Richard DeNapoli, Chairman

Colleen Stolberg, Vice-Chair

Endorse Rico Petrocelli for BREC Chairman

As Rico Petrocelli said in his campaign announcement, the Broward GOP works as a team where no one player wins the game by himself or herself. Well, one of the most valuable players on our Broward Republican Team is Rico Petrocelli.  We fully support his candidacy for Broward Republican Executive Committee (“BREC”) Chair.

Rico and Richard at the 2011 Holiday Party

Rico knows what it takes to win elections.  We relied on his experience as a Town Councilman from Plantation and his extensive contacts in the community to assist us in leading the Broward GOP.  Rico knows how to build a team.  Rico has a kind servant’s heart and will make a great leader.  He knows how to energize our volunteers and build consensus around our mission of electing Republicans.

After hiring Rico with very little funds in our BREC Treasury two years ago, he immediately dove into his job, helping to build our party by getting donations wherever he could.  It’s difficult to raise funds for a county party — a totally different task than raising funds for a political campaign — but Rico worked tirelessly on both fundraising and the regular business of the Broward GOP.

Rico helping volunteers phone bank.

Many of our members do not realize what goes into running the Broward GOP.  From setting up our monthly meetings, booking the hotel, coordinating speakers, maintaining our headquarters, making sure various bills are paid, advertising the party events, meeting with candidates, sending out emails, speaking with our almost 400 members on a regular basis … Rico has the skills, talent and experience to keep our party running smoothly from day one.

We couldn’t have had our fundraising successes over the last two years without Rico Petrocelli.

As your Executive Director:

• Rico got sponsors for a majority our monthly meetings;
• Fundraised for our first Lincoln Day Dinner with Governor Rick Scott, RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day and Congressman Allen West, netting $90,000
• Organize our Grand Old Party BBQ, which attracted over 600 guests
• Secured over 170 attendees to Presidency V, netting some $30,000 for the Republican Party of Florida and $4,000 for the BREC
• Fundraised for our second Lincoln Day in May 2012 with Keynote Speaker Attorney General Pam Bondi and Special Guests CFO Jeff Atwater and Congressman Allen West
• Collected tens of thousands of dollars throughout both years in our regular fundraising appeals

Richard and Rico Petrocelli at the 2011 Grand Old Party BBQ

We need to continue our fundraising successes, attract new members, improve our technology and establish an improved GOTV Program.  Obama organizers had been deeply embedded in Broward for years before the 2012 election, focusing their persuasion efforts on person-to-person contact. Our Precinct Letter Project helped our members establish more personal contact with Republicans in their neighborhoods, and we know this will continue with Rico Petrocelli as your next Chairman.

We need to start campaigning for 2014 today and we have been preparing for this by examining a new and user-friendly online program.  This will assist Rico in making available for every REC member to organize their precincts and gather voter information in ways like never before.

Rico presenting a birthday cake to RNC Co-Chair Sharon Day

As your Chair and Vice-Chair, we have worked hard to empower you, our REC members, with precinct lists, Precinct Training Manuals, and other methods and information to help you reach out to the voters.  We hope that you elect Rico Petrocelli as your next Chairman so that he can continue our Eight Point Platform and build upon the progress that we’ve made with his positive energy and enthusiasm. 

As your Chair and Vice-Chair, we know that no one can do this job alone.  The strength of our organization lies in its members.  Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our Broward Republican Party, and without you, there would be no Broward Republican Party and no victories in any cycle.  Rico has been there for us, and we hope that you’ll be there for him.  We hope that you will join us in supporting Rico Petrocelli and his team as your next Chair and Board of the Republican Party of Broward County.