News: POLITICO Florida Playbook: Florida's college daze

Monday, January 24, 2022

POLITICO Florida Playbook: Florida's college daze

Jan 24, 2022

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Good Monday morning.

My old school — Florida's higher education system — especially its state universities — has been a source of bragging for some years now as major institutions such as the University of Florida have climbed up the ladder of national rankings. Is that all about to get wrecked?

Reelin' in the years — UF has seen a withering cascade of headlines over the last several months, including when the institution tried to explain why it blocked professors from testifying as legal experts in lawsuits against the state. That drama triggered a legal battle that culminated in a scathing ruling this past Friday by U.S. Chief District Judge Mark Walker, where he compared recent actions at the school to China.

Change of the guard — Florida International University President Mark Rosenberg also abruptly resigned on Friday in such a way that the immediate assumption was that he had been ousted. That led to immediate — and unsubstantiated suspicions — from Democrats that Gov. Ron DeSantis must be involved. It turned out, however, that Rosenberg stepped down amid allegations of harassment. CBS Miami's Jim DeFede reported on Sunday that Rosenberg had been given an ultimatum — quit or be fired.

Do it again — It would be naïve to say that Florida's political world is not intertwined with its universities. Most of those appointed to the governing boards are put there by the governor and, lo and behold, many are political donors. Over the years, significant political figures — both Democratic and Republican — have wound up getting picked to run major institutions due to their political connections.

Everything must go — The question is just how intense that level of political interference has been lately (see UF above) and whether it's going to get worse in the months ahead now that four universities — including two of the largest in the nation — are going to be searching for new leaders. Let's also throw in a governor, an alum of Yale and Harvard, with a penchant for culture wars who has zinged colleges and universities.

Time out of mind — And while all this is going on, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature is once again advancing a bill this session that would keep the names of those seeking to become university and college presidents — who are among the highest-paid public employees in the state — in the dark until at least 21 days before interviews or a final decision.

Glamour profession — The perennial argument for the legislation is that it would allow Florida institutions to go after experienced leaders of other schools. It takes a two-thirds vote for the bill to pass but, amid the turmoil, this might be the year this bill passes.

P.S. —Thanks to David Kihara, who filled in for me last week as I recovered from Covid. Also thank you to those who reached out over the last few days.

— 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

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TOP TALKERS

DRAMATIC DEPARTURE EXPLAINED — " Mark Rosenberg acknowledges he resigned as FIU president because 'I caused discomfort for a valued employee,'" by CBS Miami's Jim DeFede: "The woman was initially reluctant to cooperate with the investigation. She eventually hired an attorney and met with university officials last week corroborating the allegations against [Florida International University President Mark] Rosenberg. (CBS Miami is deliberately not identifying the woman. Efforts to contact her have been unsuccessful.)"

Quit or be fired — "The preliminary results of the investigation were completed on Thursday and Rosenberg was given the choice to either resign or be terminated by the board. He resigned and an emergency board meeting was held on Friday to appoint an interim president. In his initial statement to the community on Friday, Rosenberg said he was stepping down due to health issues. As reporters began trying to determine the actual reason why he stepped down, Rosenberg released another statement on Sunday saying he has been seeking mental health counseling because of the stress over his wife's failing health."

SLAMMED — " Judge issues stinging free speech ruling against University of Florida ," by The New York Times' Michael Wines: "A federal judge handed a crucial free-speech victory to six University of Florida professors Friday, ordering the university to stop enforcing a policy that had barred them from giving expert testimony in lawsuits against the state. The stinging ruling, by Judge Mark E. Walker of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, accused the university of trying to silence the professors for fear that their testimony would anger state officials and legislators who control the school's funding."

Quite the comparison — "Judge Walker likened that to the decision last month by Hong Kong University to remove a 25-foot sculpture marking the 1989 massacre of student protesters in Beijing's Tiananmen Square by the Chinese military, apparently for fear of riling the authoritarian Chinese government. If the comparison distressed university officials, he wrote, 'the solution is simple. Stop acting like your contemporaries in Hong Kong.'"

'CLIMATE OF FEAR' — " Florida school district cancels professor's civil rights lecture over critical race theory concerns," by NBC News' Marc Caputo and Teaganne Finn: "A Florida school district canceled a professor's civil rights history seminar for teachers, citing in part concerns over 'critical race theory' — even though his lecture had nothing to do with the topic. J. Michael Butler, a history professor at Flagler College in St. Augustine, was scheduled to give a presentation Saturday to Osceola County School District teachers called 'The Long Civil Rights Movement,' which postulates that the civil rights movement preceded and post-dated Martin Luther King Jr. by decades. He said that he was shocked to learn why the seminar had been canceled through an email Wednesday but that he wasn't surprised because educators feel increasingly intimidated over teaching about race."

JOIN FRIDAY TO HEAR FROM GOVERNORS ACROSS AMERICA : As we head into the third year of the pandemic, state governors are taking varying approaches to public health measures including vaccine and mask mandates. "The Fifty: America's Governors" is a series of live conversations featuring various governors on the unique challenges they face as they take the lead and command the national spotlight in historic ways. Learn what is working and what is not from the governors on the front lines, REGISTER HERE.

... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

'I DO HAVE SIGNIFICANT HEARTBURN' — " Florida House panel approves draft map over concerns about minority seats," by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: The Florida House advanced a statehouse map Friday that would — as expected — cement the GOP's huge advantage in the chamber, even as some Democrats expressed concern about minority representation. The House's redraw of the chamber's 120 seat map includes 69 that President Donald Trump would have won in 2020. Because there are a number of House seats that are winnable for both parties and Republicans often have a significant money advantage in down-ballot races, functionally Republicans are likely to have more than 70 winnable seats on the map. Trump won 74 Florida statehouse districts in 2020.

MEANWHILE — " DeSantis says redistricting issue 'will work itself out,'" by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders: "Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday waved off a decision by the state Senate to not consider a controversial redistricting plan that his administration proposed. 'For the congressional map, it requires my signature,' DeSantis said at an appearance in Sarasota. 'And so, you know, we have lawyers that had had concerns about what they were doing. So that process will work itself out, and we'll be able to hopefully end up with a product that makes a lot of sense.'"

PENNIES FROM HEAVEN — " Florida gets $4 billion bump in estimated tax dollars ," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders: "With lawmakers preparing to craft a new state budget, economists estimated Friday that Florida will collect nearly $4 billion more in general-revenue taxes than had been expected over two years. The increased estimates come after federal stimulus money has helped fuel consumer spending and as the state's economy has bounced back during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the economists warned of a slowing that could occur because of the end of stimulus money and anticipated interest-rate hikes that will affect the housing market."

BEHIND THE CURTAIN — " FPL consultants behind 'ghost candidate' scheme funded anti-net-metering think tank," by Orlando Sentinel's Annie Martin: "In his letter to the Public Service Commission, Rep. Lawrence McClure of Dover cited a report from a think tank that was critical of the policy, known as 'net metering.' The current system is fiercely opposed by the state's utility providers, including Florida Power & Light, the nation's largest energy company. Records obtained by the Orlando Sentinel show that think tank — an organization known as 'Energy Fairness' — has received extensive funding from entities controlled by FPL consultants."

— " Immigration proposal teed up in Florida Senate ," by News Service of Florida

— " Daryl Campbell comes to Tallahassee this week, but his start day remains uncertain," by Florida Politics' Anne Geggis

CAMPAIGN MODE

FRIED TRIES TO EXPLAIN COMMENTS — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried appeared on Miami television station WPLG on Sunday where she was asked about her comments from a week earlier comparing DeSantis to Adolph Hitler, a man who oversaw the extermination of millions of people and plunged the world into one of the biggest wars of human history.

Um, OK — Fried, the only statewide elected Democrat, insisted on the television interview that the comments — which were criticized by the Anti-Defamation League of Florida as "offensive" and trivializing a unique tragedy in human history — were taken out of context. "I was not comparing him to Hitler," said Fried, who is Jewish and said she has visited Poland and concentration camp sites.

More explaining — She said instead she was drawing attention to his actions. "My comparison was the rise of the dictatorship," Fried said. In the interview, she faulted the Republican governor for his proposals to create a state militia as well as his push for a crackdown on mail-in ballots and his "anti-riot" bill that was drawn up in the wake of the 2020 protests against the killing of George Floyd.

Roll back the tape — Let's recall that it was Fried herself who said she was a "student of history" who brought up Hitler in that initial public radio interview. And when she was asked point blank if she was comparing DeSantis to Hitler, she said, "in a lot of ways."

'WE NEED CANDIDATES TO ANNOUNCE NOW' — " Headaches intensify for Democrats in Florida ," by The Hill's Max Greenwood: "Taken together, the challenges are daunting for Democrats, who are already facing historical and political headwinds in their bid to hold on to a razor-thin majority in the House this year. Republicans need to pick up just five seats in November to recapture the lower chamber. 'It's a headache,' Thomas Kennedy, a Democratic National Committee (DNC) member from Florida, said. 'The process is being rigged and dragged on to make this as painful as possible. We need candidates to announce now. There's still time between now and November, but it has to happen soon.'"

P.O.V. — " Ron DeSantis knows the formula to defeat Donald Trump," by Rich Lowry for POLITICO Magazine: There will be no Bourbon Restoration. The challenge to Trump will have to come from the Trump wing — at this point, more like the Trump fuselage, wing and landing gear — of the party. After Trump's presidency, the party is more populist, focused on the culture war, resistant to media narratives and skeptical of business — and it would remain so if Trump retired tomorrow and promised never to utter another word about politics. Although in many ways an orthodox conservative, DeSantis covers all these bases. Importantly, he's a lightning rod for criticism from the left — now a major plus for Republican voters — and gives as good as he gets in clashes with the media.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

The daily rundown — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 22,818 Covid-19 infections reported on Friday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 10,636 hospital beds were being used in the state for Covid-19 patients.

The toll — The Florida Department of Health reported on Friday that 63,763 residents have died from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE — "Gov. DeSantis dodges COVID-19 booster shot question again, even as Trump says not answering is 'gutless,'" by Sarasota Herald-Tribune's Zac Anderson: "[Gov. Ron] DeSantis called his booster status a "private matter" during an event in Sarasota, despite having revealed details of his vaccination status in the past. 'That's something that I think people should just make their own decisions on,' DeSantis said. 'I'm not going to let that be a weapon for people to be able to use; I think it's a private matter.'"

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses a question from the media as Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo looks on during a news conference in Jacksonville, Fla., on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis addresses a question from the media as Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo looks on during a news conference in Jacksonville, Fla., on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2022. | Bob Self/The Florida Times-Union via AP

OUTCASTS — " UF tells students sick with COVID-19 to leave dorms, go home, prompting outrage," by The Gainesville Sun's Danielle Ivanov: "The policy itself is much the same as it was during the fall 2021 term, but now set in the context of the omicron variant, students and their families have been questioning the university's decision to have COVID-positive students quarantine off campus while also not providing separate housing for the sick or guarantee online class accommodations for those who are infected."

— " A 'trifecta' of 'lunacy': Why Florida's COVID response favors treatment, not prevention," by USA Today Network-Florida's Jeffrey Schweers

— " Suspension of Dr. Pino comes as administration tightens muzzle on public health, critics say," by Orlando Sentinel's Kate Santich

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president's ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today.

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

HMM — "'Sufficiently mature'? Judge Stargel's dissent in teen's abortion petition draws attention," by The Ledger's Gary White: "Abortion-rights proponents are criticizing a judge for citing the grade-point average and grammar of a 17-year-old girl in arguing that she be denied an abortion without parental approval. Judge John K. Stargel of Florida's Second District Court of Appeal focused on those elements in his dissent as part of a three-judge panel in an opinion issued Tuesday. The other two judges overruled a lower-court judge and approved the girl's petition for a judicial bypass of the state's parental-consent law. Stargel of Lakeland is a former state legislator and the husband of Florida Sen. Kelli Stargel, R-Lakeland, who sponsored a bill in last year's session requiring parental consent before a minor can obtain an abortion."

GENTLE GIANTS — " Saving the manatees – rescue by rescue, rehab by rehab," by Washington Post's Lori Rozsa: "Florida has five manatee rehabilitation centers, which are working under emergency conditions. Manatees usually spend three or four months in care — at an average cost of $40,000 — but the rescue operations are having to move recovering mammals out as quickly as possible to make room for the malnourished ones coming in."

— " Officials: Florida manatees eating lettuce in pilot program," by The Associated Press' Curt Anderson

— " Miami Beach police investigates after anti-Semitic flyers were distributed overnight," by Miami Herald's Omar Rodríguez Ortiz

MEDIA MATTERS

TRANSITIONS — Kathleen McGrory, who won a Pulitzer Prize for the Tampa Bay Times, has left the Times and starts Monday as a reporter for ProPublica. … Gray Rohrer has left the Orlando Sentinel and starts Monday as contributor for the Florida Politics. … Samantha J. Gross has left The Miami Herald and will be joining the politics team at The Boston Globe. … Vickie Chachere, who had been director of strategic communications at the University of South Florida, is the new executive editor for Florida Trend. … Variety reported thatKendis Gibson , who recently worked for MSNBC, has been hired as a news anchor for WFOR in Miami. … Jason Garcia announced earlier this month that he was leaving the Orlando Sentinel to start his own newsletter called Seeking Rents.

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ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

— " Florida man pleads guilty to threatening to kill, behead Pelosi, Ocasio-Cortez," by NBC News' Phil Helsel: "A Florida man who threatened to behead House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pleaded guilty to federal counts Friday and faces years in prison. Paul Vernon Hoeffer, 60, of Palm Beach Gardens, phoned in the threats to the offices of the two high-profile Democratic lawmakers in 2019, he admitted in a plea agreement. He also admitted to phoning in a racist threat to Kim Foxx, the top state prosecutor for the Chicago area, that same year."

— " FBI: Laundrie admitted killing Gabby Petito in notebook ," by The Associated Press's Mead Gruver: "The boyfriend of slain cross-country traveler Gabby Petito admitted killing her in a notebook discovered near his body in a Florida swamp, the FBI announced Friday. It was the first time authorities squarely pinned the blame for Petito's death on Brian Laundrie, though he was the prime suspect all along."

BIRTHDAYS: Karen Woodall, director and CEO of Florida People's Advocacy Center ... former Tampa Bay Times photojournalist Scott Keeler … former state Rep. Bev Kilmer