| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Presented by Floridians for Affordable Rx | Hello and welcome to Monday. The daily rundown — Between Saturday and Sunday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 6,834 (0.3 percent), to 2,168,901; active hospitalizations increased by 71 (nearly 2.2. percent), to 3,324; deaths of Florida residents rose by 35 (0.1 percent), to 34,439; 8,016,441 Floridians have received at least one dose of a vaccine. The waiting game — Having already begun to assemble a campaign team, the question appears to be when — not if — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried will make her bid for governor official. Come on in — But as evidenced on Sunday, that decision will bring a bit more scrutiny on Florida's only statewide elected Democrat than she's received so far. Into the fray — Fried was grilled by CBS Miami's Jim DeFede for 15 minutes. He peppered her with questions ranging from how she managed to get certified for a medical marijuana card to an incident last year between Fried and her fiancé where police wound up escorting him off the property. Response — Fried told DeFede that "every couple fights. And we had a bad night. We have moved on and the people of Florida should move on as well." But DeFede also pressed Fried over comments from the time where she said "I'm a 42-year-old, independently strong female and would never allow somebody to put their hands on me and to abuse me." Pressed — The veteran journalist asked if she regretted her comments because it could be perceived she was suggesting that women who are abused are weak. Fried stressed that her comments were from her "personal perspective" and that doesn't mean someone is weak if they are being abused. The next phase — This is likely to be just the beginning for Fried, a lawyer and lobbyist who has served largely as the voice of Democratic opposition to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Fried's team has managed on many occasions to resist or shut down uncomfortable questions, but as she launches an official campaign, the coverage will no longer be confined to Fried's criticisms of DeSantis. It will at some point pivot to who Fried is — and why Floridians should elect her instead. — 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 | | | | 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 | | |
|  | CAMPAIGN MODE | | BALANCING ACT — "Rick Scott navigates Trump, winning back the Senate — and his own ambitions," by Washington Post's Mike DeBonis: "Just months into his tenure, Scott has undertaken a rapid effort to reorient the party committee toward small-dollar digital fundraising, hired some of Trump's top campaign operatives, made a controversial decision not to support favored candidates in key primaries, and placed himself at the center of much of the group's communications — to the point that some GOP operatives have privately snickered that NRSC now stands for the 'National Rick Scott Committee.'" | 
MIAMI, FL - JUNE 16: Florida Governor Rick Scott speaks ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump announcing policy changes he is making toward Cuba at the Manuel Artime Theater in the Little Havana neighborhood on June 16, 2017 in Miami, Florida. The President will re-institute some of the restrictions on travel to Cuba and U.S. business dealings with entities tied to the Cuban military and intelligence services. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) | Getty | Some advice — "[Curt] Anderson said he gave Scott multiple reasons not to pursue the NRSC post last year as he was deciding whether to do it. The fundraising, recruiting and travel are an immense time commitment, he pointed out, and it wasn't shaping up to be an especially favorable year for Republicans, with many more GOP seats at stake than Democratic ones. But Scott determined it would be worth the risk, Anderson said. 'He's good at it,' he said. 'He doesn't like to be bored, and he likes to use all 24 hours of the day.'" — " Artiles, Rodriguez plead not guilty on charges related to no-party candidate scheme," by Miami Herald's Samantha J. Gross — "Broward elections chief pitches special election dates; now it's DeSantis's turn," by Sun Sentinel's Steve Bousquet | | | | 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. | | | | |
| | Gaetz-gate | | PATER FAMILIAS — "How 'Papa Gaetz' tells you everything you need to know about Matt Gaetz," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Matt Gaetz's political trail was not just preceded but heavily influenced by his father, a Republican multi-millionaire businessman who had a reputation for rhetorical flourishes and drag-out political fights. Don Gaetz all but paved his son's way into Florida's political world, and some suggest that his father's stature and influence is even helping his son as he faces a probe into potential sex trafficking. "He was a force of nature," said former state Senate President Joe Negron, a Republican who was budget chairman under Don Gaetz. "Don held himself to an incredibly high standard of ethics, preparation and performance and demanded no less from those around him." The rough side — "Don has a lot of power and friends in Florida politics," one Florida political operative said, speaking on condition of anonymity so as not to anger the elder Gaetz. "There are a lot of people who owe him favors. They are repaying those favors by staying silent about his son." Or as Ray Sansom, a former northwest Florida legislator who used to have a closing working relationship with Gaetz put it: "There's obviously people who respect Don. There's obviously people who feel like they have been hurt by him … Don's very rough. If he's against you, he's against you in a very rough way." WHO'S CALLING? — "Gaetz ex-girlfriend feared alleged sex-trafficking victim taped call for feds," by POLITICO's Marc Caputo and Matt Dixon: Matt Gaetz's former girlfriend has told friends she's worried that the woman who is key to the federal government's sex-crimes investigation tried to get her to incriminate the Florida lawmaker on a recorded call. The revelation raises the possibility that federal prosecutors have two top cooperating witnesses: the woman who was an alleged sex-trafficking victim when she was a minor and the Gaetz associate already indicted for that crime, former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg. Until now, there were signs the alleged sex-trafficking victim was not cooperating with federal authorities. 'DOC P' — "How medical marijuana, powerful allies fueled rise of Orlando doctor now embroiled in Matt Gaetz sex scandal," by Orlando Sentinel's Jason Garcia and Annie Martin: "In May 2014, just before the Florida Legislature passed the state's first medical marijuana law, then-state House Reps. Matt Gaetz and Jason Brodeur teamed up to add a provision to the bill forcing any company that wanted to grow and sell cannabis in Florida to also hire a physician as medical director. One week later, records show, one of their friends — Orlando hand doctor Jason Pirozzolo, who had been on the floor of the state House that day — started a new consulting business providing medical directors to cannabis companies." — "'Sexism is alive and well.' Matt Gaetz's scandal puts a new spotlight on Florida's male-dominated capital culture," by Sun Sentinel's Skyler Swisher | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | BECAUSE MINIMUM WAGE IS JUST TOO MUCH MONEY — "DeSantis signals opposition to boosting Florida jobless benefits," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled Friday he does not support raising Florida's weekly unemployment benefit rate, which is something Florida's GOP-led Legislature is actively considering. During a press conference in Lakeland, DeSantis did not say he opposes legislation moving through the Florida Senate that would increase weekly benefits from $275 to $375 but said the state's unemployment system is "fine" as is and turned his focus to the job market. A $100 increase would the first hike in Florida since 1998. "Increase benefits? Look, no, I think we are getting people back to work. You see and hear these stories about businesses need more, our goal is to get people back to work," he said. "There is a lot of demand right now." STALLED — "Florida's proposed pre-K reforms facing uncertain finish in 2021," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Legislation aiming to drastically reshape Florida's pre-kindergarten system is in jeopardy of stalling out in the waning days of session. Early education proposals that have gained traction in the House and Senate are now at risk of falling short of the finish line after a key split emerged between the two measures with time running short for lawmakers. WHAT ABOUT SWEDISH FISH? — " Florida House wants to give $10M tax break to Norwegian fish farm," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: The Florida House wants to give a nearly $10 million tax break to a Norwegian fish farm company that's expanding its massive Miami facility, and for the first time in 2020 started giving state political contributions. The language is included in the House's up to $100 million tax cut package, which was unveiled Friday by the chamber's Ways and Means Committee. ON THE RISE — "Like A.O.C., could South Florida's young, progressive Omari Hardy end up in Congress — or higher?" by Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man: "Omari Hardy has forcefully challenged two of the most powerful interests in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the sugar industry. He was the protagonist in a video that generated millions of views when it went viral. He's been mentioned in the New York Times and the Washington Post and has been seen on "60 Minutes." And he has amassed more Twitter followers than most members of Congress. All at age 31, as a relative newcomer to politics." — " As session wanes, Florida lawmakers race to complete agenda," by The Associated Press' Bobby Caina Calvan — "Democrats push Florida GOP leaders to spend more stimulus cash on people than projects," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's John Kennedy — "Senate, House budgets differ on unemployment system & workforce revamp," by Florida Politics' Haley Brown — "Florida Legislature backtracks on massive toll roads plan, is set to scrap much of it," by Tampa Bay Times' Lawrence Mower | | | | A message from Floridians for Affordable Rx:   | | |
| | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | GROWING — "Following spring break, Florida's COVID variant cases explode," by Orlando Sentinel's Kate Santich: "One month after the peak of Florida's spring break, the number of residents infected with more infectious mutated strains of COVID-19 has exploded, rising six-fold since mid-March and leaving 122 people hospitalized. The information, disclosed in response to a lawsuit by the Orlando Sentinel against the Florida Department of Health, shows the total as of Thursday reached 5,177 cases involving five 'variants of concern' — a designation from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for mutations that make the virus more transmissible, deadly or resistant to treatment and current vaccines." FALLOUT — "'We're kind of invisible': Forgotten Orlando convention workers remain jobless," by Orlando Sentinel's Gabrielle Russon: "While the theme parks are open and busy again, one force is still largely unemployed: The workers of Orlando's multibillion-dollar convention industry. For some of these Central Floridians, union jobs had paid better than the low wages so often tied to Orlando's tourism industry, elevating them into the middle class. But for the last year, those jobs have mostly vanished." — "Hospitalizations plunge among Florida seniors, as COVID immunity takes hold ," by Sun Sentinel's David Fleshler and Cindy Krischer Goodman — "Kriseman, council member clash over maskless photos at Rays game," by Tampa Bay Times' Josh Solomon | | Bidenology | | D.C. BOUND — "President Biden nominates former Congresswoman Gwen Graham for assistant secretary of education," by USA Today Network-Florida's Jeffrey Schweers: "Gwen Graham, a former congresswoman from Tallahassee and daughter of one of Florida's most popular statesmen, has been tapped by President Joe Biden to a key advisory position in the Department of Education. A political force in her own right with a penchant for hugging, Graham was one of eight nominees for key administrative posts announced by the White House Friday. Provided her nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Graham will become Assistant Secretary of Education for Legislation and Congressional Relations at the Department of Education." — "Miami-area woman held by feds after making videos threatening Kamala Harris," by Miami Herald's Jay Weaver | | | | 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. | | | | |
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | STONE ZONE — "Justice Department sues Roger Stone over $2M in unpaid taxes," by The Associated Press' Michael Balsamo: "The Justice Department sued Donald Trump's ally Roger Stone on Friday, accusing the conservative provocateur and his wife of failing to pay nearly $2 million in income tax. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It alleges the couple underpaid their income tax by more than $1.5 million from 2007 until 2011 and separately alleges Stone also owes more than $400,000 for not fully paying his tax bill in 2018. The suit alleges that the couple used a commercial entity known as Drake Ventures to "shield their personal income from enforced collection" and to fund a 'lavish lifestyle.'" | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | PREVENTABLE? — "Failure at Piney Point: Florida let environmental risk fester despite warnings," by Tampa Bay Times' Bethany Barnes, Christopher O'Donnell and Zachary T. Sampson: "Under a spotlight in the aftermath, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection is pledging to hold HRK accountable. But the agency isn't a minor actor in the story of what went wrong at Piney Point. Florida's environmental regulator agreed to a plan that put a group of New York financiers in charge of what was arguably the state's biggest ecological risk. The agency questioned warnings from engineers who sounded the alarm that a major leak could happen. And the state knew HRK was behind on its goal to get rid of the polluted water." 'THE SAME OLD POLITICAL NONSENSE' — "End of an era in Cuba? For exiles in Miami, Raul Castro's exit is just 'more of the same,'" by Miami Herald's Adriana Brasileiro, Mario J. Penton and Andres Viglucci: "From Little Havana to Westchester and Miami, the community issued one giant collective shrug at the announcement in Havana. Once, the exit from the stage of the last standing Castro brother — for 62 years the object of so much bitter censure by the thousands exiled from their homeland — might have prompted heartfelt relief and excited hopes of regime change. But when it finally came, it was very much an anti-climax. The long-expected and seemingly smooth transition to a younger Castro protege, five years after the death of Fidel Castro, instead inspired mostly resignation and cynicism, if not indifference." TO COURT — "SPLC sues Duval Schools on behalf of teacher for refusing to take down Black Lives Matter flag," by Florida Times-Union's Emily Bloch: "The Southern Poverty Law Center is suing Duval County Public Schools on behalf of Amy Donofrio — the teacher who was removed from the classroom after she refused to take down her Black Lives Matter flag — a news release said Friday. The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida by the SPLC and private employment law firm Scott Wagner and Associates, P.A.. It seeks to reinstate Donofrio to her teaching position and requests a court order banning school policies that prevent educators from exercising their First Amendment rights by supporting the Black Lives Matter movement and "advocating for anti-racist curricula and policies." — "As Florida 'anti-riot' bill looms, St. Petersburg protesters return to the streets," by Tampa Bay Times' Kavitha Surana and Natalie Weber — " Miami GP to join F1 calendar from 2022 in 10-year-deal," by The Associated Press' Daniella Matar — "JAX Chamber urges changes for Duval County schools named after Confederate figures," by Florida Times-Union's Emily Bloch | | MEDIA MATTERS | | FATE OF 2 FLORIDA PAPERS UP IN AIR — "Swiss billionaire is said to end his bid for Tribune publishing," by The New York Times' Katie Robertson: "The Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, who seemingly came out of nowhere last month to make a serious offer for Tribune Publishing, a major newspaper chain, has decided to take himself out of the bidding, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Two of the people said the decision came about in recent days, after Mr. Wyss's associates examined the Tribune's finances as part of a due diligence process. The two people added that Mr. Wyss had come to believe it would be difficult for him to realize his ambition of transforming The Chicago Tribune — the company's flagship paper and the one he was most interested in — into a national publication." | | | | 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 | | — "For sale: Gilchrist County jail … and its ghostly inhabitants," by The Gainesville Sun's Emily Mavrakis: "The Old Gilchrist County Jail, in operation for 40 years during the 20th century, is up for sale. And in addition to visits from prospective buyers, ghosts of former inmates and others who died on the premises are said to haunt the property… For the last 12 years, [Arlene] Hale and others have used the space to talk with the spirits associated with the jail they believe remain there. Inmates and the ghost of a man found murdered there in 2008 are most often reported by groups. Unexplained voices, shadowy figures and a sensation of being touched have been reported." BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Colleen Burton … state Rep. Cord Byrd… Towson Fraser, president of Fraser Solution… (Was Sunday) The one and only Christine Sexton with News Service of Florida … Derrick Brooks , EVP of Corporate and Community Business Development with Vinik Sports Group … Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany .... Evan Philipson, Florida political director for AIPAC … (Was Saturday) Sen. Ray Rodrigues
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