Chris Cate: Welcome to the Fluent in Floridian podcast, featuring the Sunshine State's brightest leaders, talking about the issues most important to the people of Florida, and its millions of weekly visitors. I'm your host, Chris Cate, and in this episode created by SalterMitchell PR, I talk to former Miami Beach Mayor, and current gubernatorial candidate, Philip Levine. 

In our conversation, we talk about Mayor Levine's life before politics, how his business empire began with a marketing program for the cruise industry, and how that influenced his run for office. We also discuss how being from Miami makes him different from North Florida candidates, and how he'd work with Republican legislature. And you can hear it all right now.

Mayor Levine, thanks so much for being on the show. I know you moved to Florida as a 10-year-old from Boston, but can you tell me, what was it that brought your family here, and what was your first impression of Florida?

Philip Levine: I got to tell you, I think what brought our family here is what brings many families to Florida, is a new opportunity, a new frontier. It's the chase of the American Dream, to live a better life. I think that's what Florida really represents, but I do remember what it was like when we came down for the first time. We got off that plane in Fort Lauderdale at an airport that I think was pretty much no more than a trailer. 

And I remember, I had never experienced heat like that in my life. Because when I walked out on those steps onto that tarmac, because there was no bridge to get you into the building at the time, I remember feeling like a heatwave on my face, and I never could understand it, because I'd never experienced it, and we came in the summer.

So for me, my first impression was, "It's hot here in Florida." I remember my sister, her hair frizzed up, and she was like, "Oh my god, I can't believe my hair is frizzing up." Because you know, that was important to her of course, it was pretty hot and humid out. So I think that was my first impression.

Chris Cate: For people who went to high school with you, how would they describe you as someone growing up?

Philip Levine: I don't think I was a stellar student. I think I was a okay student, but I was somebody that always worked. Worked, worked, worked, worked, worked. I scooped ice cream at Baskin-Robbins, I washed more cars, I think, in the state of Florida than any other human may have at the time. I parked more cars, I did so many jobs, so I think I was a worker. I was fun, had a great time, growing up in Hollywood was fantastic, in Broward County. We had a winning football team, I loved wrestling in the beginning of my high school, so I think I was just a kind of all around, just a normal kid.

Chris Cate: So you go to Michigan to get a degree in political science. What was your interest in politics at that time?

Philip Levine: I always loved history, and I loved politics, but I didn't know that I'd ever have any type of career in it at all. But I loved history. I did a semester or two at University of Florida, then I transferred to the University of Michigan, and I loved it. I loved learning about our past because I always believed that if you understood your past, you'll understand your future. And politics to me was always something fantastic. 

In life sometimes, you see things, you visualize things, you're not sure if you'll ever get there, and you're not even sure why you're thinking about them, but then later in life they actually become a part of your life. Some people call that maybe being psychic or something, but seeing ... I always called it a movie in my mind. Had a movie in my mind. Sometimes it was blurry, sometimes it was more crisp and clear. But I always felt someday that that would be important to me, to understand politics and history.

Chris Cate: So to go from a degree in political science to starting Onboard Media, how exactly did that work?

Philip Levine: Well, I can tell you, for me, I didn't think I needed the business degree, and as I tell some of my friends that they don't know what they should study in college, I always say, "Study what you would enjoy the most. Study what you would wake up in the morning and be excited to go to class. Because if you want to go into business, you don't need a business degree. Matter of fact, I'll give you a business degree right now. You buy something for a dollar, you sell it for two. You write it down, it's called accounting. And it doesn't make a difference which business you're in." 

And I didn't think I needed to study business to be in business. I would rather learn about the world. To me, it's like anything else, you've got to learn something. I took a job on a cruise ship, thought it was the craziest, dumbest thing I ever did once I was onboard, terrified. That cabin below the water line with no porthole and no bathroom. 

But I realized that I had fallen into a great industry that was growing, and I learned to do something. There are those that can come up with a great invention, whether it's Uber, Amazon, and then some folks get a job and learn something, and then go out and do it themselves and do it better. For me, I learned something and I fell into a wonderful industry.

Chris Cate: Onboard Media became a multi-million dollar business, can you tell me a little bit what that was like in the beginning, though? Did it grow fast? You were still pretty young when you started this business, so what were those first few months, couple years like?

Philip Levine: It's hard. When you're an entrepreneur, you don't know there's no pathway for you. It's like someone throws you into a huge jungle with a machete, and says, "Find your own path." And you don't know if you're going the right way, all the time you're questioning yourself, everyone's second-guessing, you're second-guessing yourself, but you just keep going forward. So for me it was really based a lot on personal relationships. 

Making sure that not only could you build personal relationships, but also that you could follow through and execute on your promises. There are those that can make a sale, but after you make the sale, you actually have to be able to execute and do what you said you're going to do. We showed early on that our team could do that.

You don't build anything without a great team. The speed of the leader determines the rate of the pack. You've got to be able to lead and excite people, energize people, and create enthusiasm for the direction you're going in, and we had that team, and we built it, brick by brick, person by person. Didn't happen overnight. You know, when you need an overnight success, there's no such thing. There's a big backstory to that.

Chris Cate: As the company changed from a small business to a large business, how did your managerial style change?

Philip Levine: Well, for me, as an entrepreneur, I always cross every T and dot every I, signed every check. I believe that you need to keep a certain level of focus and control. The devil is in the detail, and you can't let things escape you. I can tell you that when I drive around South Florida sometimes, and I see lights out on our state highways, people know who I am, and if I was governor, I'd be calling up my secretary of transportation, I'd be saying, "If I see a light out again, I don't care if you have to come down here with your own ladder, you're going to change the light bulbs, okay?" 

Because people look at small things and they see bigger issues, and that's what you have to look out for. So when I was building my companies, we made sure that details, crossed T's, dotted I’s, we focused on things, always. There's a saying that says ... I think it's, "Think big, act small." And it's very important to make sure of that, because you can't lose the ability to have control with things, otherwise things spiral out of control.

Chris Cate: At what point did you start thinking you want to do something more than just run a business, but you wanted to run for elected office?

Philip Levine: I always felt somehow I was going to run for office. I always felt I wanted to give back, I wanted to help. I enjoyed building companies, I enjoyed making money, but I thought there was something bigger to do. I always had a unique, still do, friendship with President Clinton, and I was able to watch and see all the great things that he did. And I thought, "Someday I want to run for office." I didn't know where, I didn't know when, but the opportunity for me came in my own hometown.

Sometimes they say that the best things in life are right in front of you. And for me, it was my city of Miami Beach that was undergoing a crisis of confidence due to sea level rise because of climate change. So I'd thought about it a lot in my mind, but you know, little thoughts become bigger thoughts, and then bigger thoughts become reality. But they start and they germinate as little things in your head, and I believe everybody has that in their mind, whether they see it, feel it, and let it happen is a different story.

‍Chris Cate: I know you've talked quite a bit about climate change. Did working in the cruise industry and spending a lot of times at different ports have an impact on how you feel about that issue?

Philip Levine: No, not at all. Truly, for me, the issue is right in Miami Beach. We would see water filling up on our streets during sunny days, called it sunny day flooding, and seeing a government that was the epitome of analysis paralysis, hiring consultants to hire consultants to hire consultants, but they would get nothing done. And I said, "This is ridiculous. We have people in office that have a history of getting nothing done, and folks actually want them to get something done. We don't do that in business. Why would we do that in government?"

So I said, "I'm going to run for office, and I'm going to do everything I can to fix this problem and put us on a pathway, at least, to creating a level of resiliency in our city, so we don't lose confidence in the future of our city." And I think that that experience, those lessons, truly resonate statewide in Florida, where 79% of our coasts right now are at risk for sea level rise.

Chris Cate: A lot of people have different views of government and how it should operate. When you were finally elected to office and you were inside and you were running things, how much different was it from how you anticipated running the-

Philip Levine: Not different at all. You know what's the interesting thing? People are people. And as I've said before, people work for two reasons. Compensation and purpose. The City of Miami Beach staff, getting great compensation, they didn't have purpose, and there was no leadership. I'll tell you, I would match government employees and city employees wherever they are, with the right leadership, I'd match them up against anyone in private sector, because a lot of them that are working in government, they're not doing it for money, they're doing it to create positive change. And that inside motivation is something you can't buy. And that's why a majority of people that work for government do it. And I think we need more people to do that.

‍Chris Cate: You talked a lot about bringing jobs and more business to Florida. It's very similar to what Rick Scott has said when he's on the campaign trail, but how is your vision for doing that different than what Rick Scott has done?

Philip Levine: Well Governor Scott seems to feel somehow that if you have low wages and low taxes and great weather, that every great company in the world is going to beat a pathway to your door. I don't think I agree with that. Matter of fact, I always say if that's just the case, I'm not sure why Haiti isn't doing so well. 

I come from a place called Massachusetts and a town called Boston, and in Massachusetts unfortunately, the taxes are high, the wages are very high, and the weather's horrible. But they have all the greatest companies in the world. And they have the greatest startups in Massachusetts, and the reason is is because they have the best education, best public transportation, and they have a 21st century culture of excellence. 

What we need to do in Florida to create the environment to have these great companies come with real paying jobs, is to invest in education, healthcare, public transportation, non-discrimination laws, have the best environmental policy possible, and that's what will attract great companies with great paying jobs. The governor, you know, has a vision for economics for the state, but his vision is a state of Walmarts and Applebee's and McDonald's, and everybody earns $8.25 an hour. 

My vision's different. My vision is, I like the state where your kids don't have to leave the state to get a good job. They can find it right in the state of Florida, where we take NASA and we turn it into our Silicon Valley, and we do it by doing all the right things. There is no, just offer a corporate incentive and you're going to get Apple to come open up a major ... it doesn't work that way. The people that work in these companies want a certain environment to live in. And unless you create that environment for them and their families, they're not coming. There's too many choices. So it's time for us to up our game, and become a 21st century economy.

Chris Cate: Besides some of the messaging, another way that you're a little bit similar to Rick Scott's first campaign is you're investing a lot of your own money into the campaign. Do you think that candidates who have the resources to put money into a campaign have an obligation to put their money where their mouth is?

Philip Levine: Well I can tell you this. I have put some money in my campaign, and plan to put more. But thankfully, I've been able to raise, I think as much or more than I've actually put in. And I'm raising that money from Democrats and Republicans, both sides. But I also believe that anything I've ever done in my life, any venture, any partnership, I put my skin in the game. So why would I not invest in myself? I started from nothing, I made this money in Florida, why wouldn't I put it back in Florida, to do the right thing? And that's why I'm doing it. I think that if you have had success, great. If you haven't, then you shouldn't have to because you wouldn't have those resources. I mean, that's part of my journey. That's part of who I am as a person.

Chris Cate: Does your family ever get in your ear and say, "Dad, maybe don't put so much money into the campaign?" What are they like when the money comes up for the campaign?

Philip Levine: No, no, it's never a topic of conversation. Truly, I'm a pretty responsible guy, and everything I've done, thank god, up to date has been pretty responsible, and I believe in the future of Florida, and that's why I'm investing in Florida by investing in my candidacy for governor.

Chris Cate: How much of your run for governor is actually really for your kids, but seeing them?

‍Philip Levine: Well, I'm running for governor because I believe that our state has an incredible future if we do the right things. I also believe that unfortunately, Florida has been the butt of too many national jokes. Sometimes folks say that we voted the wrong way. I believe that this election for governor is not only the most important election in Florida, it's not only the most important election in our country, I believe it's the most important election in the world.

Because so goes Florida, so goes the presidency in 2020. And god knows, when you change a leadership in our nation, we need to come back to the ideals and the principles of the greatest generation that won World War II, and made our world safe for democracy by not focusing on all those things that separate us but begin focusing on all those things that unite us. And I think Florida will be the solution to that going forward.

Chris Cate: Does being a candidate from Miami make you a lot different than a candidate who would be from North Florida?

‍Philip Levine: Oh, absolutely. No question about it. You know, it does. But I could tell you that everywhere I go in the state, from the Panhandle to Key West, I have found all Floridians want the same thing. They want clean water, they want better schools, they want better high-paying jobs, they want public transportation, they want non-discrimination policies. All Floridians really want the same thing. 

What's funny is that you hear all these kind of fringe, way out to the right, way out to the left, but that's not what brings Florida together. What brings Florida together is all the things we share in common that I just mentioned. So everywhere I go, I hear the same things. I tell people in Tampa, "I know your traffic problem is horrible, but I can clue you in, you're not the only one. Folks in Miami are feeling the same way." 

Or I tell the people in Pensacola that, "I know you don't want to see, god forbid, offshore oil drilling because now that you know it's environmental hazard that you experience, but you also know it's yesterday's business. We shouldn't invest in it. But I can tell you the people in the Keys, they feel the same way." So we're reunited, but there are those who try to divide us. This campaign is not about winners and losers. It's about hopefully everybody winning.

Chris Cate: If you're elected governor, it's likely the House and Senate will still be overwhelmingly Republican. How can you deliver on your campaign promises when you probably won't have a like-minded legislature?

‍Philip Levine: I think that this year we're going to have a lot of folks that are more reasonably-minded winning elections. I'm pretty confident that'll happen in both the Senate and the House. I'm not so sure there will be any kind of majority, but you know, I really believe I represent, if I'm elected governor, the people of Florida. And as I've said, I'm not right, I'm not left, I'm forward. I'm pro-people, I'm pro-business, and I think that the legislative body is going to be getting a lot of pressure from those folks that we call the voters. Some people call them customers. And I think they're probably going to have to start listening. 

When I built all my companies from scratch, I always worked for Republicans and Democrats. I never asked anybody, "Were you Republican or Democrat?" We just all were on the same mission. And I think that I'll have a good ability to communicate to move folks. 

The Speaker of the House will be Jose Oliva, a guy that I know. We have a nice relationship. I've told Jose many times that if I'm honored to be elected governor, I said, "You won't get what you want, but I won't get what I want. But we'll get what we both need. Somewhere down the middle to move forward together." And I believe that we will harness the power of the people to make sure that we can move forward.

Chris Cate: I've heard you say you're not right, you're not left, you're forward. Does that make you a centrist, or where does that make you fall?

Philip Levine: I really think that makes me an American. Matter of fact, it's funny because when you look at the HR manual of the most admired companies in America, I don't care if it's the company that make our fighter jets like Lockheed, or Boeing, or I don't care if it's General Electric, or whether it's Apple, or eBay, or Amazon. 

You look at their HR manual, you'll find they're pro-education, they're pro-healthcare, they're pro-environment, they want public transportation if they're going to go anywhere. They are against any discrimination policies. So the question will be is, those folks that make our fighter jets, are they Democrat or Republican? They're neither. They're pro-people. They're Americans. And I think the whole labels of you're right, you're left, you're centrist, I don't know what, I'm American. I just want to do the right thing. And I think people don't vote for policy and they don't vote for party, they vote for person.

Chris Cate: On your campaign website it says, "Going to make sure every child will be able to attend college and pursue their dreams debt-free, regardless of their parents' income." That's all pretty ambitious. What's your plan for making something like that possible?

Philip Levine: Well, my feeling is this, if you come to high school, and you're in high school in Florida, you're on team Florida, and your parents don't make enough money and you want to go to college, we need to make sure that we can get you there without debt. That's of course, if you agree to work a certain amount of years after college in the state of Florida, so we can retain the talent in Florida. We don't know who the next Einstein is, and we must make sure that we give that next Einstein the opportunity to go to college. 

You know, what's amazing is that I always say, "How can we afford it? My question is, how can you afford not to? How do you create a 21st century economy and a culture of excellence when you don't want your best and your brightest and young people be able to go to college?" And by the way, I'm not so sure everyone needs to go to college. I believe we need to get into those high schools and offer vocational programs, and apprenticeship programs, so that every high school in Florida has a plan. Because college is not for everyone, but the opportunity to earn a good living is for everybody.

Chris Cate: What campaign issue do you hope is the one that kind of pops up and drives most of the conversation. Is there an issue you're really hoping is debated more so than any of the others?

Philip Levine: Yes. The candidates' ability to get things done. I think that would be a great issue to debate. I would love to be able to say, "Well, we're applying for the position of chief executive officer of the state of Florida, and we'd like to know what you've done, because that's the only way we can tell of what you'll actually get done." So I think that if the issue is your issue of your history and ability to get things done, could be the premiere issue for the voters. I'd love that to be the issue.

‍Chris Cate: There seem to be, at least in my recollection, more undecided voters right now than there has been in a lot of past elections. How do you reach those voters and get them to remember who you are?

Philip Levine: Well, I think that we live in a purple state. The way you make purple is you mix red and blue. I believe that the success of the next governor of Florida will be the ability to capture the middle, which is Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans, or the other way around. And I think that like anything else, you've got to be on the ground. You've got to talk to the people. 

I call them customers. You've got to talk to your customers. They're the voters. They're the ones that you've got to be working for. So we are everywhere, all the time. We're in 67 counties. We're on television statewide, non-stop, full saturation, a week after I announced the candidacy in November. We are in social media. We will talk to any group. We will go to any county. We don't care if there's five registered Democrats, we will come in. We will speak to them. Because we know that if we win, we'll be representing all Floridians.

Chris Cate: Yeah, I saw you recently did a living room speaking tour. Is that-

Philip Levine: Yeah. Those are fantastic. So that's a concept ... you know, when I ran for mayor, I knocked on 6,000 doors. But if I wanted to knock on 20 million doors in Florida, it would take me 500 years to get it done, so it's not a probability or reality. What we do do is we actually go to people's living rooms in diverse communities, and we have them put together all their neighbors and their friends. We sit in the living room, and we talk to them about their concerns, their ideas, what's important to them, and we do it all over the state. We do it all the time. 

And I'll tell you something, there's nothing more rewarding, nothing more interesting, because remember, when you talk to Floridians, they're the ones that educate you. They're the ones that kind of give you your PhD on Florida.

Chris Cate: And when you are in those living rooms, what are Floridians telling you about what they want to have changed?

‍Philip Levine: Well, I can tell you that I was in a living room of an African American man yesterday, with about seven or eight people. He works two jobs, working for McDonald's. He takes about five buses to get to his job, and what he's telling me is, he works probably 18 hours a day to feed his family, to help his mother, and he doesn't see any way out in the future. He doesn't see any opportunity for himself. 

And he's earning a minimum wage, which is way below where it should be. What he's telling me is he can't afford housing, he can't afford a future, but he's a good guy, and he follows the law, and all he wants is to live the American Dream. He doesn't want to become rich. He just wants to be able to have a normal life, like everybody else. 

And I'm hearing that from Floridians everywhere. I'm hearing folks in Orlando tell me that they can't afford housing. I'm hearing people all over saying that they want better-paying jobs. I'm hearing folks that are concerned about the fact that there's too many weapons out there, that they're concerned about the safety of their children in schools. I think all Floridians are having these prime concerns, and I think Florida represents the country.

Chris Cate: I want to transition now to the final four questions that I ask every guest. The first being, who is a Florida leader that you admire? And it could be from past or present.

Philip Levine: Wow, that's an interesting question. A Florida leader that I admire.

Chris Cate: It doesn't have to be a politician.

Philip Levine: Well, I can tell you, there's definitely a couple of Florida leaders that I admire, but I'm not sure if I'd pick politics. There's a guy by the name of Ted Aronson, who bought a little cruise ship and turned that company into Carnival. He's somebody that I admire, someone who is a successful, great entrepreneur. So I'm not so sure if there's so many political leaders that I would normally say that I loved. I do have to say that Bob Graham was a great governor and a great senator. Lawton Chiles was an unbelievable governor. But what I loved about them is that they kind of put people first, and I think that's the message.

Chris Cate: What is something that you think deserves more attention in Florida than what it's currently getting?

Philip Levine: Resiliency. I believe that in order for us to have a future, we have to invest in our future, and I think that the world is telling us, and the scientists are telling us that the sea is rising. Remember, the ocean is not Republican or Democrat, it just knows how to rise. And that our state happens to be ground zero for climate change. We see it with the rising seas and the flooding, whether it's Jacksonville and the St. Johns River, or it's Miami Beach. 

We're seeing it with the spread of Zika, which we knew was brought about by climate change, the warming of the air that allowed these mosquitoes to travel that much further north. I think that's an area that we need to create a real program of resiliency, having a chief resiliency officer, regional resiliency officers, and investing in the future of our state.

I think that the current governor doesn't believe it, ignores it, but I can tell you, when you see water filling up on your street on a beautiful, sunny day, I can convert you real quick.

Chris Cate: On that topic, it really seems to take a world effort to make a considerable change. How would you expect Florida to play a big enough role to make a difference for us?

Philip Levine: Well I think that it's going to have to happen that way. I think that states like Florida, where we know that we're called The Sunshine State, we're not The Partly Cloudy State, that we have an opportunity to be a leader in solar energy. The Saudis, who have more fossil fuel reserves than anybody, are spending billions of dollars on becoming a leader in solar energy. The Chinese are. 

Why would we not as a state want to take the lead role? Not only is it great for the environment, but it's economically an unbelievable opportunity, creates thousands of jobs. So to me it's kind of something that we need to take a lead in. I believe that unfortunately the United States of America, decided to pull out on the Paris Climate Group, but I believe that as a state, we need to march forward in that direction and pick up where the federal government left off, and make Florida a leader.

You know, it's interesting, when you become a leader in this, and you believe in science, it's incredible how many companies will want to come your way and move to your state. And folks that work in those companies that believe that you are on the forefront of science and the future.

Chris Cate: What is a favorite Florida location for you to visit?

Philip Levine: God, there's so many. You know, during this campaign, I have been to so many great places. Actually, one of the small towns I've gone to I've loved is Dunedin. What a great place, so cool, so cute, that downtown. You know, my buddy is a mayor of Pensacola, Ashton Hayward. I love Pensacola. I love what he's done downtown, I think it's fantastic up there. You know, there's so many great places. I'm a big space fan, I love Cocoa Beach. I love NASA. I think NASA's our Silicon Valley, and we need to push it in that direction. Everywhere across the state, there's something different and something unique. Even a little town like Okeechobee, right above the river, to me is a unique, special little town.

Chris Cate: And the last of these final four questions, do you have a favorite Florida sports team?

Philip Levine: Oh, that's going to get me in trouble, but I'm going to tell you what it is. It's the Miami Heat, and I love the Miami Heat. And even when we're not winning, everybody loves the Miami Heat. And those '72 Dolphins are something I'd like to see come back in the future. That's something that I think showed the best of Florida, an undefeated, perfect season.

‍Chris Cate: Great. Well, thank you so much for being on the show.

Philip Levine: Thank you so much.

Chris Cate: Thanks for listening to the Fluent in Floridian podcast. If you aren't subscribed to the podcast yet, I hope you'll look us up and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app, like Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Google Play Music. If you leave a review, that would be great too.

Thanks to my team at SalterMitchell PR for making this podcast possible. If you need help telling your Florida story, we've got you covered. We offer issues management, crisis communications, social media, advocacy, and media relations assistance. We also have our own in-house creative and research teams. Look us up at saltermitchellpr.com for more information. You can also find more information about the Fluent in Floridian podcast at fluentinfloridian.com. Have a great day.