News: POLITICO Florida Playbook: Another Biden-DeSantis feud

Friday, September 17, 2021

POLITICO Florida Playbook: Another Biden-DeSantis feud

Sep 17, 2021

Hello and welcome to Friday.

Stop me if you think you've heard this one before — Another day, another clash between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the administration of President Joe Biden over Covid-19.

Pushing back — DeSantis lashed out at the Biden administration on Thursday after it announced plans this week to limit how many doses of monoclonal antibody treatments would be provided to individual states. The move comes after DeSantis pushed the state to set up treatment centers across the state in response to this summer's Delta variant that sent Covid-19 cases soaring and resulted in a spike in deaths and hospitalizations.

Challenge — DeSantis said the change in distribution was a "huge disruption" and that "patients are going to suffer." "We have been thrown a major curveball," he told reporters, and vowed to "fight like hell" and see if Florida could acquire doses on its own.

Response — The White House defended its approach. Press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that "our role as the government overseeing the entire country is to be equitable in how we distribute. We're not going to give a greater percentage to Florida over Oklahoma." Records show that Florida and six other Southern states were getting 70 percent of the weekly Regeneron doses being shipped out. That will now drop to 55 percent with Florida still getting the biggest share.

Suspicious minds — Sen. Marco Rubio — saying that the move is "bordering now on tyranny" — contended that "this is the Biden administration punishing Florida" as he suggested (without proof) that the decision to place limits on the shipments was a partisan move because Florida (read: DeSantis) has clashed with the White House over vaccine mandates and masks in schools.

Overshadowing the good news — DeSantis made his comments even as he touted new statistics that show a reduction in hospitalizations and emergency room visits that have coincided with the state's opening of 25 centers that provide the treatment to those infected with Covid-19. But the governor has suggested he wants to keep the sites open in case there is another surge like the one that hit the state late last year. The tug-of-war between Biden and DeSantis — just like Covid-19 — isn't going away anytime soon.

— WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.

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CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

'GRIM MILESTONE' — "Florida COVID update: State breaks 50,000 total deaths, 1,554 more added to the toll," by Miami Herald's Daniel Chang, Devoun Cetoute and Ana Claudia Chacin: "Florida's pandemic death toll surpassed 50,000 people on Thursday, a grim milestone reached after a summer surge of new cases, hospitalizations and deaths fueled by the highly contagious delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19. Though the number of new cases and hospitalizations for the infectious disease have declined in Florida since the last week of August, the seven-day average of deaths reported has fluctuated and this week reached the second-highest point since the pandemic began in spring 2020."

BIDEN V. WHITE HOUSE EPISODE 25 — DeSantis opens new war with Biden over Covid treatments," by POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian: First came masks. Then a feud over vaccine mandates. Now a new front has opened in the Covid battle between President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis: Covid-19 antibody treatments. On Thursday, DeSantis ripped into Biden's plan to distribute doses of monoclonal antibody treatments to states across the nation. Florida and six other Southern states have relied on the therapies to treat patients infected with the virus but also took up 70 percent of the orders in early September.

The daily rundown — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that there were 9,313 Covid-19 infections on Wednesday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 10,247 beds were being used in the state for Covid-19 patients. The Florida Hospital Association reported Thursday that 38.1 percent of adult patients in intensive care units are infected with Covid-19.

STERNLY-WORDED LETTER — Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Thursday joined with 23 attorneys general who warned that they will sue President Joe Biden if his administration carries out its plan to force large employers to mandate Covid-19 vaccines or weekly testing. The officials wrote a letter to Biden that contends the mandate is illegal and will be "disastrous and counterproductive" and that will create more skepticism over vaccinations. Moody, who previously joined efforts to question the 2020 election results and challenged other Biden administration actions, said in a statement that "President Biden is once again acting well beyond his authority. The federal government cannot impose sweeping vaccine mandates, and this oppressive power grab is unprecedented and unlawful."

Attorney General Ashley Moody March 9, 2021

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks to reporters in March 2021 | Gary Fineout/Politico

FLORIDA HAS A SURGEON GENERAL? — "Judge shields Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees from deposition in mask fight," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders: "An administrative law judge Thursday rejected an attempt to have Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees testify in a legal fight about the state's efforts to prevent school mask mandates. Judge Brian Newman sided with the Florida Department of Health, which argued that Rivkees should be shielded from giving a deposition. The deposition was sought by attorneys for school boards and parties such as the NAACP that are challenging a Department of Health rule that requires parents to be able to 'opt out' their children from any school mask mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic."

— "'Our guard was down': Family of six contracts COVID after child's sleepover; dad, 33, dies," by Palm Beach Post's Jorge Milian

CAMPAIGN MODE

FOLLOWING THE CLUES — "Mystery group behinds ads in key Senate race may have been led by Republican strategist's son," by Orlando Sentinel's Jason Garcia and Annie Martin: "But court records in Alachua County show there is a 24-year-old Stephen Stafford Jones in Gainesville whose signature an expert said matches the Stephen Jones signature on Floridians for Equality and Justice's election filings. That Stephen Jones is the son of William Stafford Jones, a prominent political consultant in Gainesville who has done work with Data Targeting Inc. — the Gainesville-based firm that oversaw strategy for Republican Senate campaigns across Florida last year, including the Central Florida Senate District 9 race where Republican Sen. Jason Brodeur of Sanford ultimately defeated Democrat Patricia Sigman."

DRAW THE LINE — "Voters' groups challenge Republicans on redistricting as high-stakes map-drawing kicks off," by USA Today Network-Florida's John Kennedy: "Florida lawmakers take their first steps Monday toward redrawing political boundaries in the nation's biggest presidential swing state, but voters' groups are already testing the Republican-led Legislature. A coalition led by organizers of the Fair Districts amendments in the state constitution is calling on lawmakers to use current, court-approved congressional and state Senate districts as the baseline for whatever changes are made during the redrawing of new maps."

'WE WILL BE STRUGGLING' — " Death of Hillsborough GOP member from COVID-19 causes financial problems for party," by Tampa Bay Times' Steve Contorno: "The Hillsborough County Republican Party alerted federal election regulators Tuesday that it may file its monthly campaign finance reports late because a key member of the organization died Saturday from COVID-19. Prior to his death, Gregg Prentice developed and maintained software that electronically tracked donations to the Hillsborough County GOP and supplied data for the organization's monthly finance reports. None of the other officers knew how to operate Prentice's software, the party told the Federal Elections Commission."

— " House candidate threatens lawsuit against Gov. DeSantis over unfilled legislative seats," by Florida Politics' Ryan Nicol

— "Blackmon announces endorsements for St. Petersburg mayor," by Tampa Bay Times' William March

— " Two national groups endorse Aramis Ayala in CD 10," by Florida Politics' Scott Powers

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... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

THE BASEMENT TAPES — Rep. Anthony Sabatini, the central Florida Republican who has repeatedly clashed with GOP House leaders, lashed out again at House Speaker Chris Sprowls this week … over his office being moved to the basement. Sabatini, who is running for Congress, late Wednesday tweeted out that "RINO Speaker of the House in Florida, beta @ChrisSprowls (the guy who kills the Pro-Life, Pro-2A, & E-Verify Bills each year) moved my legislative office because he's BIG mad I call him out. This year I'm filing a mental health & wellness Bill to help fragile people like Sprowls."

Defenders — Let's say that Sabatini's assessment is not shared by other Republicans. Republican Party of Florida chairman and state Sen. Joe Gruters — without tagging Sabatini directly — tweeted out that "Speaker @ChrisSprowls is one of the most conservative speakers Florida has ever had and we are lucky to have him." But then there's the reply from Democrat Rep. Kelly Skidmore. She tweeted : "@AnthonySabatini welcome to the neighborhood! Location, location, location! Perks: being steps away from Morris Hall, quick access to parking garage, less frequented bathrooms, inside stairway to EL, secret ice machine, and friendly neighbors."

Rep. Chris Sprowls | Getty Images

SNUBBED — "Castor not invited to DeSantis announcement, but not sulking," by Tampa Bay Times' William March: "When Gov. Ron DeSantis made a major announcement of sped-up highway improvement plans in Tampa on Monday, he was flanked by House Speaker Chris Sprowls of Palm Harbor, Senate President Wilton Simpson of Trilby, Florida Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault and a crew of construction workers. Who was missing? Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. 'We didn't know about it,' Castor spokesman Adam Smith said of the news conference."

SPEAKING OUT — " After 33 years, parents of brain-damaged kids get to express disgust with Florida program," by Miami Herald's Carol Marbin Miller and Daniel Chang: "The parents of children born with catastrophic brain damage who were stripped of the right to sue were offered a measure of consolation Thursday for the first time in more than three decades: They were given the chance to speak. About a dozen mothers and fathers addressed the administrators and governing board of Florida's Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association, or NICA, at a meeting held via the Internet. Many of the parents said they had suffered silently for years as the program fought over benefits that could have relieved the considerable burden on the children and families NICA served."

TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

FLORIDA MAN — "Second alleged Oath Keeper in largest Capitol rally conspiracy case pleads guilty and will cooperate," by Washington Post's Spencer S. Hsu : "A 20-year Marine veteran and former marksmanship instructor from Florida became the second defendant in the largest Jan. 6 Oath Keepers conspiracy case to plead guilty and agree to cooperate fully with prosecutors in hopes of reducing his prison term. Jason Dolan, 45, of Wellington, Fla., admitted Wednesday to two federal counts of conspiracy and aiding and abetting the obstruction of Congress as it met to confirm President Biden's 2020 election win, felonies punishable by up to 20 years in prison."

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

DISMISSED — "Lee deputy fired, said inmate looked like George Floyd, asked him to say 'I can't breathe,'" by Fort Myers News-Press Michael Braun: "A Lee County Sheriff's Office deputy has been fired after telling an inmate he resembled George Floyd and asked him to say "I can't breathe," words Floyd spoke before dying under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer in 2020….The Sheriff's Office investigation found that Payne's supervisor immediately told the deputy to stop the comments, saying it was inappropriate. Several inmates also heard the remark and one filed a complaint via email, he said, because the targeted inmate was likely to not complain in fear of retaliation."

'PUSHED TO THE BRINK' — "Half of Haiti's earthquake victims still have not received assistance, U.N. says," by Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles: "A month after a deadly earthquake devastated communities along Haiti's southern peninsula, many of the urgent humanitarian needs continue to go unmet, with some people yet to receive any aid, the United Nations said Thursday. Of the 800,000 people estimated to have been affected by the powerful 7.2 magnitude temblor, which damaged or destroyed thousands of homes, schools and churches in three regional departments of southern Haiti, about 400,000 are still in need of some initial assistance."

HAITIANS AT THE BORDER — "Thousands of migrants huddle in squalid conditions under Texas bridge," by The New York Times' James Dobbins, Eileen Sullivan and Edgar Sandoval: "Thousands of migrants were crowded under a bridge outside the border community of Del Rio on Thursday, part of a massive surge in migration across the Rio Grande this week that has overwhelmed the authorities and caused significant delays in processing the arrivals. The U.S. Border Patrol said that more than 9,000 migrants, mostly from Haiti, were being held in a temporary staging area under the Del Rio International Bridge as agents worked as quickly as they could to process them."

— " Despite jail sentence, 2 former Sebastian council members may not spend much time behind bars," by Treasure Coast Newspapers' Melissa E. Holsman

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

— "Lawsuit seeks to remove former socialite from Miami Beach ballot in residency dispute," by Miami Herald's Martin Vassolo: "Less than a year before he finalized his candidacy for a Miami Beach commission seat, former tabloid 'It boy' Fabián Basabe was a registered voter in the neighboring town of Bay Harbor Islands, where he voted in November's general election. That's illegal, according to a lawsuit filed this week by a voter supporting Miami Beach Commissioner Mark Samuelian, who is running for re-election against Basabe in the city's Group 2 race."

BIRTHDAYS: Jeff Schweers of the USA Today Network … Mary Beth Tyson, photographer

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