Miami Beach mayor touts business success as he enters governor’s race School board asks for more tax control
Philip Levine, who became a multimillionaire in business before turning to politics, pitched his background and outlook as the ideal combination for hisnextendeavor: running for governor of Florida.
“It’s long past time to say we’vehadenoughof the political bickering and posturing, enough of the calculated words of hate — enough of thosewhowould tear usdown and tear us apart just to score a political point. They’ve had their turn. Today belongs to us,” Levine said Wednesday, adding that he was “inspired [to run] by the heroism of those who dreamed big and achieved big.”
Levine’s announcement, at a building he owns in Miami’s Wynwood arts district, makes it official. He’s effectively been running for months — touring the state, raising money for a political committee and assembling a team of campaign advisers.
On Wednesday, he offered his vision for Florida, which included a long list of priorities.
Mitigating climate change, something that’s been Levine’s signatureissue asmayorofMiami Beach, is a central feature of his new campaign.
“It’s time to address climate change by changing Tallahassee’s climate of denial,” he said. “As governor, I will make Florida an international leader, not just in climate change and sea level rise, but also in solar and renewable energy. After all, we are the Sunshine State, not the partly cloudy state.”
Levine said he’dmove decision-makingoutofTallahassee — “where politicians live” — and move it back to local communities. He said he’dpush for a “livingwage” forworkers (he didn’t specify an amount). He pledged to improve the state’s universities and help students attend college without “being burdened by crippling debt.” And he vowed to replace bad roads and bridges “with some of America’s best, and most up-to-date infrastructure.”
During the campaign, Levine said, he’d unveil proposals to protect the environment from “pollution and the greed of over-development” and improve disaster response with more shelters and better evacuation routes.
Appearing in a large hall withmurals of iconic historical figures paintedonthewalls for the occasion— President John F. Kennedy, abolitionist Harriet Tubman, migrant labor leader Cesar Chavez and civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. — Levine said he drewinspiration fromeach. His speech, just short of 15 minutes, never mentioned “Democrat” or “Democratic,” the party whose nomination he’s seeking.
He offered up something Democrats love to hear: criticism of President Donald Trump. He criticized Trump’s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
After the storm, “it was a moment when Puerto Rico neededa lotmore Eisenhower, andalotlessTrump.Whenthe President finally showed up, he descended on the people there with rolls of paper towels, and a boatload of criticism. His message to the people of Puerto Rico, who were fighting to put their lives back together, was to take them apart.”
Levine has a knack for aligning himself with issues popular with the public, or at least likely to generate positive attention including his poststorm trip to deliver relief supplies to Puerto Rico.
Levine is reportedly worth $100 million, after building a company that provides media services to the cruise industry. He’s shown he’s willing to spendmoneyonacampaign— $2 million to self-finance his first campaign for mayor — and indicated he’d do so again as a candidate for governor.
More than half of the $4.8 million Levine raised for his All About Florida political committee by the end of September came fromhimself.
Hewouldn’t say howmuch more he’ll put in, but indicated it would be a lot. “Absolutely millions of millions of dollars…. Put your money where our mouth is. If you have it, put your skin in the game. And what I’ve done already I put some money in. I knowI’ll put more in, but I can tell you, we’re getting great support from so many different, incredible, innovative folks from all over the state that want to supportourcampaign,” he told reporters.
Levine can be a crowdpleasing charmer — and has sometimes publicly shown flashes of anger that most politicians keepwell hidden. Talking to reporters, hebothdownplayed notions that he’s abrasive and sought to spin it as a selling point.
“I’ll tell you this: I like to get things done. And I’m very direct. And I call it like I see ‘em. And that’s whatwe’re going to continue to do. And I think people appreciate that because I think people are sick of political talk. They’re sick of the political class. We know that basedonpeoplewhoare electing these days. Butwe’re going to continue to go direct to the people.”
Levine’s new headquarters was Hillary Clinton’s South Florida presidential campaign headquarters in2016. Hewas a prominent campaign surrogate for Clinton. And at a time when the progressive, left wing of the Democratic Party has been gaining momentum, Levine has described himself as a “radical centrist.”
The Republican Governors Association, which helps fund its party’s candidates across the county, sought to knock down Levine’s centrism in a statement that also raised all of his potential negatives. “Throughout his time in public office, Philip Levine has demonstrated that he is a thinskinned political neophyte with far-left political views that is prone to embarrassing gaffes. Florida deserves better,” theRGAsaid inawrittenstatement.
Levine, 55, was first elected in 2013 and serving his second term as Miami Beach mayor. He grew up in Hollywood where he attended Attucks Middle and Hollywood High schools.
Palm Beach County School Board members told the county’s legislative delegation Thursday that legislative measures over the past decade have limited their control over their schools and frustrated efforts to improve them.
School Board members and their staff said tax rollbacks allow Florida schools to spend only about $7,300 per student, about $900 less than the district spent 10 years ago. They said Florida ranks 42nd in the nation in perstudent funding.
Complicating the financial restrictions, they said, is the cost of living in Palm Beach County, one of the highest in the state.
Although the state offers a small amount of money in an effort to make upthe higher cost of living, it is insufficient, they said, and makes it next to impossible to offer raises to teachers and other employees.
Despite the gloomy economic picture, Schools Superintendent Robert Avossa said the school system manages to graduate 88 percent of students, one of the highest rates in the state.
“Despite the political rhetoric, Palm Beach County is not a failure factory,” Avossa said. “We know economic development in this community is really tied to public education. … Early intervention winds up paying off.”
Seven of 13 members of the delegation attended the meeting, along with all seven members of the School Board.
Delegation members asked questions but did not commit to bringing any legislation to the next session, whichstartsJan. 9.
State Sen. Bobby Powell asked about improving the wages of the district’s lower-paid employees.
Avossa said the district raised its minimum wage from $8.50 to $10.50 and has made a long-term commitment to raise its minimum to $15 an hour.
Legislators also expressed concern about charter schools, which are publicly financed but privately run, that close, leaving the school district to foot the bill.
When Charter School of Boynton Beach was shuttered in 2014, Palm Beach County taxpayers lost more than $400,000 because a state rule designed to hold charters accountable for the money is not enforced, chief financial officer Mike Burke said.
The School Board filed a lawsuit in September challenging the constitutionality of a bill passed by the Legislature last year that requires school districts to share their local tax dollars with charter schools.
Board member Debra Robinson asked the legislators to consider bills that would extend statefunded pre-school to a full day program and pay for socialworkers at schools.
Lsolomon@ sunsentinel.com