| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Presented by Facebook | Hello and welcome to Tuesday. At the start — When the rise of Ron DeSantis began, it was Matt Gaetz who was at his side helping all the way. Part of the team — POLITICO's Matt Dixon chronicles how the Panhandle Republican — who is now under investigation — played a key role during DeSantis' at-times bumpy campaign for governor as well as a top adviser once he was elected. Making it happen — The report notes one early moment that was put together by Gaetz: A press conference that featured DeSantis, Gaetz and John Morgan, the wealthy trial attorney and major Democratic donor who bankrolled Florida's medical marijuana amendment. The trio were pushing for state legislators to lift a ban on smokable medical marijuana that had triggered a lawsuit from Morgan. 'All Matt' — As Morgan told Dixon: "It was all initiated by Matt," Morgan said of Gaetz in an interview. "Matt had to assure Ron that I would behave. Ron trusted Matt. I behaved." The move even apparently caught DeSantis own staff off guard. "The… press conference with John f—ing Morgan? Yeah, that was all Matt," said a staffer who worked for DeSantis at the time and spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss their former boss. Other tidbits in the story — Gaetz pushed to install Halsey Beshears as head of the Department of Environmental Protection, but that fell through over concerns that Beshears was too cozy with the sugar industry, a foe of the governor. POLITICO previously reported that Beshears — who was secretary for another state agency until he stepped down in December — was mentioned in a grand jury subpoena linked to the Gaetz investigation. (Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing.) Who's that? — During the initial days of DeSantis' transition, Gaetz had a near-constant presence at the state Capitol. But Gaetz had already begun to disappear from DeSantis' orbit before word of the scandal emerged, but the governor has refused to discuss his one-time ally or defend him since word of the investigation surfaced. — 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 Facebook: The internet has changed a lot since 1996 - internet regulations should too
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|  | Gaetz-gate | | ALLIES — "How Matt Gaetz helped make Ron DeSantis," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Gov. Ron DeSantis' ties to Matt Gaetz could pressure the governor to answer difficult questions about whether he was aware of any alleged wrongdoing as he seeks a second term as governor and possibly the White House. As an adviser, Gaetz urged the governor to appoint several people who are also now ensnared in the federal investigation. Gaetz was also close friends with Joel Greenberg, the man at the center of a federal investigation into sex trafficking. | 
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., listens during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the Justice in Policing Act of 2020 on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 17, 2020. (Erin Scott/Pool via AP) | Erin Scott/Pool via AP | A presence — In interviews, more than half a dozen former DeSantis campaign advisers and early administration staffers say Gaetz had huge influence over DeSantis, who in the run-up to his gubernatorial campaign was an outsider in state-level Florida politics. That was a world where Gaetz had long been an operator. Now, as DeSantis runs for reelection and is likely laying the groundwork for a 2024 presidential run, he has all-but turned his back on Gaetz. The eight former campaign advisers and staffers spoke only on condition of anonymity to discuss DeSantis. | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | CHANGING GEARS — "Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy will not challenge Rubio for Senate," by POLITICO's Marc Caputo: Rep. Stephanie Murphy won't run for U.S. Senate, a decision that was sealed after fellow Florida Congresswoman Val Demings recently signaled she will likely challenge incumbent Marco Rubio. "The reality is that Marco Rubio will not be an easy opponent especially if it's on the heels of a bruising primary where Democrats spend millions attacking each other instead of using those millions to build the infrastructure we desperately need to win," Murphy said Monday in a written statement. Murphy plans to seek reelection to her Orlando-area seat and will help the state party with voter registration, organizing and strengthening the grassroots. "We've had too many close losses in Florida, and so I wanted to use my experience from winning tough races to help the party prepare itself," Murphy said. PRETTY PLEASE — "NRSC chair presses Trump to support incumbents in 2022," by The Hill's Alexander Bolton: "Sen. Rick Scott (Fla.), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, is pleading with former President Trump to support GOP Senate incumbents in the 2022 midterm elections, while Trump has welcomed primary challengers to Republicans he views as disloyal. Scott said during a Monday meeting at Trump Tower that he asked Trump 'to help us in where we have incumbents and after the primary help us in the general elections.' The NRSC chair said the meeting lasted about an hour or an hour and fifteen minutes. 'He wants to make sure we get a majority; I want to make sure we get a majority. I talk about support our incumbents,' he said. 'Every time I talk to him, I say the same thing.'" JUMPING IN — "Democrat lawyer Adam Gentle announces U.S. House run against Mario Diaz-Balart," by Miami Herald's Bianca Padro Ocasio: "Adam Gentle, a 39-year-old anti-corruption lawyer in South Florida and political newbie, launched on Monday a campaign against U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, targeting the Republican congressman over his recent vote against a commission to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Gentle, who calls himself a 'capitalist Democrat,' announced his candidacy for Florida's 25th Congressional District in 2022 with a four-minute video ad that features footage from the Everglades and elsewhere in the district along with videos of the violent confrontations outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, as supporters of former President Donald Trump were attempting to enter the building." — "After Alcee: The race for Congress," by Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man — "Kathy Castor endorses Charlie Crist in Democratic primary for Florida governor," by Tampa Bay Times' Steve Contorno | | | | HAPPENING TODAY - A PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW WITH ADAM KINZINGER: From the ousting of Liz Cheney from her leadership position to the looming death of a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, Donald Trump appears to be winning the internal GOP battle over the party's future. Join Playbook co-authors Rachael Bade and Eugene Daniels for an interview with a leading member of the Trump opposition, Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), to discuss his efforts to change the party's direction -- and whether that is even possible. Register here to watch live. | | | | |
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | COMING TO YOUR TOWN — "DeSantis takes his legislative wins on the road," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Ron DeSantis' conservative roadshow is in full swing. The GOP-dominated Florida Legislature handed the likely 2024 presidential aspirant a wave of legislative wins during this year's session tethered to red meat issues that motivate the conservative base. Since the session ended in late April, DeSantis has used the state plane to traverse Florida holding several high-profile bill signing ceremonies, events replete with "exclusives" given to Fox News and audiences stocked with applauding DeSantis supporters. The latest was Monday when DeSantis traveled to Florida International University in Miami to sign legislation the state's GOP majorities say will crack down on social media censorship. IN PRAISE OF RON DESANTIS — Americans for Prosperity-Florida is launching a statewide television and digital ad campaign Tuesday thanking Gov. Ron DeSantis for backing education legislation that restructures and expands Florida's existing private school voucher programs. "Governor DeSantis is fighting for all Florida students," AFP-Florida State Director Skylar Zander said in a statement. "He has enacted policies that will give parents the freedom to choose the educational opportunity that best fits their child's needs. Our Americans for Prosperity activists across the state and Florida families thank the governor for his dedication to giving more kids the opportunity and tools to succeed." The ads are being backed by a six-figure campaign and will run for the next week in different markets, including Tallahassee. CRACKDOWN — "DeSantis signs 'Big Tech' bill with new speech rules for Twitter, Facebook," by Miami Herald's Ana Ceballos and Collen Wright and Tampa Bay Times' Kirby Wilson : "Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who is positioning himself for reelection next year, signed legislation on Monday at Florida International University in Miami that aims to crack down on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Amazon out of concern that they are conspiring against conservatives and their free speech. The legislation, which DeSantis touted as the first of its kind in the nation, would, among other things, make it illegal for large technology companies to remove candidates for office from their platforms in the run-up to an election. It would also make it easier for Florida's attorney general and individuals to sue 'big tech.'" Keeping count — Several advocacy groups railed against the new law, which appears destined to quickly draw a legal challenge. The session ended less than a month ago and there are already six lawsuits that have filed in federal court against actions taken by the Florida Legislature in 2021 including three challenging a new election law and two filed in opposition to the "anti-riot" bill. A lawsuit is also expected to be filed against the new gambling agreement with the Seminole Tribe of Florida that was approved last week. ABOUT THIS NEW LAW — " Florida's new social media law will be laughed out of court," by WIRED's Gilad Edelman: "'This is so obviously unconstitutional, you wouldn't even put it on an exam,' said A. Michael Froomkin, a law professor at the University of Miami. Under well established Supreme Court precedent, the First Amendment prohibits private entities from being forced to publish or broadcast someone else's speech. Prohibiting 'deplatforming' of political candidates would likely be construed as an unconstitutional must-carry provision. 'This law looks like a political freebie,' Froomkin said. 'You get to pander, and nothing bad happens, because there's no chance this will survive in court.'" SHUTTING DOWN — "Florida's jobless will lose weekly $300 federal unemployment benefit starting June 26," by Orlando Sentinel's Caroline Glenn and Gray Rohrer: "Last week, DeSantis also reinstated Florida's requirement for people receiving unemployment to apply to five jobs per week, a rule that was adopted in 2011 under the Rick Scott administration to lower unemployment taxes for businesses. 'We reinstituted the job search requirement and now discontinued the added federal money, and the reason is simple: we've got almost a half a million job openings in the state of Florida,' DeSantis said at a news conference in Miami on Monday. In the throes of the pandemic, he said, 'we tried to get money out the door, particularly the federal money that we were able to get, and that was appropriate. Now we're just in a much different situation.'" Democrats rip into DeSantis — The governor's decision to cut off federal aid before it expires in early September brought widespread criticism from Florida Democrats. Rep. Val Demings called it "pure politics" and "shameful" while Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said DeSantis was letting "Floridians suffer just to make a political point & get airtime on Fox News. It's a cruel, objectively stupid slap in the face to every Floridian who is still out there struggling." Rep. Charlie Crist, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge DeSantis, called it "heartless leadership." NEXT UP — " 'Florida State swagger': Harvard vice provost Richard McCullough to be next FSU president," by Tallahassee Democrat's Byron Dobson: "Florida State University's Board of Trustees on Monday unanimously selected Richard McCullough, vice provost for research at Harvard, to replace President John Thrasher, who has served as president since November 2014. Trustees praised all three applicants as men who could have taken the helm of FSU, but said McCullough had a 'Florida State swagger' that pushed him over the top. McCullough now will move forward on June 23 for an interview with the Board of Governors, who have ultimate responsibility in confirming presidents of Florida's public universities." | | | |   | | |
| | Bidenology | | 'WE HAVE TO BE READY' — "Biden doubling spending to prepare for hurricanes, storms," by The Associated Press' Matthew Daly and Darlene Superville: "President Joe Biden announced Monday that he's doubling U.S. emergency spending to help communities prepare for hurricanes and other extreme weather events, while launching a new effort at NASA to better understand and track the impact of climate change. The $1 billion in spending is a small fraction of what the U.S. spends on weather-related disasters. Last year alone, the nation endured 22 weather and climate-related disasters with losses greater than $1 billion each. The disasters, including wildfires, hurricanes and snowstorms, had a cumulative price tag of nearly $100 billion. 2021 has already had significant winter storms that caused a deadly blackout in Texas and other states, and officials expect an ongoing severe drought in the West to fuel another destructive summer of wildfires following one of the worst fire years on record in 2020. Forecasters predict a busy hurricane season along the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, but perhaps not as severe as 2020's record-shattering year." NEXT STEPS — "Haitian and immigration advocates says TPS is welcomed, but immigration fight is not over," by Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles: "Immigration and Haitian community activists Monday lauded the Biden administration for protecting tens of thousands of Haitian migrants from deportation by allowing them to temporarily live and work in the United States, but cautioned that the fight for a permanent immigration solution is not over. Advocates say their focus now is to get Congress to approve a pathway to citizenship for Haitians and other undocumented migrants living in the United States, and to end expulsions to Haiti under the public health law known as Title 42." — " Could Florida get another chance at high-speed rail under Biden?" by Tampa Bay Times' Steve Contorno | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | The daily rundown — Between Sunday and Monday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 2,126, to 2,311,941; active hospitalizations increased by 28 (1.3 percent), to 2,126; deaths of Florida residents rose by 27, to 36,501; 10,035,446 Floridians have received at least one dose of a vaccine. NOT GOING TO HAPPEN — "Will Florida offer a vaccine lottery? Here's what Gov. Ron DeSantis' office has to say," by Naples Daily News Liz Freeman: "Don't bet on the chance of an oversized check coming from the Florida Lottery after getting vaccinated. Four states — Maryland, New York, Ohio and Oregon — are offering incentives like cash or scholarships to boost turnout for vaccines against COVID-19 but Gov. Ron DeSantis isn't heading down that path, according to his press office. 'No, Gov. DeSantis is not and will never consider holding a "vaccine lottery" in Florida,' Christina Pushaw, the governor's press secretary, said in an email." | | | | 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. | | | | |
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | FALLOUT — "George Floyd was murdered a year ago. Many Black Floridians still can't watch," by Tampa Bay Times' Margo Snipe: "When [Samuel] Wright, a community activist who lives in Temple Terrace, finally decided to watch, the video devastated him. 'It just tore my insides completely out,' he said. Many other Black people have shied away from watching it, refusing to traumatize themselves by witnessing the murder of a man who looks like them. It has been a year since Floyd, a 46-year-old father of five, was killed on May 25, 2020. In response, protesters filled streets across the world, thrusting the movement for racial justice back to the forefront. The searing video forced a new reckoning on racism, just as past images have." MUCK — "Is SWFL headed for a 'toxic vise'? Health department warns of harmful algae blooms throughout region," by Fort Myers News-Press' Amy Bennett Williams: "As Lee County commissioners plead with the feds to protect the Caloosahatchee and its estuary from excessive Lake Okeechobee releases, health officials are cautioning people to stay away from the water at three popular freshwater boat launches. At the same time, at least five coastal beaches are under red tide alerts. The one-two environmental punch is starting to look alarmingly like what researcher Paul Cox calls 'the toxic vise,' conditions that reached crisis stage in 2018, when then-Gov. Rick Scott declared dual states of emergency." AFTERMATH — "Contamination from Piney Point has diluted in Tampa Bay, researchers say," by Tampa Bay Times' Zachary T. Sampson: "Contamination levels in part of Tampa Bay near a massive discharge of polluted water from the old Piney Point fertilizer plant site have declined, researchers said Monday. Initial results show the effects of the release in early April were relatively contained in an area of lower Tampa Bay, according to professors at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science. But many questions remain about the consequences of the spill for fish, seagrasses and what — if any — harm might emerge over time." | | A message from Facebook: Why Facebook supports updated internet regulations
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| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Sheriff
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