| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Presented by The Great Courses Plus | Good Monday morning. The daily rundown — Between Saturday and Sunday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 7,364 (0.7 percent), to 992,661; active hospitalizations went up 311 (8.3 percent), to 4,059; deaths rose by 58 (0.3 percent), to 18,500. Born under punches — Florida is approaching a grim milestone of 1 million Covid-19 cases. Hospitalizations are up. Some sporting events are being scrapped. Federally-backed jobless benefits put in place at the start of the pandemic are nearing their end. Seen and not seen — State legislators — who have left the Florida's pandemic response almost entirely in Gov. Ron DeSantis' hands — have pushed off any action until next year. The state Capitol is still closed to the public. And there's no still no plan for how the Legislature will operate in 2021. This must be the place — So what are some of Florida's leaders doing in the meantime? Participating in a series events this week hosted by business lobbying group Associated Industries of Florida at two large hotels in Central Florida. There's a golf tournament at the Ritz-Carlton, as well as an appreciation dinner and AIF's annual conference where both House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson are supposed to speak. AIF's annual conference is being backed by some of Florida's largest and most powerful corporations, including utility companies, insurance firms, Disney, Publix and U.S. Sugar. Air — There's no mask mandate in Florida, but organizers maintain that social distancing will be followed and the JW Marriott hotel insists on mask wearing in its meeting rooms. Some speakers will address the gathering remotely, an AIF spokeswoman said, but she did not identify which ones. The great curve — "All events will comply with local, state and federal requirements, as well as additional safety protocols put in place by the venue," Kristen Grissom said in an email to Playbook. "This includes significantly limiting capacity, sanitizing rooms, temperature checks, requiring guests to wear masks except when eating or drinking, setting up all meeting spaces in a socially distanced manner and utilizing virtual appearances for some speakers, among other precautions." Don't worry about the government — Now, while all this is going on — the final day of the scheduled events is this: A forum that will include Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, to discuss shielding Florida businesses from Covid-19 lawsuits, including a recommendation to exempt "essential businesses" from any kind of legal action. Priorities, priorities, priorities. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis. | | | | A message from The Great Courses Plus: Don't be stagnant, keep your mind active with The Great Courses Plus . Learn at your own pace with the ability to stream lectures like the Art of Investing anytime, anywhere. Tap into an expansive selection of over 13,000 video streaming lectures from some of the world's greatest minds. Learning should be enjoyable, so start learning today with The Great Courses Plus! | | |
|  | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | ONCE IN A LIFETIME — "Florida soon will hit 1 million coronavirus cases. How did we get here?" by Tampa Bay Times' Jack Evans and Kathryn Varn: "One million coronavirus cases. Florida is on track to hit that mark within days, the most staggering milestone in the virus' deadly spread across the state. On Friday, the total stood at 979,020, at a time when the toll hovers around 8,000 cases a day. In a year that has felt like a decade, and with 'pandemic fatigue' a regular part of the lexicon, it can be hard to recall how we got here. But jog your memory: Remember when there were just a handful of confirmed cases? When testing wasn't just a drive-through away? When people told each other, 'If we can just make it through April …'" 'I FEEL LIKE I GOT LIED TO' — "Hundreds of Florida renters evicted during pandemic despite CDC orders," by Tampa Bay Times' Emily L. Mahoney and Christopher O'Donnell: "The nationwide moratorium ordered by the Centers for Disease Control was supposed to protect renters who have lost work from the pandemic. After it was announced, Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed Florida's eviction moratorium to lapse at the end of September, saying it would avoid confusion over which order was in force. But court records show that the federal order has failed to protect renters in Florida — including hundreds of Tampa Bay families — from losing their housing." THE TOLL — "COVID infections surge in Florida nursing homes. Hialeah home leads state with 69 deaths," by McClatchy's Shirsho Dasgupta and Miami Herald's Christina Saint Louis: "Coronavirus cases are surging again in elder-care facilities nearly three months after the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an emergency order easing restrictions on visitations to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. As of Nov. 23, 1,499 residents tested positive for the virus — a 35 percent increase from the 1,108 residents who were COVID-positive two weeks earlier, on Nov. 9. More than 2,000 staffers at these facilities also have the virus at present. In assisted living facilities alone, the number of COVID-positive residents has jumped 70 percent from 156 to 264 in the two weeks between Nov. 9 and Nov. 23." IS THIS NEEDED? — "Business groups demand that Florida craft virus lawsuit protections," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's John Kennedy: "Business groups have been clamoring for months for Florida lawmakers to enact measures aimed at protecting stores, cruise ships, health care providers and nursing homes slapped by hundreds of lawsuits stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. Florida's new Republican leaders say they are willing to approve some safeguards for businesses. But how far they'll go is uncertain. Meanwhile, some question whether there really is a looming courtroom crisis. 'It's a solution in search of a problem,' said Paul Jess, executive director of the Florida Justice Association, which represents trial lawyers in Florida." — "Carlos Gimenez, Miami-Dade congressman-elect, tests positive for COVID-19," by Miami Herald's Devoun Cetoute — "Anti-vaccine message greets drivers on I-95 Sunday morning," by News4Jax's Marilyn Parker — "4,000 more Walt Disney Co. employees are losing their jobs," by Orlando Sentinel's Katie Rice and Gabrielle Russon | | | | TRACK THE TRANSITION: President-elect Biden has started to form a Cabinet and announce his senior White House staff. The appointments and staffing decisions made in the coming days send clear-cut signals about Biden's priorities. Transition Playbook is the definitive guide to one of the most consequential transfers of power in American history. Written for political insiders, it tracks the appointments, people, and the emerging power centers of the new administration. Track the transition and the first 100 days of the incoming Biden administration. Subscribe today. | | | | |
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | SETTLEMENT — "Congress pays $850,000 to Muslim aides targeted in inquiry stoked by Trump," by New York Times' Noam Scheiber and Nicholas Fandos: "The House of Representatives quietly paid $850,000 this year to settle wrongful termination claims by five Pakistani-American technology specialists, after a set of routine workplace allegations against them morphed into fodder for right-wing conspiracy theories amplified by President Trump." Florida connection — "It is tragic and outrageous the way right-wing media and Republicans all the way up to President Trump attempted to destroy the lives of an immigrant Muslim-American family based on scurrilous allegations," said Representative Ted Deutch, Democrat of Florida, who had employed Mr. [Imran] Awan and is chairman of the Ethics Committee… As the workload grew, Mr. Awan brought on two of his brothers, his wife and a friend to assist him, and they became shared employees as well. Together they eventually worked for more than 30 members of Congress. Their employers included Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Representative Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, who was recently named by President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. to a top White House position." | 
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) speaks about her experiences during a trip to Israel and Auschwitz-Birkenau as part of a bipartisan delegation from the House of Representatives on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. The liberation of the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau on January 27, 1945 is remembered all around the world this week on its 75th anniversary. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images) | Samuel Corum/Getty Images | MAKING HER MOVE — "Wasserman Schultz making bid for one of the most powerful leadership jobs in Congress," by Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man: "U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is nearing the end of an audacious, yearlong campaign to leapfrog colleagues with more seniority and land one of the most powerful jobs in Congress: chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee. 'A top committee chairmanship like appropriations would be a major coup for her and frankly a major coup for South Florida,' said Kathryn DePalo-Gould, a Florida International University political scientist." 'DO IT THE RIGHT WAY' — "Trump's troop withdrawal divides Florida Republicans and leaves Democrats skeptical," by Tampa Bay Times' Steve Contorno: "It has been 14 years since Greg Steube landed in war-torn Iraq to oversee multinational detainees during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He spent two years in a combat zone in the northern region of the country, where he recalled watching fellow service members killed in action. Steube, now a member of Congress with the power to declare war and fund military missions, said he thinks it's time for America's involvement in the Middle East to end. So when the Department of Defense recently announced a reduction of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, Steube, a Sarasota Republican, was for it." 'I get the soundbites' — "U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, a St. Augustine Republican who also sits on the committee, has repeatedly opposed drawing down troops going back to President Barack Obama. Waltz, a U.S. Army National Guard Special Forces officer who served multiple tours in Afghanistan, said he was 'thankful' that Trump is not following Gaetz's suggestion because the remaining forces are needed for counter terrorism purposes. 'I understand the frustration. I get the soundbites,' Waltz said. 'But what is left out of the isolationist worldview is how many casualties will come if we have to fight our way back in.'" | | | | A message from The Great Courses Plus:   | | |
| | THE GUNSHINE STATE | | DISCLOSURE — "NRA reports alleged misspending by current and former executives to IRS," by Washington Post's Beth Reinhard and Carol D. Leonning: "After years of denying allegations of lax financial oversight, the National Rifle Association has made a stunning declaration in a new tax filing: Current and former executives used the nonprofit group's money for personal benefit and enrichment. The NRA said in the filing that it continues to review the alleged abuse of funds, as the tax-exempt organization curtails services and runs up multimillion-dollar legal bills." Hammer time — "For the first time in years, the NRA filing acknowledged the dual and potentially conflicting roles held by board member Marion Hammer, a longtime consultant who was paid $220,350 last year. She did not respond to requests for comment by phone and email. Seven other board members received a total of $175,000 in side agreements with the organization, the filing shows." SHORTFALL — "Cuts to security spending weigh on Florida school districts," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Florida's program for training school employees to serve as armed guards will need cash from the state next year or districts could be on the hook for a new $4.5 million expense. After Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the Guardian Program's entire $41.5 million budget in June, schools and local law enforcement agencies were left wondering how they could afford training and equipment for campus safety officers. The state last week said that federal Covid-19 aid will keep the program running for fiscal 2020, but officials are counting on the Legislature to pick up the tab after that. | | TRAIL MIX | | BEHIND CLOSED DOORS — "'He doesn't like him': DeSantis feuds with Florida GOP chair despite 2020 wins," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has yet to endorse party chairman Joe Gruters for reelection, sending a silent message of disapproval that has triggered an intra-party drama. The Republican governor's refusal to weigh in on the state party's top job is unusual, especially after President Donald Trump took the battleground and Republicans boasted wins up and down the ballot. Gruters has claimed he has the governor's support, and the across-the-board wins give him political leverage to keep his post when the party votes in January. But DeSantis will be among those on the ballot in 2022 and his statements — or lack thereof — in the coming weeks could determine who takes the party's reins. A GOOD TREND — "Florida voters listened: Rejected mail-in ballots plummet for Nov. 3 election," by Orlando Sentinel's Steven Lemongello and Adelaide Chen: "Florida voters were inundated with the message of how to make sure their mail-in ballots wouldn't be rejected, and it looks like they listened. Despite the huge influx of mail-in ballots amid the coronavirus pandemic, the percentage of ballots rejected for signature mismatches, missing signatures, or other reasons was much lower than in previous elections, even ones held earlier this year amid the pandemic." By the numbers — "About 33,000 mail-in ballots were rejected statewide in Florida for the August primary, and there were more than 18,000 rejections in the March presidential primary. Daniel A. Smith, the political science chair at the University of Florida who studies state elections, estimated that only about 12,000 mail-in ballots were rejected in the November election." BALANCING ACT — "Biden wants to re-thaw relations with Cuba. He'll have to navigate Florida politics," by Washington Post's Anthony Faiola and Karen DeYoung: "Stirred by breathless warnings of a socialist menace, Cuban Americans turned out for President Trump in massive numbers. Now those voters are presenting a new challenge for President-elect Joe Biden: how to reembrace the historic Obama-era opening with communist Cuba without ceding Florida to Republicans in 2024." WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS — "Tampa consultant steers his candidates away from public forums," by Tampa Bay Times' William March: "In many Tampa Bay area candidate forums during the 2020 campaigns, something was missing — Republican candidates. That's partly because of the work of a prominent local GOP political operative, Anthony Pedicini of Tampa. In a recent interview, Pedicini acknowledged that he advises candidates he works for to avoid appearing at public forums where they might have to give spontaneous answers to questions from the public, possibly making missteps that could be used against them later. When the state's Republican legislative leadership is spending millions to get a candidate elected, he said, they can't afford to have the candidate 'flub it up' by answering a question from the public." — "Leadership changes coming to Broward political parties as they regroup and look to 2022," by Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man | | | | NEXT WEEK - DON'T MISS THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT 2020: POLITICO will feature a special edition Future Pulse newsletter at the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of global health industry leaders and innovators determined to confront and conquer the most significant health challenges. Covid-19 has exposed weaknesses across our health systems, particularly in the treatment of our most vulnerable communities, driving the focus of the 2020 conference on the converging crises of public health, economic insecurity, and social justice. Sign up today to receive exclusive coverage from December 7–9. | | | | |
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | IMPORTANT RULING — "Supreme Court refuses to reinstate death sentences, including Jacksonville case," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam and Jim Saunders: "The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected requests by Attorney General Ashley Moody's office to reinstate death sentences for two convicted murderers, ruling that earlier orders required the men to receive new sentencing hearings. Justices issued opinions in cases from Duval and Orange counties that are expected to have broader ramifications: Defense attorneys said the decisions could apply to about 100 inmates." WHAT'S GOING ON? — "Florida's emergency communications channel hacked, according to state official," by Tampa Bay Times' Allison Ross: "The Florida Division of Emergency Management says someone hacked into a system used to send emergency communications earlier this month and sent an unauthorized message to members of the State Emergency Response Team responsible for coordinating public health and medical response. The Nov. 10 message, obtained by the Tampa Bay Times, urged recipients to 'speak up before another 17,000 people are dead. You know this is wrong. You don't have to be a part of this. Be a hero. Speak out before it's too late.'" EVALUATION TIME — "The complicated legacy of Bradenton's Bill Galvano, one of Florida's most powerful lawmakers," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Zac Anderson: "[Bill] Galvano leaves with the virus still raging across Florida and the state facing a $2.7 billion budget shortfall because of the economic collapse brought on by the pandemic. It is a crisis for another set of leaders to grapple with now. Galvano argues that he did everything he could to leave the state on solid footing, even as critics accuse the Legislature of failing to adequately respond to the pandemic. Helping to oversee Florida's coronavirus response was the final act in a long legislative career that saw Galvano become one of the most dominant forces in state politics. A low-key, deliberative lawmaker who valued civility and often was called on to tackle tough issues, Galvano embodied the more collegial, less partisan nature of the Senate and it shows in his legislative body of work." | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS? — "How climate change could spark the next home mortgage disaster," by POLITICO's Zack Colman: With its lively parks and colorful bungalows, Hialeah, Fla., has been the gateway to the American middle class for thousands of Cuban immigrants. Hialeah was the place where home ownership, an unattainable goal under the Communist regime of their homeland, became a reality. And as in many American communities — rich and poor, of every ethnic makeup — the American dream for families in Hialeah was helped along by the taxpayer-funded mortgage giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Their willingness to purchase the loans on homes in the area provides local lenders with a steady flow of cash to invest in the community. Water, water everywhere — But behind the vibrant life in Hialeah is a troubling reality: flooding. Heavy rains overran the streets this year, last year — almost every year. And the problem is projected to get worse: Some scientists fear the city could be underwater within the lifetimes of some current residents. Despite that grim prognosis, the federal government keeps pumping mortgage money into Hialeah, as it does in hundreds of other communities now facing grave dangers from climate change." | | | | A message from The Great Courses Plus: Are you an inquisitively curious individual that loves learning? Join a community of life-long learners, and learn more about any topic with The Great Courses Plus. Stream thousands of videos by some of this world's brightest minds. From the Art of Investing to the Theory of Everything, quench your thirst for knowledge with courses designed for the endlessly curious cat. With The Great Courses Plus, you'll enjoy being able to learn anytime, anywhere at your own pace. Now there's nothing keeping you from starting your educational journey. Learn now with The Great Courses Plus! | | |
| | ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "Appeals court reverses Denise Williams' murder conviction and life sentence," by Tallahassee Democrat's Jeff Burlew: "One of Tallahassee's most notorious murder cases took an unexpected turn after an appeals court reversed Denise Williams' conviction on a first-degree murder charge in the killing of her husband, Mike Williams. But on Wednesday, the First District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee upheld her conviction on another charge — conspiracy to commit murder — and its accompanying 30-year sentence. The decision means the 50-year-old will remain in prison. Mike Williams, a 31-year-old real estate appraiser, was reported missing Dec. 16, 2000, during what was supposedly a solo duck hunting trip to Lake Seminole in Jackson County. But he had actually been shot and killed on the lake, the victim of an elaborate plot by his best friend, Brian Winchester, and Denise Williams, who prosecutors said wanted to get out of the marriage and collect $2 million in life insurance money." BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Bob Rommel … State Rep. Yvonne Hinson … Tampa Bay Times deputy investigations editor Kathleen McGrory … Mark Kaplan, VP of government and community relations for the University of Florida … Keith Fitzgerald, professor at New College of Florida and former state representative … (Was Sunday) Former State Rep. Cindy Polo … (Was Saturday) Department of Education's Cheryl Etters … (Was Friday) Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears … Sarasota Herald-Tribune's John Kennedy … Journalist Daniel Ducassi … (Was Thursday) Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber … Former CIA Director Porter Goss is 82 … Mac Stipanovich
| Want to make an impact? POLITICO Florida has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Sunshine State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
| | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment