| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Presented by Floridians for Affordable Rx | Hello and welcome to Wednesday. The daily rundown — Between Monday and Tuesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 5,645 (nearly 0.3 percent), to 2,178,783; active hospitalizations increased by 34 (nearly 1 percent), to 3,478; deaths of Florida residents rose by 62, to 34,533; 8,143,599 Floridians have received at least one dose of a vaccine In the air tonight — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has shown up on conservative media outlets the last couple of days to tout the 'anti-riot' bill he signed — and he was there again Tuesday night just hours after the verdict in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin. Different message? — DeSantis once said "George Floyd's murder was appalling" but he did not repeat that comment while appearing on Fox News. Instead in response to questions by Laura Ingraham, the Republican governor said he hoped the jury did not ultimately find Chauvin guilty because they were afraid of riots. "I'm not saying that's what happened here," DeSantis pointed out. Identity politics — DeSantis also responded to the assertion by Ingraham that Democrats were pushing a "big lie" that there is systemic racism in the country and that America is a "racist nation." On that point the governor said "Well, I think it's very damaging because it is an attempt to delegitimize all the institutions in our country." And noting his quest to make sure school districts don't rely on critical race theory, he added that "we think teaching people to hate the country, hate each other based on race is not a recipe for success. So we don't believe that's consistent for what the country stands for." Who's the target? — DeSantis also brushed aside complaints that the 'anti-riot' bill — which he pursued in the wake of last year's protests for equal justice after Floyd's killing — was targeting minorities or would violate 1st Amendment rights. Instead, he said when critics are "launching wild accusations" you know "you are over the target." The governor didn't really explain what he meant by that. — 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 | | | | A message from Floridians for Affordable Rx: For too many Floridians, prescription drugs are unaffordable, and that's unacceptable. That's why it's time to take politics out of prescriptions and find real solutions to lower Rx costs for all Floridians. The key to lowering drug costs is through increased competition, not big government mandates on private-sector tools used to reduce costs. The independent pharmacy lobby's special interest agenda undermines access to affordable prescription drugs. Learn more: Floridians for Affordable Rx | | |
|  | DRIVING THE DAY | | 'WE CAN'T LET THE CONVERSATION DIE' — "Black lawmakers in Florida introduced police reform bills this year. Most have gone unheard," by POLITICO's Giulia Heyward: When Florida state Rep. Fentrice Driskell introduced police reform legislation at a news conference two months ago, she seemed as confident that timing would be on her side. The country had experienced a reckoning over police brutality and race over the summer, with protests across the nation. 'Many of us marched alongside you,' the Tampa Democrat said. 'And while the peaceful protests may have themselves subsided, our work has not.' But when Driskell spoke to POLITICO earlier this month about the legislation she was pushing, her tone was different. 'WHY WE ARE IN THIS FIGHT' — "'Small victory in a very long battle': Florida activists react to Derek Chauvin's guilty verdict," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Samantha Gholar Weires : "The unanimous decision by the jury is being viewed as a sign of progress by many allies and activists alike around the Sunshine State. Community leaders, organizers and activists all spoke out immediately following the reading of the verdict with their initial thoughts. 'We can taste justice in America today,' said Sarasota activist, mother and Black Lives Matter Manasota board member Sarah Parker. She called the verdict a 'small victory in a very long battle' for racial and social justice." WANTS SABATINI CENSURED — "Florida state senator blast legislator who calls Chauvin verdict 'mob justice,'" by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: The episode started when state Rep. Anthony Sabatini, a Republican from Howey-in-the Hills in central Florida who is running for Congress next year, tweeted "mob justice" less than 30 minutes after Chauvin was found guilty of multiple counts in connection with the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man. That drew the ire of state Sen. Shevrin Jones who responded with a tweet that said "white supremacist in 2021 wear suits and sit in the Florida legislature. Yep, I said it." Response — Jones in a text message with POLITICO said that Sabatini, a conservative Republican who has routinely clashed with Democrats and members of his own party, is "out of control." Jones said he hopes that the House would move to censure him for his comments. House Speaker Chris Sprowls did not immediately respond to a text message requesting comment on Jones request for a censure of Sabatini. When asked, Sabatini responded in a message: "Wokeism is a mental disorder and his disgusting comments demonstrate that." | 
Rep. Shevrin Jones asks a question during session in 2019 | AP Photo | — "Will Florida's anti-riot law change police posture? There's a wide range of opinion," by Miami Herald's David Ovalle — " Civil rights groups threaten to sue Florida over anti-riot law," by POLITICO's Giulia Heyward — "Sheriff Greg Tony on Derek Chauvin verdict: It's a reminder that officers aren't above the law," by Sun Sentinel's Eileen Kelley — "' Does it change anything?' South Florida leaders react to Chauvin guilty verdicts," by Miami Herald's Samantha J. Gross, C. Isaiah Smalls II, Alex Daugherty, Aaron Leibowitz and Nicholas Nehamas | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TO JOIN AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION : Power dynamics are changing in Washington and across the country. More people are demanding a seat at the table, insisting that all politics is personal and not all policy is equitable. Our twice-weekly newsletter "The Recast" breaks down how race and identity shape politics and policy in America, and we are recasting how we report on it. Get fresh insights, scoops and dispatches on this crucial intersection from across the country and hear critical new voices that challenge business as usual. Don't miss out, SUBSCRIBE . Thank you to our sponsor, Intel. | | | | |
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | WHY CAN'T THIS GET DONE? — "Funding, policy fights remain as Florida remakes unemployment system," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: A fight over how to remake Florida's embattled unemployment system will play a starring role in the waning days of legislative session. Everyone agrees a fix is needed, but lawmakers are scrambling to figure out how to achieve that and how much to spend. Lawmakers are juggling a handful of bills while trying to rebuild the state's broken unemployment system from the ground up, and separate massive funding requests that are playing a big role in final legislative budget negotiations. That's on top of a parallel fight that features the Senate trying to expand benefits, a proposal that so far has not gotten traction with Gov. Ron DeSantis or House leaders. DONE — "Florida's transgender sports ban headed for defeat in GOP-controlled state Senate," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: The Republican-controlled Florida Senate appears to be abandoning a controversial transgender sports ban, a development that would hand LGBTQ activists and Democrats a huge victory. The bill, which specifies that K-12 and college sports teams must be designated based on "biological" sex while charging state agencies with crafting policies to hash out gender disputes, was condemned by the LGBTQ community and lawmakers who viewed the measure as discriminatory toward transgender students. "Ding dong the witch is dead," tweeted state Sen. Janet Cruz (D-Tampa), a critic of the bill. "Rip Transgender bill." MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS — "DeSantis makes business groups sweat before signing online sales tax bill," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Gov. Ron DeSantis made the business lobby sweat late Monday night, waiting until the last-minute to sign into law one of their top priorities: legislation that requires collection of sales taxes for online purchases. It's a bill comes fraught with political peril for a governor entering a reelection bid and with his eye on the White House in 2024. DeSantis had until midnight on Monday night to sign the bill, but gave no signal of whether he would sign or veto the proposal as the minutes ticked by. — " Nikki Fried 'pissed' that Ron DeSantis signed off on online sales tax collection," by Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski PESTICIDE REBUKE — "Florida agriculture officials ban citrus pesticide approved near end of Trump administration," by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie: Florida agriculture officials on Wednesday announced that the insecticide aldicarb — approved in January by the administration of President Donald Trump for use on citrus — will remain banned in Florida. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said her department is denying the pesticide application of AgLogic Chemical LLC, which would manufacture aldicarb for use in Florida. The department cited a U. S. Environmental Protection Agency legal response last week to a petition filed in a federal appeals court in March by environmental groups. They were challenging the agency's Jan. 12 approval a week before Trump left office. In its April 12 filing at the Court of Appeals in Washington, D. C., the EPA acknowledged that it did not make an determination of the effects of aldicarb required under the Endangered Species Act. DARKNESS COMING — "Senate panel advances bill to partially obscure university presidential searches," by Tampa Bay Times' Divya Kumar : "The early phases of presidential searches at Florida's public universities would be shielded from the public eye under a bill approved Tuesday by the Senate rules committee. The Florida House approved a companion measure last week. Tuesday's action advances legislation that has been shot down in previous years." HIS OWN BUBBLE? — " DeSantis embraces YouTube alternative as conservatives battle Big Tech," by Fox News' Brooke Singman: "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is embracing a YouTube alternative after the Google-owned platform removed a video featuring the Republican governor and public health experts, claiming they shared misinformation. As conservatives battle Big Tech, claiming censorship of right-leaning ideas and posts on platforms, DeSantis is taking his messaging to a new platform — Rumble — a Toronto-based video-sharing platform that launched in 2013 with the focus of helping 'small and independent video creators' grow their footprint and their audience." IMPASSE — "Florida proposal to help new moms is a sticking point in budget negotiations," by Tampa Bay Times' Kirby Wilson: But as the House negotiates with the Senate over the state's near-$100 billion budget, [House Speaker Chris] Sprowls' proposal has turned into one of the main sticking points. The Senate did not include the Medicaid extension in its initial budget. When the House and Senate leaders convened to hash out the differences in their health care budgets, the Senate offered to fund the extension — but for just six months. The House has yet to formally respond to that offer, and talks are ongoing. Lawmakers are trying to figure out where the new Medicaid extension funding would come from." YOU DON'T SAY — "Florida lawmakers are being misled about insurance lawsuits, expert contends," by Orlando Sentinel's Trevor Fraser: "A state agency provided the Legislature with misleading data about Florida property insurance lawsuits, according to an insurance expert, adding to the debate as lawmakers consider a bill to limit consumer access to the courts when seeking claims from insurers." — "Florida Senate scraps alimony reform effort — again," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam — "New limits on drop boxes, mail ballots ready for final Florida House and Senate votes," by USA Today Network-Florida's John Kennedy — "Rep. Michelle Salzman urges DeSantis to blacklist Skanska until bridge repaired, community 'whole,'" by Pensacola News Journal's Emma Kennedy — "Time runs out on vacation rentals fight," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam | | | | A message from Floridians for Affordable Rx:   | | |
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | WAITING FOR DESANTIS — "A better idea: Earlier dates pitched to fill Alcee Hastings' seat," by Sun Sentinel's Steve Bousquet: "Elections officials in Palm Beach and Broward counties say voters should elect a new member of Congress sooner rather than later. They are pitching different dates for a special election to fill the seat vacated by the death of Democrat Alcee Hastings. Supervisors Wendy Link in Palm Beach and Joe Scott in Broward have suggested that Gov. Ron DeSantis call the primary for Tuesday, Sept. 14, with the general election Nov. 9. Link proposed those dates in an email Friday to the head of the state Division of Elections, Maria Matthews. 'People would like it to be earlier,' Link told the Sun Sentinel." — "Nikki Fried predicts Ron DeSantis will bail on second term for White House bid," by Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski — "Nope! Bay County voters soundly reject proposed tax hike for teachers' salaries," by Panama City News Herald's Tony Mixon | | Gaetz-gate | | 'A BROAD DISCUSSION ABOUT LEGAL DOCTRINE' — "Matt Gaetz sparked William Barr to drop the f-bomb in a legal spat over Florida voting," by POLITICO's Betsy Woodruff Swan and Daniel Lippman: [U.S. Attorney Larry] Keefe told Gaetz that he was facing resistance from the Public Integrity Section, according to a third person familiar with the situation. In a phone interview with POLITICO about this reporting, Gaetz described the conversation this way: "Keefe did not share with me any details of any investigative work, nor would he. We were having a broad discussion about legal doctrine related to jurisdiction and venue." Specifically, Gaetz said their conversation was about whether U.S. attorneys whose districts included state capital cities could investigate voter fraud in parts of the state outside their districts. Not happy — Gaetz said President Donald Trump then told White House counsel Pat Cipollone, who was in the room, to tell Attorney General William Barr that Trump believed Keefe's legal theory had merit. When Barr learned about Gaetz's conversation with the president, he was incensed. The attorney general called the U.S. attorney and gave him an earful, according to two people familiar with the call. "If I ever hear of you talking to Gaetz or any other congressman about business before the Department, I am going to fucking fire your ass," Barr told him, according to one of the people with knowledge of the call. Gaetz said he didn't know about any testy conversations. BY THE NUMBERS — "New docs show Matt Gaetz campaign in full damage control mode," by The Daily Beast's Roger Sollenberger: "The filing, which covers the three months between January and March, shows that Gaetz has incurred unprecedented fundraising expenses during a typically quiet period. In that time, Gaetz dropped six figures on a direct mail blitz, shelling out more for fundraising services than he did in all of 2020. Gaetz also paid $5,000 in 'strategic consulting' fees to notorious political operative Roger Stone, and he gave money to a number of GOP Florida state lawmakers that he's never supported before. The report also indicates that Gaetz — who cites his lack of friends in Washington as a point of pride — may be increasingly isolated; he's received no contributions from his GOP colleagues." | | | | Did you know that POLITICO Pro has coverage and tools at the state level? All the state legislative and regulatory tracking, budget documents, state agency contact information, and everything else you need to stay ahead of state policy movement integrate into our smart and customizable platform. Learn more and become a Pro today. | | | | |
| | DATELINE D.C. | | CONFRONTATION — 'Did I strike a nerve?': House police reform hearing erupts into Demings, Jordan shouting match," by NBC News' Dartunorro Clark: "A shouting match erupted at Tuesday's House Judiciary Committee hearing on a hate crimes bill between Reps. Val Demings, D-Fla., and Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Demings was criticizing an amendment introduced by Republicans that would prevent defunding of police departments. The bill it was seeking to amend, however, does not have a provision to take funds away from law enforcement. Pushing back — That's when Jordan cut into her speech, prompting Demings to raise her voice and slam her hand on the table. 'I have the floor, Mr. Jordan,' she yelled. 'What? Did I strike a nerve?' She added, 'Law enforcement officers deserve better than to be utilized as pawns, and you and your colleagues should be ashamed of yourselves.'" NO ONE ASKED — "Cheney on Trump going to GOP retreat in Florida: 'I haven't invited him,'" by The Hill's Scott Wong: "GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) offered a dry remark Tuesday when asked if Donald Trump would make an appearance at House Republicans' policy retreat in Florida next week: 'I haven't invited him.' The quip elicited laughter from reporters and highlighted the ongoing tensions between the former president and the highest-ranking GOP woman in Congress, who was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection." | | | | A message from Floridians for Affordable Rx: It's time to stand up to special interest lobbies trying to increase prescription drug costs for Florida families. Florida's independent pharmacies claim that they're struggling, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses around the country were forced to close, while there were 20 more independent pharmacies in the state. In fact, there are 13 percent more independent pharmacies in Florida today than there were 10 years ago. In fact, there are 13 percent more independent pharmacies in Florida today than there were 10 years ago. Florida needs a competitive marketplace to reduce Rx costs, not special-interest-backed legislative mandates that restrict the tools used by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to reduce Floridians' prescription drug costs. It's time for the independent pharmacies lobby to come to the table with real solutions to lower Rx costs in Florida.
Presented by Floridians for Affordable Rx. Learn More. | | |
| | ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: Hessy Fernandez, University of Florida director of issues management and crisis communications … Journalist Lloyd Dunkelberger ... Dan Stengle, attorney, former general counsel to Gov. Lawton Chiles
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