FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, January 16, 2026
CONTACT: Christina Johnson
Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida TaxWatch (FTW) today announced several new hires to complement its existing team of seasoned research and executive professionals as Florida TaxWatch’s new President and CEO, former Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp, takes the helm of the independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog group this month.
Ray Monteleone, current president of Paladin Global Partners and longtime FTW board member, will serve as Chief Operating Officer. Garrett Gouveia will join the FTW Research team as a research economist, with Florida State University graduate student Rylan Clark being named as a Florida TaxWatch Research Fellow. Rounding out the additional hires is Samantha Castaline, who will now serve as FTWs Event Marketing Specialist in a full-time position.
Florida TaxWatch President and CEO Jeff Kottkamp said, “We are thrilled to have longtime Florida TaxWatch board member and strategic leader Ray Monteleone to serve as our chief operating officer. His depth and breadth of experience will be a tremendous asset to our organization as we continue to lead the way with timely, accurate and insightful research into issues impacting the nation’s third largest state.
“To have Garrett Gouveia and his proven research acumen as part of our team, analyzing and expanding upon our data, along with Rylan Clark to supplement our data-driven research is a huge advantage to the institute. We also welcome Samantha Castaline from her role as a consultant to now as a full-time employee as she continues to represent Florida TaxWatch as our events marketing specialist. Stay tuned for additional announcements as we continue to expand our statewide reach and significance.
For a complete list of Florida TaxWatch staff, please click here, and for a list of officers, at-large members, and board of trustees, please click here.
Ray Monteleone, CPA / Florida TaxWatch Chief Operating Officer
Ray Monteleone is President of Paladin Global Partners, a business management consulting firm, and Partner with Dannelly, Monteleone & Associates, a full-service CPA firm. Ray focuses on strategic management, problem solving, mergers & acquisitions, compensation consulting, growing companies, and senior executive mentoring for clients worldwide in industries such as healthcare, high tech, manufacturing, education, financial institutions and not-for-profit organizations.
Monteleone serves professional/civic organizations including Florida Tax Watch (member of the Board), Leadership Florida (member of the Audit Committee), Executive Leadership Orientation Committee (Class ’02), Florida Atlantic University Foundation Board, Chair of the Audit Committee and serving on the Executive, Finance and Nominating Committees, and FAU Broward Alumni Council (Past Chairman), Florida Institute of CPAs, American Institute of CPAs, Leadership Broward Foundation (Past President), and Past Vice Chair of the Fort Lauderdale Chamber and current member. Previously on the Board of the Broward Education Foundation (Past Chair, serving for 2 terms) and served on the South Broward Hospital District (Commissioner).
Ray was named Leader of the Year by Leadership Broward, Outstanding Broward Alumnus by FAU and inducted into its Parliament of the Owls (2010), just to name a few. Monteleone graduated cum laude from New York Institute of Technology, attended the Arthur Young Harvard Business School program, received his MBA from FAU, and he lectures at universities and professional association seminars.
Garrett Gouveia / Florida TaxWatch Research Economist
Originating from West Palm Beach, Garrett Gouveia serves as a Research Economist for Florida TaxWatch. Here, he creates economic models and produces meaningful research demonstrating the impacts of the hidden forces that drive Florida’s economy. He has a strong analytical background, graduating summa cum laude with a bachelor’s and master’s in applied economics from Florida State University. This has given him experience with Python, SAS, Power BI, SQL, and many other languages and analysis tools.
While he loves learning about niche local industries and their larger economic impact, his background in research pertains to the economics of education and environmental policy. This led him to receiving the “Best Master’s Project” university award for his group’s work on the oyster industry in Apalachicola, where he monetized the damages to Franklin County’s economy due to the local oyster industry collapse.
Samantha Castaline / Florida TaxWatch Event Marketing Specialist
Samantha Castaline is a multidisciplined communications specialist who brings a wide variety of experience to her role as the Event Marketing Specialist at Florida TaxWatch. In addition to managing the robust calendar of events that Florida TaxWatch already hosts, Samantha looks forward to adding more statewide initiatives in the future.
Prior to her time at Florida TaxWatch, Samantha worked as the Event Manager for Trulieve. In her role she was responsible for managing all events across the state of Florida, designing, and distributing merchandise for over 90 locations and the creation and distribution of educational print material.
Samantha received her Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations from Florida State University, with a minor in entrepreneurship from the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship. She was born and raised in Florida and currently resides in Tallahassee with her husband and two small children.
Rylan Clark / Florida TaxWatch Research Fellow
Rylan Clark is currently in the Master of Applied Economics Program at Florida State University, where she also completed her undergraduate degree in economics. Her academic and professional interests include applied economic analysis, public policy, and the use of data-driven research to inform fiscal and economic decision-making.
About Florida TaxWatch
As an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit government watchdog and taxpayer research institute, and the trusted “eyes and ears” of Florida taxpayers for more than 45 years, Florida TaxWatch (FTW) works to improve the productivity and accountability of Florida government. Its research recommends productivity enhancements and explains the statewide impact of fiscal and economic policies and practices on taxpayers and businesses. FTW is supported by its membership via voluntary, tax-deductible donations and private grants. Donations provide a solid, lasting foundation that has enabled FTW to bring about a more effective, responsive government that is more accountable to, and productive for, the taxpayers it has served since 1979. For more information, please visit www.floridataxwatch.org.
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