| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Thursday. Late in the Evening — There are just 55 days to go before Democratic voters will choose between Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Rep. Charlie Crist for governor. Mail-in ballots will start heading out to the door next month. Slip Slidin' Away — And where are the campaigns? Jabbing at each other over polls and debates. Fried has also been ramping up her criticism of Crist over his tangled record over abortion as a Republican and a Democrat. When Numbers Get Serious — The Crist campaign started out Wednesday by touting a new internal poll they said put Crist at 55 percent to Fried's 34 percent. (For what it's worth, the campaign shared a one-page memo and not the poll nor the questions. So, hmm.) These numbers from Crist's poll are way out of line with an internal poll that Fried's folks were touting recently that showed Fried essentially tied with Crist because it was in the margin of error. "Delusional" was how the Fried campaign tried to spin the latest Crist poll. Think Too Much (a) — Still, this Crist internal poll is apparently more in line with other recent polls that are floating around. And as one political consultant told Playbook: "I'm starting to think she's too late." Think Too Much (b) — The plain fact is that due to a lack of substantial money coming in, the Fried campaign is doing its best to mobilize support and awareness through social media and other less traditional avenues to get out their message. On Wednesday night, for example, Fried was on TikTok. Their argument: They only need to win over a sliver of the electorate — primarily older voters less in tune with social media — to flip the primary and they don't need to spend huge sums on television advertising. They also argue that voters are just now tuning into the race. The Obvious Child — This comes while the Crist campaign is relying on more old school methods, including racking up endorsements, to win the primary. The Boy in the Bubble — And oh yeah, there's the whole debate about the debates as well. Both camps spent time on social media Wednesday jousting over how many debates had been scheduled ahead of the primary. "Come on Charlie, what are you afraid of?" Fried said in her post. Crist responded with his own post saying he looked forward to a July 21st debate. Train in the Distance — Maybe the abortion issue will jolt the race. Maybe something else will derail the trajectory of the primary. After all, the turnout could be relatively low on the Democratic side, especially since some of the fiercest primary battles appear destined for some of the Republican congressional races. So the opportunity could be there for Fried …. But tick, tick, tick. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis. PROGRAMMING NOTE: We'll be off this Monday for the Fourth of July but will return on Tuesday. Please continue to follow POLITICO Florida. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
| | | | 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. | | | | | |  | CAMPAIGN MODE | | MAGAZINE PROFILE — "Val Demings is on a mission," by Vanity Fair's Rita Omokha: "Heading into the midterms, [Val] Demings provides Democrats a big-name candidate in their hopes to hold on to the Senate. The 65-year-old three-term moderate has appeared uninterested in upending the system, so there's no worry of her being caricatured as a leftist or a 'socialist' bearing 'woke' ideals as she runs in a bastion of Republican conservatism. With her consistent track record in policy and tone, 'you never have to wonder where she stands on an issue,' Representative David Cicilline, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee alongside Demings, told me. 'She has a set of life experiences that give her incredible credibility.'" | 
Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) speaks on the first anniversary of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2022. | Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images |
FEC HAS QUESTIONS FOR RUBIO — Sen. Marco Rubio's reelection campaign got a letter this week from regulators at the Federal Election Commission over his most recent campaign finance report. The FEC noted the appearance of campaign contributions from prohibited sources, such as corporations and labor groups as well as what appear to be contributions above the legal limit of $2,900 per election. The FEC's letter included more than 50 pages listing out the problematic contributions. Many of those flagged as potentially excessive contributions appear to be donors who were giving on a recurring basis. The Rubio campaign declined to immediately comment on the FEC letter.
TO COURT — " Disqualified GOP candidate for Central Florida congressional seat sues to get on ballot," by Orlando Sentinel's Ryan Gillespie: "A Republican candidate who was ousted from the Congressional District 9 race over filling out an incorrect form is hoping a judge will put him back on the ballot. Scotty Moore filed a lawsuit in Leon County Circuit Court this week against Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd, as well as the supervisors of elections in Orange, Osceola and Polk counties: Bill Cowles, Mary Jane Arrington and Lori Edwards respectively. Moore was disqualified from the race after the Florida Department of State said he filed the incorrect 'Candidate Oath' form, according to the complaint filed Monday." AND ANOTHER LAWSUIT — "Democrats question eligibility of Republican seeking Florida congressional seat," by Tampa Bay Times' William March: "Democrats are suing to disqualify Jerry Torres, a wealthy, self-funding Republican, from running against U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, on the grounds that his legally required candidate oath wasn't valid. In a lawsuit, the state Democratic Party and prominent Democrat Sean Shaw of Tampa, along with a Republican voter identified as Thomas Hodges of Hillsborough County, say Torres's oath couldn't have been legally signed — in part because he was in West Africa at the time of the purported signing." — " James Judge's name restored on CD 14 ballot – for now," by Florida Politics' Jacob Ogles — "Roe v. Wade abortion ruling could shake up Florida elections ," by Orlando Sentinel's Steven Lemongello — "Jared Moskowitz's congressional campaign unveils its first TV advertisement," by Florida Politics' Anne Geggis
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | 'A LEGITIMATE INTEREST' — "Florida asks judge to toss out fight over 'Parental Rights in Education' law dubbed 'Don't Say Gay,'" by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders: "Attorney General Ashley Moody's office is asking a federal judge to toss out a challenge to a controversial new law that restricts instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation in Florida public schools. Lawyers for the state filed a 60-page motion Monday arguing that U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor should dismiss the case filed by the LGBTQ-advocacy groups Equality Florida and Family Equality, students, parents and teachers." MEANWHILE — "' No one felt safe': Florida schools, students feel effects of so-called 'Don't Say Gay' law," by USA Today Network-Florida's Kathryn Varn: "And while the bill targeted instruction in younger grades, it left catchall language that gay rights advocates worried would be used to control classrooms up through high school. More than a dozen times in Florida school districts, that's exactly what happened, according to interviews with students and several news reports from around the state. Since the beginning of March, when the bill picked up steam in the Legislature, students who organized protests like [Rain] Weinstein's said they were silenced by administrators and bullied by their peers and online trolls." BRING ON THE LAWYERS — "Florida university leaders considering legal action over accreditation fight," by POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury: "Florida university leaders floated the idea of taking legal action against the state's accreditation board Wednesday in what could be an escalation of a fight that has been simmering for months as the sides head toward a legislatively mandated breakup. Meeting in Orlando, the university system's Board of Governors once again heaped criticism on the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, or SACS, for recent actions taken by the agency in Florida." CALL YOUR OFFICE DAVID ALTMAIER — "Critics blast state inaction as Florida home insurance rates soar," by Orlando Sentinel's Jeffrey Schweers: "Florida hasn't seen a major hurricane make landfall in four years, yet a record number of property insuradnce companies have gone under and premiums for millions of homeowners are soaring, even after regulators approved repeated requests to raise rates and dump thousands of policyholders. Some critics argue at least some of the blame falls on the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, which they say is not doing its job." GOING FORWARD — " Florida Supreme Court approves DeSantis grand jury to investigate child smuggling, immigration," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders: "The Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday approved Gov. Ron DeSantis' request to impanel a statewide grand jury to investigate immigration-related issues such as the smuggling of undocumented children into the state. Justices, in a four-page unanimous order, said the statewide grand jury will be impaneled for a year in the 10th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties. The circuit's chief judge, Ellen Masters, will preside over the grand jury. Mirroring DeSantis' request, the order listed a series of issues that the grand jury could probe."
| | | | INTRODUCING POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don't miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | CORONAVIRUS UPDATES | | DEAR CONGRESS — Florida surgeon general tells lawmakers blocking orders to childhood vaccines could have led to delays, by POLITICO's David Kihara: Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo told a congressional subcommittee this week that Florida did not allow pediatricians and health care providers to place orders for Covid-19 vaccines for young children until the doses were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which ultimately could have led to short delays in accessing the vaccines. Ladapo, who briefed the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis on Tuesday, also reiterated his stance that Florida is against Covid-19 vaccinations for young children and doesn't recommend them for anyone under 18, according to a statement from the subcommittee released Wednesday. | 
Florida Surgeon Gen. Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, left, speaks at a news conference with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, Monday, Jan. 3, 2022, at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | Wilfredo Lee/AP Photo |
MOUNT TALLAHASSE — "Doctor ousted from Florida children's health board over vaccine views," by Florida Politics' Christine Jordan Sexton: "The brief email did not go into great detail, but said that [Chief Financial Officer Jimmy] Patronis — a Republican running for re-election this year — was removing [Dr. Lisa] Gwynn from the Florida Healthy Kids Board because she had made 'some very political statements that do not reflect the CFO's point of view, even going so far as to as to say that the state is 'obstruct(ing)' access to vaccines.' 'The CFO does not share your opinion and believes the state has gone to great lengths to protect lives in the face of the Coronavirus," reads the email sent to Gwynn by Susan Miller, who is Deputy Chief of Staff for Patronis.
— "UF Health Jacksonville not offering COVID vaccines to children under 5 years old," by The Gainesville Sun's Katie Delk
| | DATELINE D.C. | | COMING ON BOARD — "Breyer to retire Thursday from Supreme Court, clearing way for Jackson swearing-in," by Washington Post's John Wagner and Mariana Alfaro: "Justice Stephen G. Breyer told the White House that he will retire from the Supreme Court at noon Thursday, clearing the way for Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to be sworn in. Minutes after the retirement is official, Jackson will be sworn in at a private ceremony at the Supreme Court, with Breyer and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. administering the oaths. Jackson will become the first Black woman to serve on the high court and its fourth current female justice, joining Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett."
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | FLORIDA MAN — "Giuliani's former Ukraine fixer gets 20 months in prison," by The Associated Press' Larry Neumeister: "Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani who was a figure in former President Donald Trump's first impeachment investigation, was sentenced Wednesday to a year and eight months in prison for fraud and campaign finance crimes by a judge who said fraud had become 'a way of life' for Parnas. Parnas, 50, had sought leniency on grounds that he'd cooperated with the Congressional probe of Trump and his efforts to get Ukrainian leaders to investigate President Joe Biden's son." — " Roger Stone offers to settle $2 million tax case after judge orders him to turn over records," by Florida Bulldog's Dan Christensen
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | 'TRYING TO FIT IN AS MANY PATIENTS AS WE CAN' — "South Florida clinics seeing influx of women as Florida's 15-week abortion ban looms ," by Miami Herald's Alyssa Johnson, Ana Claudia Chacin and Bianca Padró Ocasio: "Planned Parenthood is experiencing high demand for abortion access and also anticipates an increase in women seeking care in Florida. It is increasing appointments and hiring nine additional physicians to meet the need. One will be on staff on a regular basis, but several of them are coming off and on from states including Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee and Massachusetts. They agreed to travel to Florida a few times a month to lend a hand, said spokeswoman Christina Noce. 'We're trying to fit in as many patients as we can to get them in before July 1,' said Mayte Canino, the Planned Parenthood's deputy organizing director for Southeast and North Florida." BANNING RAINBOWS? — "Teachers voice concerns after Orange County previews 'Don't Say Gay' impact to classrooms," by WFTV's Nick Papantonis: "According to representatives of the county's teacher association, teachers and staff members will be disallowed from wearing rainbow articles of clothing, including lanyards distributed by the district last year. Elementary-level teachers reported being discouraged from putting pictures of their same-sex spouse on their desk or talking about them to students." GONE — " Orlando Museum of Art director out after FBI's Basquiat raid," by Orlando Sentinel's Roger Simmons and Matthew J. Palm: "Aaron De Groft has been replaced as director and CEO of the Orlando Museum of Art, the organization announced late Tuesday night, amid the fallout of questions about the authenticity of paintings by artist Jean-Michel Basquiat and an FBI raid on the museum last week." — "' Bush League stuff:' Orlando museum missed Basquiat 'red flags,' ex-FBI agent says," by Orlando Sentinel's Skyler Swisher 'AMERICAN POLITICAL TRADITION' — " Ban on hand-held signs very likely violates First Amendment, U.S. appeals court rules," by Florida Phoenix's Michael Moline: "A Fort Myers Beach street preacher is entitled to an injunction against a town ordinance that prohibits the display of portable signs, a federal appeals court has ruled, citing the First Amendment.A unanimous three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit concluded that, even though the ordinance doesn't discriminate against any viewpoint, it still forecloses a 'venerable form of speech.' — "Jury sworn: Marjory Stoneman Douglas mass shooting trial to open July 18," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Rafael Olmeda — " Florida job search website taken offline after cyberattack," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ron Hurtibise — " St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch restarts bidding process for Tropicana Field," by Tampa Bay Times' Colleen Wright — "Rabbi's suit over Florida abortion law tests bounds of religious objections after Roe ," by McClatchy D.C.'s Michael Wilner
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