News: POLITICO Florida Playbook: DeSantis gets taxpayer millions for his campaign

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

POLITICO Florida Playbook: DeSantis gets taxpayer millions for his campaign

Jul 26, 2022

Hello and welcome to Tuesday.

Follow the money — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis already has a substantial cash advantage in his campaign for reelection. So despite what could be seen as a potential liability in a future run for higher office, he opted to go ahead and apply for public matching funds.

Nice if you can get it — The governor got his first check last Friday — more than $3.35 million — from taxpayers. That's more than DeSantis got in his first run four years ago, and more than double the amount his two Democratic rivals received.

Reform or bad policy? — The state's public matching funds system was first set up when Democrats held sway in Florida (and then enshrined in the constitution) as a way to supposedly even the playing field for candidates. It's been derided and condemned repeatedly by Republicans ever since as "welfare for politicians." Rick Scott was among those who turned down the money, a logical move given that the public matching funds program is not open to large self-funders. Scott, a multimillionaire, poured plenty of cash into his run for governor.

Not alone — DeSantis is hardly the first Republican candidate to accept the money and other GOP candidates running this year — Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis — are also taking the cash. (It's worth noting that Senate President Wilton Simpson turned it down for his campaign for agriculture commissioner.) Alex Sink, the 2010 Democratic nominee against Scott, also turned it down in a race she wound up narrowly losing.

Lessons learned — What DeSantis has done, however, is illustrate how little logic Florida's campaign finance laws really operate with. DeSantis has nearly $129 million in the bank for his campaign. Most of it is raised through his political committee. DeSantis has to abide by spending limits in order to receive public matching money, but that requirement doesn't apply to his political committee.

Loopholes galore — Political committees can accept unlimited donations from billionaires, special interest groups, corporations etc. while individual campaign accounts have donation limits. But unlike the way it works at the federal level, the campaign can coordinate with the committee. The committee can then spend money directly on ads (as long as they don't say vote for X, vote against Y) or the committee can give money to political parties, which can then spend on behalf of a candidates.

Still more loopholes — DeSantis — or any other candidate — can also get public matching money even if they get millions of dollars in support from the Republican or Democratic parties. They take advantage of a provision in the law that lets the party pick up the cost of their campaign staff.

Grab it — So after all that, what is the point of these particular campaign finance laws? They create bureaucratic hurdles, and even when they are broken they are rarely enforced. It's regulation for the sake of regulation. So for DeSantis, Nikki Fried, Charlie Crist, Jimmy Patronis and Ashley Moody, it's basically take the money and run.

— WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official is announced for Gov. DeSantis.

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CAMPAIGN MODE

DECISIONS, DECISIONS — " Trump v. DeSantis: Young conservatives debate GOP's future ," by The Associated Press's Jill Colvin: "Cameron Lilly, 29, said that he personally likes DeSantis better than Trump, but nonetheless thinks another Trump run makes sense for the party. 'I think Ron DeSantis right now is wasting the one more chance that Trump has,' said Lilly, who works for a defense contractor in Annapolis, Maryland. 'I like DeSantis even a little bit more. But I think if we want to have consistent conservatives in the White House, one more Trump term, DeSantis as vice president, and then potentially one or two more terms. That's the way to keep conservatives in the White House for more years.' Steven Dykstra, 22, had another reason. 'As much as I want DeSantis to be the president — he would make a great president — I want him to stay in Florida,' said Dykstra, who attends Pasco-Hernando State College."

— " GOP insiders think DeSantis could beat Trump in 2024. Here's how ," by Yahoo News' Andrew Romano and Tom LoBianco

— " Trump says 'Fox & Friends' has 'gone to the dark side' after the show's hosts mentioned polls showing Ron DeSantis beating him in 2024 ," by Insider's Cheryl Teh

WHAT'S IN YOUR WALLET? — DeSantis gets more than $3M in taxpayer help for campaign , by POLITICO's Gary Fineout: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' tremendous cash advantage in the governor's race just got bigger — thanks to help from the state's taxpayers. DeSantis led all candidates by pulling in $3.35 million in public matching funds, according to records posted on Monday by the state Division of Elections. That's more public money than he got for his entire 2018 campaign — and more than double the money sent to his two Democratic rivals, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.).

TAMPA, FLORIDA - JULY 22: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis walks off stage after speaking during the Turning Point USA Student Action Summit held at the Tampa Convention Center on July 22, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. The event features student activism and leadership training, and a chance to participate in a series of networking events with political leaders. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

HARDBALL — " Democratic women resort to personal attacks during Florida Senate campaign ," by WPLG's Ian Margol: "The heated race for Florida Senate District 35 is getting nasty. Two Democratic women who agree on most issues are resorting to personal attacks as they both campaign for votes in Broward County. State Sen. Lauren Book, the minority leader, and former Broward Mayor Barbara Sharief have both released ads assassinating each other's character. In the latest attack ad, Sharief shows an old video of Book's 2009 appearance on the show Platinum Wedding alleging her celebration cost more than $1 million. The ad also accuses Book and her husband of paying themselves about $350,000 from their nonprofit."

Response — "Meanwhile, Book released an ad accusing Sharief of defrauding Medicaid twice. Nearly 10 years ago, the state found her home healthcare company did overbill Medicaid by hundreds of thousands of dollars two times. She ended up settling and paying nearly $700,000."

FOR YOUR RADAR — " Ballot instruction for Florida governor confusing some readers; officials say it's not a problem ," by Palm Beach Post's Stephany Matat and Antonio Fins: "State and Palm Beach County elections officials on Monday said they were unaware of complaints about a potentially confusing ballot wording. But this past weekend, voter Sharon Reuben from suburban Boynton Beach opened her mail-in ballot for the Aug. 23 primary and said she was 'confused' by the way the choice for governor was worded. The ballot, she noted, clearly stated "Governor and Lieutenant Governor" and instructed to 'Vote for One.' Four names followed: Charlie Crist, Cadance Daniel, Nicole "Nikki" Fried and Robert L. Willis."

— " Kellyanne Conway urges Ron DeSantis to give up on 2024 run ," by Florida Politics' A.G. Gancarski

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

POWER PLAY — " Powerbrokers: How FPL secretly took over a Florida news site and used it to bash critics ," by Miami Herald's Sarah Blaskey: "While portraying itself as a feisty independent outlet, the Capitolist — which aims its content directly at Tallahassee decision makers — was bankrolled and controlled by executives of the power company through a small group of trusted intermediaries from an Alabama consulting firm, according to an investigation by the Miami Herald, based on a massive leak of documents. "

Details — " The internal communications, contracts and financial records show how a team of elite communications experts consulting for FPL plucked the Capitolist from obscurity, and used it as part of an elaborate, off-the-books political strategy to advocate for rate hikes, agitate for legislative favors, slam political opponents and eliminate anything — even home solar panels — that the publicly traded utility worried might undermine its near monopoly on selling power in the Sunshine State."

— " Firm working for FPL took control of news site, let execs dictate coverage, records show ," by Orlando Sentinel's Annie Martin and Floodlight's Mario Alejandro Ariza

HMM — " Insurance company ratings downgrades delayed, Demotech tells state officials ," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ron Hurtibise: "A slew of ratings downgrades for Florida-based insurers won't be happening Tuesday after all. The CEO of Ohio-based Demotech, who last week sent letters to 27 insurers telling them that their financial strength ratings would be downgraded on July 26, on Monday afternoon sent a letter to Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier calling it off 'until further notice.' The downgrades, from A, which stands for 'Exceptional' or 'Unsurpassed,' would place hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of homeowners with mortgage loans out of compliance with loan terms dictated by federal mortgage guarantors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."

PULLED — " Florida suspends abortion doctor accused of lacking critical life-saving skills ," by POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian: A doctor at a Pensacola abortion clinic that was shut down after at least three patients nearly died after they waited hours — even days — for help, has had his medical license suspended by the Florida Department of Health. A complaint filed by Florida Department of Health investigators on July 13 accuses Tarpon Springs Dr. Christopher Saputa of lacking critical skills and expertise in performing abortions as well as during medical emergencies that were the result of his own errors. According to the complaint, even staffers at the clinic, American Family Planning of Pensacola, knew that Saputa had waited too long before he called 911 for one patient who was later given 10 pints of blood, which is the total amount for the average human body.

— " Will rent control calm Orange County's housing crisis? Commissioners to debate Tuesday ," by Orlando Sentinel's Stephen Hudak

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TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

WHAT WAS NOT SAID — New Jan. 6 panel evidence shows Trump altered his post-Capitol riot speech , by POLITICO's Kelly Hooper: Former President Donald Trump removed key lines from a draft document of his Jan. 7, 2021, speech that would have condemned rioters at the Capitol insurrection the day prior as not representing "our movement." A screengrab of Trump's draft speech, which he made handwritten edits to, is shown in a video of Jan. 6 committee evidence and testimony shared by panel member Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) on Twitter. The video shows edits and various lines crossed out of the prepared remarks in black Sharpie, which Trump's daughter Ivanka identified as her father's handwriting in an interview with the committee.

'THE POLICE WERE THE HEROES' — " Biden lashes Trump over Jan. 6, saying he 'lacked the courage to act ,'" by The New York Times' Peter Baker: "President Biden on Monday denounced former President Donald J. Trump's refusal to decisively intervene to stop the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, declaring that his predecessor 'lacked the courage to act' and betrayed the police officers he claimed to support. Mr. Biden, who has largely avoided discussing the former president or the Jan. 6 investigation by a House select committee, weighed in during a statement to an organization representing Black law enforcement leaders. 'The police were heroes that day,' the president said in the videotaped remarks from the White House residence, where he is recovering from Covid-19."

— " FL Congresswoman on House Homeland Security panel: 'I haven't watched any' Jan. 6 hearings ," by Florida Phoenix's Laura Cassels

DATELINE D.C.

BIDEN CALLS OUT FLORIDA GOP — President Joe Biden's Monday trip to Florida was scrapped when he got infected with Covid-19. But he still managed to get in a jab at top Republicans in remarks that were given virtually to the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives training conference being held in Orlando. Biden questioned how Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Rick Scott could say they back law enforcement if they are opposed to banning certain types of semi-automatic rifles. "If you can't support banning weapons of war on America's streets, you're not on the side of police," Biden said.

ZING — " Top Pence aide slams Gaetz for saying former VP can't be president ," by The Hill's Olafimihan Oshin: "Marc Short, a top aide to former Vice President Mike Pence, slammed Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for telling a crowd over the weekend that Pence could never be president, saying that the congressman would have no impact on such an outcome because 'it's more likely he'll be in prison for child sex trafficking by 2024.' Short was referring to reports that Gaetz is under federal investigation for having sex with a 17-year-old girl and that he violated federal sex trafficking laws, allegations Gaetz has denied."

ABOUT THOSE GAETZ ABORTION COMMENTS — Rep. Matt Gaetz's comments trashing the appearance of abortion rights protesters continued to reverberate on Monday when a local television asked about them. Gaetz repeated his comments that the protesters are "odious" and said "I made no apology for it." WEAR-TV's Olivia Iverson asked whether "you're suggesting that these women at these abortion rallies are ugly and overweight?" Gaetz replied yes. He was then asked "what do you say to people who think those comments are offensive?" "Be offended," he said.

LINCOLN PROJECT REPLY — The Lincoln Project has its own response to Gaetz and the political action committee is launching a digital ad that will run in Gaetz's Panhandle district. The one-minute ad — titled "Matt has a Secret" and featuring the same theme music used in "It's All Sunny in Philadelphia'' — mocks Gaetz for "allegedly" having to pay for sex and then suggests he's angry for other — ahem — reasons.

THE GUNSHINE STATE

WEEK TWO — " Florida school shooter's AR-15 rifle shown to his jurors ," by The Associated Press' Terry Spencer: "Jurors in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz got their first view Monday of the AR-15-style rifle he used to murder 17 students and staff members four years ago at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, staring intently as it was carried to the front of the courtroom. Lead prosecutor Mike Satz removed the black semi-automatic Smith & Wesson from a cardboard box and carried it to Broward sheriff's Sgt. Gloria Crespo, who said it was found in a third-floor stairwell after the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre."

Assistant State Attorney Mike Satz checks into evidence the weapon used in Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting during the penalty phase of Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, July 25, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Carline Jean/ Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) | AP

... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

CAPITAL CIRCLE ADDRESS — " Ghislaine Maxwell sent to 'low security' Tallahassee prison for role in Epstein sex-trafficking ring ," by Tallahassee Democrat's Christopher Cann: "The disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell has been transferred to a low security federal prison in Tallahassee, Fla., where she will serve a 20-year sentence for her role as an accomplice with Jeffrey Epstein in a decade-spanning sex-trafficking ring. In December, Maxwell, 60, was convicted of luring and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused and exploited by Epstein — the wealthy financier who killed himself while in custody and awaiting trial in 2019."

— " Maxwell's new digs: Fla. prison known for yoga, music, abuse ," by The Associated Press' Michael R. Sisak and Michael Balsamo

ANOTHER TRY — Enviros want Florida conservation spending case reopened, by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie: Environmental groups are hoping a new state judge will reverse a previous January ruling that dismissed their case challenging millions of dollars in state conservation land spending. The details: The Florida Wildlife Federation and other groups asked Circuit Judge J. Lee Marsh to reconsider Circuit Judge Layne Smith's order declaring the case filed in 2015 was moot because too much time has passed.

— " Florida wants 'Stop WOKE Act' federal lawsuit tossed out ," by News Service of Florida's Jim Saunders

ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

BIRTHDAYS: Former Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli ... Former state Rep. Richard Stark … Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum