of raising children. As a for...

PALM BEACH COUNTY, like the rest of the country, embraces legal immigration. The infusion of capital (both intellectual and monetary) benefits our country. We are a country founded on the hard work of the people who came to the United States for a better life. However, over the past few years, the lack of effective controls over the onslaught of illegal migration has caused many to see immigration...

PALM BEACH COUNTY has the third highest incidence of trafficking in Florida and Florida has the unenviable title of third highest incidence of trafficked people in the nation. Combating these gruesome statistics are a number of our “home grown” nonprofit agencies. My guest today. Alex Ortiz, is the Director of Development and Regional Advocate at FLITE (Fort Lauderdale Independence, Training &...

PALM BEACH COUNTY is home to a large number of residents with close ties to Israel. Relatives and friends who have made aliyah (the process of moving to Israel and becoming an Israeli citizen). As a result, the acts of brutality visited on Israeli citizens (many of the civilians) hit particularly hard for our community. Multiple opportunities to help our brothers and sisters in Israel have been pr...

PALM BEACH COUNTY depends on residents’ willingness to help govern our community. Be it a club, condominium, homeowners association, a village, city or town, special taxing district or the county. This doesn’t even scratch the surface as the state and federal government require citizens to step forward and accept the responsibilities of elective office. My guest today accepted the call by our gove...

PALM BEACH COUNTY is a place where over 1 million people call home. It’s a community, rich in resources, including recreational and cultural amenities. Residents view themselves as fortunate to live in such a vibrant community of great wealth and abundance. However is it enough to be living an “good life” or should we be striving to be better? In Hebrew the term “Tikkun Olam” means to repair the w...

PALM BEACH COUNTY residents, like those residing in other communities, are increasingly concerned about illegal immigrants invading our country. However, we are a country founded upon the handwork of immigrants over the past centuries. My guest today, Al Zucaro, addresses how legal immigration is a boon to our country and offers his take on how to ensure we embrace those willing to contribute to o...

PALM BEACH COUNTY, like the rest of the world, witnessed the 60th presidential inauguration as Joe Biden welcomed his predecessor back to the White House making President Trump our 45th and 47th President of the United States. My guest today, Karol Markowicz, adds her perspective to the changes we have witnessed between those two terms. Many of the events over the last four years have caused a rep...

PALM BEACH COUNTY residents, like those residing in other communities, are bombarded by information, often skewed by political perspective. Our guest today, Michael Solomon, is returning for a second episode. As I mentioned last week, Michael is a former NYPD Special Investigator whose tenure in the intelligence division, where he was assigned to protect the Shah of Iran and Madame Chang of Taiwan...

PALM BEACH COUNTY, like other communities, is bombarded by information, often skewed by political perspective. Our guest today, Michael Solomon is a former NYPD Special Investigator whose tenure in the intelligence division, where he was assigned to protect the Shah of Iran and Madame Chang of Taiwan, taught him to question what others accept as fact. His analysis of the argument that climate chan...

PALM BEACH COUNTY is a community of great wealth and abundance alongside poverty and hunger. When I first entered into public service in the City of Boca Raton, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in our affluent community who go to bed hungry. Even before the pandemic, many families were unable to afford enough food to feed their families without assistance. Post pandemic, the problem...

PALM BEACH COUNTY is the winter home of the President-elect. This is ground zero for news coverage detailing the presidential appointments and coverage of the business and political leaders making their way to Mara Lago to get an audience with President-elect Donald Trump. Our guest for this second of two podcast episodes is no stranger to foreign policy. Ken Abramowitz is a scholar, author and hi...

PALM BEACH COUNTY is the winter home of the President-elect. This has become ground zero for news coverage detailing the presidential appointments and coverage of the business and political leaders making their way to Mara Lago to get an audience with President-elect Donald Trump. Our guest for the next two podcast episodes is no stranger to foreign policy. Ken Abramowitz is a scholar, author and...

PALM BEACH COUNTY is home of innumerable caring, giving individuals. Philanthropy and volunteerism are true virtues of many within our community who see those less fortunate than themselves as worthy of their help. Evan Darnell is pairing that spirit of giving back with a universal desire to enjoy a great event (great venue, food and theme). As the Secretary of Steak of the Red Meat Lovers Club, E...

PALM BEACH COUNTY is no stranger to the nationwide focus on border security and immigration. Our country is founded on immigration and its continued prosperity depends on a strong economy fueled, in part, by immigrants ready to contribute to our economy. The total lack of control at our borders has created a major problem for our country as we have no comprehensive policy for absorbing these immig...

PALM BEACH COUNTY is often a county of transplants. Finding a native born Floridian over 40 is, generally, a difficult affair. The good news is many a “transplant” relocated to South Florida after success in business, up north. The infusion of newly minted residents with the drive and intelligence to succeed has produced a community of overachievers with a penchant for giving back. Brian Howie fit...

PALM BEACH COUNTY has been the venue for the Boca Raton Bowl (owned and operated by ESPN) for the past 10 years. Doug Mosley and Paige Kornblue, are my guests today as we discuss the impact of the Bowl Game and the ancillary events on our community. The Boca Raton Bowl is known as "Boca's Biggest Annual Outdoor Party" and is played annually at FAU Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 30,000. T...

PALM BEACH COUNTY offers our residents opportunities to help guide the development of our community. The City of Boca Raton will be celebrating its centennial year in 2025. In its short history, it has attracted architectural giants like Addison Mizner and Marcel Breuer and owes its very existence to the likes of Henry Flagler. Today, Boca is a showplace attracting corporate executives and retiree...

PALM BEACH COUNTY, like the rest of the State of Florida, is going to the polls for Early Voting. Our voters are faced with a number of important decisions. In addition to the hotly contested presidential race, down ticket races and potential challenges to the state constitution are up for the voters to decide. My guest today, Armand Grossman, is no stranger to the political process (both as an el...

PALM BEACH COUNTY is often referred to as our piece of paradise. Post COVID, many of our friends and family from up north have made the move to south Florida to put decaying infrastructure and crime in their rear view mirror. My guest, Pam Dubin, and I speak about how our community is being transformed by these new arrivals. Our conversation is wide ranging and I trust you will find it interesting...

PALM BEACH COUNTY, long believed to be a liberal (Democrat) stronghold is moving right of center. The shift, seen during the gubernatorial race two years ago (where Governor DeSantis won decisively) will likely continue as transplants from the Northeast skew right in their political beliefs. On this episode, our guest, Bryan Rudnick, presents a well reasoned analysis of local and national politica...