Joe Gruters’ list of accomplishments on behalf of conservative values speak for themselves.
As Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, Joe made voter registration a priority and, working with Governor Ron DeSantis, led the way in flipping Florida from a blue to a red state as the GOP lead in active registered voters has now grown to more than 100,000 more than Democrats.
Joe was the Co-Chair of President Trump’s successful 2016 Florida presidential campaign, and as Chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota County, he instituted the nationally recognized Statesman of the Year Award. As Florida Senate Education Committee Chairman, Joe was a leader in the 2022 watershed legislation protecting children and ensuring parental rights against a radical agenda.
Joe is a fourth generation Sarasotan and descendent of Ringling Circus chief tentmaker William Hobson, his great grandfather who moved the family to Sarasota in 1922. A 1996 graduate of Cardinal Mooney High School, Joe is also a graduate of both Florida State University, where he earned his undergraduate degree, and the University of South Florida, where he earned his MBA.
Joe is a partner at Robinson Gruters and Roberts, a CPA firm with offices in Sarasota County.
For the last 25 years, Joe has been working at the grassroots level as both a Republican Party activist and leader. He has been Chairman of the Republican Party of Sarasota for the last 14 years and Chairman of the Republican Party of Florida and member of the Republican National Committee for the last four years.
Joe has also served as a member of the Electoral College representing Florida. After the 2020 election Joe was appointed Chairman of the Republican National Committee’s Election Integrity Committee, where he worked with national groups and leaders to review what happened in 2020 that resulted in concrete plans for state parties to use to secure our elections moving forward.
Joe currently serves as a State Senator representing Sarasota and Charlotte Counties. He serves as the Florida Senate Education Chairman where he champions parental rights and school choice.
Joe is an active member of the Sarasota County community and local government. He has served as Chairman of the Sarasota County Planning Commission, on the Board of Directors for the Florida Sports Foundation, as Treasurer for the Sarasota Humane Society and as a Governor Rick Scott Appointee to the Board of Trustees for Florida State University, where he was Chairman of the Finance and Audit Committee and Presidential Compensation Committee. Joe currently serves on the University of South Florida Community Leadership Counsel at the Sarasota Campus.
Joe is married to Sydney and they have three children – Spencer, Jack and Elizabeth.