News : POLITICO Florida Playbook: DeSantis administration blasts lawsuit backed by GOP — Bloomberg knocks Trump back on his heels in Florida — Secretary of State Lee weighs in on masks, felons — Authorities investigate emails sent to voters

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

POLITICO Florida Playbook: DeSantis administration blasts lawsuit backed by GOP — Bloomberg knocks Trump back on his heels in Florida — Secretary of State Lee weighs in on masks, felons — Authorities investigate emails sent to voters

Oct 21, 2020

Hello and welcome to Wednesday.

2020 BY THE NUMBERS — So far, 2,667,266 vote-by-mail ballots have been cast for the November election, according to the state Division of Elections website. Of those, 1,293,994 have come from Democrats and 812,363 have come from registered Republicans. Overall, there are 3.15 million mail ballots requested but not yet returned. Of those, more than 1.32 million are held by Democrats and more than 1.03 million are with Republicans. A total of 366,436 have voted at an early voting site. Of those 154,004 were Democrats and 153,743 are Republicans.

Not our fight — The DeSantis administration doesn't want anything to do with the last-minute legal assault against Amendment 3, the citizen initiative to open up the state's primary elections to all voters where the top two candidates move ahead regardless of party affiliation.

11th hour litigation — Last week, a lawsuit backed by the Republican Party of Florida was filed with the state Supreme Court to stop the counting of any votes for the measure. The litigation was blessed by incoming House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Democratic state senator Janet Cruz. The lawsuit said the top court should act because of analyses that contend Amendment 3 would diminish the clout and power of minority voters. The ballot initiative needs 60 percent approval to pass.

Firing back — Late last night, lawyers for Secretary of State Laurel Lee responded in blistering fashion. The legal brief takes no position on the merits of the "studies" — although it also says they "bear no indicia of reliability." But it says to allow the lawsuit now would throw the election into turmoil and called the petition "tardy, procedurally deficient, and, if granted, would cause nothing but electoral confusion in perhaps the most important state this election cycle."

Have a seat — "The state's response confirms what we already know: the lawsuit is cheap political theatre and not an honest attempt to litigate a valid claim," said Glenn Burhans, chair of All Voters Vote, the group sponsoring Amendment 3. "Instead opponents of Amendment 3 abuse the judicial process for the sole purpose of weaponizing a sham report that the state notes 'bears no indicia of reliability.'"

— WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.

The daily rundown — Between Monday and Tuesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 3,662 (nearly 0.5 percent), to 760,389; active hospitalizations went up 24 (nearly 1.2 percent), to 2,079; deaths rose by 84 (0.5 percent), to 16,105.

ELECTIONLAND: POLITICO is partnering with Electionland , a ProPublica project that works with newsrooms to track voting issues around the country. The Electionland project covers problems that prevent eligible voters from casting their ballots during the 2020 elections. We're part of a coalition of newsrooms around the country that are investigating issues related to voter registration, pandemic-related changes to voting, the shift to vote-by-mail, cybersecurity, voter education, misinformation, and more. Tell us here if you're having trouble voting.

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TRAIL MIX

BIG SPENDER — "Bloomberg knocks Trump back on his heels in Florida," by POLITICO's Marc Caputo and David Siders: Billionaire Michael Bloomberg's $100 million investment in Florida to defeat Donald Trump is recasting the presidential contest in the president's must-win state, forcing his campaign to spend big to shore up his position and freeing up Democratic cash to expand the electoral map elsewhere. Bloomberg's massive advertising and ground-game spending, which began roughly a month ago, has thrown Trump into a defensive crouch across the arc of Sunbelt states. As a result, the president's campaign has scaled back its TV ad buys in crucial Northern swing states like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan — a vacuum being filled by a constellation of outside political groups backing Joe Biden.

Mike Bloomberg addresses his staff.

Mike Bloomberg addresses his staff and the media in New York City. | (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

TARGET FLORIDA — "Democratic super PAC adds $16M to flip Sun Belt state legislatures," by POLITICO's Sabrina Rodriguez: Democratic super PAC Forward Majority is pumping an additional $16 million into key state legislative races in the Sun Belt— a major sum that comes as Democrats feel increasingly optimistic about down-ballot wins and momentum from the top of the ticket. Forward Majority's latest plan brings the group's total spending to more than $32 million in its effort to flip state legislative chambers in Florida, Texas, Arizona and North Carolina — four competitive states where Republicans are in control.

A WORD FROM THE SECRETARY — "Florida's top election official weighs in on masks, felons and security," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, in an interview with POLITICO on Tuesday, said that fewer than 100 felons are expected to be identified for possible removal from the state's voter rolls between now and Election Day. Lee also talked about the runup to the crucial election, saying that the state has taken significant steps to beef up its cybersecurity efforts and should not have any widespread problems due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Maskless entry — Weighing in on a controversy in South Florida, Lee said that Florida election officials cannot deny someone access to in-person voting if they fail to wear a mask. Early voting got started in more than 50 counties on Monday and more than 300,000 people voted during the first day. "We will not be turning voters away," Lee said. "However, we are working very hard to ensure that in-person voting is kept safe, that precinct locations are sanitized and social distancing is observed. Voters are all being encouraged to wear masks out of courtesy for fellow voters and election workers."

— "They drew outrage as they voted without masks. They showed how no one enforces the mask law," by Sun Sentinel's Lisa J. Huriash

WHAT WILTON'S WATCHING — "Mystery Florida donor targets key Senate races with misleading mailers," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: A mystery donor has spent more than $500,000 sending mail supporting candidates with no party affiliation in an apparent attempt to siphon votes from Democrats in key state Senate races. In one case, the donor funded political mailers used a stock photo of a Black woman, even though the candidate the mailer supports is white. In another, the mailer also featured stock photos with language that would seem to appeal to Democratic voters."

DROP BOX MANIA — "Tens of thousands of Florida voters are using drop boxes to deliver mail boxes," by Miami Herald's Aaron Leibowitz and Tampa Bay Times' Allison Ross: "Record numbers of Florida residents turned out Monday for the first day of in-person early voting, in some cases contending with long lines and maskless voters to ensure their vote was counted. But tens of thousands of others took a different approach: bringing their vote-by-mail ballots directly to drop boxes stationed at early voting sites. In Miami-Dade County, elections officials collected 27,765 ballots at the drop boxes Monday, which were set up at all 33 early voting sites. There were more dropped-off ballots on Monday than in the entire August primary, when a total of 19,055 Miami-Dade voters used the county's expanded drop-off system over the 14 days of early voting. Put another way: Nearly 10% of Miami-Dade voters who have already voted by mail did so via the drop boxes on Monday."

SO WHAT ARE TRYING TO SAY? — "Will Florida, the recount state, be ready for the election?" by New York Times' Patricia Mazzei and Frances Robles: "Most states have the occasional problems running their elections. Not Florida. Florida has debacles. 2018: Three statewide recounts. 2016: Russian hacking. 2012: Voting lines seven hours long. 2006: Malfunctioning electronic voting machines. And, of course, the granddaddy of all election fiascos: Bush v. Gore in 2000. More than two decades of scandals and blunders have made Florida the nation's elections punchline, the state that kept the world at the edge of its seat while votes for president were manually recounted. The shadows of Florida elections past seem to lurk everywhere. 'I feel like I've seen this movie before,' Judge Mark E. Walker of the Federal District Court in Tallahassee said in a ruling this month after the state's voter registration website crashed under the weight of thousands of last-minute applications."

THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY — "Uniformed Miami cop spotted wearing pro-Trump mask near voting site will be disciplined," by Miami Herald's Charles Rabin and Joey Flechas: "A uniformed Miami police officer was photographed sporting a protective mask with a pro-Trump slogan while on duty and voting at Government Center Tuesday morning. The backlash from his department was swift. Miami's police chief, after seeing the photo posted on social media, said Officer Daniel Ubeda would be disciplined. Though exactly how had not been determined. The mayor also called the officer's actions 'inappropriate,' even if he was there to cast a ballot."

SOMETHING IS WRONG HERE — 'Proud Boys' voter intimidation emails to UF students spur FBI investigation," by Miami Herald's Ana Ceballos and Carli Teproff: "A string of voter intimidation emails that were purportedly sent by the Proud Boys, a self-described militia group, were reported to state and federal law enforcement officials on Tuesday morning, according to Alachua Supervisor of Elections Kim Barton. Alachua County officials were made aware of the emails on Tuesday morning. In one of the emails, the sender told a voter to 'vote for Trump on Election Day or we will come after you,' according to a copy obtained by the Miami Herald."

Not us — "Proud Boy Chairman Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio Jr. said the email was 'spoofed' and that he notified the FBI and Barton to tell them the group was not behind the emails. 'There is no reason for us to send an email like that. To whoever did this, I condemn these people,' Tarrio said."

IT'S NOT JUST STUDENTS — "Law enforcement investigates 'Proud Boys' emails," by Gainesville Sun's Sarah Nelson: "'I cannot determine whether it is a credible threat, although I suspect it is a blast mail to all Democrats whose ID is openly available on the supervisor's voter rolls," said 83-year-old Walter Wynn, whose wife received the email. Wynn said he and his wife have already voted."

IT'S NOT JUST FLORIDA — "Threatening emails reportedly sent to Democratic voters in three swing states, sparking investigations," by Washington Post's Isaac Stanley-Becker and Craig Timberg: "The emails were reported in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Florida and Alaska. Only Alaska is not a major focus of the presidential campaign, but it does have a closely watched race for the U.S. Senate."

WHO DO YOU TRUST? — "Trump and Florida's I-4 corridor: Can you trust polls with crowds like this?" by Tampa Bay Times' Steve Contorno: "And yet, those numbers can be difficult to reconcile against the unyielding displays of loyalty from Trump's supporters these past four years. They show up at a moment's notice to see Trump's children speak or to wave flags on a corner. They organize parades that attract hundreds of cars or boats. They stand three deep along a busy highway just to catch a glimpse of Trump's motorcade. Republicans have also increased their voter registration lead across the I-4 corridor to 111,000 thanks to a sustained summer push."

DIVING BACK IN — "Andrew Gillum gets back to politics with podcast, Facebook broadcast about Joe Biden, voting," by Tallahassee Democrat's James Call: "Former Tallahassee Mayor and Democratic candidate for Governor Andrew Gillum is launching a podcast and will make a live appearance on Facebook Tuesday night as part of a 90-minute broadcast to mobilize 50,000 voters in Florida's 19 most populated counties, including Leon. The twin announcements mark Gillum's official return to politics since he checked out of a rehabilitation center for substance abuse earlier this year and a bombshell interview with Tamron Hall that aired in September in which he discussed his sexuality."

— "President Donald Trump might travel to Pensacola, FAA notices indicae," by Pensacola News Journal's Jim Little

— "Disinformation targets Latino voters in South Florida," by Sun Sentinel's Mario Ariza

— "Trump in Palm Beach: President expected early Friday for 2-day visit," by Palm Beach Post's Christine Stapleton

— "Some mail ballots envelopes arriving already sealed; Leon elections supervisor says that's ok," by Tallahassee Democrat's Karl Etters

... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

LOGJAM — "Courts seek money to dig out of pandemic 'hole,'" by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam: "Florida's state court system needs more than $16 million to address increased workloads caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to a budget request submitted last week to the Legislature. The major portion of the request — more than $12.5 million — is aimed at helping trial courts deal with a projected backlog of more than 990,000 cases due to COVID-19, the request says."

RESPONSE — "Appalled by foster abuse findings, Florida senator pushes for common sense change," by USA Today's Michael Braga: "In response to an investigative series outlining problems in Florida's child welfare system, Sen. Lauren Book, D-Hollywood, sent a letter to the head of the Department of Children and Families demanding that more be done to safeguard the state's most vulnerable children. The series published by USA TODAY Network explained how an increasing number of children were removed from their homes in Florida after 2014, but state legislators and child welfare officials never figured out how to provide safe places for them to live."

ROAD TO NOWHERE — "DOT secretary says 'no build' among toll road alternatives to be studied," by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie: Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault said Tuesday that three panels studying proposed new toll roads were never supposed to draw proposed routes for the roads but were only to make 'high level' recommendations. What happened : Thibault told a meeting of the Suncoast Connector Task Force that its members were making recommendations on how DOT plans corridors for the 21st century for purposes including "protecting and enhancing our environment."

GLOBAL PULSE, GLOBAL PURPOSE: At a high-stakes moment when global health has become a household concern, it is pivotal to keep up with the politics and policy driving change. Global Pulse connects leaders, policymakers and advocates to the people and politics driving global health. Join the conversation and subscribe today for this new weekly newsletter.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

OOPS — "Gov. DeSantis says schools shouldn't close, unaware two Duval campuses shut down," by Florida Times-Union's Emily Bloch: "Speaking in Jacksonville — where two public schools shut down in the last week because of COVID-19 outbreaks — Governor Ron DeSantis said there shouldn't be a situation where a campus shuts down because of the coronavirus. He later admitted he was unaware of the closures when pressed by reporters. His office also failed to tell Duval County Public Schools officials about the visit ahead of time. The governor, joined by Florida Department of Education Commissioner Richard Corcornan, hosted an 'education and COVID-19 briefing' at Jacksonville Classical Academy, a charter school in Mixon Town on Tuesday. DeSantis largely touted Florida schools' reopening, saying that the push for schools to offer in-person classes outweighed the mental health detriments risked by keeping campuses closed."

— "Dan Gelber argues Ron DeSantis is adopting stealth 'herd immunity' strategy," by Florida Politics' Ryan Nicol

— "Collier Commissioners to decide Thursday whether to extend mask mandate or let it expire," by Naples Daily News' Patrick Riley

— "Palm Beach County schools lose 7,300 students – where did they all go?" by Palm Beach Post's Sonja Isger

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

UNSOCIAL MEDIA — "Sarasota schools officials alert FBI over image of gun-brandishing 'Karen' on Facebook," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Ryan McKinnon: "A group calling itself the 'Sarasota County School Board Transparency Project' posted a picture of a woman aiming a gun alongside the words 'Karens fight back' in a Facebook post encouraging protestors to come to Tuesday's School Board meeting. The fact that the image shows a woman aiming a gun at an unseen target has School District officials on alert, and they have reported the posting to the FBI. 'It was sent off to the FBI,' said district spokesman Craig Maniglia. 'Any time there is a gun, to brandish a gun on a topic on a school system is not going to do you any good.'"

— "Sarasota schools' mask policy elicits passion on both sides," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Ryan McKinnon

IMPORTANT CASE — "Florida groups back environmentalist in 'malice case,'" by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders: "Groups ranging from the Florida Wildlife Federation to the libertarian Cato Institute have urged the U.S. Supreme Court this month to take up an appeal by a prominent environmentalist who was hit with a $4.4 million court verdict after fighting a project in Martin County. The groups, in two friend-of-the-court briefs, argued that the appeal by Maggy Hurchalla, sister of the late U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, raises critical First Amendment issues about communications between members of the public and the government."

DOESN'T LOOK GOOD — "Stricken Venezuelan oil tanker raises fear of Caribbean ecological disaster," by NBC News' Patrick Smith: "Concerns are growing that an oil tanker carrying millions of gallons of oil could spill its load into the sea between Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago, causing an ecological catastrophe. The Venezuelan-flagged Nabarima has lain in the Gulf of Paria since last January when U.S. sanctions on Venezuela made it illegal for companies that operate in the U.S. to trade with the country's state-owned oil company."

— "Israeli firm aims to stop algae leaving Lake Okeechobee from reaching St. Lucie River," by Treasure Coast Newspapers Tyler Treadway

ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN

BIRTHDAYS: Florida Supreme Court Justice Jorge Labarga …. Jonathan Uriarte, communications director for U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy ... Matthew Pinzur, vice president and chief marketing officer at Jackson Health System

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