Jared Rosenstein, lobbyist and former DeSantis administration Legislative Affairs Director, shares his experiences that have led him to achieve his current success. Rosenstein was born in Miami, Florida, but following Hurricane Andrew, his family relocated to Broward County from Kendall. His family moved to Weston where he attended and graduated from Cypress Bay High School. He was able to talk about his path to being South Florida’s lobbyist—or, as I like to refer to him, our personal cheerleader—through his work with Congressman Jared Moskowitz, Governor Ron DeSantis, and Florida’s municipalities.
Navigating Undergrad
Rosenstein acknowledges that he struggled academically in high school. He attended Broward College, where he earned an Associates of Arts (A.A.) in Political Science. He then gained admission to Florida State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government. While discussing any potential future objectives he may have had as an undergraduate, Rosenstein claims, “I knew I wanted to be a lawyer, but I knew I didn’t want to practice law. I knew I wanted to get involved in government but it’s very hard to get your foot in the door unless you know somebody.”
The 2008 presidential election between former President Barack Obama and former late Senator John McCain first piqued Rosenstein’s interest in politics. Rosenstein wanted to be exposed to different viewpoints, so he started studying modern politics and volunteered for Senator McCain’s campaign.
Networking, Networking, Networking
At FSU, he conducted a search for Florida’s top lobbyists and discovered Ron Book, a fellow Broward resident. Rosenstein sent Book an email and was invited to Book’s office. He explains, “for two and a half hours, he really taught me how the world works. Ron is like the Michael Jordan of lobbyists.”
Book did not, however, offer Rosenstein a position as an intern, and suggested that Rosenstein work “next door” at the Florida Legislature. Heeding this advice, Rosenstein distributed copies of his resume by visiting legislators and going door to door. Even though he was repeatedly turned down, he managed to eventually secure a position as an intern for Senator Ellyn Bogdanoff.
Following the conclusion of the 2012 legislative session, Senator Bogdanoff was redistricted into a neighboring Senator’s district and had a brutal reelection campaign in which she ultimately lost. Rosenstein remembers, “I got my foot in the door in politics and the next election, you know, I’m out.”
Nonetheless, the networking continued unabated. When Rosenstein’s mother met Representative Holly Raschein, a newly elected member of the Florida House of Representatives from Monroe County, she connected them both and Rosenstein continued interning in “the process.” After graduating, he started working full-time for Representative Bill Hager, a member of the Florida House of Representatives who had previously served on the Boca Raton City Council. This exposed Rosenstein to the inner workings of both state and local government.
Balancing Law School and Moskowitz
After working with Representative Hager, Rosenstein began working with Representative— now Congressman— Jared Moskowitz. The two became very good friends, and Rosenstein worked alongside Representative Moskowitz for five and a half years. Rosenstein recalls how he became close to the Moskowitz family and had the honor of knowing and learning from Moskowitz’s late father, mega-lawyer, and lobbyist, Michael Moskowitz. Michael pushed Rosenstein to attend law school, and Rosenstein was accepted to Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad College of Law. He says, “I would be sitting in a committee in Tallahassee with my binder open with my notes for an exam that I would be taking that night catching the late Tallahassee to Miami flight. [Jared] Moskowitz let me do all of that.”
To his dedication, he replies: “It’s very hard, very difficult. I advise nobody to do this. And I was able to accomplish all of it. I did the four-year law school program in three and a half years while commuting between Tallahassee and Fort Lauderdale.” However, he also notes that “Going to law school has given me a fantastic foundation for the work that I do as a lobbyist and for the work that I have done in the Legislature.”
Through their work together, Rosenstein and Moskowitz wrote and passed the Marjory Stoneman Douglas (MSD) High School Public Safety Act. During the tragedy at MSD, Rosenstein was one of the first state employees on the scene and vividly remembers coordinating the response efforts. He says, “That really put Jared Moskowitz’s career and mine on a pretty crazy trajectory, I guess, like a collision course with where I am now.”
Legislative Affairs Director
When the 2018 election cycle came around, Moskowitz and Rosenstein accepted an invitation to join the DeSantis administration in the non-partisan Division of Emergency Management. As per Rosenstein, “It was a fantastic partnership, and I worked as the Division of Emergency Management’s Legislative Affairs Director to Governor Ron DeSantis for two and a half years.”
Rosenstein worked to ensure that federal funds were used to help affected towns recover from Hurricanes Irma and Michael. Since he was the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Florida Division of Emergency Management during the pandemic response, COVID-19 was one of the most significant and difficult events for him. He claims, “that it’s really a unique way of saying that you can do big things, you can make major changes to your state. You can be a part of history without really being a lawyer in a courtroom.”
Let’s Talk Clients
As a Partner at Capital City Consulting, Rosenstein’s clients include AshBritt, Inc., CDR Maguire, Delta Air Lines, Inc., VISA, Paypal, Miami-Dade County, Broward County, City of Boca Raton, City of Coral Gables, City of Fort Lauderdale, Town of Highland Beach, and more. Rosenstein is especially proud to represent municipalities before the state government in Tallahassee.
Rosenstein says, “City of Fort Lauderdale, I am very proud to represent one of my home cities. I represent Broward County, and I love Broward County— where my family resides.” He also mentions how one of his first municipal clients was the City of Boca Raton and says, “I like representing the City of Boca because I get the chance to advocate and explain that Boca is cool. It’s not your grandmother’s Boca anymore.”
He speaks highly of the Coral Gables scenery and says, “It’s a fantastic place to live, work, and play.” Referring to Miami-Dade, he continues, saying, “I like that they have a bipartisan county commission. There are some fantastic former legislators on the county commission in Miami-Dade County.”
Rosenstein concludes by saying: “There are times where I hate the day, but I don’t hate my job. I love what I do. Maybe I’m a rare breed. I love the high-pressure, high-stress environment. I love dealing with clients, formulating arguments, and writing law. I love raising money and going through election cycles and seeing who’s going to win. That thrill is what keeps me coming back.”
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