News : POLITICO Florida Playbook: Lights out: Florida's Bridgegate mystery — Rubio v. Demings, Day 1 — U.S. Senate votes to designate Pulse a national memorial

Thursday, June 10, 2021

POLITICO Florida Playbook: Lights out: Florida's Bridgegate mystery — Rubio v. Demings, Day 1 — U.S. Senate votes to designate Pulse a national memorial

Jun 10, 2021

Hello and welcome to Thursday.

Turn it on again — It may not be Florida's version of Bridgegate, but a dustup over the use of rainbow-colored lights for Pride Month on a Jacksonville bridge spilled over into denials (Gov. Ron DeSantis) and pointed fingers (Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried).

Land of confusion — It began when local officials in Jacksonville chose to light up a local bridge in honor of Pride Month. State transportation officials intervened, saying the lights violated certain permits, and they were switched back to blue late Tuesday night. This decision was seen as yet another slap to the LGBTQ community by the DeSantis administration given that the governor signed a bill banning transgender girls and women from participating in girls and women's sports on the first day of Pride Month. The governor also recently vetoed money for those affected by the shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. (The 5-year anniversary of that tragedy is this Saturday by the way.)

Follow you, follow me — But the governor's office insisted they had nothing to do with nixing the rainbow lights. The governor "was not involved in the decision and it's absurd to think otherwise," DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske said in an email. By Wednesday night, the lights were back to their rainbow-color scheme. The Florida Times-Union — which chronicled the lights drama in detail — reported that there were "several complaints" about the lights which led to the transportation department to point out the scheme violated permit terms.

Misunderstanding — But to some, this explanation rang hollow since the state also denied a request to use rainbow lights on a bridge in Sarasota. Beth Frady, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, said that "the assumption there was a decision to disallow LGBTQ rainbow-themed lights on bridges in cities across the state is not true." Fried, however, wrote a letter to DeSantis asking about both the Jacksonville and Sarasota decisions as well as a decision by the state to deny her request to light up the state Capitol orange in honor of gun violence victims.

That's all — "You may not choose to recognize that your administration's homophobic, transphobic actions exacerbate the discrimination the LGBTQ-community continues to face," Fried wrote in a sharply-worded letter to the governor, "just as you may choose to ignore the nearly 3,000 gun deaths that occur in Florida each year."

— WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is expected to appear at the State Board of Education meeting by video. DeSantis is also scheduled to hold a fundraiser in San Diego, California.

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CAMPAIGN MODE

THAT ESCALATED QUICKLY — On Day One, the marquee matchup of 2022 — Marco Rubio vs. Val Demings — lived up to its billing.

Demings made her entry into the Senate race official on Wednesday morning with a biographical video (and the official paperwork filed shortly after midnight!) that emphasized her upbringing and time spent working her way up the ranks of the Orlando Police Department.

Republicans were ready — Republican groups pushed out a coordinated talking point that branded Demings a "Pelosi puppet" who merely goes along with whatever House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants. Rubio himself took to social media with his own video where he called Demings a "do-nothing" member of Congress who had accomplished little during her three terms in office.

Retort — Demings swung back when she spoke to reporters later in the day: She pointed out that while Rubio has been in elected office most of his life that she spent 27 years working in law enforcement. Demings brushed off Republican criticisms as "desperate," including a line that the one-time Orlando police chief favored defunding the police. Demings insisted that Black and brown communities don't want less police, they just want someone who will treat them with "dignity and respect." Expect more sparring between the two in the weeks and months ahead.

— "Demings needs to punch back against Rubio to win, experts say," by Orlando Sentinel's Steven Lemongello

FIRST PITCH — "Crist makes GOP election bill centerpiece of early Florida gubernatorial campaign," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist is beginning his bid to return to Florida's governor's mansion with a focus on voting rights, an issue that played a big role in his own political career and one he thinks can be an effective cudgel against Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Crist, a former Republican Florida governor and current Democratic congressman from St. Petersburg, has been crisscrossing the state in recent days to promote his "Voting Rights Tour."

Touting his record — He's using the public events to highlight his political resume, including restoring voting rights for more than 150,000 felons during his one term as governor from 2007 to 2011. He's also echoing Democratic criticisms of legislation passed by the GOP-led state Legislature and signed by DeSantis that supporters say secures Florida's election integrity, but opponents decry as a coordinated effort to make it harder to vote.

DIAMOND HAUL — The congressional campaign of Ben Diamond says the Pinellas County Democrat raised more than $250,000 after the state legislator declared his candidacy one month ago for the seat now held by Crist. Diamond was in line to become state House Democratic leader but opted to run for Congress after Crist launched his latest bid for governor. Diamond's camp says most of the donations came from Pinellas County residents.

... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

THINKING IT OVER — "After outcry over food distribution contract, Nikki Fried says she'll review choice made for South Florida," by Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man: "After an outcry from a range of elected officials, state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried plans to review her agency's decision not to continue using Feeding South Florida for distribution of federal food aid to the hungry. The decision this spring by the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to move the work to another organization drew howls of outrage from many elected officials in Broward County."

WHAT'S IN YOUR WALLET? — " DeSantis to sign property insurance changes that could affect Citizens rates," by News Service of Florida's Jim Turner: "Gov. Ron DeSantis said Wednesday he will sign a property-insurance package that could lead to larger rate increases for customers of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. while seeking to curb roof-damage claims and lawsuits. But he added more will need to be done to make the private insurance industry 'stronger.' 'I think we got a lot of good stuff done in the legislative session, one of the things we'll be, I know we worked on, was some property insurance reform, to try to stem some of the problems we see in that market,' DeSantis said, while appearing by video during a meeting of the Enterprise Florida Board of Directors."

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DATELINE D.C.

FIVE YEARS LATER — "U.S. Senate designates Pulse nightclub as a national memorial; bill headed to President Biden's desk," by Orlando Sentinel's Katie Rice: "Days before the fifth anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, U.S. Senators passed a bill designating the site of the former nightclub as a national memorial. The legislation passed unanimously Wednesday afternoon after its sponsor, Sen. Rick Scott, asked that it and its companion bills be approved by unanimous consent in observance of the five years since the mass shooting. H.R. 49, the U.S. House's version of the bill, and Senate Resolution 265, both honoring the victims of the shooting, also passed the Senate unanimously. H.R. 49 passed the U.S. House May 12."

In remembrance — "Introducing the legislation Wednesday, Scott reflected on the impact of the tragedy on Orlando and the state of Florida and shared his personal experience responding to the crisis. 'The days I spent in Orlando following the shooting will always be with me,' said Scott, who was Florida's governor at the time of the massacre. 'I talked to many parents who lost their children, I went to funerals and wakes, and sat in hospital rooms. As a father and grandfather, it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. It was heartbreaking.'"

OH, NOW IT'S IMPORTANT — "After years of GOP spending and tax cuts, Rick Scott wants to focus on the debt," by Miami Herald's Alex Daugherty: "For four years, former President Donald Trump ignored a campaign promise to reduce the federal debt, and the COVID-19 pandemic spurred enormous amounts of government spending under Trump and President Joe Biden. Now, with Republicans out of power, Florida Sen. Rick Scott says he wants to zone in on reducing the debt, a rallying cry of Tea Party Republicans a decade ago. And he's attempting to use an upcoming deadline where Congress must increase the amount of money the U.S. government can borrow as leverage for his cause. On Wednesday, Scott introduced the Federal Debt Emergency Control Act, a bill that would require the U.S. Senate to make procedural changes to pass legislation that increases the debt if the country's debt-to-GDP ratio exceeds 100%."

NOT WELCOME? — "The Congressional Black Caucus is blocking a Black Republican from joining the group," by BuzzFeed News Kadia Goba: "The Congressional Black Caucus is blocking membership to Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida who has tried to join the organization, a source familiar with the CBC's plans told BuzzFeed News. It's been six months since the members who won election in 2020 were inducted into the CBC, a powerful and nominally nonpartisan group of Black lawmakers in Congress. Donalds, who won election for the first time last year, has not been included in that group. The Florida representative's office said Donalds has talked to at least three members of the CBC about joining the group, whose members are now at the forefront of police reform talks and responsible for highlighting the racial inequities around COVID-19."

THE GUNSHINE STATE

AFTERMATH — "Five years later, the pain of Pulse lingers," by Tampa Bay Times' Claire McNeill: "He was wary of reporters, afterward, but wanted to tell the story of the place he knew. As the spotlight intensified, he began to worry fellow survivors might question his intentions. Five years later, he still wants the club's story told, but knows some resent his support of the $45 million museum and memorial project. And we're both not wrong, he thinks. 'That divide, my God, even five years later, is getting, a little at a time, stronger and stronger and further apart,' he says. 'And I just want people to heal.' Nearing home, [Brian] Reagan glances to see if the dive bar near his place has changed its marquee. It stings to see PULSE STRONG, as it hurts to see the 49 names at the mall Starbucks and the rainbows in windows that snap him right back to June 12, 2016."

— "St. Petersburg leaders to go door-to-door to curb gun violence," by Tampa Bay Times' Margo Snipe

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? — "Florida policy-makers will no longer know about COVID hospitalizations,' by Palm Beach Post's Jane Musgrave: "When the coronavirus was raging, Gov. Ron DeSantis repeatedly said that the best way to monitor the pandemic was to keep track of how many people were seeking hospital treatment for COVID-19. But, when the state last week stopped issuing daily reports about new cases, deaths and vaccinations, it also stopped requiring hospitals to report how many people it was treating daily for the disease. That means that data on emergency room visits and hospital admissions, which had fallen significantly in recent weeks, is no longer available not just to the public, but to decision-makers."

TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

SENDING A MESSAGE — "The city that's home to Trump's South Florida resort just voted to ban casinos," by Miami Herald's Samantha J. Gross and Martin Vassolo: "Count Doral among the latest Miami-Dade cities to erect defenses against casino politics as the prospect of gambling — and a Trump-branded casino — creeps closer. The Doral city council on Wednesday voted 4-0 to ban gambling and casinos from the city unless approved by residents in a referendum, weeks after Gov. Ron DeSantis negotiated a $500 million gaming deal with the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Critics believe the compact was tailored to allow casinos at properties such as the Trump National Doral Miami resort or the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel, which local officials fear will bring negative impacts to their communities."

— "Trump-O'Reilly 'History Tour' coming to Orlando on Dec. 12," by Orlando Sentinel's Gray Rohrer

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

INSPECTING THE FILES — "The Hunted: Police K-9s are meant to stop dangerous felons. They're more often unleashed on Black people accused of stealing," by Sun Sentinel's Brittany Wallman, Mario Ariza and Megan O'Matz: "The South Florida Sun Sentinel examined 17 months of K-9 bites at Broward's largest police agencies and found that 84 percent of people bitten were Black. Though racial disparities in criminal justice are common, the high percentage of Black people bitten by police dogs in Broward stands out. It eclipses the percentage of Black residents in the local population, and far exceeds the percentage of Black arrestees here. Black children are commonly bitten. The Sun Sentinel found that nearly one in five people bitten were 17 or younger, despite policies that discourage police officers from unleashing K-9s on children. In Hollywood, that statistic was especially striking: almost half the people bitten were juveniles."

WATCHING CLOSELY — "U.S. warns Venezuela, Cuba to turn away Iranian ships believed to be carrying arms," by POLITICO's Lara Seligman, Andrew Desiderio, Betsy Woodruff Swan and Nahal Toosi: The Biden administration is urging Venezuela and Cuba to turn away two Iranian warships believed to be carrying arms intended for transfer to Caracas, while vowing that the U.S. will take "appropriate measures" to deter what it sees as a "threat" to America's partners in the Western Hemisphere. The warnings — some public and some private, according to three people briefed on the situation — come as the vessels have traveled a significant distance across the Atlantic Ocean. A senior Biden administration official said the ships are thought to be carrying weapons to fulfill a deal that Iran and Venezuela made a year ago, noting that it was during the administration of former President Donald Trump.

— "Manatee County to explore local abortion regulations similar to Texas Heartbeat Act," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Jesse Mendoza

— "'It's censorship.' Broward high told to stop selling yearbook because of BLM spread ," by Miami Herald's Madeleine Romance and Carli Teproff

— "Castor remains opposed to independent attorney, subpoena power for police board," by Tampa Bay Times' Charlie Frago

ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN

— "Pembroke Park mayor sues critic who keeps bringing up his messy past in Arizona," by Miami Herald's Aaron Leibowitz: "Before he became a city commissioner and then the mayor of Pembroke Park, Geoffrey Jacobs had a whirlwind career as a pilot and highway patrolman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety. To make a long, soap-opera story short: Jacobs was fired in 2009 following an investigation that he claimed was launched in retaliation after he ended a romantic relationship with the agency director's daughter. News stories detailed various allegations against Jacobs and told of his seemingly hard-partying lifestyle. He sued the agency director for civil rights violations. And he was ultimately decertified as a law enforcement officer in the state."

BIRTHDAYS: Nick Iarossi of Capital City Consulting … Ashley Montenegro , government relations specialist for Catalyst

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