| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Good Wednesday morning. The daily rundown — Between Monday and Tuesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 9,411 (0.8 percent), to 1,143,794; active hospitalizations went up by 170 (3.4 percent), to 5,102; deaths rose by 79 (nearly 0.4 percent), to 20,082. Slow shuffle — Florida Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, appear to be grudgingly moving closer to accepting that Joe Biden will be America's next president. Recognition of reality — Attorney General Ashley Moody — who joined 16 other attorneys general in an unsuccessful effort to get the election results overturned in four battleground states — also sounds as if she is headed in that direction even as she tries to defend her actions to withering criticism. "I believe we will have a peaceful transition of power as we have had historically and the court process adds to that and I'm proud about that for our country," Moody told a small group of reporters following Tuesday's Cabinet meeting with DeSantis. Not a big deal? — When asked point blank about her decision to support the long-shot lawsuit from the state of Texas, Moody framed her decision several times as merely asking the U.S. Supreme Court to "take jurisdiction" of the case rather than acknowledging the sweeping remedy being proposed by the lawsuit. She said having the Supreme Court — which quickly threw out the Texas case — review the lawsuit "would bring trust and faith in our electoral process, not just for this election but for future elections… Obviously I'm disappointed they didn't [accept jurisdiction] but I respect the Supreme Court's decision." Moody said several times the legal effort was about whether or not elected officials — and not the Legislature — could alter procedures in federal elections. When it was pointed out that had also happened in Florida, Moody brushed aside the question. Internal decision — Several news stories have detailed how President Donald Trump tried to persuade top Republicans in several states to try to overturn the election results. But Moody, who is up for re-election in two years, also maintained that her decision to join with other states filing an amicus brief in support of Texas' effort was done without anyone from the president's campaign or outside elected officials urging her to do so. — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to be in Tallahassee for a meeting of the Board of Executive Clemency. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com | | | | TODAY - TALKING TRANSITION WITH SENATOR CASEY: From Janet Yellen to Antony Blinken to Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden is building his Cabinet. What can we infer from Biden's nominations so far? Which of his nominees will face the toughest confirmation obstacles in the Senate? Are progressives satisfied with his choices? Join POLITICO for our first Transition Playbook: Live edition featuring Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who will break it all down. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
|  | TRAIL MIX | | ACCEPTANCE COMING? — "DeSantis begins to acknowledge Biden win even if he has trouble saying it," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a top ally of President Donald Trump, all but acknowledged on Tuesday that Joe Biden won the presidential election even if he appeared to have difficulty saying it out loud. DeSantis' attempt to deflect answering a question about Biden's win came the same day that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell directly acknowledged Biden as president-elect a day after he officially won 306 electoral college votes. A meandering reply — When asked directly by reporters if he accepted a Biden win, DeSantis said, "It's not for me to do. But here's what I would say: Obviously we did our thing in Florida. The college voted. What's going to happen is going to happen." DeSantis added there was a "lot of frustration" for Trump supporters because he said the president's opponents did not accept Trump as president during the preceding four years. "I mean Hillary [Clinton] the last week of the election was saying [Russian President Vladimir] Putin stole it," DeSantis said. "And I just think that's left a lot of people really frustrated with how it's going to go. But we're going to do the job for Florida. We're going to push ahead. We'll work with whoever we need to be able to do right by the state of Florida." UP AHEAD, IT'S 2022 — "Three quarters of states will elect governors in the next two years. Here's a field guide," by POLITICO's Steven Shepard and Sabrina Rodriguez: If Trump's victory in Florida is any indication, Gov. Ron DeSantis — a Trump ally — is well positioned to win reelection. DeSantis will also be on the ballot with Sen. Marco Rubio — a popular Florida Republican — and other Republican incumbents for statewide positions. And while Democrats are still reeling from their losses in the state, the party could see a competitive primary given DeSantis' controversially less restrictive response to the pandemic and close ties to Trump. State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, has long been expected to run against DeSantis — and state Rep. Anna Eskamani and Reps. Stephanie Murphy and Val Demings are often mentioned as potential candidates, too. Former Rep. Gwen Graham, who ran in 2018 but fell short in the primary, is also considering the race. — "Florida judge clears way for Spanish-language ballot case," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam — " Ken Welch, not yet a candidate for St. Pete mayor, picks up two big endorsements," by Tampa Bay Times' William March | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | GO AWAY — "Mar-a-Lago neighbors to Trump: Spend your post-presidency elsewhere," by Washington Post's Manuel Roig-Franzia and Carol D. Leonnig: "Next-door neighbors of Mar-a-Lago, President Trump's private club in Palm Beach, Fla., that he has called his Winter White House, have a message for the outgoing commander in chief: We don't want you to be our neighbor. That message was formally delivered Tuesday morning in a demand letter delivered to the town of Palm Beach and also addressed to the U.S. Secret Service asserting that Trump lost his legal right to live at Mar-a-Lago because of an agreement he signed in the early 1990s when he converted the storied estate from his private residence to a private club." | 
FILE - In this Nov. 24, 2017 file photo shows President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. President Trump's Mar-a-Lago club will partially reopen to members this weekend as South Florida slowly reopens from the coronavirus lock down. An email sent Thursday, May 14, 2020 to members says the Palm Beach resort's Beach Club restaurant, its pool and its whirlpool will reopen Saturday after being closed two months, but its main building that includes hotel rooms, the main dining area and the president's private residence will remain closed. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) |
| | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | 'A BIT OF A BLACK BOX' — "A mysterious gap in COVID-19 deaths appeared in Florida before the presidential election," by Sun Sentinel's Cindy Krischer Goodman and David Fleshler: "An astonishing pattern has emerged in Florida's COVID death tally — one that suggests the state manipulated a backlog of unrecorded fatalities, presenting more favorable death counts in the days leading up to the 2020 presidential election. At issue is the state's handling of the lag between the date someone dies and the date Florida reports that death in the public count. With minor exceptions, Florida quit including long-backlogged deaths in its daily counts on Oct. 24, 10 days before the Nov. 3 election, and resumed consistently including them on Nov. 17, two weeks after the election. The result: The daily death numbers Floridians saw during that time were significantly lower than they otherwise would have been." THE TOLL — "The pandemic is hitting Florida families harder than those elsewhere. Food is scarce," by Miami Herald's Yadira Lopez: "Children in Florida are faring worse than the national average, according to a new report that examined the pandemic's impact on families in all 50 states. Housing stability in particular appears grim for Florida families with children. Nearly a quarter of households — 23% — indicated slight or no confidence they would make the next rent or mortgage payment on time, compared to 18% nationally. Florida families with children also fared worse in food security and healthcare, according to the KIDS COUNT report published by the Annie E. Casey Foundation Monday." HANDING IT OUT — "Hospitals across Florida to get next COVID vaccine batch," by News Service of Florida's Christine Sexton: "About 180 Florida hospitals across the state will have access to COVID-19 vaccines as of next week, Florida's emergency management chief said Tuesday. Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz said five hospitals that received delivery of a Pfizer vaccine Monday and Tuesday have reached agreements to share the vaccine with 25 neighboring facilities, usually their competitors. That means 30 Florida hospitals will have access to the Pfizer vaccine this week. Separately, more than another 150 facilities have been registered in a federal system for delivery of a yet-to-be-approved vaccine manufactured by Moderna. If approved Friday as expected, the Modern vaccine could be at the 150 hospitals next week." FINALLY — "'Here we finally are.' First healthcare workers in Miami-Dade receive COVID-19 vaccine," by Miami Herald's Ben Conarck: "Less than half a year removed from weathering one of the most drastic COVID-19 surges in the country, front-line healthcare workers at Miami's public hospital system rolled up the sleeves of their scrubs on Tuesday and welcomed their first doses of a vaccine shown to be capable of keeping the novel coronavirus at bay. The conference room inside Jackson Memorial Hospital, one of the most active South Florida hospitals during the pandemic, erupted in applause after Grace Meatley, a nurse in the intensive care unit, received Jackson's first dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine, which arrived at the health system Tuesday morning." MY WAY — "DeSantis amps up threat to beat back Covid-19 fines on restaurants," by POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian: Gov. Ron DeSantis went on the offensive Tuesday, declaring he would fight any locality that levies coronavirus-related fines or restrictions on businesses. Food for thought: Speaking from a West Palm Beach steakhouse, DeSantis told reporters that restaurants had been unfairly singled out as places where the coronavirus can easily spread. "You're damn right I'm hobbling them from doing that," DeSantis said, referring to local governments that have sought to fine restaurants. "If they want to shut down businesses, I'm going to stand in the way." Contract tracing data collected since the pandemic began show the number of Covid-19 infections tied to restaurants is low. "The vast majority of infections are occurring in people's homes; closing a restaurant will lead people to doing that in private homes anyway," DeSantis said. RESPONSE — "FDLE Commissioner defends actions during Rebekah Jones raid," by WFLX: "Florida's state police commissioner pushed back against allegations Tuesday that his officers acted inappropriately at the home of a former state data analyst during the execution of a search warrant. Rebekah Jones has said officers acted inappropriately when entering her Tallahassee home Dec. 7 with guns drawn. She likened them to Gestapo, which Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen found particularly offensive. 'The Gestapo dragged innocent men, women, and children out of their homes and murdered them,' Swearingen said. 'To compare agents lawfully executing a search warrant to the Gestapo is just ridiculous.'" — "Florida congressional Democrats call for probe into Rebekah Jones case," by Florida Politics' Scott Powers — "Florida's 'Grim Reaper' lashes out at DeSantis attempt to sanction him over COVID-19 lawsuit," by Orlando Sentinel's Steven Lemongello — "'My son is fighting for his life': Doctors, mayors plead with Gov. DeSantis for mask mandate," by Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski — "Coronavirus vaccine: More Tampa Bay hospitals to start giving shots," by Tampa Bay Times' Megan Reeves — "Yes, snowbirds will be able to get a COVID-19 vaccine in Florida," by Sun Sentinel's Lois K. Solomon — "Can a $100,000 robot help fight COVID? The Key West airport now has one to zap the germs," by FLKeysNews.com's Gwen Filosa | | | | JOIN THURSDAY - 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 ... | | YET ANOTHER PLUM POSITION FOR PETE — "DeSantis chooses Broward elections supervisor to lead powerful Florida judges," by Tampa Bay Times' Lawrence Mower: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday chose outgoing Broward elections supervisor and well-connected Tallahassee lawyer Pete Antonacci to lead an obscure but powerful group of state judges. Passing over candidates who emphasized judicial independence for the state's administrative law judges, DeSantis and the two Republican members of the state Cabinet, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, chose Antonacci with no debate. 'I think it's really important to have somebody there who's going to run it in a really effective way,' DeSantis said." STILL DROPPING — "Florida cuts debt by $1.4B as pandemic concerns remain," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Total debt carried by the state of Florida dropped by $1.4 billion last fiscal year, continuing a near decade-long streak of the state decreasing its debt load. Over the past nine years, Florida has cut its debt by $9 billion, or 32 percent, according to a state debt report compiled by the Florida Division of Bond Finance. "The state is well positioned with significant debt capacity available to fund critical infrastructure needs," the report states. "However, available debt capacity and the ration are sensitive to revenue declines from economic weakness such as those precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic." — "Florida House targets Chinese interference in higher education," by News Service of Florida | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | AFTERMATH — "A Fort Lauderdale cop nearly shot her eye out. 6 months later, no apology, minimal reform," by Miami Herald's Sarah Blaskey: "[LaToya] Ratlieff, a 35-year-old woman from Delray Beach, survived — but her life was shattered. Side effects from the rubber bullet's impact include debilitating migraines, difficulty remembering words and a strange flashing in her right eye that doctors still cannot explain. They still don't know if she has permanent brain damage. In a series of interviews with the Herald over the past six months, Ratlieff described the mental toll of her drawn-out fight for justice and police reform. She has never received an official apology from police or the city. 'I don't know if I'm depressed. I don't know if I'm exhausted. I don't feel like myself anymore,' Ratlieff said. 'It feels really difficult.'" WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? — " Florida dropped its probe of a troubled group home. Then a man died at its sister facility," by Miami Herald's Carol Marbin Miller, Ben Conarck and Daniel Chang: "State disability administrators were so concerned for the safety of residents at an Orange County group home that they filed a complaint in March, alleging the home's staff improperly restrained a resident, and then it lied about what happened. The resident at the center of the complaint could hardly have been more high-profile: In 2016, video of a North Miami police sniper shooting at the man, Arnaldo Rios-Soto, was broadcast around the world. Rios-Soto's caregiver was shot in the leg as he raised his hands in surrender. State disability administrators took uncharacteristically strong action in the more recent case. They asked a judge to shut down the Beechdale Group Home, owned by a chain called Crystal Lakes Supportive Environments. But without explanation, the Agency for Persons with Disabilities withdrew the complaint against Beechdale on Nov. 20. The home, and its owner, suffered no discipline." | | MEDIA MATTERS | | COMING TO YOUR INBOX — Author and former Tampa Bay Times reporter Ben Montgomery is joining Axios, where he will helm the new Axios Tampa Bay newsletter that will launch on Jan. 25. Montgomery spent more than a decade working for the Times and the Tampa Tribune and has written four books, including "A Shot in the Moonlight" which comes out early next year. | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "Florida's Johnson speaking, calling teammates via Facetime," by Associated Press' Mark Long: "Florida forward Keyontae Johnson is speaking with family members and doctors and was even able to FaceTime his teammates Tuesday, his parents said in a statement released by the school. Nika and Marrecus Johnson added that they 'feel so much love and support from everyone.' 'We're beyond grateful for the care and attention that Keyontae has received throughout these past several days,' they said. Johnson remains in stable condition at UF Health. He collapsed on the court during a game at Florida State on Saturday. He was moved to Gainesville via helicopter Monday with his mother by his side. BIRTHDAYS: Former State Rep. Holly Raschein
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