| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Friday. 2020 BY THE NUMBERS — So far, 3,195,870 vote-by-mail ballots have been cast for the November election, according to the latest information on the state Division of Elections website. Of those, 1,533,525 have come from Democrats and 979,838 have come from registered Republicans. Overall, there are nearly 2.7 million mail ballots requested but not yet returned. Of those, more than 1.1 million are held by Democrats and more than 859,000 are with Republicans. A total of 1,060,232 voters have cast ballots at an early voting site. Of those 392,530 were Democrats and 483,443 are Republicans. Ghosts of 2016 — Four years ago, Florida was targeted by Russian hackers ahead of the presidential election, an incident that still remains shadowy today even after information finally emerged that indicated at least two counties had their voter registration systems successfully penetrated. Debate topic — The threat of another round of election interference briefly took center stage Thursday night between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden during the final debate. The candidates were asked about threatening emails that targeted voters in Florida and other states, which national intelligence authorities have subsequently said appear to have come from Iran. But it also appears that the Russians are back again and have extracted data from state and local government servers. Different takes — Biden vowed that "any country that interferes with us will in fact pay a price because they're affecting our sovereignty." In his response, Trump maintained that the Russians wanted him to lose the election. Reflections — No matter the political response from the two candidates, the news that the Russians are once again at work is disquieting. This week, an array of election officials and experts — including Secretary of State Laurel Lee — said Florida learned lessons from the 2016 Russian hacking (which targeted voter registration systems, not vote tallying systems) and that time and money has been spent readying state and local elections systems. Let us know what's going on — Florida Reps. Michael Waltz and Stephanie Murphy, who were frustrated by the limited information released last time, on Thursday both asked for a classified briefing on Russian and Iranian interference. "We have long argued that our government should err on the side of telling citizens more, not less, when foreign powers interfere with our democracy," the bipartisan duo wrote in a letter to FBI director Chris Wray, National Intel director John Ratcliffe and Attorney General Bill Barr. "Our citizens can then counter the threat by scrutinizing the information they view online, checking their voter registration data to confirm it wasn't tampered with, and holding accountable state and local officials who fail to protect election infrastructure." — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to be with President Donald Trump in The Villages. The daily rundown — Between Wednesday and Thursday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 5,557 (0.7 percent), to 768,091; active hospitalizations went down 54 (2.5 percent), to 2,071; deaths rose by 57 (nearly 0.4 percent), to 16,267. | | | | THIS WEEK - NEW EPISODES OF POLITICO'S GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST : The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, but many of those issues exploded over the past year. Are world leaders and political actors up to the task of solving them? Is the private sector? Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, unpacks the roadblocks to smart policy decisions and examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. Subscribe now for Season Two, launching Oct. 21. | | | | |
|  | TRAIL MIX | | THAT DOESN'T SOUND GOOD — "U.S.: Russian hackers targeting state, local governments on eve of election," by POLITICO's Eric Geller: The Russian government is behind a recent campaign of cyberattacks on state and local governments and aviation networks that has stolen data from at least two victims, federal officials said Thursday in the latest public alarm about foreign hackers' efforts in the run-up to Election Day. A Russian hacking team best known for attacks on energy companies "has conducted a campaign against a wide variety of U.S. targets" including "dozens" of state and local governments, the FBI and DHS's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in an alert. — "Emailed threats in Florida dry up as congressional delegation asks for FBI briefing," by Miami Herald's Ana Ceballos and Samantha J. Gross THAT DOESN'T SOUND GOOD, PART 2 — "Voter websites in California and Florida could be vulnerable to hacks, report finds," by NPR's Dina Temple-Raston: "Back in July, two cybersecurity firms sent the Department of Homeland Security a troubling report that described a possible vulnerability in the online voter registration systems in dozens of counties in California and Florida. The report, obtained by NPR, warned that flaws that might have allowed hackers to change a handful of voter registration files four years ago are still likely to exist in some places, and could be used again. A spokesperson for DHS' Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, called the report 'questionable' and 'unverified,' and said the department 'takes vulnerability reporting and remediation seriously.'" UNDERWAY — "Does a ballot count? These boards are already making critical calls in Florida," by Miami Herald's Jay Weaver: "A week into the process, the Miami-Dade canvassing board has rejected about 125 mail-in ballots. Ultimately, a stream of irregular ballots will wind up before the board, which will give a thumbs up or down on hundreds, probably thousands, of votes that could prove critical in what is expected to be a tight presidential race." BEHIND THE CURTAIN — "How the Trump campaign used to big data deter Miami-Dade's Black communities from voting," by Miami Herald's Sarah Blaskey, Nicholas Nehamas, C. Isaiah Smalls II, Christina Saint Louis, Ana Claudia Chacin, David Smiley, Shirsho Dasgupta and Yadira Lopez: "Donald Trump's team knew they couldn't win the 2016 election simply by persuading people to vote for Trump. They also had to make sure Hillary Clinton supporters didn't come out to the polls. So the campaign and its allies used big data to target Black communities along Miami-Dade County's historically disenfranchised Interstate 95 corridor. There, residents became some of the 12.3 million unwitting subjects of a groundbreaking nationwide experiment: A computer algorithm that analyzed huge sums of potential voters' personal data — things they'd said and done on Facebook, credit card purchases, charities they supported, and even personality traits — decided they could be manipulated into not voting. They probably wouldn't even know it was happening. Internally, Trump's staff described this part of their operation with a term that went beyond the usual strategy of negative campaigning. They called it 'deterrence.'" HMM — "Pinellas sheriff will station deputies outside early voting sites," by Tampa Bay Times' Allison Ross: "The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office will assign uniformed officers at the county's five early voting sites, an abrupt personnel move that Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said was prompted by unverified complaints of potential voter intimidation. Four days into early voting that continues through Nov. 1, Gualtieri told reporters Thursday that he decided to add officers after an incident Wednesday evening involving two armed security guards. They were standing close to people campaigning for candidates during early voting at the Supervisor of Elections office in downtown St. Petersburg." AS PREDICTED — "Thousands of mail-in ballots have been initially rejected in Florida. But there's still time to fix them," by Orlando Sentinel's Steven Lemongello: "Thousands of mail-in ballots sent in by Florida residents have been initially rejected for signature errors and other mistakes, but election experts say there is still plenty of time to make those votes count. The problem is that millions of Floridians are voting by mail for the first time because of concerns about the coronavirus and election security in general." DRAW UP YOUR BRIEFS — "Trump, Biden campaigns lawyer up to take the election to court in Florida, rest of U.S.," by Orlando Sentinel's Gray Rohrer: "The specter of the state's many election fumbles in recent history looms large, starting with the 2000 recount, where after 36 days of legal wrangling a U.S. Supreme Court decision made George W. Bush the winner by 537 votes. 'I don't anticipate any real problems, but I do expect there'll be legal challenges,' said Barry Richard, a Tallahassee lawyer who represented Bush in the 2000 case. 'There have already been legal challenges, but they're different than 2000.' Richard said the legal issues would likely be easier to sort out this time because the butterfly ballots with 'hanging chads' that made determining voter intent difficult during the 2000 recount are gone." | 
Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden bludgeoned each other over energy and climate at the end of Thursday's debate. | Morry Gash-Pool/Getty Images | TRICKERY — "No, right-wing congressional candidate Laura Loomer is not a Democrat," by Sun Sentinel's Wells Dusenberry, Eileen Kelley and Anthony Man: "Someone is trying to trick Democrats into casting a vote they certainly would regret: for far right-wing conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. A blue card passed out to voters in Palm Beach County lists which Democrats to vote for, but it includes the Republican Loomer instead of her Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel. Every other candidate on the card is a Democrat. Loomer? Most definitely not. No one is admitting to the trickery. Not the Republican Party and not Loomer, who did not respond to multiple requests for comment." — "Socialism, Obamacare and the pandemic: TV attacks intensify in Shalala-Salazar race," by Miami Herald's Alex Daugherty MUM'S THE WORD — "Jeb and George Bush stay silent on Biden endorsement while speaking out against Trump," by Newsweek's Emily Czachor: "Although Jeb and George W. Bush have criticized President Donald Trump throughout his term in office and reportedly decided months ago not to vote for him, the siblings and politicians have not formally endorsed Joe Biden's campaign. Their failure to do so has brought a wave of disapproving comments on social media over the past several days, with some pointing out that an endorsement from George, the only living former Republican president, could help the Democratic nominee." — "Obama heads to Florida for Biden, Trump returns to The Villages," by Miami Herald's David Smiley — "Elections experts in Florida give assurances as Election Day nears," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam — "Trump looks to boost voter turnout in Northwest Florida with Pensacola visit," by Pensacola News Journal's Jim Little — "Kathy Castor faces a familiar foe in Tampa congressional race," by Tampa Bay Times' Charlie Frago — "Duval County elections board: No can object to its rulings or photograph its meetings," by Florida Times-Union's Andrew Pantazi — "Faith-based rallies planned Saturday, Sunday to get voters to the ballot box," by Florida Today's J.D. Gallop | | | | 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 | | RIGHT MOVE? — "DeSantis relaxes rules on nursing homes to allow children, extended family visits; AARP warns of virus spread," by Orlando Sentinel's Kate Santich: "In anticipation of holiday reunions, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday ordered the state's nursing homes and assisted living centers to permit children to visit indoors and to allow outdoor visits, regardless of a facility's infection rate for COVID-19. At a Fort Myers news conference, the governor also said the state will no longer limit each resident to a maximum of five visitors but will leave it up to each long-term-care facility, its residents and their families." WRONG WAY — "Florida coronavirus cases once again top 5,000 in one day," by Palm Beach Post's Jane Musgrave: "Palm Beach County logged the highest number of COVID-19 cases in more than six weeks on Thursday as health officials voiced increasing concern that the spread of the deadly coronavirus may again be accelerating. The 379 cases that were logged in the county is the most since Sept. 1, when an additional 422 cases were reported after the state said it had received a data dump from a private lab. It's the third-highest number of new cases since 420 were reported on Aug. 8, Florida Department of Health officials said. Statewide, the number of cases also spiked with 5,558 cases reported." — "Florida schools are slow to spend $693 million in federal coronavirus aid," by Tampa Bay Times' Jeffrey S. Solochek — "Pensacola ends state of emergency over COVID-19, keeps mask order through December," by Pensacola News Journal's Jim Little — "Florida jobless claims dropped last week," by News Service of Florida's Jim Turner — "Collier commission extends slightly tweaked mask mandate until April," by Naples Daily News' Patrick Riley | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | GET THE RECEIPTS? — "Gaetz: Luxury Trump Hotel's below-market room charges were clerical error. 'I don't believe I stayed there,'" by Florida Phoenix's Daniel Newhauser: "But [Rep. Matt] Gaetz, who spent the night in question hobnobbing with other Trump insiders at the Trump-owned luxury property during the Republican National Convention after-party, explained in an interview that his head never actually hit a pillow in the swanky lodging. 'I don't believe I stayed there. I believe that might have been expenses associated with food and beverage for political meetings that I was doing,' Gaetz said in a phone interview, while driving across the Panhandle trailing the Team Trump bus tour in his own car — 'I'm staying socially distant in my own vehicle,' he explained." BALLARD TIME — "Florida lobbyist thrives in Trump-era Washington," by Wall Street Journal's Brody Mullins and Julie Bykowicz: "No lobbyist has benefited more in the Trump era than Brian Ballard, a longtime Florida political operative who didn't have so much as an office in Washington four years ago. After raising millions of dollars for President Trump's campaign and inauguration, Mr. Ballard opened a federal practice in early 2017, hanging his shingle a few blocks from the White House. Since then, Ballard Partners—with fewer than a dozen lobbyists—has collected nearly $75 million in fees from U.S. corporations, foreign governments and other clients, according to public filings. Mr. Ballard is personally registered to represent 122 clients on more than 300 policy matters, the most of any registered lobbyist in Washington, the disclosures show." | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | TRANSPARENCY — "Judge orders release of 'confidential' emails in Patronis-Rubin feud," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Leon County Judge John Cooper on Thursday granted a motion to declassify a trove of emails at the heart of a long-running legal fight alleging CFO Jimmy Patronis was a central figure in a pay-to-play scheme a former regulator claims cost him his job. The players: Many of the emails are between Patronis, a Republican statewide elected official, lobbyist Paul Mitchell — a longtime Patronis ally — and one of the CFO's largest donors, MCNA Dental founder Jeffrey Feingold. Former Office of Financial Regulation Commission chief Ronald Rubin argues the confidential messages outline how the three men created a "criminal enterprise." DIVIDE AND CONQUER? — "DeSantis teacher pay push increased salaries, stoked tensions," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Now, [Gov. Ron] DeSantis' so-called "year of the teacher" is playing out exactly how some predicted. Experienced teachers and other employees are annoyed that budding teachers are seeing pay increases close to 16 percent in certain instances. At least one district has tried to spread the new funding evenly, but had its plan blocked by Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran. And pay negotiations in some counties have reached a boiling point, with unions and school officials still at odds over how to divvy up the state funding. "Some teachers are getting very, very small raises while others are getting very significant pay raises," Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association, said in an interview DISMISSED — "Florida agency that handles discrimination claims fires executive director," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: The state agency that handles discrimination claims in Florida has abruptly fired its executive director. The Florida Commission on Human Relations, which is overseen by a panel of 12 appointees, voted last week to terminate Michelle Wilson. The 7-4 vote came one month after the commission had narrowly voted in favor of retaining her. The commission installed general counsel Cheyanne Costilla as interim executive director. There was not much debate over the decision during the meeting, according to audio obtained by POLITICO, although Tampa attorney and commission member Gilbert Singer said, "This is an ambush. This is completely unfair. It's outrageous." COMING SOON — "Insurance, water issues on the table for legislative session," by News Service of Florida's Jim Turner: "Florida senators will be asked to eliminate the state's no-fault auto insurance option and increase spending to repair the state's natural springs, the incoming Senate president said Thursday. Senate President-designate Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, told business leaders that lawmakers meeting for the 2021 legislative session also will need to consider efforts to keep polluted Central Florida waters from flowing in Lake Okeechobee." — "Antonacci, Van Laningham seek chief judge post," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam | | ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: Former Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) is 74 … State Rep. Patricia Williams
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