When reporters ask Marco Rubio why he is only polling in third place in the Republican primary for president, a grin rolls across the senator's face. “You want to talk about polls? When I started running for Senate, I was at 3 percent in the polls,” he said. It’s a story that many a Florida voter in attendance at a Whitfield town hall event already knows, the tale of this Miami legislator who took on a sitting governor in a race for an open Senate seat in 2010—and won.

So Rubio is happy to talk about running as an underdog, but as he spoke to people gathered at Marine Concepts, it was clear that wouldn’t be his primary focus for the day. A discussion of such broad philosophical matters as the American history of free market prosperity, with some hyper-specifics on matters like the value-added tax, set him apart as a presidential aspirant with a foundation in policy. “We have the greatest economic system in history, where poor people can become richer without making rich people poorer,” he said. “Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton don’t understand that.”

The candidate spoke with signature eloquence and telegenic flair, and speaks frequently of the need for America to change the trajectory set by President Barack Obama. But he also has his hopes pinned on voters wanting not only change, but a nominee who knows the finer details of what he is talking about.

Rubio was in Sarasota Monday for a private fundraiser, then held an hour-long town hall at Marine Concepts. The format allowed some guests to ask unscripted questions, the first asking whether his attendance record indicated he gave up on changing the country through Congress. He said he had not, and noted he sponsored legislation passed just last week regarding U.S. treatment of Hezbollah. He drew large applause promising to repeal ObamaCare, and also stressed he would not work through executive order. 

Many of his policy points aimed straight at primary opponents, suggesting a business flat tax supported by Chris Christie is just a value-added tax, something President Reagan labeled a chance for government to “blindfold the people” from seeing taxes on businesses. But Democratic frontrunner Clinton was the only opponent he called out by name (Democrat Bernie Sanders was referred to as the “avowed socialist” running against her). “I can’t wait to run against Hillary Clinton,” he said. “In my opinion she is disqualified from being president of the United States… she was a terrible secretary of state.” 

Cumberland Advisors has made Leo Chen a quantitate analyst and hired Gabriel Hament to assist with charitable and foundation accounts. Chen was originally hired by Cumberland as a consultant in 2014. He is also an assistant professor of finance at the University of Southern Mississippi. He specializes in quantitative analysis, particularly in time-series empirical research. He also works in areas such as stochastic calculus and Brownian motion. Hament was previously a political consultant in the Sarasota region where he supervised and coordinated campaign messaging, fundraising and field outreach programs. He earned his degree in political science as a John V. Lombardi Scholar at the University of Florida.  

Cumberland Advisors

Dr. John Meyers has been named clinical director of Sarasota-based Comprehensive MedPsych Services, overseeing all neuropsychology, psychology and clinical services for CMPS nationally. In his new role, Meyers oversees more than 100 CMPS clinical staff including 23 neuropsychologists, four post-doctoral neuropsychology residents, 17 psychologists, 31 therapists, 20 psychiatrists, three advanced registered nurse practitioners and a social work intern. 

Comprehensive MedPsych Services

SouthTech announced the addition of Christopher Rowe to the SouthTech Team. Rowe started out as a programmer, which then led him to customer and project support. He also spent many years as a customer care executive working with teams to provide the best support and customer relationships. He has worked in all levels of support including specialized Network and Mac support. His experience then led him to his role as a support analyst and executive support specialist. 

SouthTech

The March edition of SRQ | The Magazine is our unofficial tribute to local homes. The Annual Home of the Year is one of our major features and each year, we love highlighting local talent through home service profiles. This year, we can't wait for something totally new that we're dubbing Haute Home. Especially developed with interior designers and retailers of specialty home decor items, this two-page portfolio will be as informative as it is lovely. The design will feature vignette photographs and listing information about the retailers or designers located here along the Gulf Coast. The space is limited to a select few listings, so if you have the perfect piece in mind to share in this home-centric edition of SRQ, don't wait to make your reservation! For more information, contact GrowMyBusiness@SRQME.com or call 941-365-7702 x220.