| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Thursday. A trend emerging — Gov. Ron DeSantis has shown a willingness in the past few months to bend or, some might even say, ignore budget provisions approved by the Republican-controlled Legislature. But as of right now, it appears many top GOP legislators don't want to talk about it. Add it up — DeSantis refused late last month to spend $175 million on local projects approved earlier in September by a legislative budget panel. His administration questioned the legality of the language in the new state budget that required the governor to move ahead on the spending that ranged from airport runways to health care programs. The DeSantis administration also suggested the spending should be put on hold because of Hurricane Ian. Other examples — DeSantis' migrant relocation program has also come under scrutiny. The budget provision crafted by legislators said that it should be used to transport "unauthorized aliens" from "this state," yet ultimately the state paid to move nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard. State Sen. Jason Pizzo (D-Aventura) has filed a lawsuit that contends, in part, that DeSantis did not do what legislators intended. Don't bother — Back in June, DeSantis sent a letter to the Department of Education telling the agency to ignore a provision adopted by the Legislature this past spring that called for withholding millions of dollars in school recognition awards from districts that had enacted mask mandates. DeSantis suggested the budget language was in conflict with the state law that governed the program. Changed — In July, first lady Casey DeSantis announced that nearly 59,000 families — including foster families and those receiving cash assistance under the Temporary Aid to Needy Families program — would receive a one-time payment of $450 per child. A letter announcing the payment said it was to help families deal with inflation. This was a complete restructuring of what legislators had approved back in September 2021. What was approved — A legislative panel at that time gave the Department of Children and Families the authority to spend $35.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan money on several programs, including a clothing allowance to TANF families and help for newborn babies exposed to substance abuse. Several GOP legislators who oversee the budget told POLITICO they were never told the DeSantis administration had revamped the spending months later. Nothing to see here — Florida's top two legislative leaders have remained silent on this while other Republicans have brushed aside questions about this trend. Sen. Kelli Stargel, the outgoing Senate budget chief, suggested on Wednesday that reporters were trying to "create consternation between us and the governor" when asked. Stargel also said she didn't know the details about the migrant flights. House budget chief Rep. Jay Trumbull said he wasn't "an attorney" when asked about DeSantis' decision to block the local support grants due to constitutional concerns. Situational awareness — Now, are there GOP legislators grumbling privately about all of this? Yes, absolutely. Will anything be done about it? Probably not. Pizzo, a Democrat, has filed a lawsuit, and Rep. Stephanie Murphy last month wrote a letter to the DeSantis administration questioning why it took months for the federal TANF money from the American Rescue Plan to be released to families. Put it all together, however, and it's another reminder of how much clout and sway DeSantis has over the Legislature as he heads into a likely second term. — 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
| | | | 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. | | | | | |  | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | THE BIG ASK — Rubio wants $33B in disaster aid for Hurricane Ian recovery, by POLITICO's Caitlin Emma: Sen. Marco Rubio is asking for $33 billion in disaster relief to help with Hurricane Ian recovery in Florida, noting the figure could change as federal and state officials tally the damage caused by the historic storm. The Florida Republican laid out his request for an emergency disaster aid package on Wednesday, seeking more than $12 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers to repair damages and handle flood control, nearly $1 billion to grapple with pollution caused by the hurricane and $10 billion to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund. 'IT WILL NOT BE THE SAME' — "Rough times ahead: Hurricane Ian batters SW Florida economy," by The Associated Press' Bobby Caina Calvan: "Hurricane Ian has come and gone but it still could deliver prolonged blows to the local economy, walloping small businesses heavily dependent on tourists and seasonal residents. Scenes of destruction in southwestern Florida will keep many winter tourists and snowbirds away while tasking local residents with rebuilding for months or more, said Michael Maguire, a manager for a group of family-owned restaurants, including a couple on hard-hit Fort Myers Beach. 'It will not be the same,' Maguire said, standing outside the Pinchers seafood restaurant in the Fisherman's Wharf area of Fort Myers. 'It could be months, it could be years. We don't know. People that live in the area are not going to be in shape to go to restaurants.'" | 
A destroyed home is seen after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on Oct. 3, 2022, in Fort Myers Beach, Fla. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | PATH AHEAD — "Two weeks after Ian: On the long road to recovery, lots of bumps, but clearing ahead," by Naples Daily News' Phil Fernandez: "Two weeks have passed since ferocious Hurricane Ian left an indelible mark on Southwest Florida and its surviving inhabitants. As of Wednesday afternoon, the official Southwest Florida death toll of 57 went unchanged for 24 hours for the first time in awhile, based on state data. But the number of tributes on a storm memorial wall in downtown Fort Myers continues to rise, thanks to locals like Cassaundra Arrington who lost friends and placed flowers there."A million different emotions," said Cassaundra Arrington, whose job at Fort Myers Beach's Times Square vanished with the structures in what's been described as one of history's worst hurricane impact sites ever on the continental United States. "Things will never be the same. They won't. But we will rebuild." ADD IT UP — Florida adds $360M to Hurricane Ian relief efforts, by POLITICO's Matt Dixon: A Florida budget panel on Wednesday voted to transfer $360 million in additional state cash to help with Hurricane Ian relief, an amount Gov. Ron DeSantis' office said should be enough for now to complete recovery efforts. The transfer approved by the Joint Legislative Budget Commission came after the recovery efforts have already cost the state $525 million, which is more than the half-billion lawmakers socked away during the 2022 legislative session Emergency Preparedness and Response Trust Fund, which has so far been helping to pay for the massive relief effort. — "Hurricane Ian victims in four more Florida counties now eligible for FEMA financial help," by USA Today Network-Florida's Douglas Soule — " Seminole asks residents to be courteous, citing 'very rude' post-Ian calls to info line," by Orlando Sentinel's Martin E. Comas
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | FROM THE BENCH — Federal judge upholds Florida Medicaid ban on covering gender-affirming care, by POLITICO's Arek Sarkissian: A federal court judge on Wednesday allowed a Florida rule to continue that bars the state Medicaid program from reimbursing patients for most forms of gender-affirming care. Judge Robert Hinkle denied a preliminary injunction request from a coalition of transgender rights groups seeking to stop the rule. The groups previously filed a lawsuit against Florida over its ban on Medicaid covering the cost of gender affirming care. TELL ME MORE — " UF's presidential search was not done as Florida law intended, lawmaker says," by Tampa Bay Times' Divya Kumar: "The University of Florida's search for a new president violates the intent of a new state law that governs the process, according to state Sen. Jeff Brandes, who co-sponsored the measure in the Legislature this year. The law keeps the early part of presidential searches secret as a way to attract high-caliber applicants who don't want to jeopardize their current jobs. But it also requires universities to lift that confidentiality when 'a final group of applicants' emerges. Instead, UF officials announced one finalist, U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse, and have refused to release the names of a dozen people they interviewed after reaching out to hundreds of possible candidates."
| | | | 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 | | BY THE NUMBERS — Nearly 202,000 people have voted by mail ahead of the Nov. 8 election, according to the latest information on the state Division of Elections website. Of those, 81,849 have come from Democrats and 79,540 have come from registered Republicans. Overall, there are roughly 3.99 million mail ballots that have been requested but not yet returned. Of those, more than 1.76 million are held by Democrats and more than 1.29 million are with Republicans. CAMPAIGN ROUNDUP — Florida For All is spending more than $100,000 on a digital ad campaign it says is aimed at persuadable voters "who have been hurt by Ron DeSantis." The group said it also launching a six-figure Spanish-language radio ad buy in South Florida to back candidates such as Charlie Crist, Rep. Val Demings, and Cabinet candidates Aramis Ayala and Adam Hattersley. The campaign against DeSantis includes three different digital ads: "Ambition," "Stepping Stone" and "Gouge." … Florida Veterans for Common Sense on Wednesday endorsed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Crist. … Demings on Thursday will tour small businesses in West Tampa and visit campaign volunteers at the launch of a coordinated campaign phonebank. … Spectrum News 13 on Thursday at 7 p.m. will air live debate between the two candidates for Florida's 10th Congressional District: Republican Calvin Wimbish and Democrat Maxwell Frost . The half-hour debate will be moderated by Spectrum News 13 anchor Ybeth Bruzual and Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell. It will air both on Spectrum's channel and on the Spectrum News App… RULING — "'Racial segregation': Federal judge blocks Jacksonville City Council districts as racial gerrymanders ," by The Tributary's Andrew Pantazi: "A federal judge has barred Jacksonville from using its City Council and Duval School Board district maps, finding that seven City Council and three School Board districts were likely racially gerrymandered. U.S. District Judge Marcia Morales Howard found the City Council likely had used race as a predominant factor in drawing the maps in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. Black voters, she ruled, have been segregated based on race, which has ensured they won't have a 'meaningful impact on any election or a meaningful voice on any issue of concern.'" — "Poll: Anna Paulina Luna, Eric Lynn tied in CD 13," by Florida Politics' Peter Schorsch — " 30 Sheriffs blast progressive group's 'anti law-enforcement' rhetoric, urge vote against endorsed candidates," by Florida Politics' Gray Rohrer
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | AS THE PAGES TURN — "Trump worker told FBI about moving Mar-a-Lago boxes on ex-president's orders ," by Washington Post's Devlin Barrett and Josh Dawsey: "A Trump employee has told federal agents about moving boxes of documents at Mar-a-Lago at the specific direction of the former president, according to people familiar with the investigation, who say the witness account — combined with security-camera footage — offers key evidence of Donald Trump's behavior as investigators sought the return of classified material." — " New evidence to show Trump was warned of violence on Jan. 6," by Washington Post's Carol D. Leonnig and Jacqueline Alemany ON THE STAND — Oath Keeper describes group's large weapons cache ahead of Jan. 6, by POLITICO's Kyle Cheney: A member of the Oath Keepers who traveled with the group to Washington D.C. ahead of the Jan. 6 riot described a massive stockpile of firearms and other weaponry that allies had stashed in an Arlington, Va. hotel. "I had not seen that many weapons in one location since I was in the military," recalled Terry Cummings, a Florida resident who said he joined the Oath Keepers in 2020 amid concerns about left-wing violence in Portland, Ore. and joined the group leaders' private chats in advance of their Jan. 6 trip to D.C.
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Outside the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 | Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo | | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | 'THIS IS EGREGIOUS' — "Florida sports association to reconsider menstrual questions for high school athletes ," by Palm Beach Post's Katherine Kokal: "The Florida High School Athletic Association will reconsider questions about menstrual history on its physical form for student athletes after a Palm Beach Post story prompted intense reaction from athletes, parents and physicians. At a special-called Palm Beach County School Board meeting Wednesday, visiting FHSAA board member and former state Rep. Ralph Arza said he is going to add an agenda item to the Nov. 6 and 7 meeting of the association's board of directors to permanently amend the form. His recommendation will be to remove the optional questions about menstruation and update the form to ensure only the final physician sign-off sheet is turned into schools." FOR YOUR RADAR — "U.S. will return Venezuelans crossing illegally to Mexico, but opens new pathway to asylum," by McClatchy D.C.'s Michael Wilner and El Nuevo Herald's Antonio Maria Delgado: "The United States and Mexico have agreed on a program intended to reduce a record flow of Venezuelan migrants to the U.S. southern border, the Biden administration announced on Wednesday. Mexico has agreed to accept expulsions of Venezuelan migrants who are intercepted entering the United States between ports of entry — a move intended to dissuade Venezuelan asylum seekers from crossing the border illegally, senior administration officials told reporters Wednesday night. At the same time, to incentivize legal migration, the Biden administration will launch a humanitarian parole program that will allow up to 24,000 Venezuelans to be sponsored for entry into the United States." WHAT ALEX DÍAZ DE LA PORTILLA IS READING — "Ethics panel finds 'probable cause' that Miami commissioner abused power with city car," by Miami Herald's Joey Flechas: "Miami-Dade's ethics commission has found probable cause that Miami Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla abused his power by allowing a friend to use a city-owned car to run personal errands for him. On Wednesday, the Miami-Dade County Commission on Ethics & Public Trust unanimously agreed to charge Díaz de la Portilla, elected to represent District 1 on the City Commission in 2019, with violating county ethics law and exploiting his official position after a friend who did not work for the city used a city car to pick up alcohol for the commissioner, drop off his dry cleaning, and drive him to a property his family owns in Southwest Miami-Dade." — "Life or death for Stoneman Douglas gunman: It's in the jury's hands now," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Rafael Olmeda — " U.S. cancels visas, sends Coast Guard ship to patrol waters off Haiti's capital," by Miami Herald's Jacqueline Charles and McClatchy D.C.'s Michael Wilner — " NASA's new November targets might mean night launch for Artemis," by Orlando Sentinel's Richard Tribou
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — "University of Miami frat shut down after video surfaces of frat chants about having sex with dead woman," by Miami Herald's Jimena Tavel, Linda Robertson and Charles Rabin: "A University of Miami fraternity was shuttered Friday after a video surfaced of an off-campus pool party that showed Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity members jumping up and down and chanting about having sex with a dead woman. 'It made my skin crawl. It was just awful,' said a UM sorority sister who did not attend the pool party, but her friends did and she was shown the video." — " Attorney files police report over perceived anti-gay TikTok link sent by mayor," by South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Lisa J. Huriash: On a recent Saturday morning 'out of the blue,' Pembroke Park's town attorney opened a text from the mayor: It was a link to a TikTok video of a bouncer explaining to a lesbian woman why he doesn't care much for 'super loud,' 'super confrontational' masculine women who try to 'bully their way into getting what they want.' Attorney Melissa Anderson, openly gay since she was a teen and 'very proud of who I am,' said she interpreted Mayor Geoffrey Jacobs' unwanted text as a form of 'harassment and discrimination.'" BIRTHDAYS: OnMessage's Joanna Burgos ... Moni Basu, lecturer for narrative nonfiction at University of Florida's department of journalism | | | | 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 | | | | |
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