Mitchell Jay Rubin

Mitch was a loving son, brother, and uncle; a passionate and unpretentious friend; an industrious man who found joy in his work; and a natural leader with an honest, ceaselessly inquisitive mind.

His working career ranged from cleaning stables and captaining a fishing boat in his youth to serving as director for the House Democratic Caucus and the House Victory campaign team, and then serving as CEO of the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association for over 20 years.

Mitch was born on April 7, 1959, in Miami, Florida, the first child of Leonard and Irma Rubin. In the subsequent nine years, the Rubin family was blessed with four siblings for Mitch – Debbie, Janice, David, and Andrea.

Mitch entered the national consciousness as a boy by appearing in two television commercials, one for Coca-Cola and – most famously – as the winning boy in the Battleship board game TV ad (the one in which the losing boy tipped over backward into the water, shouting, “You sunk my battleship!”).

Mitch soon turned from working in television commercials to cleaning stables and helping with pony rides at the Rockin’ N Horse Ranch in North Miami. Then he discovered that he could earn more income by washing fishing boats and selling bait fish on Collins Avenue on Miami Beach. He worked his way up at the marina until, as a young man of only 16, he was captaining deep-sea fishing expeditions for groups of up to 8 people.

Mitch graduated from North Miami Beach Senior High School in 1977, then earned a B.A. in Political Science from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, in 1981. While at Eckerd, he played on the varsity soccer team.

Mitch earned his J.D. from the Florida State University Law School in 1986. He practiced law in Naples for several years. Eventually, he moved to Tallahassee and in the late 1980s and early 1990s became the director for the House Democratic Caucus and the House Victory campaign team.

Mitch’s career took its final turn when he became CEO of the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association. He led the FBWA for over two decades and, according to Florida Politics, “became the face and the spirit of the organization.” Florida Politics characterized Mitch as “known for his steel-trap memory, his incredible attention to detail (especially on beverage law and related issues), his frank honesty and his unflinching kindness to everyone he encountered.” Future House Speaker Rep. Paul Renner described Mitch as “a consummate professional, and most importantly, a good man.”

In his non-professional life, Mitch took time to travel with his sisters and brothers, sometimes paying for their flights. Throughout his life, via tennis, golf, and fishing, he shared his love of sport with others.

Mitch’s passion for a great variety of music was famous among his friends, but he also investigated, evaluated, and enjoyed cuisine, cooking, fiction, art, plays, TV shows, and movies, passing on recommendations to family and friends.

His great friendship to others was repaid many times over after he (a non-smoker) developed lung cancer which progressed; he received a multitude of rides, visitors, meals, and other aid and support of many kinds, and these acts of kindness and love enabled him to battle the severe challenges of his illness with fierce optimism and an unflagging spirit.

Mitch is survived by his sisters, Debbie (Ed) Jordan and Andrea (Fritz) Skinner of Tampa, his sister, Janice (Paul) Glowacki of Rochester, MN, and his brother, David (Marianne) Rubin of Cleveland, OH; nieces, Hannah and Greta Mae Glowacki, Rebecca Jordan, Maegan, Kaeleigh, and Pema Skinner, and nephews, Paul Rubin and Andrew (Alexis) Skinner; and many dear friends who became family to him.

A small graveside service for family and close friends will be held on Thursday, March 10, 2022 at Culley’s MeadowWood Funeral Home and Cemetery on 700 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee. A visitation will be held on March 10 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the same location.

The Florida Beer Wholesalers Association is working with Florida State University to establish the Mitchell J. Rubin Scholarship in Law with a $250,000 initial gift. This scholarship will provide much needed scholarship support in perpetuity for the College of Law. All eligible 2L and 3L Juris Doctor students at FSU may apply and will be given full consideration; however, preference will be given to applicants who wish to pursue a career in governmental affairs, business, environmental, and medical organizations in Florida and nationwide.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Mitchell J. Rubin Scholarship in Law. Checks can be made payable to FSU Foundation with a memo for The Mitch Rubin Scholarship in Law.

Checks can be mailed to:

FSU Foundation,

325 W College Avenue,

Tallahassee, FL 32301-1403