In March 2003, Sam was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Florida Alzheimer's Research Institute by Speaker of the Florida State House, Johnnie B. Byrd.  The USF Health Byrd Center and Research Institute was created in 2002 with an initial budget of $25 million to construct and implement a world-class research center with its mission to ultimately cure this disabling disease.  State legislation which created this center also enacted a time limit of December 31, 2003, to begin the construction of the facility.  As such, the Board recognized the time and commitment requirements to implement a design and construction schedule and Speaker Byrd further nominated Sam to Chair the Building & Facilities Design Committee with its mission to complete the process of creating, designing, implementing and awarding a construction contract for up to a 100,000 SF facility.  Speaker Byrd also appointed President of The University of South Florida, Judy Genshaft, Robert Roskamp of Sarasota, and Ms. Amy Giordano of Tampa to this committee to assist in the completion of its goals.  This center was successfully built on time, on-budget and the Johnny B. Byrd Alzheimer's Research Center is today recognized as a leader in the hunt for a cure for this devastating disease.

​While concentrating on guiding his multiple small businesses through the worst recession in his lifetime, Sam became re-energized in politics by first chairing the 2008 Presidential Campaign of Newt Gingrich in Hillsborough County, then by signing up to lead the first (2010) campaign of now US Senator Marco Rubio in Hillsborough County, the leadership group colloquially termed the "three percenters" after the polling numbers for Rubio at the time of his announcement to run against a very (then) popular Governor Charlie Crist.  Rubio handily beat Crist and the rest is history.

In 2014, Sam was asked by Florida Governor Rick Scott to serve as his appointee on the Governing Board of the Tampa Aviation Authority at a monumental time in our airport's history. As one of five Board Members tasked to help a new management team with their proposal to expend over $1.2 Billion for a massive parking, terminal and retail expansion of Tampa International Airport, his participation as a member of the Governing Board helped to ensure fiscal responsibility during the awarding of contracts for construction as well as the bid awards process for retail development at the airport.