| | | | | |  | | By Matt Dixon | Good Thursday morning. The daily rundown: Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 11,541 (0.1 percent) to 1,155,335; active hospitalizations went up by 43 (0.8 percent), to 5,145; deaths rose by 122 (0.06 percent), to 20,204. Good news, bad news — After months of no action to soothe a nation left hanging amid a global pandemic, Congress appears ready to do something. There is, however, a catch for cash-strapped states, including Florida: The $900 billion deal being considered does not include direct state and local funding. CC: Budget committees — So, what does this mean for Florida? State revenue estimators, I know it sounds boring but stay with me, have forecasted a roughly $5 billion budget gap over the next two fiscal years due to the pandemic. Concerned? — Here is the thing, Florida's legislative leaders do not trust Congress. They have long said that federal pandemic cash would be great, but it's not what they are building their budgets on. That has not changed. House Speaker Chris Sprowls and Senate President Wilton Simpson have both signaled their thought process is not guided by congressional buffoonery. Cuts, not potential stimulus cash, are guiding early budget talks in Florida. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official from the governor's office. | | | | HAPPENING TODAY - ENERGY POLICY IN THE BIDEN ERA : President-elect Joe Biden has made energy and climate a priority for the incoming administration, but his agenda is bound to run into some challenges in a divided Congress. What will be the most viable energy policies during the Biden era? Join POLITICO for an engaging conversation on Biden's energy agenda, including fossil fuel production, renewable and clean energy, and climate policies. The virtual program will feature an executive conversation between POLITICO CEO Patrick Steel and API CEO Mike Sommers. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
|  | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | STATES REACT — "'It is madness': Governors rage over stimulus snub," by POLITICO's Stephanie Murray and Kellie Mejdrich: America's governors seethed on Wednesday over news that a much-anticipated federal stimulus package will not include a bailout for local governments — and accused Washington of abandoning states and cities. Leaders across the country pleaded with Congress for months to reach a deal that would deliver hundreds of billions of dollars to plug budget holes and shore up everything from schools to emergency services. Leaders across the country pleaded with Congress for months to reach a deal that would deliver hundreds of billions of dollars to plug budget holes and shore up everything from schools to emergency services. But the $900 billion emerging deal, expected to include direct checks to Americans and a weekly unemployment boost of $300 through March, will not provide the state and local aid that was requested. ALWAYS 'CLOSE' — "Stimulus talks drag on as leaders say deal is close ," POLITICO's Burgess Everett, Heather Caygle and Jake Sherman: House and Senate leaders were racing on Wednesday night to finalize a coronavirus stimulus agreement alongside a year-end spending bill, with Democrats and Republicans set to exchange offers deep into the night and no imminent threats to tank a deal... Asked what the hold-up was, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said: "Why this takes so long is because we procrastinate and we pretend just one more day and we'll get a better deal." As the day crept on, it became clear that finishing negotiations, finalizing text and voting in both chambers by late Friday became a tougher and tougher task. Lawmakers are beginning to get antsy to go home, but congressional leaders privately informed their members of the possibility of working into the weekend. FAR, IT SEEMS — "How far did Ron DeSantis' loyalty to Trump go?," by Washington Post's Phillip Bump: "When Ron DeSantis ran for governor of Florida in 2018, he made a politically savvy decision: He would be the most pro-President Trump candidate possible. He popped up on Fox News Channel repeatedly, understanding that it would be an effective way to get Trump's attention. After he earned Trump's endorsement in the Republican primary — and then won his party's nomination — his campaign ran an ad touting how loyal he was to the president's vision. At one point in the spot, he helped his young daughter build a wall with her blocks." GOOD WORK — "2 White House task force reports released by DeSantis' office after Orlando Sentinel sues," by Orlando Sentinel's Naseem S. Miller: "Gov. Ron DeSantis' office on Wednesday evening released two White House Coronavirus Task Force reports that are more than a month old, nearly a week after the Orlando Sentinel filed a lawsuit to obtain all the weekly reports going back to Nov. 1. The Sentinel's lawsuit, however, is not resolved, as the state has not yet agreed to release all former reports and future reports in a timely manner. The parties have a hearing set for Monday. The South Florida Sun Sentinel is planning to join the complaint." LINING UP — " Seniors queue up for the COVID-19 vaccine; more is on the way," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Wayne K. Roustan and Lisa J. Huriash: "Residents and employees of senior living communities in Florida began Wednesday to receive COVID-19 vaccinations, another step toward ending the 9-month-old pandemic and protecting the state's most vulnerable residents. John Knox Village in Pompano Beach became one of the first senior communities in the nation to receive the coronavirus vaccine. The first seniors got their shots Tuesday in West Virginia." GOOD NEWS — "'A month of Miracles.' South Florida hospitals work together on COVID-19 vaccinations," by Miami Herald's Ben Conarck: "Inside a large conference room at the Hilton Miami Dadeland on Baptist Health South Florida's campus Wednesday, employees from the healthcare system lined up to receive their doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine under an abstract light fixture designed to illuminate the types of corporate events that went away in March." WHAT NOW? — "A felon, an alleged drug dealer and a comic. How some who may be ineligible got PPP loans," by Miami Herald's Ben Wieder, Shirsho Dasgupta, Christina Saint Louis: "When police officers entered physician assistant Anthony Yarand's Tampa Bay home on March 8, 2019, they found more than 28 grams of crystal meth, 10 grams of ecstasy, smaller quantities of cocaine and heroin and more than $6,500 in counterfeit bills that he told officers he used for poker games, according to their criminal report." ALWAYS PICK FIGHTS — "'Time is of the essence' for COVID vaccine: DeSanti frustrated with CVS and Walgreen ," by Palm Beach Post's john Pacenti: "Gov. Ron DeSantis stood by the side of an 88-year-old former Missouri school teacher and watched her become one of the first seniors in a long-term care facility in the country to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. But before Vera Leip was inoculated by a state strike team, DeSantis expressed concerns about the shifting availability of the Pfizer vaccine and criticized Walgreens and CVS for their slow start in getting to other nursing homes and assisted living facilities." — "Pensacola hospitals will be among first in Florida to get Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine," by Pensacola News Journal's Jim Little — "COVID-19: Vaccines arriving soon as Marion County tops 15k cases," by Ocala Star-Banner's Joe Callahan — "Naples City Council will again consider citywide mask mandate to help combat COVID," by Naples Daily News — "Covid-19 has left many in Bradenton struggling for food. Is there enough help for them?" by Bradenton Herald's Mark Young | | | | JOIN TODAY - CLOSING THE HEALTH CARE GAP: Another Covid-19 outbreak is taking a significant toll on the health of the Latino community. As President-elect Joe Biden prepares to assume office, how will his administration address the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on communities of color, particularly Latinos? Join POLITICO for a virtual conversation on the policy, economic and cultural barriers Latinos confront in accessing quality health care and how the pandemic can create an opportunity to identify solutions. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | NO COMMENT — "Will DeSantis hire another Florida climate change czar?" by Tampa Bay Times' Zach Sampson: "For almost seven months, Florida had a dedicated leader on climate change. Then she left for another job. The state has now gone longer than that without a full-time replacement. Environmental advocates celebrated Gov. Ron DeSantis's hiring of Julia Nesheiwat for the newly created position of chief resilience officer in summer 2019. They saw the move as a declaration his office would accept, and try to address, the realities of climate change in a vulnerable state." COLLEGE KIDS THESE DAYS — " Bright Futures may need more state cash — again," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Florida's popular Bright Futures college scholarship is yet again exceeding enrollment expectations, a positive sign for state universities that may end up requiring a $14.2 million budget amendment to meet its needs. The state is projected to see a nearly 6 percent increase in Bright Futures awards for 2020-21 compared to previous estimates, state economists said in a report publicly released late Tuesday. That uptick is expected to come despite the Covid-19 pandemic triggering declines across many facets of K-12 schooling and higher education. The economists noted that the returns could be a sign that Florida's universities are weathering the pandemic better than other U.S. schools. | | TRAIL MIX | | THE STRUGGLE — "Rubio's middle road on Trump's election challenges could draw a GOP primary challenge," by Miami Herald's David Smiley and Alex Daugherty: "At a weekend rally organized by Republicans outside Miami's Freedom Tower, a crowd unified by the false belief that the 2020 election was stolen from President Donald Trump gathered and waved Trump 2020 banners, American flags — and, in one case, a sign asking "Where's Marco?" CFO, YO — "Lauren Book considering statewide bid in 2022," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Democratic Sen. Lauren Book is considering a statewide run for office in 2022, with a likely landing spot being a race against Republican Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis."Senator Book clearly has a very bright future and is being approached by a number of leaders about seeking higher office," Steve Vancore, a longtime Book consultant, said in an interview. "At this critical time in our state, her focus is on her Senate duties, but nothing is off the table. DRIP, DROP — " Mysterious NPA candidate in South Florida Senate race under investigation," by Orlando Sentinel's Annie Martin: "The Miami-Dade State Attorney is probing the candidacy of a mysterious independent candidate in a South Florida Senate race decided by a razor-thin margin after media reports and public records showed he submitted false information on election documents and received the backing of groups linked to a GOP consultant." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The folks behind Retire Rubio 2020 appear to be in the holiday spirit. They are out with a new video asking Florida to fire "Little Marco the Elf." | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | SAD — "Apalachicola oyster harvesting halted," by News Service of Florida's Jim Turner: "State wildlife officials said Wednesday they hope a full five years won't be needed to restore conditions in Apalachicola Bay as they suspended wild-oyster harvesting in the bay. Members of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved the suspension as part of a $20 million restoration effort. The decision came despite pleas from officials in Panhandle communities to cut the time to three years to protect the local oyster brand and to carve out a western portion of the bay used by locals to gather oysters." RIP — "State worker who died after crash worked 85 stragith days. Now her union wants answers," by Tallahassee Democrat's James Call: "A state worker's death, coming after she worked 85 straight days, has sparked an emergency meeting set for Friday involving her employer, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD). AFSCME , the labor union that represents 46,000 state workers, asked for the meeting after the Dec. 6 death of Hawlen Ebanks, a senior residential unit specialist at the Sunland Center in Marianna." DOING GOOD — "3 Jacksonville-area nonprofits benefit from MacKenzie Scott's $4 billion in grant ," by Florida Times-Union's Beth Cravey: "Three Northeast Florida organizations are getting shares of the $4 billion windfall that philanthropist Mackenzie Scott, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' ex-wife, is doling out to 384 nonprofits across the country. The United Way of Northeast Florida is getting $20 million and Goodwill Industries of North Florida $10 million, the largest gifts in their respective histories. The YMCA of Florida's First Coast declined to disclose the amount of its grant." TO COURT — "Ex-top Venezuelan official, husband and mogul charged in new Miami laundering case," by Miami Herald's Jay Weaver: "A former Venezuelan national treasurer and her husband were indicted by a Miami federal grand jury Tuesday on charges of accepting millions in bribes from a billionaire businessman who paid them through U.S. bank accounts so he could make a fortune off the Venezuelan government's lucrative currency exchange system." | | ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "Florida's new python-sniffing dogs have 1st success," by Associated Press' Brendan Farrington: Truman, the python-sniffing black Labrador retriever, recently tracked down his first snake in a new program Florida is using to eradicate the invasive species. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recently began training. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jamie Weinstein, founding partner of JMW Strategies and host of the "Jamie Weinstein Show" podcast, and Michelle Fields, founding partner of JMW Strategies, on Sunday welcomed Theodore "Teddy" James Weinstein, who joins big brother Harry. Instapic BIRTHDAYS: USA Today's Politics/Now assistant Washington editor Sean Rossman
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