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Dental PAC Fuels Democrat In State House 102 Race, While Republican Candidate Shows Grassroots Power

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The latest campaign reports for the Florida House of Representatives District 102 race show Democrat candidate fueled by a dental political committee and a Republican candidate with strong grassroots support. District 102 covers Cooper City as well as parts of Davie, Sunrise and Plantation. The seat is currently held by Rep. Michael Gottlieb, who is term-limited.

Gottlieb was quick to endorse fellow Democrat Michael Friend when he entered the race last December. While Friend is a political newcomer, he does enjoy the support of longtime Democrat consultant Barbara Miller.

Michael Friend and Barbara Miller all smiles at recent Democrat event.

After loaning his campaign $50,000 dollars in December, contributions to Friend’s campaign have steadily declined.

In a report released this week, Friend’s campaign reported $22,462 in contributions between April 2025 and June 2025. That amount is nearly $1,500 less than the report covering January 2025 to March 2025.

The latest numbers were bolstered by numerous contributions from the Florida Dental Association Political Action Committee (PAC) of Tallahassee. Friend, a west Broward dentist, reported six contributions from the FDA PAC totaling $8,900 dollars.

On the Republican side, the newcomer to the race, Cooper City Commissioner Jason Smith showed surprising power on the grassroots level. In its first report, the Smith campaign reported nearly one-hundred contributions totaling $14, 411 dollars. While Smith did receive five contributions from firefighter-related political committees, the majority of supporters made smaller contributions to his campaign.

Cooper City Commissioner Jason Smith

Smith’s strong showing may signal trouble for his Republican opponent, Southwest Ranches attorney Mery Lopez Palma.

In November 2024, Lopez Palma ran against Gottlieb for the House 102 seat. Three months earlier, Lopez Palma was on the August ballot as a candidate for Republican Party State Committeewoman. Even though she lost both races, some GOP insiders assumed Lopez Palma would have a leg up on any challengers in a Republican primary.

Mery Lopez Palma

According to her latest report, Mery Lopez Palma enjoys no such advantage.

From April to June 2025, the Lopez Palma campaign raised just $2,557.70 from almost twenty supporters.

Lopez Palma loaned $13,021.15 to her campaign.

Between January and March, Lopez Palma raised no money and loaned her campaign $1,000 dollars.

Even more bad news for Mery Lopez Palma—Cooper City is the only city which lies within the boundaries of District 102. As the recently elected (unopposed) commissioner of Cooper City, Jason Smith should enjoy a built-in electoral advantage.

Smith told REDBROWARD, “Today’s report confirms what we already knew, that this campaign is powered by real people, not special interests. I’ve built a grassroots movement that’s growing stronger every day. I won’t let up!”

Broward College Names New Members To The Broward College Foundation Board Of Directors

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Broward College President Torey Alston announced seven new members have joined the Broward College Foundation on Tuesday. The new members are Alisa Bert, Dr. Marisa Burke, Tim Curtin, Phil DeBiasi, Alex Fernandez, Russell Marcus and Pat Smith.

“We are definitely working toward making Broward College the number one destination for academic excellence and having these community members join the Broward College Foundation supports those efforts,” said Broward College President and Chief Executive Officer Torey Alston. “I very much look forward to working with them, and our District Board of Trustees – this is an exciting time for Broward College.”

Here is the full press release from Broward College:

Broward College is proud to announce that seven new members have joined the Broward College Foundation to support its mission to change lives through education.

“Serving as the Broward College District Board of Trustees representative on the Foundation Board, I am excited to welcome these new members and look forward to working together to help our students,” said Trustee Zachariah “Reggie” P. Zachariah, Jr. “Broward College does so many things for so many people; we’re transforming lives on a daily basis, and these new Foundation board members are going to be an integral part of supporting those efforts.”

The new members joining the Broward College Foundation are:

  • Alisa Bert, a long-time hospital executive, senior vice president, interim chief financial officer with Broward Health and treasurer of the Children’s Diagnostic and Treatment Center;
  • Dr. Marisa Burke, an adjunct faculty member at Florida International University and the University of Miami with a background in the mental health profession;
  • Tim Curtin, a Florida certified addictions professional, a vice president at Memorial Healthcare System with prior board experience for Mission United and the Broward Education Foundation;
  • Phil DeBiasi, a successful entrepreneur with extensive philanthropy contributions, including serving as the past Chair of the Board for Handy, Inc. and was appointed to serve on the Board of Nursing Home Administrators;
  • Alex Fernandez, a licensed CPA with prior board experience with the Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance and is a member of the Leadership Florida Cornerstone Class 40 and a former Broward College Foundation Board member;
  • Russell Marcus, an attorney with private sector and government experience; former Chief Business Development Officer with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity and former President and Executive Director of the Florida Opportunity Fund, Inc., and
  • Pat Smith, former faculty member at Florida Atlantic University and employee at IBM, who comes with prior board experience, including Chair of the Bonnet House and President of the North Broward Auxiliary of the Children’s Home Society.

Since it started in 1971, the Broward College Foundation has worked closely with the Office of Advancement to raise money to support scholarships, academic programs and other needs of the College. Helping students realize their academic dreams and by providing community awareness, advocacy and funding to the college is at the heart of what the Foundation does. These seven new board members bring with them varied backgrounds, skills, ideas and perspectives that will help bring the work of the Foundation to the next level.

“We are definitely working toward making Broward College the number one destination for academic excellence and having these community members join the Broward College Foundation supports those efforts,” said Broward College President and Chief Executive Officer Torey Alston. “I very much look forward to working with them, and our District Board of Trustees – this is an exciting time for Broward College.”