Florida delegates to the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland are still rolling out superlatives, still winding down from a four-day experience they claim was one of the best of their lives.
"I've been back for a day," said Pinellas County delegate Nick DiCiegle, "but I'm still blown away, I'm still living it. ... "The RPOF staff did just an awesome job of motivating and educating us from the minute we got to Cleveland."
"This is my third convention," Orlando delegate Bertica Cabrera-Morris said, "and I can tell you, it was the best of them all. I give the credit to (state party Chairman) Blaise Ingoglia. The RPOF staff was courteous and helpful, well-organized, upbeat -- you name it. They did everything right ... I believe a staff is only as good as its leader."
What a difference between this national convention and her first in Minneapolis, Cabrera-Morris said. "With Jim Greer in charge in 2008, it was a disaster. It was all about him. Blaise made this about us. About delegates."
I admit, I was anxious to find out how much substance this convention could possibly muster for its 99 Florida delegates, because I figured the whole thing had been organized on a shoestring. Though Ingoglia wouldn't discuss it with me, I knew Gov. Rick Scott, head of the state party, had not helped the RPOF raise money. Oh, Scott raised plenty. It's just that all of it went to his own political committee.
But, what a pleasant surprise. To a person, the delegates who talked to Sunshine State News Sunday expressed nothing but enthusiasm and gratitude, not only for the fun they had on the convention floor, but for their four days behind the scenes.
Apparently there was no "dead" time during the four convention days. They enthused about outside events -- a "Southern States Tailgate Party" at First Energy Stadium, an "after party" at Nano Brew in Cleveland, and a party at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in which only the Florida delegation gained entrance to the hall.
Yet, it was the daily breakfast roster of rousing speakers that most impressed -- three on most mornings
"The speakers in particular made the whole week a home run," said Sarasota delegate Joe Gruters. You have to hand it to Blaise, he put the right team in place. Gov. Scott did come on Thursday and speak to our breakfast. He was fantastic, got a standing ovation."
State Rep. Ray Rodriguez, delegate from Fort Myers, said rising House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam pulled in most of the speakers between them -- including Allen West, Dr. Ben Carson, Rudy Giuliani and Newt Gingrich. Many of the delegates identified the first speaker, the Monday morning ice-breaker, GOP pollster Frank Luntz, as the convention pace-setter. "He put everything into perspective," DiCiegle said.
"This was a very popular convention among the delegates. But I think the highlight was the breakfast speakers," Rodriguez said. "They kind of set you up for the day ahead."
Nelson Diaz, Miami-Dade County party chairman, agreed. "This was the best of the three conventions I've been to. Best of everything. We had the best position on the floor, just behind the New York delegation. All the speakers Blaise gave us at breakfast were top notch. Just an A-rated experience."
Delegates universally gave Cleveland four stars, too. Most mentioned the strong but gentle presence of police. "I don't think at any time we felt we weren't safe," said Jessica Fernandez, who at 31 was the youngest of the Florida delegates.
"Cleveland went out of its way," she said. "There were flowers everywhere, they had a host committee passing out water, the Embassy Suites and Courtyard Mariott where Floridians stayed were great."
Fernandez bubbled over at the opportunites the week offered, hearing from people she admires like Ivanka Trump and Giuliani -- particularly Giuliani who prioritizes law and order. "Here I am a first generation American of Cuban descent, getting such a chance to be that close to the whole process, being able to hear from non-traditional Republicans and talk to Republicans from all over. It was very exciting."
See a video below of Ingoglia's Donald Trump nomination on behalf of the Florida delegation.
Did anything bad happen to anybody? Maybe, but certainly no one I talked to. Not really.
Fernandez said all celebrities and speakers were friendly and amenable to delegates with the exception of Gingrich, who blew her off with a dismissive flick of his hand. "That's about the worst thing that happened to me," she said.
DiCiegle admitted the convention was the first time he had ever witnessed real media bias. "The media had their fangs out. They were everywhere, asking questions but then pressing for the answers they wanted to hear. It was disgusting."
Back home in Brooksville Sunday after his first national conventon as Florida party boss, Ingoglia was kicking back. He had just posted a Facebook tip-of-the-cap to his RPOF convention team: George Riley, Katie Betta, Renee Hoffner Dabbs, Pablo Diaz, Wadi Gaitan, Paige Harris, Sarah Hugenberg, Johnathan Kelly, Caroline McKnight, Mindy Murphy, Gretchen Adent Picotte, Rick Porter, Ivey Rooney, Tabitha DuMont, Jordan Gibson, Katherine Howard and Kay Linton.
"I'm extremely proud of the hard work and dedication of the Republican Party of Florida staff," he told me. "They paid attention to even the smallest details to assure an awesome delegate experience. Hopefully, in the future, people will look back and say this was one of the best RPOF events ever put on for a convention."
Piece of cake, Mr. Chairman. People are saying that now.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423. Twitter: @NancyLBSmith
