Joe Gruters

Gruters lost his first two elections. He worked behind the scenes on several more losing campaigns.[5] He joined Vern Buchanan’s original successful 2006 campaign for the United States Congress. "He has been on a hot streak ever since, winning the job of Sarasota GOP chairman in 2008, gaining clout as an early backer of Gov. Rick Scott in 2010 and becoming vice chairman of the Republican Party of Florida this year."[6]

Gruters was elected Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida by a huge margin January 11, 2019 at the Republican Party of Florida's annual meeting in Orlando, handing out red “Keep Florida Great” hats ahead of the vote. His easy election was a result of the re-unification of the Republican Party of Florida after a split during the Governor Rick Scott's terms.[11]

The Miami Herald reported on the election the next day, "One of Donald Trump’s closest allies in Florida has been named chairman of the state party, strengthening the president’s already strong grip on the nation’s largest swing state ahead of his reelection bid in 2020."[11]

“We have a singular focus over the next two years,” Gruters said. “And that’s getting our president reelected.”

Gruters said expects Florida Republicans to be unified and focused on 2020. “I think we’ll have the resources we need. I think people understand the importance that Florida has on the national election,” he said. “Donald Trump can’t be our president if he can’t win Florida.”[11]

Gruters is a pro-business, pro-life, pro-environment conservative.[12] He is supported by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.[13] He introduced pro-environment legislation regarding red tide and other water quality issues in Florida, such as restoring septic tank inspection rules that had been lifted during the recession.[14]

Two days after a fatal shooting at a California synagogue April 26, 2019, the Florida Senate unanimously passed a bill by Gruters requiring schools to deal with anti-Semitic behavior the same way they do racial discrimination. The bill also defines anti-Semitic behavior as “accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interest of their own nations.”[15] Gruters made his views clear on the issue, saying: “He knew nothing about the victims, other than that they were Jewish. That was enough for them to die in his own mind...anti-Semitism is on the rise, and we have the ability to do something about it. No one is born with hate in their heart.”[15]

Gruters was a driving force behind Florida's 2019 law outlawing sanctuary cities and requiring all Florida jurisdictions to comply with federal immigration law and cooperate with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He sponsored Senate Bill 168 that passed the Florida Senate 22-18.[12] This marked a change of direction for Florida from a few years earlier when the state had enabled illegal immigrants in several areas.[12] Gruters’ bill was altered near the end, including no longer requiring local authorities to hold ICE detainer subjects indefinitely. Those people will be released after 48 hours if ICE doesn't take them into custody.[16] After passing the Florida House, the bill is expected to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ran on the issue in November 2018.[17]

Gruters sponsored Senate Bill 796 requiring electric utilities to create and follow long-term plans to bury electric lines and harden the state's power grid against hurricanes, which the Senate voted 39-1.[18] Gruters said lawmakers are taking a “long-range approach” to strengthen the state's electric system. Gruters and other supporters pointed to economic losses caused by major power outages. “It’s a public safety issue. It’s a resiliency issue,” he said.

Gruters filed a Senate Bill 558,[19] called "Florida Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act" that would ban abortions that are 20 weeks after fertilization due to what proponents say is a growing body of scientific evidence that the unborn child feels pain,[20] including physical and emotional distress. The bill is controversial because it could test where the courts stand on the 20-week cutoff.[21]

He sponsored Senate Bill 230 that would require the supervisor of elections in each Florida county to enter into a local agreement with court officials to obtain a list of jurors who have self-identified as non-citizens. That list would then be compared to the registered voter rolls and the non-citizen names would be purged.[22]

Gruters filed Senate Bill 216, which would require Florida cities and counties to alert customers to sewage spills within 24 hours of a sewage spill, and levies fines on those municipalities dependent on the size of the spill. The proposed fine is $1 for every gallon of sewage that is spilled, paid to the state. Or the municipality may spend $2 per gallon of sewage spilled to fix the problems leading to the spill and improve utility infrastructure.[23]

He has co-sponsored the Florida Competitive Workforce Act to update the 1992 Florida Civil Rights Act to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.[24] In 2019, after being elected chair of the Republican Party of Florida, he introduced the Florida Inclusive Workforce Act to ban discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace.[25] The bill was quickly endorsed by SAVE (a leading Florida LGBT group) and Rand Hoch (President of the Palm Beach Human Rights Council).[26]

Gruters is also proposing legislation that would ban smoking at public beaches statewide. Violators would be fined up to $25 or given up to 10 hours of public service.[27]

Joe Gruters is a fourth-generation Sarasotan. His great grandfather William Hobson moved the family to Sarasota in 1922 to serve as the chief tent maker for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Gruters graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School in 1996 and is a graduate of both the Florida State University (undergraduate degree) and the University of South Florida (Masters in Business Administration, MBA). He is a licensed Certified Public Accountant.[28]

Gruters lives in Sarasota County, is married to Sydney Gruters and they have three children.[29]

Gruters is a licensed Certified Public Accountant by training and is a principle in Paoli & Gruters Certified Public Accountants, which has offices in Venice and Sarasota, Florida.[30] Previously, Gruters was the Chairman of the Sarasota County Planning Commission, on the Board of Directors for the Florida Sports Foundation and on the Executive Board as Treasurer for the Sarasota Humane Society.