PCI Meeting: Dave Aronberg

The guest speaker will be Dave Aronberg who was elected State Attorney for the 15th Judicial Circuit in November 2012, and re-elected without opposition in 2016 and 2020. As State Attorney General, Palm Beach County, he leads a team of 120 prosecutors and 220 professional staff in five offices. Aronberg’s leadership has led to a significant increase in conviction rates for both felonies and misdemeanors, a decrease in the number of juveniles direct filed into adult court, and a greatly improved working relationship with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Aronberg was born in Miami, attended local public schools, and graduated with honors from Harvard College and Harvard Law School. In 2000 he was selected to be one of 15 White House Fellows from across the country. In this non-partisan position he served in two presidential administrations as a Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Treasury Department for international money laundering, including the laundering of terrorist assets. In 2002 Dave was elected to the Florida State Senate as its youngest member, and served until 2010. Focusing on criminal justice and consumer protection issues, Aronberg passed major identity theft and port security legislation, and served as Chair of the Military Affairs and Domestic Security Committee. He also served as Chair of the Everglades Restoration Committee.

In 2010 Aronberg returned to the Florida Attorney General’s Office as a Special Prosecuter for Prescription Drug Trafficking. As the “Drug Czar” Aronberg led an anti-pill mill initiative that helped clean up the pain clinic industry and reduced the record number of people dying each day from oxycodone abuse. In 2016 he created a Sober Homes Task Force that has made more than 115 arrests for patient brokering and insurance fraud in the rehab industry, and has led to the creation of new Florida laws and regulations that have become the model for other states. The crackdown on rogue sober homes and corrupted drug treatment led to a 40% decrease in opioid overdose deaths in Palm Beach County in 2018 compared to 2017. Aronberg’s efforts also convinced Google to restrict advertisements and improve screening for addiction treatment. Dave’s work to save lives from drug overdoses continues as a top priority to this day.