| | | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Wednesday. The daily rundown — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted information that there were 21,669 new Covid-19 infections reported by the state for Monday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported on its dashboard that 16,832 beds were being used in the state for Covid-19 patients. The Florida Hospital Association reported Tuesday that 53.7 percent of adult patients in intensive care units are infected with Covid-19. News flash — Well, that escalated quickly. An 'emergency' meeting — Florida's State Board of Education — a panel of appointees of the governor that normally spends time talking about school finances, test results, and troubled schools — dedicated nearly three hours late Tuesday to two school districts that defied Gov. Ron DeSantis and the board itself on school mask mandates. In the end, Alachua and Broward were deemed to have violated state rules and laws, and possible sanctions include financial penalties or even removal of school board members. This decision came a day before two more districts — including Miami-Dade — might impose mask mandates. What's going on here? — The emergency meeting was held over the phone — though it sure sounded as if Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran and some board members were in the same room (but hey, that's a separate public notice/Sunshine Law issue for the group and, FWIW, the Department of Education didn't respond to questions about this). Regardless of why the board couldn't look the public in the eye, the meeting turned into Tom Grady, a Naples attorney and board chairman, interrogating the wayward superintendents of the two offending districts. This is important, right? — Grady, a former state legislator, posed pertinent questions about why and how President Joe Biden came to talk to interim Broward superintendent Vickie Cartwright and why Alachua superintendent Carlee Simon was quoted by the Los Angeles Times. It was Grady who floated the idea of removing school board members — an idea that only the governor would have the power to do. (Boy, imagine the state Senate having to hold suspension hearings for two entire school boards.) Power play — Grady also basically asserted that the State Board of Education has penultimate power over education in the state and can countermand local school boards. He and the other board members never really answered some of the outstanding legal questions about whether what's going on is even allowed under Florida law. Guess that's for another day, or a court. Look, there remains a legitimate policy discussion about masks and how districts should proceed and whether parents should be allowed to opt out. But that's not what happened on Tuesday. Maybe the best moment was when Grady insisted that the state board is not "political" or "partisan." OK. — 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 | | | | INTRODUCING OTTAWA PLAYBOOK : Join the growing community of Politicos — from lawmakers and leaders to pollsters, staffers, strategists and lobbyists — working to shape Canada's future. Every day, our reporting team pulls back the curtain to shed light on what's really driving the agenda on Parliament Hill, the true players who are shaping politics and policy across Canada, and the impact it all has on the world. Don't miss out on your daily look inside Canadian politics and power. Subscribe to Ottawa Playbook today. | | | | |
|  | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | CONFRONTATION — "Florida threatens to remove school officials who disobey DeSantis," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' fight over school mask mandates took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after the state Board of Education ruled two defiant school districts broke state law and threatened to remove local elected officials for disobeying the GOP governor. School leaders in Alachua County and Broward County, who are resisting DeSantis' order banning mask mandates, now could face a range of possible punishments for defying the DeSantis administration, which has taken a hard line against enacting additional Covid-19 precautions despite a record-breaking surge in cases and hospitalizations brought on by the Delta variant. — "Orange schools set another COVID-19 record as some Florida districts consider mask mandates," by Orlando Sentinel's Leslie Postal — "Florida argues case challenging DeSantis school mask order should be tossed ," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders ON SECOND THOUGHT — "Amid new virus surge, Florida skeptics reconsider vaccines," by The Associated Press Russ Bynum: "The co-owner of the Westside Journal weekly newspaper used his voice as a columnist to widely share his doubts about the vaccine and his mistrust of the health experts in the U.S. who have been urging everyone to get it. 'I do not trust the Federal Government,' [Roger] West wrote recently. 'I do not trust Dr. Fauci, I do not trust the medical profession, nor the pharmaceutical giants.' But something happened to change his mind: Two of West's close friends became ill with the virus, and a third died. Rattled and stressed, he prayed for guidance. Then, when his mother and another relative both urged him to get vaccinated, he took it as a sign from God." — "Duval County becomes nation's COVID-19 hot spot for hospitalizations," by Florida Times-Union's Beth Reese Cravey, Emily Bloch and David Bauerlein — "COVID-19: Palm Beach County declares state of emergency: requires daily reports from hospitals ," by Palm Beach Post's Jane Musgrave — "Affected by COVID-19 and job vacancies, Lake EMS struggles with 'unprecedented' call volume," by Orlando Sentinel's Stephen Hudak | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | FOLLOW THE MONEY — "New donations to Fried, Crist linked to dark money group in election fraud investigation," by Miami Herald's Samantha J. Gross and Bianca Padró Ocasio: "A dark-money donor at the center of a public corruption investigation into the 2020 election cycle helped back three groups that recently contributed to 2022 Democratic candidates for governor, including Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist. Two Tampa-based political committees — Urban Action Fund and Democratic Action Network PC — and one Fort Lauderdale committee, Democratic Services Network, received a total of $85,500 from Grow United Inc. last October. Grow United, which doesn't disclose its money sources, paid for more than half a million dollars in misleading mailers targeting Democrats in three key Senate races in 2020." JUMPING IN — "Al Fox, Tampa voice on normalizing Cuban relations, files to run for U.S. Senate," by Tampa Bay Times' Romy Ellenbogen: "Albert "Al" Fox Jr., Tampa's longstanding advocate for normalizing Cuban American relations, has officially filed to run in the 2022 Senate race. Fox had hinted at a run earlier this summer when he formed an exploratory committee, but announced he had filed the paperwork to run in the Democratic primary on Monday." GETAWAY — Senate Republicans are heading to Newport, Rhode Island this fall. The Florida Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee is holding a two-day fundraising event Sept. 17 and Sept. 18 that includes dinner at the historic Elms Mansion. The date coincides with the annual Newport Mansions Wine and Food festival. — "Now that Tim Tebow's sports career is over, he can focus on becoming President of the United States," commentary by Orlando Sentinel's Mike Bianchi — "Ron DeSantis political committee hosting $25K per-person Boca Raton event," by Florida Politics' Anne Geggis — "Sean Shaw, allies pivot to 2024 on amendments aimed at improving voter access," by Florida Politics' Jesse Scheckner | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | THE MONEY GO-ROUND — "Florida GOP will have billions extra to spend in 2022, corporations will get some of it," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Florida legislators and Gov. Ron DeSantis are heading into the crucial 2022 elections with billions in extra money at their disposal, courtesy of a strong economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, a red-hot real estate market and lots of leftover federal money. But the recent surge in the state's economy is also triggering an enormous refund to some of the state's biggest corporations, along with an automatic cut in the state's corporate income tax rate. Adding to the conundrum: That tax rate will go back up next year if legislators do nothing. Growing bottom line — Economists concluded the state will collect about $2.6 billion more over the next two years than previously predicted just this past spring — pushing the total amount above pre-pandemic estimates. That will be added to billions that rolled over unspent from the budget year that just ended on June 30, much of it coming from federal aid passed by Congress due to the pandemic. As a result, Florida legislators will have $7.3 billion more to spend above this year's budget. ANNOUNCED IN ANOTHER STATE — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis flew to Indianapolis where he rolled out legislative proposals for the 2022 session during an annual convention of the National Fraternal Order of Police. The governor, who pushed to hand out $1,000 checks to first responders and police this year, said he would have the state pay for $5,000 recruitment bonuses to first-time police officers. The officer would have to pay back the money if they leave Florida prior to one year of continuous service. DeSantis wants to waive certification costs for police officers relocating from another state and provide scholarships to those enrolled in law enforcement academies. SPIN THE WHEEL — "Miami casino sues Department of Interior over Florida's gambling deal with Seminoles," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: But the owners of Magic City Casino in Miami sued the Department of Interior and Secretary Deb Haaland on Monday after federal officials took no action to approve or disapprove the deal, also known as a compact. The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C. contends that the Interior Department should have blocked the compact because it permits gambling outside of land held by the Seminole Tribe, which violates Indian gaming laws as well as other federal and state laws. — " E-commerce company challenges Florida pot restriction," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam — DeSantis top donor invests in COVID drug governor promotes," by The Associated Press' Brendan Farrington | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO "THE RECAST" TODAY: Power is shifting in Washington and in communities across the country. 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| | DATELINE D.C. | | STOP THE MUSIC — "Rubio wants Biden to block TikTok after Chinese govt stake in subsidiary of parent company," by Reuters' David Shepardson: "Republican Senator Marco Rubio urged President Joe Biden on Tuesday to block short-form video app TikTok in the United States after China took an ownership stake in a key subsidiary of ByteDance, the Beijing-based parent company of TikTok. The Biden administration in June withdrew a series of Trump-era executive orders that sought to ban new downloads of WeChat and TikTok. 'Beijing's aggressiveness makes clear that the regime sees TikTok as an extension of the party-state, and the U.S. needs to treat it that way,' Rubio said in a statement." PAUSE IT — "Demings pushes bill to stop evictions, foreclosures during future disasters," by Orlando Sentinel's Desiree Stennett: "U.S. Rep. Val Demings, D-Orlando, has introduced new legislation that would automatically trigger a temporary stop on all evictions and foreclosures for homeowners with federally-backed mortgages when a disaster is declared. The bill, named the Federal Disaster Housing Stability Act of 2021, comes after an eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the COVID-19 pandemic was repeatedly challenged in court." | 
Rep. Val Demings speaking at Democratic Club of North Florida campaign kick off as Rep. Charlie Crist watches | Gary Fineout POLITICO | ROUNDABOUT — "Democrats to seek Florida Medicaid expansion through budget reconciliation," by Palm Beach Post's Antonio Fins: "Congressional Democrats will seek to bypass Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP Florida lawmakers by expanding Medicaid in Florida, perhaps by working directly with counties and cities. In a Tuesday conference call, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch said budget reconciliation in Congress, a procedure that would require simple majorities in both houses, could be used to create a program in which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would 'administer' straight to consumers or via willing local governments across the Sunshine State. 'What we are talking about in reconciliation is essentially going around the governor and the Republican leaders and short-circuiting their resistance with a program that would be administered by CMS,' said Deutch, a Boca Raton Democrat." MELTING — "Sen. Rick Scott calls on Department of Commerce to launch probe into Ben & Jerry's over Israel ban," by New York Post's Juliegrace Brufke: "Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is calling on the Department of Commerce to launch an investigation into Ben & Jerry's for banning sales in parts of Israel, arguing that the ice cream conglomerate's boycott of the West Bank may violate the Export Administration Act. The company announced its freeze on selling ice cream in the region in July, citing its support of Palestine — a move that sparked strong backlash from public officials." | | THE GUNSHINE STATE | | LET THERE BE LIGHT — "Judge won't close hearings in Florida school shooting case," by The Associated Press' Curt Anderson: "A Florida judge refused Tuesday to close pretrial hearings to the media and public in the case of the man accused of killing 17 people in a 2018 high school mass shooting. Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer rejected a motion by defendant Nikolas Cruz's lawyers claiming that intense media coverage jeopardizes his right to a fair trial." | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | EXPENSIVE — "New settlement details reveal Duval Schools to pay teacher with Black Lives Matter flag $300,000," by Florida Times-Union Emily Bloch: "The Duval County School Board will pay a former high school teacher who displayed a Black Lives Matter flag over her classroom door $300,000 to settle a lawsuit from earlier this year. Amy Donofrio, a former Riverside High School (then Lee High) teacher, said she was unfairly removed from her teaching position in March. She made national news, saying administrators told her to take down the Black Lives Matter flag that had been hanging over her doorway. After she refused, the district temporarily reassigned her to warehouse operations and said she was being investigated for "several matters." TERRIBLE — "Death toll tops 1,900 Haitians dig by hand for survivors, hope for more rescue help," by Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles, Syra Ortiz-Blanes, Michael Wilner and David Ovalle: "As rain from Tropical Storm Grace continued to pelt earthquake-shattered towns on Tuesday, some Haitians were growing frustrated with the slow pace of aid. In many places, residents and rescue workers were using their bare hands and shovels to search for survivors in collapsed buildings. In Les Cayes, the heavily damaged port town in Southwest Haiti, a methodical rescue effort was underway at a toppled apartment building in the neighborhood of Bonfret. A woman trapped deep in the rubble had earlier been in touch with rescuers by phone. Whether she was still alive Tuesday morning was unclear, but rescuers reported sounds emanating from underneath a mound of concrete." — "Tampa political leaders confident Rays headed their way," by Tampa Bay Times' Charlie Frago — "$5 million Surfside charity fund to open to survivors, families soon. Here's the plan," by Miami Herald's Samantha J. Gross | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "Maker of bad big-breasted movies in Fort Lauderdale faces big trouble from feds," by Sun Sentinel's Ron Hurtibise: "A complaint filed Aug. 13 by the Securities and Exchange Commission accuses a Fort Lauderdale-based movie producer of duping investors by creating an illusion that they were helping to finance a busy studio with multiple films in production, a deep library of existing films with well-known stars and a large South Florida production facility. Scott Gordon Venters, 59, president and CEO of The Movie Studio, misrepresented his company, The Movie Studio, as a successful company with a bright future when it raised $1.2 million from about 70 investors, then spent the money on his 'lavish lifestyle' and to pay a 'paramour' he hired as a 'consultant,' the complaint states." BIRTHDAYS: Former Florida Democratic Party chairman Bob Poe
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