Episode 911: Will Mayor Mamdani Cause a Business Exodus

Summary

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Newt’s World – Episode 911: Will Mayor Mamdani Cause a Business Exodus?

Date: November 20, 2025
Host: Newt Gingrich
Guest: Mayor Scott Singer (Boca Raton, FL)

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Overview:

This episode delves into the leadership approach of Mayor Scott Singer and how Boca Raton has become a beacon for business-friendly governance, especially in contrast to high-tax, “big government socialist” city policies, such as those attributed to newly elected New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The discussion centers on core themes of urban management, economic migration, public safety, and how local leadership can outpace ideological trends in major urban centers.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Mayor Scott Singer’s Path and Appeal

• Trivia Background (03:09 – 05:00): Mayor Singer shares his experience as a Jeopardy! champion and Millionaire contestant, noting his affinity for trivia and how these appearances helped fund his education.
  • Quote: “Who Wants to be a Millionaire was more luck than anything else… that helped pay for part of law school and then Jeopardy… I tried out multiple times over the years and finally got the call.” (04:18, Mayor Singer)
• Community Popularity & Governance (05:56 – 08:06): Singer attributes his reelection to a culture of collaboration, nonpartisan elections, and a focus on accurate communication amid the challenges of social media-fueled misinformation.
  • Quote: “When you’re able to work collaboratively with people, it keeps the temperature down.” (06:34, Mayor Singer)

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Top Concerns of Boca Raton Residents

• Development and Infrastructure (08:18 – 10:00): Residents frequently voice concerns about managed development, traffic, and infrastructure planning. Boca excels by investing in technology, city services, and maintaining a low-density, high-quality environment.
• Affordability Initiatives: Singer stresses the need for “affordable and attainable housing for middle-class workers,” aiming to keep young talent and ensure employers have places for their workforce.

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The Business Exodus: Contrasting Models

• Targeting Migrating Businesses (10:00 – 12:03): Singer explains proactive outreach to businesses in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco:
  • “We launched a website, nydeboca.com, which saw thousands of hits in just the first few weeks… We’ve continued follow up messaging with businesses who wanted to come.” (10:29, Singer)
  • Boca Raton has experienced a surge in business and real estate interest following progressive electoral shifts in other major cities.
• Tax Burden as a Driver (15:13 – 17:52): The mayor describes the disproportionate tax burdens in places like NYC (up to 15% for top earners), compared to Boca Raton’s zero percent state income tax and the state’s lowest property tax rate for a full-service city.
  • “Coming to Boca Raton is a real economic advantage.” (15:47, Singer)
  • “Now Mamdani is talking about a 17% marginal rate…that’s just going to give job creators an opportunity to say, ‘Why am I staying here?’” (15:47, Singer)

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The Cycle of Socialist Policies & Economic Consequences

• Mobility & Failed Policies (17:52 – 19:22):
  • Singer draws connections between failed “socialist” policies and historic examples like the Soviet Union, lamenting that such ideas need to be re-learned by each new generation.
  • “We’re in an era of mobility…Talent will go where it wants to go. And there’s no more stranglehold on why New York has to be the capital of capital.” (17:52, Singer)

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Fiscal Management & City Governance

• Maintaining Low Taxes (19:22 – 21:39):
  • Boca Raton’s fiscal health is attributed to a robust business tax base (protected from the homestead cap), lean government with a focus on core services, and continual economic growth.
  • No expenditures on “make work jobs” or non-essential programs like ESG or DEI.
  • Quote: “We staff leanly. We don’t have programs…we focus on basic services, police, fire, water, sewer, sanitation, parks, libraries, roads.” (19:55, Singer)

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National Leadership: The America First Policy Institute

• Chairing the Mayor’s Council (25:07 – 26:48):
  • Singer discusses his role chairing the AFPI Mayor’s Council, aiming to advance “America First” ideas at the city level and increase engagement in often low-turnout mayoral elections.
  • Quote: “There’s no more level of government... that affects your daily life as much as the local government level.” (25:32, Singer)
• Policy Collaboration (26:48 – 28:34):
  • AFPI mayors share best practices, including on law enforcement and interagency collaboration (e.g., working with ICE to combat gangs).
  • A secure border and its downstream impacts on cities is emphasized as a local concern.

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Big City Governance & Crime

• Why Don’t Big Cities Change? (28:34 – 31:00):
  • The conversation explores the entrenched ideologies in major cities, with recent elections yielding “defund police” policies, to negative effect.
  • “Some things are going to have to get worse before they get better…If you have an unsafe community, people don’t want to live there, businesses don’t want to be there.” (29:37, Singer)
  • Giuliani’s NYC as a case study in how improving safety revives cities.

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Boca Raton’s Centennial & Cultural Legacy

• Centennial Celebration (31:00 – 33:10):
  • Recap of events held—concerts, drone shows, local history partnerships—honoring Boca’s 100-year evolution from Addison Mizner’s vision to present-day prominence.
  • “What made Boca Raton remarkable then…he set out to build the world’s premier resort community. And in only seventeen months, he built what is now the Boca Raton Resort.” (31:17, Singer)

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Quality of Life and Economic Opportunity

• Pro-Business Philosophy (33:44 – 35:50):
  • Boca Raton boasts 40 publicly traded corporate headquarters and 14,000 businesses, including tech and finance placements historically tied to IBM and the personal computer’s invention.
  • “Even though IBM left in the 90s, we still had a great tradition ... attracting more businesses. The talent is here.” (34:44, Singer)
  • Personal motivation: creating job prospects for the next generation.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:18 | Mayor Singer | “Both fun experiences… helped pay for part of law school and then Jeopardy.” | | 06:34 | Mayor Singer | “When you’re able to work collaboratively with people, it keeps the temperature down.”| | 10:29 | Mayor Singer | “We launched a website, nydeboca.com, which saw thousands of hits in just the first few weeks.” | | 15:47 | Mayor Singer | "Coming to Boca Raton is a real economic advantage for a lot of people.” | | 17:52 | Mayor Singer | “We’re in an era of mobility…Talent will go where it wants to go." | | 19:55 | Mayor Singer | “We staff leanly…we focus on basic services, police, fire, water, sewer…” | | 25:32 | Mayor Singer | “There’s no more level of government…that affects your daily life as much as the local government level.”| | 29:37 | Mayor Singer | “Some things are going to have to get worse before they get better. If you have an unsafe community, people don’t want to live there...” | | 31:17 | Mayor Singer | "What made Boca Raton remarkable then was noted architect Addison Mizner came to Boca Raton..." | | 34:44 | Mayor Singer | “Even though IBM left in the 90s, we still had a great tradition and continuation of high tech companies…” |

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Key Segments and Timestamps

• [03:09] – Introduction to Mayor Scott Singer, trivia game show experiences
• [05:56] – Governance approaches for local support and nonpartisan collaboration
• [08:18] – Resident concerns: development, infrastructure, affordability
• [10:00] – Marketing Boca Raton to relocating businesses
• [15:13] – Comparative tax burdens: Boca Raton vs. New York
• [17:52] – National migration trends and responses to “socialist” city policies
• [19:22] – How Boca Raton keeps taxes low: strong business base and lean government
• [25:07] – Singer’s national policy influence with AFPI
• [28:34] – “Why can’t big cities break out of bad policy cycles?”
• [31:00] – Boca Raton’s centennial celebration and cultural legacy
• [33:44] – Business environment and economic opportunities in Boca
• [35:50] – Closing thoughts on Boca’s strategy, quality of life, and mobility trends

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Tone

The conversation is collegial, optimistic, and policy-focused, with Singer presenting Boca Raton as a pragmatic model for municipal leadership and a stark counter-example to the “big government socialist” trends in cities like New York. The discussion is forward-looking, with practical examples and historical context, offering both caution and hope for urban governance in America.

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For Further Information

• Learn more about Boca Raton: myboca.us
• Mayor Scott Singer on social media: @ScottSingerUSA
• Boca Raton business relocation initiative: nydeboca.com
• America First Policy Institute: americafirstpolicy.com

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Transcript

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[Newt Gingrich]

On this episode of Newt's World. Mayor Scott Singer has served as a strong voice for Boca Raton, Florida's residents since he was first elected to the city council in 2014. Scott was elected as mayor in 2018 and re elected in 2020 with 89% of the vote receiving the two highest vote totals in the city's history. He was re elected without opposition in 2023. This year, the city of Boca Raton is celebrating its centennial year. Founded in 1925. I'm really pleased to welcome my guest, Mayor Scott Singer. So welcome and thank you for joining on New truck.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Pleasure to be here.

[Newt Gingrich]

I have to say, in addition to being mayor, you've done some interesting things. You are a Jeopardy. Champion and you appeared on who Wants to Be a Millionaire? How did those things happen?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Both fun experiences. I always loved trivia as a kid and watched Jeopardy. Growing up. Who Wants to be a Millionaire was more luck than anything else. They were restarting the syndicated version with Meredith Vieira. I happened to come down from lunch, saw a flyer posted on a street light in New York City at lunchtime. They were having auditions. The next day went over and two weeks later I was on the show and that helped pay for part of law school and then Jeopardy. I tried out multiple times over the years and finally got the call that I'd been selected and got to fly out to LA and tape some episodes.

[Newt Gingrich]

When you do Jeopardy. I. I don't think fast enough to do a show like that. I would just freeze up. How do you manage to get in the rhythm of that kind of a show?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Well, first I have to respectfully disagree, Mr. Speaker. I've seen you think fast on your feet for 30 years plus and your term as speaker and the revolution you set off in 1994 made a formative impression on me. That's the first time I got to vote in 1994. I turned 18 that year. So still remember with great excitement that day and saw how well you thought over the time and how well you still think. I'm sure you would do great. But in terms of that show, the rhythm is the hardest Thing because you have three competitors who know almost all the answers and you're all vying to ring in first. And it's hard because even in my episodes, I felt the timing was a little bit different, whether the lock in to let you buzz in was slightly different in the second game than the first. They say what distinguishes the good champions from the great champions is to have that machine like timing. You can see it sometimes the people who win five games or more, they're really good on their timing.

[Newt Gingrich]

That's interesting. I hadn't even thought of that part of it. So I'm curious. I mean, you've clearly done what the people of Boca Raton want. When you look at the level of support you're getting. We live in an age when it's very difficult to have citizens be happy. What is it you think that you've done that have enabled people to rally around you so that despite years in office, you ran unopposed? I mean, I think this is a real tribute to something you're doing that other local elected officials or local candidates might learn from.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Well, thank you. That's very kind. I think it's a lot of circumstances. First, local elections in Florida, like the majority of states, are nonpartisan, so you don't naturally have two parties vying to put up a candidate. So that actually makes it easier than other state or federal offices. Second, I think it's very easy to get reelected time and time again if you don't want to do anything. The challenge is when you're trying to push bolder ideas. And I think in 2023, I was fortunate. I worked hard to build up good alliances, but I had a very cordial and collegial council. When you're able to work collaboratively with people, it keeps the temperature down. And that's one of the things, when I first ran for office, wanted to lower the temperature. We had some groups that were really trying to. One candidate who was running a blog and then trying to use that to propel himself for further office, I think was really trying to encourage more dissatisfaction. I think the bigger picture is just getting out the accurate information. And it's harder nowadays in this era of social media to try to communicate all of the facts. And I wouldn't say necessarily my approval rating is 89% now. That's a snapshot in time. I would say in the last year, there's more anger. Generally. I think the way the media can spin things, can polarize different views, has a spillover effect over at the local level. And that's One of the things I'm trying with the America First Policy Institute Mayor's Council, which I have the privilege to chair and work with other mayors to try to find common sense solutions, but take common sense solutions from Washington and the Trump administration and bring them down to the local level as well.

[Newt Gingrich]

What would you say when you're out talking with your fellow citizens in Boca Raton? What are the two or three things that come up again and again that they really want to see solved?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Sure. In local government, it's often development issues. Development is a concern throughout the country because local governing bodies often focus on development, zoning, where things go, how you're planning for infrastructure. In Boca Raton, we do a fantastic job of planning for infrastructure, and I think that spills over to a lot of resident satisfaction. We've got great police and fire. We've got great city services. Soup to nuts. We've invested in infrastructure, so we use new technology to even move traffic, which is always a concern, even in an area where we've got South Florida growing at more rapid paces around us. But not so much in our area. We're a pretty built out, lower density city, but you feel that. So development's a concern. I think affordability continues to be a concern, but Boca Raton still is an affluent area, relatively affluent, with a higher median income. But we have a whole variety of workers and we want to ensure accessibility and affordability for everyone. That's why the city has embarked on introducing affordable and attainable housing for middle class workers, to try to make sure that the employers who we're trying to attract, and young professionals, employers have places for their employees. Young professionals have an opportunity to move into the city and then continue their life there. And I'm always focused on retaining talent and growing our job base because we have a strong economy in Boca Raton. We punch above our weight when it comes to business. We probably have a business presence of a city of maybe 300,000 people, and we're only 100,000. We've got more than half the corporate headquarters of all of Palm Beach County, President Trump's home county. So I'm always trying to focus on how we could bring more jobs here and ensure the talent coming out of Florida. Atlantic University, Lynn University and Palm Beach State College, all in our city, can find places to work and live.

[Newt Gingrich]

Fascinating to me that you've got all these things going on and yet you actually wrote a letter to New York business leaders saying they ought to consider coming to Florida, given the election of a big government socialist like Mondame do you think you're actually going to see a substantial increment? There's been a continuous migration now for like 30 years. Do you think it's going to dramatically accelerate with Mondami's effect on the New York economy?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

I think it will substantially accelerate, yes, Mr. Speaker. And we've been targeting New York and other key markets, Chicago and San Francisco, for years. We've had strategic and targeted outreach to businesses. We can't accommodate all the people who might want to flee the high taxes, but we can try to and are focusing on business growth because we've got great class A office, lots of availability and a great business ecosystem. So that's why in June we reached out to business leaders and we've continued that. We knew that the Mondami election was coming and we actually advertised some strategic advertising in New York. We launched a website, nydeboca.com which saw thousands of hits in just the first few weeks. And we've continued follow up messaging with businesses who wanted to come. I'd gotten some positive response. The email we sent right after the election. We followed up with calls and we're continuing to work on bringing businesses here. I've talked with residential realtors throughout the community in Boca Raton and elsewhere, and their call volume has dramatically increased. So that's people looking to move here. That's not necessarily new construction, but we've got class A availabilities too. So I expect a lot of people to move. And it's not just New York. I think we need to be concerned about socialist ideas taking root in some of our nation's biggest cities. New York is one, but now Seattle too. Their mayor was ousted in an election just this month as well. And that's going to be, I think, a challenge for that city which already faced challenges with public safety and business flight.

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[Mayor Scott Singer]

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[Newt Gingrich]

All of these very large, heavily unionized, very bureaucratic left wing cities. I think they're going to continue to shed people who flee basically. But I'm curious specifically about New York because Madame of course wants to raise taxes. Apparently Governor Hochul has just reversed herself and said she would consider a tax increase, which during the election she'd said she would not. But isn't there already a huge gap in how much you pay if you're a Floridian or a New Yorker?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Absolutely. If you're at the top marginal rate in New York city, it's nearly 15% between state and local income taxes. That's on top of your federal, that's on top of the high cost of living. That's on top of all the other expenses. You move to Florida, it's zero percent. And I'm proud that say in Boca Raton, we've got the lowest property tax rate of any full service city in Florida. So coming to Boca Raton is a real economic advantage for a lot of people. That's why business leaders and C suite executives have been moving here. And it really picked up after Covid. People saw the shutdown city, the high crime, the high tax, the high regulation jurisdictions and wanted something better. So you mentioned, Mr. Speaker, our growth that's been steady over decades and it has. It picked up after Covid. I think this will be another accelerator as well. Now Mondami is Talking about a 17% marginal rate and further taxes, you know, at the higher, higher ends. I think that's just going to give job creators and innovators an opportunity to say, why am I staying here? And we're welcoming their opportunities to bring high paying jobs to Boca Raton.

[Newt Gingrich]

Apparently people like Mondami, these big government socialists, think that people who are successful aren't smart enough to figure out how much they're paying. I talked to somebody in Palm beach, this was probably 10 years ago. He said at the time it cost him about $5 million a year to retain a New York residence. He's obviously really wealthy, but nonetheless, there is a morning you look around and think, what is it I'm getting for this? And it doesn't seem to sink in at all to the Mondamis of the world that you can literally drive people away. I mean, they just pick up and leave. And of course, Florida has been an enormous recipient of people from all over the country, both because it's a great place to live, it's a great quality of life. And the differential between a Chicago or a New York or New Jersey is just staggering. Now, when you talk to people, how do they rationalize it?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Well, the ones I talk to don't because they've moved. After the pandemic started, we saw a lot more growth of people moving from Chicago who traditionally went to The West Coast. I have a lot more constituents who came from Illinois because of their high taxes as well. So it's not just New York, it's Illinois. It's other places as well. I can't rationalize the irrationality of some of these policies, and I'm not going to attempt to. But I think there's a parallel. You're seeing people advance socialist ideas that have failed time and time again throughout history in every generation. I guess we need another dose of how bad it is. Mamdani isn't old enough to remember the Soviet Union and the fall of it. I remember. I know you remember a lot more and could lecture at great length about the perils of communism. I think people are going to have to see that firsthand. So I think it's that same misunderstanding about these unrealistic, unworkable, un American ideas that are causing people to think, well, we're static and people are just going to pay whatever tax rate we set. We're in an era of mobility. We've got technology that is far different than even five years ago. The fact that you and I are able to do this podcast on two continents and in live time is now become the standard, not an outlier. And I think businesses are recognizing that talent will go where it wants to go. And there's no more stranglehold on why New York has to be the capital of capital. As an American, I'm sad to see it, but as a Boca Raton mayor, I'm going to try to benefit from the opportunities to bring high paying jobs to my city.

[Newt Gingrich]

One of the things that I did not know that I think is very impressive is that Boca Raton has consistently worked to lower the tax rate. You now have the lowest property tax rate of any full service city in Florida, which is a state with no income tax. That is an amazing achievement. So what is it that you've done to get the city of Boca Raton to have the lowest property tax rate of any full service city in Florida? Amazing achievement.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

I think it's three things, Mr. Speaker. First, we have a very strong business base. And that's where I come back to it. Because we have a strong business presence, we've got a lot more businesses who are paying taxes. Florida has a homestead cap, where if you're a homesteaded resident, your property taxes only increase 3% per year. Businesses don't have that cap. So it helps add a robustness to our budget. If about half of our budget, our property taxes come from homesteaded residents, the rest come from non homesteaded residents and businesses. So the stronger business presence actually helps the bottom line for residents. And that's why it's not just great jobs and great philanthropic environment. It keeps costs low and pays for great services. Second, we're very lean. We staff leanly. We don't have programs. We've never had additional programs. Talking about ESG and DEI and where you get big government and liberal government focused on other projects that are sometimes make work jobs, we don't have those. We focus on basic services, police, fire, water, sewer, sanitation, parks, libraries, roads. We try to excel in all of those and focus on good governance there. And the third thing is continuing to grow revenue basis. So you know, attracting more businesses here, keeping a stable environment where property values rise naturally helps the fiscal balance sheet. And Mr. Speaker, I definitely recall with great pride, frankly, when you were speaker in 1996, when I was in college, I had the privilege of helping you indirectly when I worked for Frank Luntz. And Frank Luntz was assisting you in communications and work with House members. So I had the privilege of trying to, as Frank was addressing members weekly, you know, working with House communications teams just as a college intern to try to make sure everyone was on message.

[Newt Gingrich]

I did not know that story and it and Frank of course played a huge role in helping us communicate better with the American people.

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[Mayor Scott Singer]

Nope.

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[Mayor Scott Singer]

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[Mayor Scott Singer]

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[Mayor Scott Singer]

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[Newt Gingrich]

Not only have you been very effective as the mayor, but you also play a significant role with the America First Policy Institute, which I've been working with since its founding when it launched its Mayor's Council. You now chair that organization. What inspired you to take on sort of a national role at a time like this?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

So last year I got the opportunity to work with some people at AFPI on some education and other issues and heard talk of their Governor's Council. And it immediately struck me, why not a Mayor's Council? Because the same America first message that we have to get into the states applies to the cities too. And I saw some great opportunities there. First, going back to elections you know, there's very low turnout and engagement in mayoral elections. I think you're seeing that in some of the elections we just saw in November. In some big cities, there's a real opportunity to advance, you know, to make sure that we're communicating the right message and getting people involved. President Trump was on the ballot in 2024. He will not be on the ballot again. But even leading up to the midterm elections, those matter greatly. And you want to make sure that people are engaged on key issues. Well, there's no more level of government. I think that affects your daily life as much as the local government level. I wanted to make sure we were finding ways to advance common sense, pro growth, pro safety, America first ideas at our cities. And so I'm honored to work with now nearly 50 mayors across the country, former and current mayors, who are working on the shared vision. And it's really trying to find out how we can better tie what President Trump is succeeding in doing in Washington at the state and then local level with the mayor's council.

[Newt Gingrich]

When you bring together current has 45 members from all over the country, what is your message to Washington collectively from the mayors?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

I think it's that we're eager to find ways to work together better. And what's unique about this group is I think, you know, we all share a similar outlook. Yes, we are sharing best practices, but we've got an opportunity to collaborate and exchange good policy with the federal and state and the local level. For example, we had one mayor talk about the opportunities for better law enforcement in the city working with ice. And that mayor attributed information we got from our council to helping multi jurisdictional task force crack down on gang members in that city. And that collaboration has an impact at the local level. But the federal policies more generally, Mr. Speaker, touch our daily lives. The border is secure in a way that it hadn't been for years. So what did the unsecure border do for years? Well, it allowed fentanyl to come in. It allowed the opioid epidemic to ravage cities. And who has to deal with that? Our first responders. And it affects everyone. A secure border has a direct correlation to safety in cities, to the opioid epidemic, and so much more. Human trafficking is an issue, and I think we've all seen in the last few years that huge uptake in, you know, what we're doing about it. Well, again, a secure border matters. So what happens in Washington matters in cities. But we are on the ground too, trying to advance ideas that maybe percolate up to Washington. Balanced budgets, for one. Our city has to balance its budget. We do every year. A lot of other mayors in that same situation where you must pass a balanced budget. So we have to go back to it. And that speaks back to your earlier question.

[Newt Gingrich]

You bring a kind of, to use an old fashioned word, a kind of more frugal policy of not wasting money, not adding extra bureaucrats. At the same time, it seems to me that the long term impact of President Trump and the whole MAGA movement really has to be dug in at the city and the county level so that it becomes more than just the Congress or more than just a presidential election. But it has to become a way of thinking. And that the gap that we're seeing between where leaders like you are taking their cities and where the really big left wing, what I would call big government socialist models in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore. It's astonishing how dramatically different these two patterns are. Why do you think it's so hard for us to break through in these really big cities, no matter how badly governed they are?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

That's a tough question. And I think it's one of those things where some things are going to have to get worse before they get better. We've had in the last five years too, a number of mayors and mayoral candidates run on platforms of defunding police, reducing police presence, not understanding that public safety is at the base of the pyramid of government services. If you have an unsafe community, people don't want to live there, businesses don't want to be there, and people don't want to stay there. And I think we're going to have to see some cities fail when they focus so much on alternative methods of policing, but don't deal with the crime issues that they have in their city. When you relax on crime, it has a spillover effect in so many ways. And I think it's just the ebb and flow of political winds in some places. And I remember New York city in the 1980s where crime was at monumental levels before Rudy Giuliani was elected and took the murder rate down 60, 70%. And that had a significant impact. And then that caused businesses to come into Manhattan and to change Times Square from what was not really a seedy place to a tourist destination. All of these things are related, but it goes back to just fundamentally sound policy or unsound policy. And when you don't treat crime the right way, when you're hostile to business, it spills over to affect quality of life.

[Newt Gingrich]

I think you put Your finger on you are having your centennial this year. I think Back to what 1925 pre air conditioning must have been like. And Boca. What will you be doing in Boca this year to celebrate the centennial for the city?

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Well, we've done a number of things throughout the year. We've had a number of public events, participation with other businesses, some of whom are also reaching milestone years. For example, we had a large concert that drew thousands of people to celebrate on our centennial weekend. It happened to be Memorial Day weekend as well. We also had a drone show that really was spectacular, the best I've ever seen that really brought people together. It was a spirit of community and celebration. We've done other things to recognize our history of our city. And as we look to the end of the year, our traditional holiday parade will be centennial themed. We've had partnerships with the Boca Raton Historical Society to get out a great volume of our history that residents have enjoyed. Other local magazines, including over my shoulder, the Boca Raton observer has added, you know, their centennial issue. I have a framed edition of that over my shoulder there. And we're just going to continue to try to ensure that we look ahead to the next century because as you said, Mr. Speaker, in 1925, this is a very different place. Pre air conditioning, a few hundred people here. But what made Boca Raton remarkable then was noted architect Addison Mizner came to Boca Raton. He set out to build the world's premier resort community. And in only 17 months here, he built what is now the Boca Raton resort. It was the Ritz Carlton Cloister Inn at the time, but really envisioned this as a destination for leaders and prominent figures across America. 1926 was a land bust. Hurricanes come. He didn't reach the full fulfillment of his vision. But I think 100 years later, we have been set out as a special place. We are remarkable as a city. I think there's no city like ours, and a lot of mayors would say that, but we have a great mix of the natural beauty and planned beauty and more amenities, businesses and opportunities than a lot of other cities our size. So I feel great pride for our city. And I think as we look ahead for the next century, we can plan other great things.

[Newt Gingrich]

It's remarkable place. But I remember the very first time I went down, I was giving a speech in Boca, and that was actually the first time I had key lime pie in Florida. To this day, I remember that it was just exquisite. For all of our listeners, if you get a chance to go visit Boca, it is a really unique gem situated right there in the middle of Florida's east coast. And it's almost like it's an island in that it has been developed and cultivated and maintained to be a really high quality of life.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is a special place. I'm happy to say, though we're not an island. We're in the center of the south Florida metropolitan area, the seventh largest in America, where we've got great business presence. You've got a city where government focused on trying to make life easier for residents and businesses. It's not just your people looking to visit. If you're looking to relocate a business here, we're happy to help with concierge services, incentives and again, the lowest property tax rate of any full service city. Going back to the bigger picture, I think over the coming years people are going to have an opportunity more to be more mobile. And I think you're going to see a continued migration from high tax, high regulation, high crime cities and states to other places where mayors like me across America are trying to focus on how do you deliver services effectively and efficiently and how do you allow businesses and individuals to flourish.

[Newt Gingrich]

I've really known Boca mostly from going to nice residential areas. But you have 40 publicly traded corporate headquarters and 14,000 businesses.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Yes. Now, some of them are small mom and pop shops like mine. I'm a lawyer, so a solo practitioner. So that's a business. It's one employee, but it still counts as a business. But yes, we've got large companies in healthcare, finance, fintech, technology. A lot of people don't realize that the IBM personal computer was invented in Boca Raton and the biggest deal in software history was happened in Boca raton in the 1980s when Bill Gates came to IBM's headquarters, then in Boca Raton and negotiated the licensing for Microsoft, which propelled that. Even though IBM left in the 90s, we still had a great tradition and continuation of high tech companies. And as we've moved out to medtech, FinTech and now AI and quantum computing, we're attracting more businesses. The talent is here and I think that's important for young people. I ran for city council because I wanted at the time I only one child, but wanted him to feel what I did not feel growing up in South Florida, that I had great job prospects. And I think we're getting there. And I think what we can do to continue to make sure that young people have places to work, a great community to live in, helps continue our success.

[Newt Gingrich]

That's for Marco. You're doing a great job both nationally working with the America First Policy Institute and locally helping lead your city. People who want to know more can go to MyBoca US. I want to thank you Scott. This has been fascinating every time I go. I love this city, but you've now given me a much deeper understanding of how many cool things are going on and how much It's a deliberate, purposeful development at poker. So thank you very much for sharing time with us.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Well, Mr. Speaker, thank you for talking with me. If anyone also wants to reach out to me on my Scott Singer USA on all platforms and if you've got questions, whether it's bringing you business or anything else, please reach out to me directly. Happy to help and would welcome you and the Ambassador in Boca Raton anytime. Hope to see you here soon and hope to see you again soon regardless of where it is.

[Newt Gingrich]

Thank you to my guest, mayor Scott Singer. Newtsworld is produced by Gingrich 360 and iHeartMedia. Our executive producer is Garnesy Sloan. Our researcher is Rachel Peterson. The artwork for the show was created by Steve Pendley. Special thanks to the team at Gingrich360. If you've been enjoying Newts World, I hope you'll go to Apple Podcast and both rate us with five stars and give us a review so others can learn what it's all about. Join me on [e-mail] I'm Newt Gingrich. This is Newts World.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Shh.

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[Mayor Scott Singer]

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[Mayor Scott Singer]

Hi, I'm ZingXing. And I'm Simon Jack and together we host Good Bad Billionaire the podcast exploring how some of the world's richest people made their fortunes. And we are back with a brand.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

New season of billionaires.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Yes, movie megastar Arnold Schwarzenegger, America's richest.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

Self made businesswoman Diane Hendricks and co.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Founder of Snapchat Evan Spiegel to name just a few.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

And we're asking you to decide if they're good bad or just another billionaire.

[Mayor Scott Singer]

Good Bad billionaire from the BBC World Service. Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Podcast Host / Advertiser]

This is an iHeart podcast.