News : POLITICO Florida Playbook: Simpson pressured to push anti-union bill

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

POLITICO Florida Playbook: Simpson pressured to push anti-union bill

Jan 26, 2022

Presented by CVS Health

Good Wednesday morning.

The art of persuasion — Senate President Wilton Simpson, who is running this fall for state agriculture commissioner, is getting pushed to hear a bill that would target unions in the state.

Direct access — Club for Growth is launching an ad campaign — in Simpson's central Florida Senate District no less — that asks viewers to reach out to the Senate and demand that the chamber hear a bill (SB 1458) that among other things would prohibit union dues from being deducted directly from employee checks.

Jumpstart — The ad, which is part of a $75,000 buy that includes spots on Fox News, digital and mailers over the next two weeks, rips into what it calls "greedy union bosses" taking money from teachers. It says that "Governor DeSantis wants to change that with the Paycheck Protection Act." This legislation — which DeSantis hasn't really talked about publicly — has yet to be heard in either chamber, although the House has just scheduled an initial committee hearing for the bill.

On offense — In a statement shared with Playbook, Club for Growth president David McIntosh said his group "is getting involved because we believe all Americans should be able to keep what they earn and not be forced to give it to union officials who often take that money and use it on politics."

Situational awareness — This legislation targeting some unions — the bill doesn't apply to law-enforcement and firefighter unions (who often endorse Republicans) — has been considered previously in recent years and failed. The question is how Simpson, who last year pushed hard for public employee pension changes also sought by conservative groups, will view this pressure going forward.

— WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis will be holding a campaign press conference in Tallahassee this morning.

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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... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

SHOW ME THE MONEY — " Governors enjoy cash deluge right before they face the voters," by POLITICO's Liz Crampton: And Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has actually embraced the Biden administration's federal stimulus as he faces reelection. His nearly $100 billion spending plan includes at least $3.5 billion from the president's American Rescue Plan. DeSantis is aiming to use those federal dollars for a gas tax break, $1,000 bonuses for police and teachers as well as government grants for the environment and programs to boost the state economy. The GOP-dominated Florida Legislature must still approve DeSantis' proposal, but he has proven to be particularly persuasive with lawmakers.

BUT WILL IT FLIP A VOTE? — " Senate Democrats expect 'fiery' debate at Florida Surgeon General Ladapo's confirmation hearing," by USA Today Network-Florida's Jeffrey Schweers: "Four months after Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed his new controversial surgeon general, the Florida Senate will finally get to question Dr. Joseph Ladapo about his qualifications for handling a pandemic and running the state's public health agency. Expect a 'vigorous, even fiery debate' when Ladapo appears Wednesday morning before the Senate Health Policy Committee, Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book of Plantation said in a phone interview Tuesday."

Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo Nov. 4 2021

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis - joined by State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo - announces plan to challenge vaccine mandates proposed by the Biden administration | Gary Fineout/POLITICO

SCHOOL DAZE — "Florida Senate considers stricter rules for teaching materials, salary reduction for many school board members," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: The measure, which passed the Senate Committee on Education along party lines, also includes a provision that would slash the salaries of most school board members in the state. Democrats pushed back against the proposal, arguing it signals the "vilification of our schools and our school boards" and that the ramped-up scrutiny for books amounts to "censorship."

Response — "Yes, education is about having difficult conversations," said Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. (R-Hialeah). "But I think we have to be very careful, and we have to give parents the opportunity to have input when it comes to age-appropriate materials."

HOW THE LEGISLATURE REALLY WORKS — " House lawmakers to consider gutting Miya's Law, named for slain Orlando college student," by Orlando Sentinel's Skyler Swisher: "A Florida House committee will consider gutting a bill named in honor of slain Orlando college student Miya Marcano, removing almost all of its provisions aimed at making apartment complexes safer. State legislators filed Miya's Law after the slaying of Marcano, a 19-year-old Valencia College student from Pembroke Pines in South Florida. Police say Marcano was killed by a maintenance worker who had a master key to her apartment."

'MEANINGFUL ACTION TODAY'— " Responding to Surfside tragedy, Senate moves bill to require statewide inspections," by Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas: "Florida legislators began work on updating the state's condominium regulations in response to the Champlain Towers South collapse as a Senate committee advanced a bill Tuesday to impose inspection requirements statewide, including stricter standards for buildings near the coastline. The measure, SB 1702, was unanimously approved by the Senate Community Affairs Committee and is expected to serve as the vehicle to attach other condo-related reforms, such as new regulations on disclosure of condo conditions and new oversight related to condo boards."

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS — "Faculty groups blast Florida bill to make presidential searches more secret," by Tampa Bay Times' Divya Kumar: "With presidential searches underway at four state universities, faculty organizations in Florida and beyond say the legislation threatens to blur the line between higher education and politics. Many point to last year's presidential search at Florida State University, where the name of education commissioner Richard Corcoran, a former House Speaker, found its way onto a shortlist late in the search process. 'We see this as nothing less than an attempt to streamline corruption,' United Faculty of Florida president Andrew Gothard said, referring to the bill."

CALLED OUT— " Chasten Buttigieg speaks out against Florida's 'Don't say gay bill,' warning it could lead to more suicides," by Washington Post's John Wagner: " Chasten Buttigieg, an educator and husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, is speaking out against legislation advancing in Florida that critics have dubbed the 'Don't say gay bill,' arguing that it could lead to more suicides among LGBTQ youths. The legislation, which supporters say is about parental rights, would, among its provisions, bar school districts in Florida from encouraging classroom discussion about sexual orientation or gender identity in primary-grade levels or 'in a manner that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students.'"

R.I.P. — "'He faithfully served': Former Florida Comptroller Gerald Lewis dies at 87," by Tallahassee Democrat's Bill Cotterell: "Former state Comptroller Gerald A. Lewis, who rose to prominence in an era when Florida government was changing but lost his Cabinet post when it swung back the other way, has died at age 87. 'He faithfully served our country in the U.S. Army and the great state of Florida in the House of Representatives,' Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said in a statement issued Tuesday. 'Lewis was a devoted public servant and his hard work as the state's chief fiscal officer paved the way for the office I'm so very honored to serve in today.'"

— " Wilton Simpson to push for $15 minimum wage for state workers in budget," by Florida Politics' Gray Rohrer

— " Florida considers expanding doctors' ability to refuse treating patients based on conscience," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders

— " Dental care, workforce shortage and market monopolies targeted in House Medicaid proposal," by Florida Politics' Christine Jordan Sexton

— " Florida senator fights back over nude images stolen from her ," by The Associated Press' Brendan Farrington

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.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

The daily rundown — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 35,266 Covid-19 infections reported on Monday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 11,105 hospital beds were being used in the state for Covid-19 patients.

FINGER POINTING — " DeSantis opens new battle with Biden over Covid treatments," by POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian: [Gov. Ron] DeSantis fired back at the Biden administration for pulling the medicines, claiming the federal government withdrew the treatments without evidence. "We're going to fight back against this because this is just wrong," DeSantis said Tuesday at a news conference in Crawfordville, about 20 miles from the Capitol in Tallahassee. "This is not the way you know that you help people."

Return volley — White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Tuesday defended the Biden administration, saying that the federal government has provided 71,000 antiretrovirals to Florida, including 34,000 to combat Omicron. "Let's just take a step back here just to realize how crazy this is," Psaki said. "What the FDA is making clear is that these treatments, the ones they are fighting over, the ones the governor is fighting over, do not work against Omicron and they have side effects."

HMM — " DeSantis vs. Biden in Fla. contractor's text messages canceling monoclonal treatments?" by Miami Herald's Douglas Hanks: "When a state contractor sent text messages to Miami-Dade residents canceling their appointments for monoclonal COVID-19 treatments this week, the announcements noted "the Biden administration has removed the ability of any state" to administer the drugs. On Tuesday, Miami-Dade's mayor called the message "deeply disturbing" for not explaining the scientific reason behind the decision at a time when Gov. Ron DeSantis is linking the FDA action to 'the whims of a floundering president.'"

— " DeSantis, conservatives erupt over FDA pulling monoclonal antibodies shown to be ineffective against omicron ," by Washington Post's Aaron Blake

'THE DANGER OF JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONS' — "State attorney backs police in 'Sofia' case, calls social media attacks disturbing," by Florida Today's Eric Rogers: "State Attorney Phil Archer on Monday backed the results of a police investigation that cleared two Brevard County teachers of charges of child abuse in the case of Sofia Bezerra, a 7-year-old special needs student who came home from a school last October with a mask tied to her face. A review of the Indian Harbour Beach Police Department investigation was completed by Archer's office with "no finding of criminal wrongdoing" against the two Brevard Public School employees, according to a news release posted Monday to the state attorney's website and social media accounts. In a statement following the announcement, Brevard Public Schools said through a spokesman that it was 'pleased, but not surprised' by the findings."

No apology coming from Fine — "Some of the harshest comments came from social media followers of State Rep. Randy Fine, an early and vocal supporter of the Steel family's case against the Brevard School Board who on several occasions has promised a "special place in hell" for those responsible for the incident. He stood by the statement Monday. 'Phil Archer is certainly free to stand with those who broke the law, force-masking children,' Fine said.

— "Five teachers booted from Jupiter school for refusing to wear masks," by Palm Beach Post's Andrew Marra

CAMPAIGN MODE

TRUST US — " Outgoing NextEra Energy chief says its investigation cleared FPL of allegations," by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie: NextEra Energy Inc. President and CEO Jim Robo said Tuesday his parent company of Florida Power & Light Co. investigated and found nothing illegal involving the utility's political dealings. Robo was asked during an investor conference call on 2021 earnings to respond to the "political headlines" in recent weeks.

FPL response — The Orlando Sentinel, Miami Herald and Florida Times-Union have published stories connecting Florida Power & Light to a web of "dark money" influence groups and their political operatives along with independent "ghost" candidates in tight legislative races in 2020. Robo didn't describe the allegations NextEra looked into but said it conducted "a very extensive and thorough investigation." That probe, he said, included a review of company financial records, company and personal emails and texts.

THE ROAD AHEAD — "Ron DeSantis is eyeing the White House. Florida Democrats are eyeing him," by The New Republic's Daniel Strauss: "'This is a national election whether anyone wants it to be or not. Ron DeSantis is one of the top two Republican nominees for president of the United States in 2024, the other one being Donald Trump,' Sean Shaw, a Florida Democratic National Committeeman, said Monday. Shaw is backing Congressman Charlie Crist in the gubernatorial primary. 'It's Trump or DeSantis, and only one of those people is on the ballot prior to 2024, and that's Ron DeSantis. Meaning, if you wanted to do something to stop him, you would have to do it in Florida.'"

— " Taking it to the streets: Democrats push GOP to allow voters to weigh in on Medicaid expansion," by Florida Politics' Christine Jordan Sexton

— "Polk County elections supervisor: 63% of casino petitions rejected ," by The Ledger's Gary White

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.

DATELINE D.C.

REMEMBER THAT VOTE?— " South Florida Republicans propose new State Department position to combat communism," by McClatchy D.C.'s Bryan Lowry and Miami Herald's Bianca Padró Ocasio: "[Carlo] Gimenez, [Mario] Diaz-Balart and [Nicole] Malliotakis were among the 147 Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 election last year, an action which election experts warn has helped weaken democratic institutions domestically. Earlier this month, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a South Florida Democrat, said these lawmakers had an 'unremovable stain on their reputations.' At a Tuesday event at Camp Matecumbe Park in Miami, Gimenez disputed that his votes to block electoral votes from Pennsylvania and Arizona undermined the institution of democracy in the U.S. "I acted within the scope of the Constitution of the United States, what I felt was my constitutional duty. So that's part of democracy, too," Gimenez said."

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

AFTERMATH — " After denials, Cuba admits jailing hundreds of July 11 protestors, including dozens of minors," by El Nuevo Herald's Nora Gámez Torres: "Following months of denials, Cuban authorities acknowledged for the first time Tuesday that they are prosecuting more than 700 people who protested against the government last July, including 55 between ages 16 and 18. As the trials continued this week, authorities also disclosed that 25 minors under 16 faced penalties like internment in centers handled by the Ministry of Interior, and that 28 detainees between 16 and 18 are currently in jail. The admission comes in an Attorney General's office press release responding to intense criticism by Cuban activists, family members and the international community for the crackdown on the July 11 protesters."

— " 39 missing in ocean after suspected smuggling boat capsized days ago," by Sun Sentinel's Angie DiMichele

— " Circuit judge rejects Dorworth's River Cross lawsuit against Seminole County," by Orlando Sentinel's Martin E. Comas

— " Rosenberg could return to classroom after resigning as FIU president. His pay? $377K," by Miami Herald's Linda Robertson and Jimena Tavel

— " Florida's pandemic rental assistance program sees massive spike in payouts after slow start," by Florida Politics' Daniel Figueroa IV

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ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

— " Priest fathers a child but remains with North Miami parish. Catholic Church has a message," by Miami Herald's Howard Cohen : "The Archdiocese of Miami announced Tuesday that one of its priests fathered a child from a former relationship, but that he would remain in service of his parishioners. According to Archdiocese spokeswoman Mary Ross Agosta, Monsignor Chanel Jeanty, pastor of St. James Catholic Church since 2015, learned in December that he fathered a child from a relationship with a woman that ended over a year ago. 'The information did not come from the mother of the child but from another source. Monsignor Jeanty appropriately reached out to the mother and plans to contribute to the support of his child," Agosta's release said."

BIRTHDAYS: Tallahassee Democrat's Byron Dobson ... Jill Weinstock Deutch ... Dave Royse, author and journalist ... Jan Pudlow, former senior editor at The Florida Bar and former journalist