| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Presented by the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs | Hello and welcome to Wednesday. The daily rundown — Between Monday and Tuesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 6,297 (0.3 percent), to 1,837,285; active hospitalizations went down by 31 (0.6 percent), to 4,645; deaths rose by 220 (nearly 0.8 percent), to 29,154; The amount of Floridians vaccinated with at least one dose is 2,430,637. Everything is fine — In the aftermath of a 2020 election that went smoothly in the Sunshine State, top Florida Republicans, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, took a victory lap. And legislative leaders downplayed the need to embrace any major changes. New direction — So what happened to make them revisit state election laws? Good question. And one that Sen. Dennis Baxley, the chairman of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee, had a bit of trouble explaining on Tuesday after his committee pushed through a bill on a 5-4 party line vote to force millions of voters to resubmit requests for a mail-in ballot for the 2022 elections. Things were working well but — Baxley told POLITICO late last year that there was no need to "overreact" and make significant changes to Florida election law. But now Baxley — contending that many voters probably turned to mail-in balloting during the pandemic as a one-time decision — is sponsoring the bill to cancel existing mail-in ballot requests and cut down how long future requests can last. It's a mystery — When asked point-blank where the idea for the bill came from, and whether it was suggested by either party operatives or political consultants, Baxley mentioned the legislation was drawn up with legislative staff and there was no "single source" that prompted the bill. When pressed for more information, he said he had to leave. Reaction — It's important to remember that expanding excuse-free mail-in balloting in Florida was something Republicans helped and encouraged over the past two decades. So Democrats view this new bill as a partisan response to what happened last year when their own party overcame years of GOP advantages in mail-in balloting. Local election supervisors of both parties, meanwhile, predict the legislation is costly and could create confusion. What's next? — And there are now rumblings that Baxley's bill — which also codifies a 2020 election change put in place by a DeSantis executive order to increase the time period for when mail-in ballots can be counted (your regular reminder that yes it happened here too) — could be the vehicle for additional election law changes. So much for the celebration of a job well done. — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is holding a vaccine-related press conference in Lakewood Ranch. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com | | | | A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs: PBMs work with Florida's employers and the Medicaid program to keep health care more affordable for millions of Floridians and are poised to save consumers and the State $70 billion over the next 10 years. Today, as Florida faces a global pandemic and multibillion budget shortfall, now is the time for legislators to maintain, not limit, the PBM tools that employers and consumers rely on to manage costs and ensure access to medicines. Learn more. | | |
|  | TRAIL MIX | | BECAUSE WE CAN — "Voting by mail in Florida was a success, so why do legislators want to make it harder?" by Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas: "Bypassing the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' question, Florida Senate Republicans agreed Tuesday that Florida's vote-by-mail process worked smoothly in the last election cycle but still needed a change. They want to erase all standing requests for mail-in ballots in 2022 and require voters to start over. 'It's not that big of a change. Some people are nervous about change,' said Sen. Dennis Baxley, a Republican from Ocala who sponsored the bill. 'Why not try this? It may invigorate participation.'" GRUTERS AND 'ELECTION INTEGRITY' — While Senate Republicans consider restricting the state's vote-by-mail process, Republican Party of Florida Chairman and state Sen. Joe Gruters has been tapped by the Republican National Committee to head an "election integrity" committee. "Florida is the gold standard of election integrity," said Gruters in a statement. "We want to make sure that every legal vote counts and make it as easy to possible to vote and as hard as possible to cheat." SEEN YOUR VIDEO — "Nikki Fried unveils campaign-style video targeting Gov. DeSantis," by Sun Sentinel's Skyler Swisher: "In the video posted on Twitter , [Nikki] Fried accuses [Gov. Ron] DeSantis of 'lashing out at everyone else as if he were the victim' and giving 'blind allegiance to an insurrectionist.' 'Let me say this to all Floridians,' Fried says over the soft backdrop of piano music. 'You are loved. We feel your hurt. Florida can and will do better. As the Biden administration puts science first, and we turn the corner on this pandemic, I promise I will continue to fight for you and hold the governor accountable.'" Rebuttal — "'Nikki Fried is desperate to be coronated as the Democrat nominee for governor, but instead of making her intentions clear, she's hiding behind a veiled announcement video filled with politically motivated lies,' Joanna Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the Republican Governors Association, said in a prepared statement. The Republican Party of Florida sent out a fundraising email, seeking to collect '$500,000 in the next 24 hours to END her gubernatorial campaign before it even takes off.'" Just a thought — While Republicans quickly responded to Fried's video, well-known GOP and strategist pollster Tony Fabrizio had his own analysis: "My guess is @nikkifried doesn't have a hard name ID above 40% statewide, but responses like this will definitely raise her profile quickly," he said on Twitter. | 
Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried speaks during a meeting of the Florida cabinet Tuesday June 4, 2019, in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon) | AP Photo/Steve Cannon | SQUEEZE PLAY? — "The battle over redistricting — and control of Congress — will be fought in central Florida," by Orlando Sentinel's Steven Lemongello, Gray Rohrer and Adelaide Chen: "But the area is also heavily Democratic, with Orange County voters going heavily for President Biden and Seminole County swinging Democratic in a presidential election for the first time in decades. And the other two Democratic seats besides Murphy's, U.S. Rep. Val Demings' in western Orange County and U.S. Rep. Darren Soto's in Orange, Osceola and Polk counties, have large numbers of minority voters protected from being diluted under the Voting Rights Act. 'For the Republicans, their dilemma is they have to deal with Orange in one way or another,' said Matt Isbell, an election analyst who runs the MCI Maps website. 'It might be easier for them to just go ahead and consolidate [the three Democratic-held seats].'" | | | | GET TRANSITION PLAYBOOK TO 100K: In three months, our scoop-filled Transition Playbook newsletter has grown from zero to more than 90,000 subscribers. Find out what's really happening inside the West Wing, who really has the ear of the president, and what's about to happen, before it occurs. Transition Playbook chronicles the people, policies, and emerging power centers of the Biden administration. Don't miss out, subscribe today. And once you do, we'd be grateful if you could spread the word to your friends and colleagues, or, even better, post about Transition Playbook on Facebook or Twitter using this link: politico.com/newsletters/transition-playbook | | | | |
| | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | WAIT, WHAT? — "More COVID vaccine coming to Manatee. Only residents of these two zip codes can get it," by Bradenton Herald's Ryan Callihan and Jessica De Leon : "Residents of Lakewood Ranch and other well-off neighborhoods in East Manatee will have special access to COVID-19 vaccines, after Gov. Ron DeSantis reached out to Lakewood Ranch's developer and offered to set up an exclusive vaccination site, according to Manatee County Commissioner Vanessa Baugh. Baugh confirmed that health workers at the Premier Sports Campus site in Lakewood Ranch are scheduled to inoculate 1,000 residents a day from Wednesday to Friday. "We'll have 3,000 more residents receiving the vaccine," Baugh said. "I think this is a positive all around." AND THERE'S MORE — "Vaccine clinics in Lakewood Ranch and Charlotte draw complaints of political favoritism," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Zac Anderson: "Meanwhile, the Charlotte County pop-up clinic was held over three days last week in Kings Gate, a gated Benderson Development community where Pat Neal builds homes. Both Benderson and Neal are politically-connected developers. Neal, a former state senator who has long been active in GOP politics, said in a press release that he was asked by DeSantis to help coordinate the vaccination effort." MORE THAN 200,000 DOSES SLOWED DOWN — " Storm delays Florida COVID-19 delivery," by News Service of Florida's Christine Sexton: "A shipment to Florida of more than 200,000 doses of Moderna vaccine has been delayed due to a storm that has battered parts of the country, and the state's top emergency management official doesn't know when the coveted COVID-19 vaccine is expected to arrive. 'This delay could go on for several more days, we don't have an answer on when it's going to arrive,' Division of Emergency Management Director Jarod Moskowitz told The News Service of Florida on Tuesday afternoon." — "Aargh! Tampa delays Gasparilla pirate festival until 2022," by Associated Press' Curt Anderson | | | |   | | |
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | ROUGH WATERS? — "GOP legislators question DeSantis $1B climate resiliency proposal," by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie: Three Republican members of a House subcommittee grilled a Department of Environmental Protection official on Tuesday, raising concerns about the price tag on the governor's proposed $1 billion coastal resiliency program. The details — Alex Reed, director of DEP's Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, said the program will provide grants for projects that include wastewater treatment and stormwater management, water supply, ports and transportation infrastructure. She told lawmakers on the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee that Gov. Ron DeSantis' 2021-22 state budget request provides $25 million for an interest payment on $165 million in bonding authority in the coming year. The response — But state Rep. Chuck Clemons (R-Newberry) asked when the Legislature had provided authority to borrow $1 billion for the program. Rep. Josie Tomkow (R-Polk City), the subcommittee chair, responded that the Legislature would have to approve the bonding this year and in subsequent years. And Rep. Lawrence McClure (R-Dover) asked whether the Legislature could back out if the state faces unforeseen costs in the coming years as it has in recent years. BIG MONEY — "Economists: Online sales tax collection bill worth $1.3B," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: A proposal to require more online retailers to collect sales tax could generate $1.3 billion in new revenue for Florida, according to forecasts from state economists. Legislative attempts in the past few years to require out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes, a proposal supported by Florida's powerful business lobby, have failed. But this year lawmakers are scrambling to fill a pandemic-fueled $2.7 billion budget gap, renewing bipartisan momentum on the issue. UNSOCIAL MEDIA — " Rep. Scott Plakon files bill targeting Twitter over child porn case," by Orlando Sentinel's Gray Rohrer: "State Rep. Scott Plakon filed a bill Tuesday seeking to punish social media platforms that don't act swiftly enough to remove child pornography from their websites, in a case involving a Florida teenager who had a video of a sex act involving him and another person posted to Twitter against his will. 'For far too long social media has been used by predators to harm children,' Plakon, R-Longwood, said in a prepared statement. "If online platforms like Twitter refuse to stop these crimes on their own, we will empower parents to hold them accountable." — "Restaurant to go alcohol sales could become permanent," by The Associated Press — "Activists protest Jeff Brandes' proposal to limit $15 minimum wage with 'training pay,'" by Bay News 9's Mitch Perry — "Florida bill would add gender, gender ID to hate crime law," by The Associated Press' Brendan Farrington | | DATELINE D.C. | | RUBIO TOUTS RECORD — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio — as he heads toward his 2022 re-election campaign — is touting his recent record when Republicans were in charge and he had a significant legislative role in several areas. He is releasing a slick 26-page report on Wednesday called "Fight for Florida: Mid-Term Update" that highlights his work on nearly 20 laws and how he won a constituent service award. A recent analysis by GovTrack also gave him high marks for his recent work. One of the major items Rubio worked on during 2020 was the Paycheck Protection Program. In a statement about his office's new report, Rubio said "No law will ever bring back those whom we've lost, but we can — and we must — begin the process of rebuilding our economy, reopening our communities, repairing the damage caused by the coronavirus, and restoring our national unity and civic pride." | | | | TUNE IN TO 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 and start listening today. | | | | |
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | RIP IT UP — "Built while he was president, the helipad at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago gets demolished," by Palm Beach Daily News' Jodie Wagner: "Nearly a month after former President Donald Trump left office and moved to Palm Beach, the helipad at his Mar-a-Lago Club was demolished Tuesday. Built four years ago on the club's west lawn, the concrete slab measuring 50 feet long and 8 inches deep allowed the then-president to fly on Marine One to and from Palm Beach International Airport to Mar-a-Lago without causing traffic jams along Southern Boulevard. But during many of his visits, the president often opted to drive to his private club along a route where fans and foes would gather to greet him." 'A SERIOUS MATTER' — "Judge keeps Clay County man jailed over charges from U.S. Capitol riot," by Florida Times-Union's Steve Patterson: "An Orange Park man arrested last week over his part in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol will stay in jail until he faces a judge in Washington, a Jacksonville judge said Tuesday. 'I have to take into consideration the nature and circumstances of the offense,' U.S. Magistrate Monte C. Richardson said before ordering Adam Avery Honeycutt, 39, held without bail. Honeycutt, a bail bondsman, is the first of four people brought recently to Jacksonville's federal court on charges from the riot who was not released after an initial hearing." | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | 'SUBSTANTIAL COMPLIANCE' — "More than a decade after shootings of Black suspects, feds end oversight of Miami police," by Miami Herald's Charles Rabin and Joey Flechas: "More than a decade after a string of deadly police shootings of Black suspects, the U.S. Department of Justice has formally ended its monitoring of the city of Miami Police Department. The decision to end a settlement agreement over excessive use of force stemming from the shootings comes two years after the DOJ's hand-picked monitor had pronounced the city's police force in compliance. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said the decision, relayed in a DOJ memo to Miami police, underlined progress in reforming the police force, which he says is stressing cooperation with the community over antagonism." MERCADO HEADS TO COURT — "'Shockingly exorbitant': Advisors to ex-Orange appraiser Rick Singh sued over severance deals," by Orlando Sentinel's Stephen Hudak: "Three former high-ranking advisors to Rick Singh got 'golden parachute' deals from the ousted Orange County property appraiser before he left office that could net them a combined $318,000 from taxpayers, according to a lawsuit filed Monday by Singh's successor, Amy Mercado. Singh signed the special agreements, which Mercado's suit seeks to invalidate, on Sept. 30, about six weeks after he was trounced by Mercado in the Democratic primary. Reached by phone Tuesday, Singh declined to comment on the lawsuit." — " Broward sheriff has no criminal record — that he can recall," by Sun Sentinel's Rafael Olmeda — "A month after child, 6, shot dead at party, Miami-Dade mayor vows to curtail gun violence," by Miami Herald's Charles Rabin — " Former judge Alan Apte won't face charges in molestation probe, state attorney says," by Orlando Sentinel's Monivette Cordeiro | | MEDIA MATTERS | | NEW OWNERS FOR SENTINEL AND SUN-SENTINEL — "Hedge fund Alden to buy Tribune Publishing in deal valued at $630 million," by Chicago Tribune's Robert Channick : "Tribune Publishing, publisher of the Chicago Tribune and other major newspapers, has agreed to be acquired by Alden Global Capital in a deal valued at $630 million. Announced Tuesday after the stock market closed, the deal would create one of the largest newspaper operators in the United States. It follows weeks of negotiations between a special committee of Tribune Publishing's board and Alden, a hedge fund with a history of deep cost-cutting at its other newspaper properties." | | | | A message from the Coalition for Affordable Prescription Drugs: Employers in Florida provide prescription drug coverage for nearly 8.5 million Floridians. In order to help keep care more affordable, employers work with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who deploy a variety of tools to reduce prescription drug costs and help improve health outcomes. PBMs also work with the Florida Medicaid program in the same way to help control costs. In fact, PBMs are poised to save consumers and the State $70 billion over the next ten years. Today, as Florida faces a global pandemic and a multibillion budget shortfall, now is the time for legislators to maintain, not limit, the tools that employers, consumers and the State are relying on to manage costs and ensure consumers can access the medicines they need. Learn more. | | |
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "Miami lawyer whose pants caught fire during arson trial arrested on cocaine charge," by Miami Herald's David Ovalle: "The Miami lawyer who drew worldwide notoriety after his pants caught on fire during an arson trial has been arrested on a cocaine charge. Stephen Gutierrez, 32, whose law license is currently revoked, was pulled over Monday night near Westchester and arrested on a felony cocaine charge. According to a Miami-Dade police report, he was pulled over for driving without a working headlight. An officer saw a bulge in his pocket and believed it was a knife; it turned out to be a metal cylinder with a white powder inside. 'Gutierrez spontaneously blurted out 'That's cocaine,' according to the arrest report." BIRTHDAYS: Kristin Roberts, VP of News for McClatchy
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