| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Good Friday morning. The daily rundown — Between Wednesday and Thursday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 7,711 (0.4 percent), to 1,752,330; active hospitalizations went down by 217 (3.7 percent) to 5,607; deaths rose by 228 (0.8 percent) to 27,247. Still up in air — Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has taken the first few steps to launching a run for governor, but she insisted this week that she still hasn't made a final decision on what's next in her political career. Growing field — Fried isn't the only Democrat actively weighing a challenge to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Despite DeSantis' positive job approval ratings — and hefty campaign war chest — several Democrats are considering a run against him: Fried, state Sen. Annette Taddeo, Rep. Charlie Crist, state Rep. Anna Eskamani. Rep. Val Demings acknowledged this week that she is also open to the possibility. Blunt assessment — Fried, who narrowly won her own election in 2018, gives her own reasoning on why that's happening. She says it's DeSantis himself, and his handling of the coronavirus pandemic: "We are facing enormous challenges in the state of Florida," she said this week in an interview. "We have a governor who is not up to the challenge. I think that's why you see many considering it. They see the failures of this administration." GOP pushback — Republicans for their part say they aren't fazed by the current lineup. "From what I've seen, it will be a weak field," said Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, a former chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. Helen Aguirre Ferré, the executive director of the party, noted that "Democrats in Florida got their clock cleaned last November and we find it amusing they are going after our strongest and most popular state leader." Ferré added the governor's approval ratings — which hover above 50 percent these days — "demonstrate widespread support" for his policies. She added that "we look forward to the 2022 campaign season when we will compare the governor's achievements with the failed policies of Democrats." Bring it on — For her part, Fried says she loves her current job and said that she could run for another term as agriculture commissioner. She laughed at Republican assertions that she won't run for re-election because of a potential matchup with Senate President Wilton Simpson. The theory from several Republicans is that Fried looks better if she lost to DeSantis than to Simpson. Fried retorted that no matter what she does, she will be ready: "I don't run to lose." — 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. | | | | |
|  | TRAIL MIX | | READY TO RUMBLE — "Florida Democrats regroup to oust DeSantis amid disarray," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout and Matt Dixon: A string of electoral losses, an internal schism over the leadership of the state party and a series of stumbles have demoralized local operatives, staff and rainmakers. But ousting the Republican governor is one of the few unifying forces for Democrats — a mantra that has fueled an ever-expanding field of those angling to take on DeSantis in 2022. "Democrats want nothing more than to beat DeSantis next year, and regardless of how many people run, primary voters will ultimately rally around who is perceived to be the strongest in the general," said Ben Pollara, a Miami-based Democratic consultant who has advised Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. | 
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 | 'IT WAS A STORY THAT SOLD' — "Voting company sues Fox, Giuliani over election fraud claims," by the Associated Press' Joshua Goodman: "A voting technology company is suing Fox News, three of its hosts and two former lawyers for former President Donald Trump — Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell — for $2.7 billion, charging that the defendants conspired to spread false claims that the company helped 'steal' the U.S. presidential election. The 285-page complaint filed Thursday in New York state court by Florida-based Smartmatic USA is one of the largest libel suits ever undertaken. On Jan. 25, a rival election-technology company — Dominion Voting Systems, which was also ensnared in Trump's baseless effort to overturn the election — sued Guiliani and Powell for $1.3 billion." FALLOUT — "State Democratic Party's layoffs, financial woes compounded by irked former employees," by Tampa Bay Times' Kirby Wilson: "Many of the employees saw the firings coming. Political parties routinely cut staff during non-election years when fundraising tends to be harder. But according to interviews with half a dozen current or former employees with the party, the way the layoffs were handled has some questioning the party's dedication to its own ideals. Employees told the Herald/Times that the abrupt terminations resulted in organizational chaos. Exit interviews were done belatedly or not at all. Departed staffers had to field questions from the overwhelmed few who remained on the payroll. Tania Ingram, the party's former deputy training director, said she doesn't know where to send her company laptop. 'The layoffs were handled unprofessionally,' former chief technology officer Dale Gibler said. 'It showed no leadership.'" BY THE NUMBERS — "Can Ivanka Trump defeat Marco Rubio?" by Roll Call's Nathan L. Gonzales: "The reality of the current GOP being "Trump's Republican Party" and the former president and his family reigning over Republicans is a nice narrative, but a more intentional look at an Ivanka vs. Marco matchup paints a daunting picture for the potential challenger. The bottom line is that it is difficult to defeat senators in primaries. It's happened nine times in the past 40 years. That's a 99.9 percent renomination rate across more than 500 senators going back to 1982. By those numbers, it's pretty clear that it takes extraordinary circumstances for a senator to lose in a primary." — "Walton attorney 'Grim Reaper' Uhlfelder launches PAC to 'Remove Ron' DeSantis," by Northwest Florida Daily News' Kevin Robinson | | | | KEEP UP WITH CONGRESS IN 2021: Get the inside scoop on the Schumer/McConnell dynamic, the debate over the filibuster and increasing tensions in the House. From Schumer to McConnell, Pelosi to McCarthy and everyone in between, new Huddle author Olivia Beavers brings the latest from Capitol Hill with assists from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle, the indispensable guide to Congress. | | | | |
| | DATELINE D.C. | | BOOTED — "House strips Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee posts," by POLITICO's Heather Caygle and Sarah Ferris: The House took the extraordinary step Thursday to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee posts over a series of incendiary comments and actions by the controversial GOP lawmaker, including endorsing the assassination of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It is extremely rare for one party in the House to intervene in another's personnel affairs. But the vote, which occurred mostly along party lines, came after GOP leaders refused to act on their own. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has denounced Greene's past actions but rebuffed calls to take away her committee assignments, only offering to reassign her. Now they are real — Greene delivered her first public response to the resolution on the floor Thursday, just hours before the vote. But her remarks — which fell short of an apology for spreading conspiracies or endorsing violence against sitting members of Congress — didn't appease Democrats. In a roughly five-minute speech, Greene distanced herself from her record of promoting conspiracy theories including QAnon, declaring, "I walked away from those things," and she said she did "regret" believing those falsehoods. "School shootings are absolutely real ... I also want to tell you 9/11 absolutely happened," Greene said in what many considered an extraordinary set of remarks for the House floor. 3 OUT OF 11 GOP YES VOTES — "Miami Republicans vote to kick Parkland conspiracy theorist off House committees," by Miami Herald's Alex Daugherty: "The votes by Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Maria Elvira Salazar came as a surprise at the last moment during a 30-minute vote late Thursday. They bucked House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, part of a group of Republicans who waited till the end to cast their 'yes' votes for a resolution authored by Broward Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. 'Voting against a member of your own party is never easy, but everyone in Congress must be held to the same high standard,' Salazar said in a statement shortly after the vote. 'I had to hold Marjorie Taylor Greene accountable for her denial of the Parkland massacre, the Flight 77 crash and accusing a Jewish family of starting the California wildfires. From now on, I will hold every Democrat to this new standard that they have created.'" Oops — Right after Thursday's vote the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee quickly sent out emails blasting several Florida Republicans who voted against the measure punishing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. But one caught our attention: They issued a statement ripping Ross Spano for voting for Greene. Um, there's just one problem. The Lakeland Republican isn't in Congress anymore. He was defeated by Scott Franklin in last year's GOP primary. Maybe it's time to update the database. WHAT ABOUT? — "Defending Greene, Republican congressman asks: What about Alcee Hastings?" by Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man: "In defending Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene on Thursday, a senior Republican lawmaker referred to Congressman Alcee Hastings — who serves on House committees even though he was impeached and removed as a federal judge — as a reason Greene shouldn't be punished for comments she made before she was elected. The reference to Hastings, who was impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate in 1989, came from U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif." THE SOUND OF SILENCE? — " Republicans claim they are being silenced as they speak to millions of viewers," by The Washington Post's JM Rieger: "On Jan. 10, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) bemoaned the power of tech companies to 'wipe you out' as he spoke to more than 1.9 million viewers…On Jan. 14, Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla.) told Hannity that he did not lose his legs serving in the Army so that companies could "'silence whoever the hell you want' as he addressed nearly 3 million viewers. And on Jan. 20, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told Hannity that Democrats want to 'cancel us from the public square altogether' as he addressed more than 3.1 million viewers." — " Gaetz asks to open Judiciary meetings with pledge; Nadler says once a day is enough: 'We're covered,'" by Fox News Morgan Phillips — "Republican group calls for Gaetz to resign on billboards in Pensacola," by WEAR-TV's Tanner Stewart | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | REACHING OUT — "Holocaust survivors get priority in vaccine program for homebound seniors, DeSantis says," by Miami Herald's Samantha J. Gross: "Gov. Ron DeSantis Thursday announced that the state will be allocating 1,500 doses weekly of the COVID-19 vaccine for homebound seniors, and that the first 750 doses will be going to Holocaust survivors and their spouses. "We owe our seniors and our Holocaust survivors for serving as inspirations for so many people," DeSantis said at a vaccination drive at the Aventura Turnberry Jewish Center in North Miami-Dade." 'A GAP REMAINS' — " Hundreds of assisted living facilities in Florida haven't reported receiving COVID-19 vaccine," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Zac Anderson: "Florida officials are still trying to get the COVID-19 vaccine to every assisted living facility in the state, with 16% of ALFs not yet reporting as of earlier this week that residents have been vaccinated. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities had been set to receive the vaccine through a federal program that tapped CVS and Walgreens to visit the facilities, but state officials decided the pharmacies were moving too slowly and brought in another private contractor to handle 1,500 ALFs. But even with the extra help, the process of vaccinating some of the state's frailest seniors — a demographic highly vulnerable to COVID-19 — is stretching on longer than anticipated." HMM — "New surge in jobless applications may be driven by fraud," by Miami Herald's Rob Wile: "In an interview, [Department of Economic Opportunity] spokesperson Emilie Oglesby said the department Tuesday night deployed additional fraud-detection software on the mobile app all new claimants must now use to file for state assistance. She said the state is still investigating the extent of the problem, and she could not say how many fraudulent claims may have been processed and paid out. 'The state takes this very seriously,' Oglesby said. 'We have noticed a significant increase in the number of new claims over the past couple weeks.'" — "Don't post vaccine card selfies, Florida's attorney general says, citing scammers," by USA Today Network-Florida — "Charlotte County asks gov for more vaccines amid low vaccination rate," by WINK | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | TIMEOUT — "Florida legislators wrestle with school accountability amid pandemic," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Democratic lawmakers want Florida to take the teeth out of the state's standardized tests this year to give students — and teachers — a break from high-stakes accountability measures that have the power to sway school grades and graduation. Democrats in both chambers are pushing legislation that, for one year, would strip away policies tying exam scores to student retention, teacher evaluations and school improvement plans due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A key Republican has indicated the willingness to take up the issue, giving life to a proposal that would trigger ripple effects for student retention and the state's system for ranking schools. NORTH V. SOUTH LAKE O EDITION — "Simpson tells Corps to broaden focus on water storage," by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie: Senate President Wilton Simpson told the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday that it should focus on water storage projects north of Lake Okeechobee in addition to a reservoir south of the lake. What are the details: Simpson's letter to Colonel Andrew Kelly, commander of the Corps' district office in Jacksonville, says the $1.7 billion reservoir and stormwater treatment area south of the lake are "fully funded," citing authorization within the Water Resources Development Act of 2020. Although the project was authorized in the bill, funding for the project would have to be appropriated by Congress in future years. Watch this going forward — Brad Stewart, [Rep. Brian] Mast's chief of staff, noted that [Gov. Ron] DeSantis has requested $64 million in fiscal 2021-22 for the reservoir. If Simpson opposes the request, then he "will be met with stiff opposition from Congressman Mast and all Floridians who care about protecting the environment and public health," Stewart told POLITICO. LIGHTS OUT FOR CONSUMERS? — " Legislature replacing utility watchdog as Florida Power & Light seeks rate increase," by Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas: "As Florida's largest electric utility company positions itself for a $2 billion increase in its base rates, a legislative committee on Thursday interviewed a single candidate to serve as the watchdog to protect residential customers from being overcharged by the monopoly utility companies. Richard Gentry, a 70-year-old veteran lobbyist who last year represented a utility-backed nonprofit, was questioned for 30 minutes by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight to fill a vacancy created in January when legislative leaders pushed out the longtime consumer advocate, J.R. Kelly." THE BIG SHORT — "Senate begins push to close pension to new hires," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Senate Republicans are taking their first step to overhaul the $160 billion Florida retirement system, a process they hope closes the system to future state workers. Bill sponsor Sen. Ray Rodrigues (R-Estero) argues it is needed because costs are increasing and investment returns have fallen off in recent years. Opponents of the changes — most Democrats and public sector unions — argue that not allowing new pension fund enrollees will hurt the plan in the long term because it would result in a decreasing payroll base to fund the promised benefit. — "Florida to get $40 million in opioid settlement," by News Service of Florida — "Senate looking for salary information," by News Service of Florida's Christine Sexton | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | SAY GOODBYE — "Trump's presidential helipad at Mar-a-Lago to be demolished," by Sun Sentinel's Skyler Swisher: "Donald Trump is losing a presidential amenity at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach — a helipad built for Marine One. The town of Palm Beach issued a permit this week for the demolition of the landing pad on the western lawn of the 17-acre property. Palm Beach does not allow private helipads, but it made an exception for Trump. The town council specified that the landing pad could be used only for presidential business and had to be removed when Trump left office." — " Trump, facing expulsion, resigns from Screen Actors Guild," by Associated Press' Jake Coyle | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | STATE: NOTHING TO SEE HERE — "State disputes report on prison sexual abuse," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam : "Lawyer Andy Bardos questioned some of the findings in the report and asked the Civil Rights Division to reveal confidential sources to help the state agency investigate the allegations. For example, the federal investigation found that it was 'common' for female prisoners to be groped and bribed with contraband in exchange for sex. The investigation also found, among other things, that prisoners were threatened with solitary confinement if they reported sexual abuse. 'FDC (the Department of Corrections) disputes these broad conclusions, as it has not seen facts sufficient to support them. If you have further information that substantiates these allegations, then we request that you provide it,' wrote Bardos, an attorney with the Gray Robinson law firm." — "Suarez is speaking with Elon Musk — and is likely to join local officials touring Musk's tunnels," by Miami Herald's Rob Wile and Joey Flechas | | ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "How Andrew Gillum's marriage survived a night of scandal," by Wesley Lowery for GQ: "The Gillums are civilians now with civilian problems: which parent is picking up which kid from school, what to do about the stove that went out just days before Thanksgiving, whether the local CVS still had Black Santas for sale. But in recent months, Andrew has begun to inch back into public life. He launched a podcast that features a regular segment by R. Jai and co-anchored election night coverage for BET Digital. For the first time in adulthood, he's not holding or flirting with public office, or confined to a government salary. But he bristled when asked if he's considering a return to electoral politics. 'No, and that's not to say not ever.… It doesn't tug at me in that way.'" — "Sex worker tells GQ he and politician Andrew Gillum did drugs in a Miami Beach hotel," by Miami Herald's Howard Cohen BIRTHDAYS: Former state Rep. Clay Ingram ... Michael Olenick , former member of the State Board of Education ... Jayne Chapman, community outreach for Rep. Ted Deutch … Michael Steel, partner at Hamilton Place Strategies
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