| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Good Wednesday morning. The daily rundown — Between Monday and Tuesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 10,533 (0.6 percent), to 1,737,640; active hospitalizations went down by 121 (nearly 2 percent), to 6,022; deaths rose by 137 (0.5 percent), to 26,822. Going on the offense — Gov. Ron DeSantis, flanked by top leaders in the Florida Legislature, had one of his longest press conferences on Tuesday (10 minutes longer than the one where he released a $96 billion budget) where he railed against Big Tech (and the "corporate media") and announced his support for legislation that would have ramifications on everything from data privacy to elections. Along the way, DeSantis talked about Twitter's decision to suspend Donald Trump, the way stories about Hunter Biden were handled, and how Parler was kicked offline. Worth noting — It's worth noting that there's already a question about how far this legislative proposal will go (there is a wide gap right now between what the House and Senate are actually considering) and whether some of it is even constitutional. It's also interesting to point out that DeSantis was less enthusiastic about proposals to have Florida divest the nearly $8 billion in stocks it holds in major tech companies such as Amazon, Apple and Google. No reply at all — But here's what DeSantis did not want to discuss: The comments and false tweets made by Trump that the election was stolen — the things that preceded Trump's suspension from Twitter — and whether the former president bears any responsibility for the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. When directly asked about this, DeSantis pivoted and started talking about everyone who talked about Russian collusion and interference following the 2016 election and how they were "amplified" on social media. When it was pointed out that he didn't answer the question, he was already walking away and headed to the exit. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com | | | | TUNE IN TO NEW EPISODE OF GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS: Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded over the past year amid a global pandemic. This podcast helps to identify and understand the impediments to smart policymaking. Subscribe for Season Two, available now. | | | | |
|  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | UNSOCIAL MEDIA — "Gov. DeSantis says 'big tech' looks like 'big brother,'" by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's John Kennedy: "Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican leaders in the Legislature declared war Tuesday on Facebook, Twitter and other social media companies which de-platformed former President Trump and other conservatives accused of inciting violence. Condemning the 'oligarchs in Silicon Valley,' DeSantis said these privately owned online giants are using their size, advertising power and global reach to influence thought and are essentially playing favorites – being much tougher on those on the political right than left." INQUIRY — "Florida CFO announces probe into court clerks' ties to collection agency snared in bribery case," by Orlando Sentinel's Stephen Hudak: Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced this week his plan to quiz Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell and other county clerks who had business dealings with Penn Credit, a debt collection agency entangled in a federal bribery case. 'The purpose of the review is to determine to what extent Clerk of Court operations would be disrupted if Penn Credit's license to operate as a consumer credit agency is revoked,' Patronis spokeswoman Audrey Walden said in an email Tuesday. A DIFFERENT POV NOW — " Facing shortfall, fiscal hawk DeSantis reaches for a federal largesse," by Orlando Sentinel's Gray Rohrer: "When Ron DeSantis was in Congress he abhorred federal spending so much he voted against an aid package to help the New York City region rebound from Hurricane Sandy. Now, as he faces a $2 billion COVID-19 shortfall as governor, he's taking as much federal spending he can get…DeSantis said the unprecedented nature of the pandemic led to his change of heart on federal spending. 'To compare peacetime expansion with this crisis situation — we've done a lot of things that if we didn't have this going on it probably wouldn't have passed muster, so it's just a different situation,' he told reporters Thursday when releasing his spending plan." CAUTIOUS — "Senate budget to be more 'conservative' than DeSantis plan," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Senate budget chief Kelli Stargel signaled on Tuesday that her chamber will build a 2020-21 budget smaller than the $96 billion spending plan laid out by Gov. Ron DeSantis last week. The DeSantis administration has generally taken a rosier view of the budget than the Legislature. During a revenue estimating conference in December, administration economists clashed with legislative economists over how much general revenue the state would have headed into the next fiscal year, with the governor's team pushing for a higher revenue estimate. "We would expect we are going to have a conservative budget," Stargel said when asked after a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting if the Senate's budget would be smaller than the DeSantis plan." — "Bill aims to curb Florida's data-driven policing programs," by Tampa Bay Times' Kathleen McGrory | | TRAIL MIX | | 'KEEPING THE DOOR OPEN' — Rep. Val Demings, the Orlando Democrat and former police chief who was on President Joe Biden's short list for vice president, said she might be willing to run for U.S. Senate or governor in 2022. During a Washington Post Live event Demings said that "I want to be where I can do the greatest work on behalf of the people that I represent. If that keeps me in the House of Representatives, I'm there. If that takes me to another elected position, or at least the run, then I'm there. We'll have to see what happens." When pressed about her plans, Demings added that "I am keeping the door open." Demings rose to national prominence as one of the House impeachment managers during President Donald Trump's first impeachment. POLITICO reported last week that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Biden's political operation are trying to recruit Demings to challenge Marco Rubio. | 
Rep. Val Demings questions a Trump administration official during a public impeachment hearing of President Donald Trump in November 2019. | AP Photo/Andrew Harnik | MAGIC 8-BALL SAYS… — "Will Florida Republicans face corporate blowback from election conspiracies?" by Tampa Bay Times' Steve Contorno: "After the deadly riot in the U.S. Capitol, AT&T was one of the first companies to pause future campaign contributions to members of Congress who voted against certifying Joe Biden's electoral victory. The telecom giant took a different approach with Gov. Ron DeSantis. Weeks after the Florida Republican urged millions of Fox News viewers to pressure their lawmakers to change the election results in states Donald Trump lost, AT&T sent DeSantis' political committee $30,000. General Motors went a step further than AT&T. It paused all political donations after the violent insurrection. In explaining the move, the automaker assured the public that it, prior to the attack, had already 'enhanced the character and public integrity criteria for making contributions' in 2020. Those standards, however, didn't prevent General Motors from sending $15,000 to the Republican Party of Florida days after its chairman, state Sen. Joe Gruters, amplified calls to interfere with the election by tweeting '#StoptheSteal.'" REINSTATED — Florida Democratic Party employees were told Tuesday night that their health insurance policies were getting reinstated at midnight and that all claims will be honored retroactively to Dec. 1, 2020. And in an evening blast that went out to Democratic "party leaders," FDP new chair Manny Diaz acknowledged that the "the financial condition of our party is poor. When I took over just three weeks ago, I could not have imagined the extent of debt and operational dysfunction that that existed in our party structure. In those weeks, I am committed my time to getting a firm and complete grasp of the situation, lowering our overhead and putting in place policies and procedures that will help us avoid getting to this place ever again." Diaz said his number one priority has been securing the money needed to reinstate health insurance coverage. It was only publicly revealed earlier this week that the coverage had lapsed and that many current and former employees were unaware of it until January. — " 'Not on my radar': Congressman Al Lawson deflates Florida gubernatorial trial balloon," by Tallahassee Democrat's James Call — "Rick Scott puts Donald Trump stamp on U.S. Senate campaign arm," by Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski | | | | JOIN THURSDAY - BUILDING PUBLIC TRUST AROUND THE VACCINE: How do we overcome the trust gap around the Covid-19 vaccines? How do we craft and deliver messages to break through fear and misinformation, especially in diverse and underserved communities that are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus? Join for a conversation with policymakers and public health experts about the urgent need to soothe fears and get Americans vaccinated. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | EXPANDING — "Walmart to give COVID-19 vaccines at Florida pharmacies under Biden retail distribution plan," by Orlando Sentinel's Jeff Weiner, Austin Fuller and Martin E. Comas: "The Biden administration next week will begin shipping COVID-19 vaccine doses directly to well-known retailers across the country, in a broad partnership the White House billed Tuesday as a crucial expansion of the nation's vaccination effort. Walmart and Sam's Club pharmacies will be administering vaccines through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program at pharmacies in 22 states, including Florida, Walmart U.S. vice president of health and wellness operations Amanda Jenkins wrote on the company's website." DEAR GOVERNOR, IT'S NOT WORKING — " Send more vaccines to hospitals rather than entities like Publix, Lee Health's elected board says in letter to Gov. DeSantis," by Fort Myers News-Press' Frank Gluck: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' COVID-19 vaccine distribution policies that shifted doses away from hospitals to other entities including Publix are putting health care workers at risk, Lee Health's elected Board of Directors wrote in a letter Monday. Only about half the hospital system's employees have been vaccinated. Lee Health and 26 other hospitals received new doses Monday, but not for health care workers. This 'serious public health concern' has created a 'significant vulnerability' in the hospital system's ability to treat and prevent the spread of the virus, the 10-member board said in a letter Monday to DeSantis and state public health leaders." TROUBLING — "The 'UK variant' of the COVID virus is making gains in Florida, now up to 5% of cases," by Miami Herald's Ben Conarck: "The more infectious spin-off of the COVID virus known as the U.K. variant is gaining a foothold in Florida, where it accounts for about 5% of cases, according to an estimate by the commercial lab that has analyzed the bulk of the cases of the mutated virus in the state. That's up from about 1% of cases in Florida a month ago, according to estimates by Helix, a California-based genomics and diagnostics company that runs about 25,000 COVID tests a week pulled from more than 90% of the state's ZIP codes." — " Publix to offer coronavirus vaccines at Pinellas, Pasco stores," by Tampa Bay Times' Sara DiNatale — "Congresswoman appeals to VA after vets seeking COVID-19 vaccine are turned away," by Sun Sentinel's Susannah Bryan — " Teachers, school workers over 65 could get priority on vaccines," by Palm Beach Post's Jane Musgrave | | DATELINE D.C. | | ADJUSTMENTS — "No TV show. A salary she vowed to donate. Miami's Salazar adjusts to life in Congress," by Miami Herald's David Smiley, Alex Daugherty and Bianca Padro Ocasio: "After a 30-year TV career that most recently included hosting a weekly Spanish-language talk show sponsored by a Miami-based health provider, ethics rules have forced newly elected Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar to sign off. Salazar, a Miami Republican, announced in the final airing last month of 'De Noche Con María Elvira Salazar' — or, 'At Night with María Elvira Salazar' — that she could no longer host the Sunday night America TeVe program paid for by Cano Health. Addressing her viewers, Salazar explained that rules regulating members of the U.S. House of Representatives barred her from continuing the show." Secrets — "Asked Monday during a 40-minute interview, alongside her attorney, how she'll make a living as a member of Congress, Salazar responded: 'That's a very good question. I am soon to be married to a gentleman who is happy to support my efforts to be a congresswoman.' Salazar declined to name her fiancé. 'We have been together for 10 years and I want to keep it this way. He's not the one who decided to be in public office or on public television. That was me,' she said." — " Sen. Scott for 2022 Winter Olympics to be taken away from China," by Orlando Sentinel's Steven Lemongello | | THE GUNSHINE STATE | | 'NOTHING TO GAIN BY LYING' — "'She's demeaning my son's memory': Linda Beigel Schulman, mother of Parkland victim after private conversation with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene," by CBS Miami: "Linda Beigel Schulman, whose son Scott Beigel was killed ushering students to safety in the Parkland school shooting in 2018, says she had a private conversation with controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene after learning Greene called the shooting a 'false flag' operation prior to her election to Congress. Schulman said she spoke with Green on Saturday. She says Greene told her she doesn't believe major school shootings were staged but refuses to say so in public. Schulman says Greene's dishonesty is disrespectful." WAIT, THERE'S MORE — "Marjorie Taylor Greene mocked Parkland survivor in unearthed video: An 'idiot' who's trained 'like a dog,'" by NBC News' Dareh Gregorian and Randi Richardson: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., mocked a Parkland shooting survivor as an "idiot" who "only talks when he is scripted" in a 2019 interview with a Georgia gun group, according to a previously unreported video obtained by NBC News. 'He is very trained. He's like a dog. He's completely trained,' Greene said of the survivor, David Hogg, now 20, in an interview with Georgia Gun Owners, Inc. in April 2019, less than two years before she was elected to Congress." | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY — "Deadly day for FBI: Volley of bullets met agents investigating child porn in South Florida," by Sun Sentinel's Rafael Olmeda, Lisa J. Huriash, Mario Ariza, Eileen Kelley and Austen Erblat: "The two FBI agents who lost their lives in a predawn confrontation in Sunrise on Tuesday morning specialized in taking down grown men who exploited children for pornography. But this time, the target of their investigation saw them coming, watching them through a doorbell camera and ambushing them by opening fire, sources say. Five FBI agents were hit, some multiple times. Two did not survive." Tragedy — "It was the deadliest day for the FBI since 9/11, and the first time two agents were gunned down in the line of duty in more than 30 years…Those killed were Daniel Alfin and Laura Schwartzenberger, FBI special agents well-versed in child-pornography investigations. Three other agents were injured. The suspect hid in his apartment. Less than three hours later, he was found dead, too." UNCERTAIN SITUATION — "' On the verge of explosion': Violence, constitutional crisis push Haiti to the brink," by Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles: "Haiti is once again engulfed in uncertainty as a brewing constitutional crisis plunges the country into unrest and President Jovenel Moïse fights off demands to step down by the week's end. Schools were shuttered and businesses and markets remained closed Tuesday as unions frustrated over an alarming rise in kidnappings and other crimes by armed gangs staged a two-day strike. Meanwhile, the embattled president's opponents are vowing to continue taking to the streets unless he steps down Sunday, the day they argue his term legally ends." | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | STICKING AROUND — "Trump gets an important backer in his bid to live at Mar-a-Lago," by Washington Post's Manuel Roig-Franzia: "Some of the neighbors don't want him around. But former president Donald Trump just found a big ally in his quest to call his Florida club, Mar-a-Lago, home during his post-presidency. According to a memorandum obtained by The Washington Post, an attorney for the town of Palm Beach is recommending that the town's council allow Trump to live at the club, even though he signed an agreement in the early 1990s changing the property from a residence to a private club. If the council follows the town attorney's advice, it would be a blow to a loosely affiliated group of neighbors, preservationists and attorneys who have argued that Trump is prohibited from living at the iconic, nearly century-old estate that he had referred to as his 'winter White House.'" | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "How Tampa strip clubs are preparing for a pandemic Super Bowl," by Tampa Bay Times' Gabrielle Calise: "But even with four decades in the adult entertainment business and eight Super Bowls under his belt, [Warren] Colazzo admitted this year comes with new challenges. He plans to beef up security both inside and outside his club. It's not because he anticipates fights. 'The extra security is just to make a lot of these people from out of town understand how important it is that they wear a mask. You know, follow the guidelines,' he said. 'If they're not following the rules outside, they're not coming inside.'" BIRTHDAYS: Former state Sen. Arthenia Joyner … Tom Gallagher, former Florida chief financial officer and insurance commissioner
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