| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Friday. The daily rundown — Between Wednesday and Thursday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 8,525 (nearly 0.5 percent), to 1,806,805; active hospitalizations went down by 220 (nearly 4.3 percent). to 4,906; deaths rose by 174 (0.6 percent). to 28,382; The number of Floridians vaccinated with at least one dose is 2,165,911. IN MEMORIAM: This Sunday marks the third anniversary of a horrific moment. Seventeen people were gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. REMEMBERING THEIR NAMES: Luke Hoyer, Martin Duque Anquiano, Gina Montalto, Alex Schachter, Alaina Petty, Alyssa Alhadeff, Nicholas Dworet, Helena Ramsay, Chris Hixon, Carmen Schentrup, Aaron Feis, Scott Biegel, Meadow Pollack, Cara Loughran, Joaquin Oliver, Jaime Guttenberg and Peter Wang. AFTERMATH — As we remember those who died, the fallout from that tragic day still reverberates. School shooter Nikolas Cruz's trial continues to be delayed. A Florida law enacted in response to the shooting, which raised the minimum age to purchase a rifle, is still being challenged in federal court by the National Rifle Association. Northern District of Florida Chief Judge Mark Walker in December postponed the January trial due to Covid-19, but said he would reset it in an "expedited fashion" once the pandemic was "under control." And in the halls of Congress this month, the House booted Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committees, in part for her past social media posts where she agreed Parkland was a "false flag" event. Defending herself on the House floor, she felt compelled to say that "school shootings are absolutely real." What happens next — Then there's a question of what steps the Biden administration may take. On Thursday, White House domestic policy adviser Susan Rice and other staffers talked with Parkland families, according to Fred Guttenberg . Guttenberg, whose daughter was among the victims, said families discussed the tragedy and "the work we are all doing. I am very thankful for the White House commitment to our families." Ryan Petty, who is also a member of the State Board of Education, said on Twitter that "I'm hopeful we will find a path forward which preserves the very real school safety improvements we've made at the federal level." — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to be in Tallahassee. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com PROGRAMMING NOTE: Florida Playbook will not publish on Monday, Feb. 15. After the brief hiatus, we'll be back on our normal schedule on Tuesday, Feb 16. Please continue to follow POLITICO Florida. | | | | THE INDISPENSABLE GUIDE TO CONGRESS: Looking for the latest on the Schumer/McConnell dynamic or the increasing tensions in the House? What are the latest whispers coming out of the Speaker's Lobby? Just leave it to Beavers... New author Olivia Beavers delivers the scoop in Huddle, the morning Capitol Hill must-read with assists from POLITICO's deeply sourced Congress team. Subscribe to Huddle today. | | | | | |  | THE GUNSHINE STATE | | 'THE ISSUE ISN'T GOING AWAY' — "Three years after Parkland, will President Joe Biden and the new Democratic Congress act on guns?" by Sun Sentinel's Skyler Swisher: "Advocates are hoping recently elected President Joe Biden and the Democratic Congress will act. Gail Schwartz, chairwoman of Ban Assault Weapons Now, said weapons designed for war need to be banned for civilian use as they are in other countries. 'We didn't do it after the Pulse nightclub shooting, when 49 of our fellow Floridians were slaughtered,' said Schwartz, whose 14-year-old nephew Alex Schachter was killed in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. 'We didn't do it after Parkland, when our kids and our educators, 17, were slaughtered. But we must do it now.'" BREAKING POINT? — "Parkland activists divided over David Hogg's pillow venture as anniversary nears," by The Guardian's Richard Luscombe : "The prominent gun control movement founded by survivors of the 2018 Parkland high school shooting in Florida has splintered after one member set up his own commercial venture to challenge Donald Trump ally Mike Lindell and his My Pillow company. David Hogg has been accused of 'grift' by other leaders of the March for Our Lives group for his new Good Pillow venture, which the former Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school student launched this week just days before the 14 February anniversary of the massacre that took 17 lives. In a tweeted statement, March for Our Lives (MFOL) announced that Hogg, 20, was taking a leave of absence as a board member 'to take some time for himself to reflect and recommit to the mission.'" JUSTICE DELAYED — "3 years later, Parkland school shooting trial still in limbo," by Associated Press' Curt Anderson: "It's been more than 1,000 days since a gunman with an AR-15 rifle burst into a Florida high school, killed 17 people and wounded 17 others. Yet, with Valentine's Day on Sunday marking the three-year milestone, the trial of 22-year-old Nikolas Cruz is in limbo. One reason is the coronavirus, which has shut court operations down and made in-person jail access difficult for the defense. Another is the sheer magnitude of the case, with hundreds of witnesses from Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland." — " Parents of murdered Parkland student Joaquin Oliver launch 'Shame Cards' in fight for gun reform," by CBS Miami — "Parkland families took a stand on Marjorie Taylor Greene. Miami Republicans responded," by Miami Herald's Alex Daugherty | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | PUSHING BACK — "Defiant DeSantis blasts Biden administration amid report of travel limits," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday lashed out at the Biden administration, promising that the state would strongly and swiftly oppose any attempts to block Americans from traveling to the Sunshine State. DeSantis' comments were in response to a Wednesday story by McClatchy that quoted an unnamed White House official saying the administration was considering imposing domestic travel restrictions, including on Florida, to stem the transmission of a new Covid-19 variant that is rapidly spreading in the state. DeSantis, a Republican, called consideration of travel restrictions "absurd" and a "political attack on the people of Florida." He said it would be "ridiculous" to impose curbs on domestic travel while relaxing restrictions on the U.S.-Mexico border. The White House responds — White House press secretary Jen Psaki addressed the idea of domestic travel considerations at a briefing after DeSantis spoke. "We are always considering what steps are necessary to keep the American people safe, but we are not currently in the process of, no decisions have been made around additional public health measures that would delay or would change, I should say, domestic travel considerations," Psaki said. | 
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addressed the media at the River Garden Hebrew House for the Aged in Jacksonville, Fla., on the status of COVID-19 vaccination rates in the state's nursing homes and assisted living facilities Monday, Jan. 25, 2021. (Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP) | Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP | 'URGENT NEED' — "Stephanie Murphy to Biden: Vaccine distribution formula hurts senior-heavy Florida," by Orlando Sentinel's Jeff Weiner: "The formula used by the federal government to allocate COVID-19 vaccines to states isn't supplying enough doses to Florida, which has a disproportionately high population of vulnerable seniors compared to other states, according to U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy. Murphy, D-Winter Park, on Thursday sent a letter to President Joe Biden pushing him to alter the federal distribution formula, her office said in a statement. The current formula, which distributes doses based on the number of adult residents in a given state or territory, 'severely disadvantages Florida,' which has vastly more seniors to inoculate than most other states before moving on to other population groups, the statement said." HEADED NORTH — "Miami mayor will meet with Biden and other mayors to discuss COVID stimulus," by Miami Herald's Joey Flechas: "Miami Mayor Francis Suarez will go to the White House on Friday along with other U.S. mayors to discuss a proposed $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan with President Joe Biden. Suarez, a Republican holding a nonpartisan office, will attend the Oval Office meeting, the White House confirmed Thursday. The group, which Suarez said also includes governors, is expected to discuss the American Rescue Plan, Biden's pandemic relief package." MISSTEP — " Walmart 'mistakenly' offered COVID-19 vaccine to medically vulnerable Floridians under 65, state rep says," by Orlando Sentinel's Ryan Gillespie, Kate Santich and Jeff Weiner: "When Walmart launched its COVID-19 vaccine appointment website Thursday, it included among those eligible in Florida people younger than 65 deemed highly vulnerable to the disease, many of whom had been clamoring for shots but largely unable to get them as Gov. Ron DeSantis stressed a "seniors first" approach. But what initially appeared to be a significant expansion of vaccine access in the state was instead an apparent mistake by the retail giant, state Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, D-Orlando, said Thursday evening." DISINFORMATION TIME — " 'Mark of the devil': Some Hispanic pastors contribute to vaccine skepticism in Miami," by Miami Herald's Lautaro Grinspan: "A pastor at a Hispanic church in Homestead raised concerns about the implications of getting vaccinated against COVID-19, warning his congregation about the "mark of the beast" and the specter of a "satanic, totalitarian" government coming to power. At times, images of horned beasts and microchips being inserted inside peoples' bodies with syringes were projected on a big screen behind him." KEEP IT ON — "Disney expects masks requirements to remain in 2021, but they should be gone by next year, CEO says," by Orlando Sentinel's Gabrielle Russon: "Don't expect mask requirements to go away at Disney World this year, although company CEO Bob Chapek said he believes the tightened pandemic safety rules won't be needed by 2022. As the COVID-19 vaccine is rolled out, Chapek said he envisions some form of social distancing and mask-wearing to remain in place for all of 2021. 'That's our expectation,' he said Thursday during a first-quarter earnings call that disclosed the parks and consumer products endured a $119 million operating income loss compared with a profit of $2.52 billion a year earlier." A REQUEST — "'A death sentence': Activists call on Florida governor to prioritize vaccines for farmworkers," by NBC News' Rima Abdelkader, Sara Mhaidli and Carmen Sesin: "Farmworker organizations are pleading with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to make vaccinating such farmworkers a priority. Advocates cite the risks facing workers who live and work in crowded conditions and are often not given protective equipment by employers, making them vulnerable to infection." IT'S HERE — "Coronavirus hit Florida earlier than we thought — on a door handle at UF," by Tampa Bay Times' Divya Kumar: "For 19 days, professor John Lednicky and his laboratory took swab samples from a door handle at a busy campus building, and on four of those days they found a strain of influenza. But one day's samples — from Feb. 21, 2020 — yielded something more notable: The researchers found the same strain of COVID-19 that had been circulating in Washington state at that time. That's more than a week before March 1, 2020, when the virus was officially first detected in Florida. The UF findings were reported last month in the journal PLOS One." — " Orlando launches first tourism ad campaign since pandemic," by The Associated Press — "How a 'whip-smart' Broward high schooler got a spot on Biden's COVID health equity panel," by Sun Sentinel's Brooke Baitinger — " Was Tampa's Super Bowl celebration safe? Jane Castor thinks so," by Tampa Bay Times' Charlie Frago and Megan Reeves | | | | TRACK THE FIRST 100 DAYS OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: President Biden's cabinet is getting confirmed, bringing change to agencies and departments across the Executive Branch. From the West Wing to Foggy Bottom, track the first 100 days of the Biden administration with Transition Playbook, our scoop-filled newsletter that chronicles the policies, people, and emerging power centers of the new administration. Subscribe today. | | | | |
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | TROUBLED — "Florida has struggled to staff its prisons. Covid-19 eased the pressure," by POLITICO's Giulia Heyward: Florida's prison system has fallen short on its targets to recruit and retain officers across dozens of facilities for years, and operates with hundreds of vacancies. Then, came an unexpected relief: a global pandemic. By all accounts, Florida's prisons are emptier than they've been in years, having released a significant number of inmates to stem the spread of Covid-19. Still, despite the shrinking population, the state is struggling to keep up with staffing — and the system loses almost half of its new hires before they hit their one-year anniversary, Mark Inch, Florida's Secretary of Corrections, recently told legislators. "There's a big disconnect between upper management in Tallahassee and rank-and-file officers," said Jim Baiardi, president of the state corrections chapter of the Florida Police Benevolent Association, in an interview Wednesday. FOLLOW THE MONEY — "Sprowls puts school superintendents on notice over budgets, 'alarming' enrollment drops," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls on Thursday warned school districts that they could see their budgets slashed by tens of millions of dollars due to the "alarming" enrollment declines sweeping the state. The Palm Harbor Republican sent a stern message to school leaders cautioning that Florida's policy for fully funding schools in 2020-21 despite an enrollment decline eclipsing 87,000 students would be a one-time deal. With more federal Covid-19 aid bound for campuses in the coming weeks, Sprowls implored schools to budget appropriately and find the scores of missing students." ONGOING — "Florida says investigation into nonprofit executive pay is 'not a witch hunt,'" by Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas: "Florida's top auditor told a House committee that the state probe into the compensation of executive salaries at social welfare organizations was not 'any kind of witch hunt' but instead was an attempt at "bringing transparency to the process" of state and federal funds used by privately-run entities. 'We are on a fact-finding mission, doing research so that the policy makers such as yourselves can decide what to do with the facts that we reveal,' Melinda Miguel, the chief inspector general for Gov. Ron DeSantis, told the House Governmental Operations Subcommittee on Wednesday." — "Florida 'Grim Reaper' attorney in hot water after three-judge panel asked Bar to consider sanctions," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | MY WAY — "For decades Donald Trump bullied Palm Beach to get his way. Now he's determined to make it his home," by Washington Post's Manuel Roig-Franzia: "And so it has gone — year after year, in ways large and small, for more than a quarter-century — Trump forever pushing the bounds of patience and tolerance of a community where he can still be seen as a crass interloper. Hundreds of documents obtained via a public records request show, at a granular level, how Trump has frequently ignored basic rules and promises, steamrolled the locals and gotten away with it. The material also reveals Trump and his minions in all their Trump World glory — bullying, name-calling and framing the future president as a victim." | | TRAIL MIX | | 'YOU HAVE TO FEEL IT IN YOUR SOUL' — "Charlie Crist says he won't rush decision on 2022 gubernatorial bid," by Bay News 9's Mitch Perry: "There's also the reality that his current congressional district (which is now a Democratic majority-leaning seat after the district boundaries were redrawn in 2015) is likely to be less favorable for a Democrat following redistricting in 2022. But Crist insists that's not part of his equation. 'You would think it would, right? But no, not really,' he says. 'This decision is bigger than some political calculus, honestly. It's gotta be heartfelt. You have to feel it in your soul.' When asked his thoughts about some potential Democrats who might enter the 2022 sweepstakes for governor, Crist offers enthusiasm for Miami-Dade County state Senator Annette Taddeo, his 2014 running mate when he ran and lost to Rick Scott in his second bid for governor (and first as a Democrat)." — "Winter Haven man charged with forging signatures on ballot petitions," by The Ledger — " Polk's GOP voter list declined after Jan. 6; no-party voters see big gain," by The Ledger's Gary White | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | MOVING AHEAD — "It's official: $175.8 million deal approved to finish treatment area south of Lake O," by Palm Beach Post's Kimberly Miller: "South Florida Water Management District governing board members approved a substantial $175.8 million contract Thursday to finish their part of a fast-tracked reservoir project south of Lake Okeechobee that is expected to reduce harmful discharges to northern estuaries. The unanimous vote dedicates the money to finish a 6,500-acre stormwater treatment area in western Palm Beach County to filter nutrients from lake water before it goes south to the Everglades." HEAD WEST? — "Ahead of spring break in South Beach, city manager says he won't tolerate 'anarchy,'" by Miami Herald's Martin Vassolo: "Miami Beach commissioners on Wednesday voted in favor of a seven-week plan to blanket the Beach with police and code officers, limit parking in South Beach and create a buffer zone between the city's entertainment district and the residential South of Fifth neighborhood. The plan is the city's latest attempt to curb parties and late-night drinking — activities that city leaders have blamed on crime in the city's world-famous entertainment district. 'If you want to party without restrictions, then go somewhere else. Go to Vegas,' said Interim City Manager Raul Aguila. 'Miami Beach is not going to tolerate anarchy for spring break 2021.' | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "Burt Reynolds' remains find home at Hollywood cemetery," by Associated Press' Andrew Dalton: "Burt Reynolds finally reached his final resting place Thursday at a storied Hollywood cemetery. A small, private ceremony, with relatives taking part remotely via Zoom, was held Thursday morning at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where Reynolds' cremated remains were placed in a grave next to a lake nearly 2 1/2 years after his death. A temporary headstone simply reading 'Burt Reynolds' now marks the site, but a bronze or stone bust of him is being commissioned, with hopes that it can be unveiled and opened to the public in September on the third anniversary of his death, Hollywood Forever president and co-owner Tyler Cassity told The Associated Press." — "Tampa Bay boy who wound up in back of garbage truck saved by driver's quick action," by Tampa Bay Times' Josh Fiallo: "There are only a few seconds between waste being placed into the back of a garbage truck and it becoming compressed into a square that's the quarter of its original size. It was in these few seconds that Waldo Fidele saved a life Wednesday afternoon. The garbage truck driver was loading waste into an automated trash collection truck in Lutz when he saw something unusual in a rearview camera — a small boy." BIRTHDAYS: State Sen. Jeff Brandes … POLITICO's Marc Caputo … Gil Ziffer, former Tallahassee city commissioner and chairman of the board for Capital Tiger Bay Club … (Birthweek) Ann Scott (was Thursday)
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