Rotem Raz is currently a legislative intern at one of Florida’s premiere lobbying and public affairs firms, Capital City Consulting. Raz was born in Tel Aviv, Israel and moved to Hollywood, Florida when she was two years old. Raz worked extremely hard during her undergraduate career, but she was also an overachiever in high school by taking dual enrollment classes at Broward College. Following her high school graduation from Ben Gamla Preparatory Charter, Raz enrolled at the University of Central Florida to pursue a degree in Legal Studies. After a year, Rotem transferred universities and is now receiving a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Affairs from Florida State University. Throughout her time at Florida State, she has interned at the Office of the First Lady, Casey DeSantis, worked in the campaign team for Governor DeSantis, and now leads NolePac, AIPAC’s cadre at FSU.
The Wanna-Do City Environment of Florida State
After serving as a Hollywood Youth Ambassador, Rotem came into college life with a passion for politics and government. When she first started her undergraduate studies at UCF, she joined student government and served as the vice chair for the Governmental Affairs and Policy committee to explore her interests surrounding legislation, lawmaking, and elections. After transferring to FSU, she then joined the Office of Governmental Affairs as director of research and logistics. Raz explains, “Advocating on behalf of students and higher education has always been one of my passions. It’s pretty unique to be able to listen to students and say, ‘This is what needs to be done,’ and do it.”
Through the aforementioned involvements, Raz was able to identify her interests in lobbying and legislation, which inspired her to seek a career in politics. Raz joined the student government at FSU as well, but she had been longing for real-world experience to help her achieve her newly discovered objective. She participated in the Governor’s Internship Program fall of her junior year and later received a job offer for the Gubernatorial Campaign. Having worked on a successful campaign, Raz spent her last semester as an intern at Capital City Consulting under Jared Rosenstein.
When Raz was asked how she managed to start building her career while also attending school full-time, she simply said that “people show up for things they care for and are passionate about,” and that she actually enjoyed everything she was a part of. She then recalls her time at Florida State, “Just being at FSU, it’s like being at Wanna-Do City, you can’t put a price on being in such close proximity to the Capitol. I get to live, work, play, study here. It’s a crazy kind of environment to be a part of.”
Rotem’s Passion for Israel Advocacy
Despite having spent the majority of her early years in Hollywood, Florida, Rotem was surrounded by Israeli culture as she was growing up. Because her parents were Israeli and she was born in Tel Aviv, Raz had grown up speaking Hebrew in her home and often watching Israeli shows. Her support for Israel did not, however, start only because of her personal ties to the state. She states, “Until I started college, I had no idea how misconstrued the narrative was regarding the US-Israel relationship. I mean, I’d go around school wearing an IDF hoodie. I was aware that some people felt a different way, but I was shocked at how controversial the topic had become on college campuses, given its bipartisanship in Congress.”
In high school, Rotem went to Israel through The Jerusalem Journey (TJJ), where she saw firsthand Israel growing cherry tomatoes in the desert, working on cutting-edge technology, and even getting to know and train alongside IDF soldiers for a day. She had experienced much of Israel, from camping in bedouin tents in the desert to seeing Israelis transform the tiny Sea of Galilee into a source of water for the entire state. She laughs as she recalls her time at Florida State and calls herself a “walking Israel advocacy poster.” She continues, “Anyone who knows me is aware that I am pro-Israel. I believe in a strong US-Israel relationship, and I will advocate on behalf of my state for reasons that supersede religion and dive into economic safety and national security.”
Now at FSU, Rotem has successfully advanced to the position where she currently serves as the president of NolePac and has organized numerous trips to Washington, D.C. for the cadre, as well as leadership banquets and lobbying workshops. She states, “It is so important to educate the younger generations so that when they’re sitting in Congress one day, they remember how much the US-Israel relationship is meaningful and impactful to them. This transcends beyond religion, and I think that’s the most important thing, finding how Israel relates to people on a personalized level.”
Power Within the Jimmy Choo Heels
Near the end of 2020, Rotem’s dad passed away, but his ambitious hopes for her legacy continued to motivate her. The last present her father gifted her was a pair of Jimmy Choo heels for Hanukkah, and Rotem made a pact with herself that she would wear them once she was inside the Governor’s office.
After applying for the Governor’s Internship Program, Raz put on her pair of Jimmy Choo heels and walked into the capitol for her second interview. She then met Tucker Obenshain, who had told Rotem that she would be a great fit for working in the First Lady’s Office, which was not on the original application at the time. After accepting the position, Raz shares, “For four months, I was attached to her hip. Wherever [Tucker] went, I went.” During the first couple weeks of her internship, the First Lady was diagnosed with breast cancer, in which Raz says, “Watching how she wanted to personally respond to every single email, gift, or note, I saw that she really cared about the people of this state, even I was impacted by the outpour of support.”
After the internship, Raz was invited to work on the gubernatorial campaign and worked under Tucker Obenshain and Heather Barker, as part of the finance team. She says, “It was an insane experience. I was able to witness how much Governor DeSantis and the First Lady care about every single one of their voters. I’m still in awe about the entire experience.” Raz reminisces on election night when the win was announced and how happy the entire team was, bringing some to tears. She credits the success of the campaign team to everyone’s loyalty to the principals and speaks on the concept of quality over quantity.
The People of Capital City Consulting
Rotem was able to realize the significant influence lobbyists have in the world of politics and government because of her involvement in the campaign. She stated she knew exactly which firm she wanted to learn from when she sought to obtain expertise in lobbying, Capital City Consulting. She currently interns and works closely with Jared Rosenstein and describes the firm as such, “They are a powerhouse. They genuinely care about the personal connection. They are honest with their clients, and they acknowledge the humanity in themselves and other people.”
Finally, Raz wants to encourage others to “find your hills to die on” and to be sincere in their advocacy. She focuses, above all, on the idea of “paying it forward to someone else.” Since others have helped us get to where we are, we should return the favor when someone else needs guidance.
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