| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Presented by Floridians for Affordable Rx | Hello and welcome to Thursday. Breaking overnight — Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, a move drawing condemnation from members of both political parties, including from Florida Sen. Marco Rubio who warned that a "full scale and comprehensive military assault" was underway. "#Ukraine is outgunned and outmanned But they are brave & tough fighters and as the world will soon learn they have already inflicted damage on Russian invaders," Rubio tweeted just before 1 a.m. Rubio also went on Fox News where the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee told Sean Hannity "This is it, unfortunately. In the hours to come, I think you're going to definitely see a pretty dramatic change in the event, certainly by the time the sun comes up." Red state Florida — A new poll out today from the Public Opinion Research Lab at the University of North Florida echoes other recent surveys that are full of good news for Republicans in the Sunshine State. It shows Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio with large leads over their Democratic opponents. President Joe Biden remains significantly underwater with only 36 percent approving of the job he's doing. Florida man v. Florida man — But the poll also includes this nugget sure to get notice at the start of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Orlando today: Registered Republicans in Florida were asked who they would back in a GOP presidential primary. DeSantis edged out former President Donald Trump 44 percent to 41 percent. This is within the margin of error, so it's essentially a tie but still... 2024 — "With a lot of speculation about a possible presidential bid from DeSantis, we thought this would be an interesting hypothetical," said Lab director and UNF political science professor Michael Binder in a statement about the poll. "It turned out to be pretty close with DeSantis up by three points against Trump. With both of them calling Florida home, this is a pivotal state and an outlier compared to national polling on this race." As for this year's races — The poll, which has an overall margin of error of plus/minus 3.74 percent, shows DeSantis with a mammoth lead over both Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried. The poll has the governor up 55 percent to 34 percent over Crist, and 55 percent to 32 percent over Fried. Binder, however, did point out that "a lot of Democratic voters" still don't know who they will vote for so the number will narrow between now and November. Crist holds a 27 percent to 19 percent edge over Fried in the Democratic primary, but 38 percent are undecided. Rubio up — In the Senate race, the poll has Rubio up over Rep. Val Demings by double digits, with 46 percent backing the Republican incumbent and 34 percent saying they would vote for the Central Florida Democrat. But 17 percent said they did not know, which leads room for the race to tighten in the months ahead. Who's doing a good job? — The troubling news for both Rubio and fellow Sen. Rick Scott is that neither are viewed as doing a good job among those polled. Only 39 percent approved of the job that Rubio is doing while 37 percent gave good marks to Scott. DeSantis, by contrast, had a 58 percent job approval rating — which is 10 points higher than UNF's poll had back in October 2020. — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to give a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference being held in Orlando. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch:gfineout@politico.com
| | A message from Floridians for Affordable Rx: This legislative session, let's take politics out of prescriptions in Florida. Floridians for Affordable Rx is committed to educating policymakers and the public on proven ways to lower prescription drug costs. We are standing up to special interests, like Big Pharma and the independent pharmacy lobby, that are pushing government mandates that will increase costs to grow their profits while making Florida patients and employers pay more. Learn more. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | PARTY LINE VOTE — "Florida Senate approves DeSantis' controversial pick for surgeon general," by POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian: The Florida Senate on Wednesday confirmed Joseph A. Ladapo to be the next state surgeon general despite warnings from Democrats that the state's new top doctor is merely a political lackey for Gov. Ron DeSantis. The Senate voted 24-15 in favor of Ladapo after about 40 minutes of debate, mostly from Democrats who criticized the Harvard-trained medical doctor for not fully supporting Covid-19 vaccines. State Sen. Jason Pizzo (D-Miami) said Ladapo's reluctance to offer definitive answers about the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines or wearing face masks left him convinced the nominee posed a threat to the state's 21 million residents. "When you are noncommittal to everything, then the optics are that you're a 'yes' man," Pizzo said. "And we can't have the third largest state country's top doctor being a 'yes' man to a politician." | 
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 |
BLACK HOLE SUN — "Rooftop solar industry balks at Florida House's new plan," by Miami Herald's Mary Ellen Klas: "Florida homeowners and businesses would be given 18 months to install rooftop solar before current financial incentives are reduced under a House proposal intended to find middle ground between the rooftop solar industry and the state's powerful electric utilities. But the change to House Bill 741, which was originally written by Florida Power & Light for the House and Senate sponsors, also includes several sweeteners for the utility industry in its effort to revise net metering laws."
SPEEDING IT UP — " Faith leaders' opposition to immigration policies grows as GOP fast-tracks legislation," by Miami Herald's Ana Ceballos: "The proposed measures, a key component of DeSantis' immigration wish list as he seeks reelection, are being fast-tracked in the final weeks of the legislative session. Senate President Wilton Simpson on Wednesday told reporters he approved a procedural maneuver that now allows the bill to skip its last committee stop and head straight to the floor for final passage. 'We want to get it done,' Simpson said." MEANWHILE — "Feds say they can override DeSantis' rule about shelters housing unaccompanied minors," by News Service of Florida's Dara Kam: "The Biden administration sent a letter Tuesday to DeSantis' general counsel, Ryan Newman, saying that state licenses aren't required for shelter operators to continue receiving federal funds. And the state does not have the authority to punish the providers if their licenses lapse and they continue to offer services to unaccompanied immigrant children, Mark Greenberg, a deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, wrote to Newman." A NO VOTE — " Broward's Chip LaMarca, breaking with Republican Party, plans to vote against 'Don't Say Gay' bill," by Sun Sentinel's Anthony Man: "In a break with his party, state Rep. Chip LaMarca, R-Lighthouse Point, plans to vote against the 'Don't Say Gay' bill when it comes up for final action Thursday in the Florida House of Representatives. LaMarca, the only Republican state legislator whose district lies entirely within Broward County, currently represents the East Broward neighborhoods and cities with large numbers of LGBT residents: Victoria Park in Fort Lauderdale, Wilton Manors and Oakland Park." — " Proposed K-12 testing overhaul ready for the House floor," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury — "Digital license plates could become a thing in Florida," by News Service of Florida's Jim Turner
| | | | JOIN TODAY TO HEAR FROM MAYORS ACROSS AMERICA: The Fifty: America's Mayors will convene mayors from across the country to discuss their policy agendas, including the enforcement of Covid measures such as vaccine and mask mandates. We'll also discuss how mayors are dealing with the fallout of the pandemic on their local economies and workforce, affordable housing and homelessness, and criminal justice reforms. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | MAPMAKER, MAPMAKER | | LIMBO — "DeSantis sends Florida Democrats to redistricting purgatory," by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Florida Democrats still don't know who will run in a handful of competitive congressional districts with just six months before the state's primaries. And they may not know any time soon. Gov. Ron DeSantis' unexpected and unusual push to reshape Florida's redistricting process has all but frozen the field, leaving Democrats frustrated as they wait for state lawmakers and possibly the courts to sort out how Florida's maps will look. "I have to see the map," said former Rep. Donna Shalala, a Miami Democrat who says she is considering challenging Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar to win back the seat she lost in 2020. "I'm not making a decision until I see the lines." — "Joe Geller demands racial polarization study become public ahead of redistricting hearing," by Florida Politics' Jacob Ogles | | DATELINE D.C. | | THE REVIEWS ARE IN — "Scott's 'Rescue America' plan falls flat," by POLITICO's Natalie Allison: Sen. Rick Scott's new "11 Point Plan to Rescue America" didn't quite receive the enthusiastic reception he was counting on. Democrats and op-ed columnists jeered Tuesday at the conservative blueprint that, in part, proposed raising income taxes on low-income Americans. But GOP Senate campaigns didn't want to touch it either. There was no rallying around the National Republican Senatorial Committee chair's new platform, which was unveiled with strategic news stories, a website and video. | 
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) speaks during a press conference following the weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon in the Russell Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 19, 2022, in Washington, D.C. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images |
Behind the scenes — Privately, officials from some top Republican Senate campaigns mocked the plan, questioning why the Florida Republican senator released it in the first place — and why the GOP would ever suggest raising taxes at all during a midterm year featuring record-high inflation and unpopular Democratic control.
FIRST IN D.C. PLAYBOOK — On Friday, NRSC Chair RICK SCOTT's (R-Fla.) personal campaign committee will begin a seven-figure national cable ad buy promoting the much-discussed GOP policy platform he released this week. Watch the ad TRANSITIONS — Huntley Campbell is now scheduler/press aide for Rep. Gus Bilirakis. He was most recently a researcher at Brigham Young University. … Emma Trittin has been promoted to be operations director for Rep. Stephanie Murphy. She most recently was a staff assistant for Murphy. — "Ketanji Brown Jackson: Who is she? Bio, facts, background and political views ," by POLITICO's Nick Niedzwiadek
| | | | A message from Floridians for Affordable Rx:   | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | 'THE FREE STATE OF FLORIDA'— "Florida has become the GOP's favorite destination, and not just for its beaches," by NPR's Greg Allen: "Florida is a big draw for snow birds from around the country looking for warm weather in the depths of winter. But Republicans are flocking to the state to pick up connections and campaign cash year-round. Former President Donald Trump is hosting congressional candidates on Wednesday for a big fundraiser at his private club in Palm Beach. On Thursday, CPAC — the Conservative Political Action Conference — opens in Orlando. The annual gathering was in the Washington, D.C., area until last year, when it moved to Florida. So did the House GOP retreat, which is back in the Sunshine State this year." Staying for good? — "CPAC rose to prominence over several decades as a summit for conservatives, and for the last decade it's been held in Maryland, near the nation's capital. But [CPAC Chairman Matt] Schlapp thinks it may have found a new home in Florida: 'Going forward, I think it will be very hard for Maryland to convince us we want to do business in a high-tax state that's colder, that at any moment the government can decide to shut us down.'"
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | COMING ATTRACTION? — "Ivanka Trump in talks with Jan. 6 panel about being interviewed," by The New York Times' Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater: "Ivanka Trump, former President Donald J. Trump's eldest daughter who served as one of his senior advisers, is in talks with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol about the possibility of sitting for an interview with the panel, according to two people familiar with the discussions. It was not immediately clear whether the negotiations, which aides described as preliminary, would result in Ms. Trump providing substantive information to the inquiry or whether they were simply a stalling tactic, as some committee aides fear." ANOTHER ONE — "Florida TV chef charged in Jan. 6 attack on US Capitol," by The Associated Press: "A gluten-free TV chef was arrested Wednesday in Florida on charges related to storming the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, officials said. Carol Kicinski, who presents monthly episodes on the nationally syndicated 'Daytime' show, and Jon Heneghan, who lives with Kicinski at a Dunedin home, were arrested and charged with four federal offenses that include entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, according to court records."
| | THE GUNSHINE STATE | | THE TOLL — "10 years after Trayvon Martin's killing: Have 'stand your ground' laws led to vigilantism?" by Orlando Sentinel's Martin E. Comas: "Despite facing widespread controversy as Trayvon Martin's killing made national headlines in 2012, Florida's 'stand your ground' law was never significantly reformed — and in the decade since has been adopted in more than two dozen other states. A study published Monday in a peer-reviewed medical journal linked 'stand your ground' laws to an 8% to 11% increase in national monthly homicide rates — including double-digit rate increases in Florida and several other southern states. Orlando attorney Mark O'Mara, who represented Zimmerman a decade ago, said the Sanford shooting has made people more aware of Florida's 'stand your ground' law and similar legislation around the country — and some now use it to justify violence."
| | | | 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 | | 'IT'S RIDICULOUS' — "In Miami's heated housing market, a push to buy tenants some time before rents spike," by Miami Herald's Douglas Hanks and Omar Rodríguez Ortiz: "While Florida and local laws mostly give landlords latitude on increasing rents once a lease expires, there's a push in Miami-Dade County to impose some new rules on the timing of those hikes. A proposed countywide ordinance would require 60 days notice before a landlord could increase rent by more than 5% at the end of a lease, or for tenants without fixed leases. The legislation by Commissioner Eileen Higgins follows the lead of Miami Beach, which imposed a similar rule within city limits earlier this month, and Hialeah, which on Tuesday advanced legislation to impose its own notice requirement for notable rent increases." AFTERMATH — "Engineering company's insurers settle with Surfside collapse victims," by Sun Sentinel's Rafael Olmeda and Brittany Wallman: "The engineering company hired to do a safety check on the Surfside condo that later collapsed is settling lawsuits by the survivors and family members of victims. Morabito Consultants, whose inspection of the Champlain Towers South Condominium board in 2018 included warning of a 'major error' in the building's construction that left it open to water damage, announced Wednesday that its insurance companies would be compensating the families. The engineering company denied that it was in any way at fault, and said it had performed up to proper standards." — "Higher-speed train safety on agenda of Florida officials," by Associated Press' Terry Spencer — "USF fraternity accused of antisemitic initiation practice," by Tampa Bay Times' Divya Kumar
| | A message from Floridians for Affordable Rx: The Florida independent pharmacy lobby claims that pharmacies are struggling, but, 1 in 3 pharmacies in Florida is an independent pharmacy and, while thousands of businesses shuttered due to the pandemic, 20 new independent pharmacies were added in 2020. Despite this growth, their lobbyists are pushing an agenda that will make it harder for small businesses to provide affordable prescription drug coverage.
Florida lawmakers need to reject the costly and harmful special interest agenda of the independent pharmacy lobby and support a more competitive marketplace that will reduce prescription drug costs. That means supporting patient advocates like pharmacy benefit managers, PBMs, that negotiate with drug companies and pharmacies to reduce prescription drug costs for patients. Tell your legislators it is time to put the health and safety of Florida families first. Learn more. | | | | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "Miami woman spent $100K raised for Miss Florida scholarships on dating sites, maids, FDLE says," by Miami Herald's Charles Rabin: "A woman who for more than a decade collected donations to fund charities and scholarships for Miss Florida pageant contestants instead spent more than $100,000 of that money on personal expenses from shopping sprees to online dating fees and maids. On Tuesday, Mary Wickersham, 76, who also goes by the name of Mary Sullivan or Mary Harvey, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, was arrested and charged with seven counts of wire fraud. FDLE agents say Wickersham used a simple scheme of diverting money into a bank account only she could access." BIRTHDAYS: Susan K. Goldstein with The Legis Group ... Bud Chiles, national director American Grown | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment