News: POLITICO Florida Playbook: Florida Dems poised for shake-up in race for gov

Thursday, October 7, 2021

POLITICO Florida Playbook: Florida Dems poised for shake-up in race for gov

Oct 07, 2021

Hello and welcome to Thursday.

Coming soon — It appears inevitable that Florida's race for governor — at least on the Democratic side — is about to undergo a change.

Get to work — State Sen. Annette Taddeo, a Miami Democrat, announced that her political committee was hiring five different consulting firms that have done fundraising, advertising, direct mail and public affairs works for Democratic candidates across the nation. In a statement, Taddeo said that "this team is well prepared to guide an integrated message program that ensures we build Florida's winning coalition into electoral successes."

Left unsaid — This is clearly a ramping up ahead of a run for governor in a Democratic primary that already features Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Rep. Charlie Crist. You don't bring in a bunch of firms to help run a state Senate campaign more than a year in advance. There is already growing chatter that Taddeo's entry into the race is coming soon and a top adviser to Fried suggested it would happen later this month.

The road ahead — Obviously, Taddeo has a challenge. Fried and Crist have been campaigning for months. She also has the distinct disadvantage of being unable to raise money for her political committee once the 2022 session starts in January. But Taddeo — a Hispanic Democrat from South Florida — can appeal to a much different slice of the electorate than Fried or Crist. A reminder: Florida's primaries are a simple plurality, not a majority as 2018 proved when Andrew Gillum grabbed the nomination for governor amid a crowded field. Taddeo's likely entry also undercuts the notion that Democrats are coalescing around one candidate as some of Fried's team try to assert. Of course, the eventual nominee will still have to take on Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has a sizable cash advantage and a strong base behind him.

— WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is expected to be in Tallahassee for the investiture of Florida Supreme Court Justice John Couriel.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Florida Playbook will not publish on Monday, Oct. 11. We will back on our normal schedule on Tuesday, Oct. 12. Please continue to follow POLITICO Florida.

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CAMPAIGN MODE

DISENCHANTED? — "Republican-leaning voters in Palm Beach County turned against Trump. Florida GOP unfazed," by Palm Beach Post's Chris Persaud: "A Palm Beach Post review of election records and interviews with more than a dozen voters suggests discontent with the 45th president has brewed in country clubs, yoga studios and higher-end neighborhoods where Republican presidential candidates once dominated. That is the case even here, in Palm Beach County, where Trump cast his ballot a year ago in his new home state, which he comfortably won, and where he remains zealously popular among the GOP base. But even as he trounced Biden in the Sunshine State, Trump's margins in precincts comfortably won by predecessor Republican nominees either shrank or went underwater."

SECOND TRY — "Judge revives lawsuit against secretive group that paid for ads in high-stakes Senate race," by Orlando Sentinel's Jason Garcia and Annie Martin: "A Democratic lawmaker will get a second chance to force a secretive political group to reveal the donors who helped fund advertisements in a key Central Florida Senate race last year after the Orlando Sentinel identified the possible leader of the group. A judge in Miami-Dade County on Wednesday gave an extra 60 days for state Sen. Annette Taddeo to serve a lawsuit she filed against 'Floridians for Equality and Justice,' which sent mailers last year attacking Democrat Patricia Sigman during last year's Senate District 9 election without ever disclosing its contributors."

THE MONEY GO-ROUND — Audrey Henson announced on Thursday that she raised over $205,000 since jumping in as a Republican candidate for Florida's 13th Congressional District last month. "In just a little over 20 days, I was able to raise over $205,000 showing the momentum to win this race is on our side. My commitment to Pinellas County is to wake up every day and out-work, out-pace, and out-perform my opponents," said Henson in a statement…Meanwhile, Ben Diamond 's campaign for Florida's 13th District announced the Democratic state legislator raised more than $300,000 in the third quarter and that he has raised more than $700,000 since starting his bid in May.

— "Tampa Bay Rays donate $50,000 to St. Petersburg mayoral hopeful Ken Welch," by Tampa Bay Times' Colleen Wright

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

The daily rundown — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that there were 3,782 Covid-19 infections on Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 4,568 beds were being used in the state for Covid-19 patients. The Florida Hospital Association reported Wednesday that 18.7 percent of adult patients in intensive care units are infected with Covid-19.

MASK WARS — "Brevard School Board and 10 others face consequences from state board for mask mandate," by Florida Today's Bailey Gallion: "The stage is set for a showdown between Florida's Board of Education and 11 county boards, including Brevard County's, over unsanctioned mask mandates in classrooms around the state. The Brevard County School Board the 10 others face potential punishment when the Florida Board of Education meets Thursday to consider sanctions against the rebel boards who have defied Gov. Ron DeSantis' summertime executive order against school mask mandates."

Heated — "Tensions ran high at the Tuesday meeting, during which [Chair Misty] Belford ordered the public removed from the School Board meeting… [State Rep. Randy] Fine filed a criminal complaint of his own. In a letter to [State Attorney Phil] Archer, he wrote that the removal of the public violated the section of Sunshine Law requiring meetings to remain open to the public 'at all times.' He said in an interview with FLORIDA TODAY that the standard for removing members of the public is high, and removing even peaceful onlookers certainly violates Sunshine Law."

— "Palm Beach County schools to make masks optional when COVID-19 cases drop and kids can be vaccinated," by Sun Sentinel's Angie Dimichele

HAPPENING TODAY — Right before the dust-up between the state board and local school boards Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is doing her own bit of counterprogramming. This morning, Fried plans to highlight data she says shows that school districts that imposed mask mandates led to lower Covid-19 cases per capita. One of Fried's top staffers said late Wednesday that Fried's agency had to obtain the data from each county since the Department of Health had not responded to a public records request for the information.

Nikki Fried March 25, 2021

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried joins opponents to Florida election legislation | Gary Fineout POLITICO

ANOTHER CHALLENGE — "Judge to hear Sarasota store's challenge to 'vaccine passport' ban Thursday," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders: "A Leon County circuit judge is scheduled Thursday to hold a hearing in a Sarasota hobby and craft store's challenge to a state law that bans so-called 'vaccine passports.' Circuit Judge Layne Smith is considering the case two months after a federal judge in South Florida sided with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings in a challenge to the law, which seeks to prevent businesses from requiring customers to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 and threatens fines for violations. The Sarasota business, Bead Abode Inc., argues that the law violates the First Amendment and is seeking an injunction to block it."

— "Sarasota School Board repeals mask mandate," by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Ryan McKinnon

AFTERMATH — "Thousands of Florida students still reported 'missing' from school districts," by WFTS's Katie LaGrone: "Some Florida school districts are reporting thousands of students whose whereabouts remain unknown. Nearly two years into the pandemic, students who have fallen off the school grid and haven't shown up in class remain a problem for almost every school district in Florida. In Polk County, 100 students are still unaccounted for. In Miami Dade County, the state's largest school district, the number of missing students was in the thousands last year but has been reduced down to just under 650, according to a district spokesperson."

HAPPENING TODAY – POLITICO'S FIRST EVER DEFENSE FORUM : President Joe Biden is making critical shifts in the Pentagon's priorities, including fully withdrawing all U.S. troops from Afghanistan, scaling back U.S. military presence across the Middle East and rethinking the positioning of military forces around the world to focus more on China. Join POLITICO for our inaugural defense forum to talk to the decision makers in the White House, Congress, military, and defense industry who are reshaping American power abroad and redefining military readiness for the future of warfare. REGISTER HERE.

... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

'HIGHLY FRUSTRATING ISSUES' — "'Constant stress': Floridians struggle with unemployment overpayments," by Tampa Bay Times' Lawrence Mower: "The state's Department of Economic Opportunity is trying to claw back possibly billions of dollars in non-fraudulent unemployment claims distributed during the first 18 months of the pandemic. Thousands of Floridians have received stern letters warning them that they face being sent to collections if they don't reimburse the state. So how many unemployment recipients, through no fault of their own, must now pay back previous "overpaid" benefits? The state doesn't know."

MESSAGE TO MOUNT TALLAHASSEE — "Carvalho asks Florida to apply for federal funds to meet 'moral imperative' in schools," by Miami Herald's Michelle Marchante: "Miami-Dade County Public Schools has sent a letter to Florida's education commissioner asking him to request the billions of dollars in federal funds that are available to help school districts address the needs of students during the pandemic. The school district of Miami-Dade County is still waiting for $800 million in funds for its traditional public schools, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said Wednesday during a news conference at the district's headquarters in Miami."

STILL FIGHTING — "Florida environmental groups join Alabama in appealing decision in tri-state water fight," by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie: Environmental groups on Wednesday said they are appealing a federal judge's ruling that allows Atlanta-area cities to take more water from the Chattahoochee River upstream from Alabama and Florida's Apalachicola Bay. The National Wildlife Federation, the Florida Wildlife Federation and Apalachicola Riverkeeper filed a notice of appeal after District Judge Thomas Thrash on Aug. 11 dismissed their claims that the Army Corps of Engineers is holding back too much water in federal reservoirs upstream from Florida's Apalachicola River.

— " Matt Willhite, Shevrin Jones' bills say 'no way' to no-cash businesses," by Florida Politics' Christine Jordan Sexton

— "Restore manatee's endangered status, says Nikki Fried," by News Service of Florida

— " Legislature to consider more than $100 million in relief compensation for 17 tragedies," by Florida Politics' Scott Powers

TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

BUILD ME UP BUTTERCUP — "Stephanie Grisham says when Trump 'needed someone to tell him how awesome he was' he'd call Matt Gaetz, who would 'sing for his supper,'" by Insider's Eliza Relman : "Stephanie Grisham, former White House press secretary, wrote in her new memoir that White House staffers believed GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz 'would do anything' for former President Donald Trump. Grisham said Trump's aides would get Gaetz on the phone to give the president pep talks or run interference on news shows. 'We all knew that whenever Trump needed someone to defend him on TV on anything, Gaetz was our boy,' Grisham wrote in 'I'll Take Your Questions Now.'"

STAYING PUT — "Tampa Oath Keeper stays jailed after judge finds he threatened cops," by Tampa Bay Times' Dan Sullivan: "The threat came in a profane handwritten sign [Jeremy Michael] Brown posted in front of his house after a visit from federal agents earlier this year. It bore a message addressed to the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. It urged them to 're-read your oath,' saying they were being used as 'pawns by the enemies of this republic,' and warning when they came back, they should 'bring a bigger tactical package.'"

— " Felony charges dropped as Middleburg couple takes plea deal in U.S. Capitol riot case," by Florida Times-Union's Steve Patterson

DATELINE D.C.

NEXT CHAPTER BEGINS — "Gwen Graham's nomination as assistant secretary of education confirmed by U.S. Senate," by USA Today Network-Florida's Jeffrey Schweers: "Gwen Graham — a former congresswoman for Tallahassee, one-time gubernatorial candidate and daughter of ex-governor and U.S. senator Bob Graham — was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Wednesday to a top advisory position in the Department of Education. The nomination was confirmed by voice vote along with dozens of other nominations, the U.S. Department of Education confirmed. No objections to her nomination were filed."

WILSON PROPOSES REPARATIONS THROUGH EDUCATION: Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.) said Wednesday that she plans to introduce legislation that would offer a debt-free education to ancestors of enslaved Americans at any historically Black college or university, POLITICO's Daniel Payne reported in Morning Education today.

— At a subcommittee hearing Wednesday on HBCUs, Wilson said covering the cost of attendance would not only help reduce racial inequality among students but also "ensure that HBCUs not only survive but thrive and grow for decades to come."

— "I've always felt the solution must be education," she said. "I consider this investment to be long overdue."

TRANSITIONS — Alex Smith is now legislative director for Rep. Byron Donalds. She was previously legislative assistant … Valerie Chicola is the new senior communications advisor for Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar. She was previously broadcast communications advisor for Sen. Mitch McConnell … Alejandra "Allie" Rodriguez this week started as Salazar's press secretary. Rodriguez was previously legislative correspondent and scheduler for Salazar since January 2021.

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

IT'S OVER — "Lawsuit challenging Rosen Gonzalez sexual harassment claim settled for $110,000," by Miami Herald's Martin Vassolo: "A defamation lawsuit filed against former Miami Beach Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez, who accused a former political ally of exposing himself to her in 2017, has been settled by Rosen Gonzalez's insurance carrier. Rafael Velasquez, an appointed member of Miami Beach's Police/Citizens Relations Committee, received $110,000 from the insurance carrier to drop the lawsuit, according to a September order filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. Velasquez, a real estate agent, filed the lawsuit in 2018 challenging the accusation that he exposed himself to the then-sitting commissioner in a car while Velasquez was running for office. He claimed Rosen Gonzalez — at the time running an ill-fated campaign in the Democratic primary for Florida's 27th congressional district — invented the accusation in order to capitalize on the national #MeToo movement against sexual harassment and abuse."

GONE FOR GOOD? — "Florida eliminates giant snail that can eat houses," by Sun Sentinel's Chris Perkins: "It's an 8-inch master of disaster: A snail that can eat the stucco off your house and give you meningitis. But it's been eliminated from Florida. Again. Officials announced Wednesday the giant African land snail has been eradicated from Florida for the second time. 'This truly is an exciting day for our state and for our country,' Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said."

MOVING — " Cathie Wood's ARK Investment moving headquarters to St. Petersburg," by Bernadette Berdychowski: "Iconic investor Cathie Wood's firm is leaving the Big Apple for St. Petersburg, the company announced Wednesday. Ark Investment Management, the Wall Street asset management firm known for investing in innovative technologies will relocate to 200 Central Avenue on Nov. 1, according to a press release. The new corporate office will accommodate the hybrid-work model and remote workers, the company said. The firm will also launch the Ark Innovation Center, a talent incubator that will be built and owned by Pinellas County and in partnership with the Tampa Bay Innovation Center."

SCENES FROM A COURTROOM — "School shooting suspect becomes upset during trial," by The Associated Press' Terry Spencer: "The preliminary stage of jury selection in the trial of the Florida school massacre suspect on charges that he attacked a jail guard concluded Wednesday, but not before attorneys clashed over whether Nikolas Cruz should be allowed to draw using colored pencils to avoid getting upset. Prosecutor Maria Schneider accused Cruz's attorneys of giving him the colored pencils to make the suspected killer of 17 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in February 2018 appear sympathetic before the prospective jurors."

— " Judge: Mediator will sort claims in Florida condo collapse," by The Associated Press' Curt Anderson

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

— "Florida lifts 30-year ban on catching goliath grouper," by The Associated Press: "Florida is lifting its three-decade ban on catching and killing goliath groupers after wildlife officials argued their numbers have rebounded. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved on Wednesday a proposal to allow recreational harvest of 200 goliaths per year from March to May."

BIRTHDAYS: The New York Times' Charlie Savage … Allen Douglas, executive director Florida Engineering Society

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