PARKLAND, Fla. — Michael Moskowitz, an attorney, prominent Democratic fundraiser and father of Broward County Commissioner Jared Moskowitz, died Saturday following a bout with pancreatic cancer.
He was 68.
Moskowitz passed away just days after attending the swearing-in of his son, who was appointed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to fill a spot on the Broward County Commission.
Democrat Jared Moskowitz led the state’s Division of Emergency Management through the early coronavirus pandemic. The date of the swearing-in was moved up and held at Parkland City Hall so his ailing father could attend. His family made arrangements to take him to the ceremony by ambulance.
"He was my best friend and mentor," Jared wrote in a statement. "I will miss our conversations and his guidance. I feel like I had so much more to learn. Making sure my kids grow up knowing who he was is my new mission."
According to Jared, the funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday in Tamarac, Florida. He tweeted Zoom information for mourners who wished to attend the memorial service virtually.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that the elder Moskowitz was a graduate of Brooklyn Law School and New York University. The paper described him as "the go-to lawyer to get things done."
Michael Moskowitz was active in a number of high-profile cases. In 2020, the newspaper says he represented Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony against lawsuits from political adversaries who claimed he was ineligible to be the county's top cop because of a criminal background. The Sun-Sentinel explains Moskowitz also represented the Florida Panthers in an $80 million effort to secure tax revenue and served as legal counsel for the head of the Broward Teachers Union after prosecutors said the union president had been operating a kickback scheme.
According to the Associated Press, Broward County Mayor Michael Udine described the late Moskowitz – who was his longtime friend – as a philanthropist, family man and overall pillar of South Florida.
"A strong supporter of the Jewish community and noted community leader, Mike Moskowitz served on our Regional Board from 2008 - 2011 — we were fortunate to benefit from his leadership. We're sending our condolences to [Jared] and his family. May his memory be a blessing," the Florida chapter of the Anti-Defamation League wrote in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, in a tweet, described Moskowitz as "the most devoted parent" and a loyal friend.
"I will miss him and so thankful I was able to tell him how much he meant to me. May his memory be for the blessing he was to so many," she wrote.
10 Tampa Bay's Stephen Adams contributed to this report.
