| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello. It’s Tuesday. A TERRIBLE ANNIVERSARY — Today marks the fifth anniversary of a horrific moment. Seventeen people were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. REMEMBERING THEIR NAMES — Luke Hoyer, Martin Duque Anquiano, Gina Montalto, Alex Schachter, Alaina Petty, Alyssa Alhadeff, Nicholas Dworet, Helena Ramsay, Chris Hixon, Carmen Schentrup, Aaron Feis, Scott Biegel, Meadow Pollack, Cara Loughran, Joaquin Oliver, Jaime Guttenberg and Peter Wang. Aftermath — As we remember those who died that day, the reverberations from that tragic event continue. Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to life in prison for the murders after the jury split over whether he should receive the death penalty. That has sparked a push by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature to roll back the state law that requires a unanimous jury recommendation. It is expected to be taken up in the upcoming session. Still being litigated — Five years ago, the Florida Legislature and then-Gov. Rick Scott did the unthinkable and passed a bipartisan gun bill that raised the minimum age to purchase a rifle, put in place red flag laws and boosted school safety efforts. That law is still being challenged in federal court by the National Rifle Association. Guns to be a focus — This year, Republican leaders are pushing to repeal permit requirements for those who wish to carry concealed weapons in public. This move has prompted an outcry from groups seeking more restrictions on guns, some of whom have pointed to the events in Parkland. GOP legislators and supporters have retorted that the legislation will help people “defend themselves and their families.” The Senate version of the bill creates a process for reporting student behavior threats and expands to private schools the state’s “guardian” program that allows school employees to be armed on school grounds. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official for Gov. Ron 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. | | | | | |  | THE GUNSHINE STATE | | AFTERMATH — “The legacy of Parkland: Changes in school safety and gun laws,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Rafael Olmeda and Cindy Krischer Goodman: “Lives changed. Laws changed. But some things did not. The mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School five years ago scarred South Florida, touching off a national gun-control movement whose ripples could still be felt as recently as Tuesday night’s State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. In the aftermath of the shooting, even conservative Florida raised the minimum age required to purchase a firearm in Florida from 18 to 21.” ‘NO ONE LOSES THAT PAIN’ — “5 years after Parkland, families cope through good works,” by The Associated Press’ Terry Spencer: “Most have answered by starting foundations or performing other charitable work dedicated to a variety of causes: protecting students; building parks and gardens; providing scholarships; fighting disease and helping the disabled; sending kids to camp; teaching children to swim, dance, create art or play music and sports; and tightening gun laws. ‘For all of them, their biggest fear was that their loved one would be forgotten,’ said Florida state Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, who was Parkland’s mayor in 2018 when the shooting happened.” |  FILE - People attend a candlelight vigil for the victims of the Wednesday shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018. After a gunman murdered 14 students and three staff members at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, their families were left with a burning question: How do we go on with our lives while honoring our loved one’s memory? (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File) | AP |
— “‘It’s always on my mind’: Five years since the Parkland massacre, survivors’ pain is fresh,” by USA Today’s Grace Hauck
— “5 years after the Parkland school massacre claimed 17 lives, here’s what has changed (and what hasn’t),” by CNN’s Holly Yan — “Parkland victims’ families create and expand foundations to keep memories of loved ones alive,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Cindy Krischer Goodman | | DESANTISLAND | | NEXT TARGET — “DeSantis hints at doing away with Advanced Placement courses in Florida,” by Tampa Bay Times Jeffrey S. Solochek and Miami Herald’s Ana Ceballos: “Tens of thousands of Florida high school students take Advanced Placement courses every year to have a competitive edge heading into college. Now, Gov. Ron DeSantis says he wants to reevaluate the state’s relationship with the College Board, the private company that administers those courses and the SAT exam. And that has some high school students worried.” — "The College Board’s Rocky Path, Through Florida, to the A.P. Black Studies Course," by The New York Times' Anemona Hartocollis, Dana Goldstein and Stephanie Saul ANOTHER ONE — “Orange County judge dismisses voter fraud case from DeSantis-touted arrests,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Christopher Cann: “An Orange County judge Monday dismissed a voter fraud case brought by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ new election crimes office, finding statewide prosecutors lacked the authority to charge the Orlando defendant. ‘If the legislature wants a centralized prosecutor with the power to pursue any perceived illegality throughout the state of Florida, the Florida legislature has the authority to create a centralized system,’ Orange County Circuit Judge Jenifer Harris wrote in her ruling. ‘This court will not facilitate such a concentrated power without legislative authority.’ About that — “Last week, however, the Florida Legislature passed a bill that will give prosecutors statewide jurisdiction in these cases, nixing the current standard that led Harris to dismiss the case against 59-year-old Peter Washington.” FITTING IT IN PLACE — “Ron DeSantis can now make his agenda a reality ahead of a possible 2024 announcement,” by CNN’s Steve Contorno: “With Republicans holding a super majority in both the state House and Senate, there is little expectation that [Gov. Ron] DeSantis will not get his way. DeSantis isn’t expected to jump into the race for president until after lawmakers conclude their legislative business in May — a sign of how important that agenda is to his platform for president and the narrative around his candidacy.” — “Ron DeSantis is not Scott Walker,” by The New York Times’ Nate Cohn — “Missouri poll suggests Nikki Haley could erode Ron DeSantis’ 2024 prospects,” by Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | THE AGENDA — DeSantis pushes legislative proposals to restrict ‘woke’ ESG investing, by POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie: Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday said he will propose legislation to further restrict state investments involving “environmental, social, and corporate governance,” or ESG, which DeSantis has condemned as a "woke" political agenda. DeSantis, speaking at a press conference in Naples with House and Senate leaders, said that the legislation will restrict how state retirement fund investments are made, similar to those approved in January by the State Board of Administration, which includes the governor. — “Florida police chiefs group backs ‘constitutional carry’ bills,” by News Service of Florida | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | WHAT’S IN YOUR WALLET? — “New College hires Richard Corcoran as interim president for $699,000 annually,” by Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Zac Anderson: “The New College of Florida Board of Trustees hired former Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran Monday to serve as the school's interim president at an annual salary of $699,000, more than double the previous president's compensation and an amount that drew concerns from trustees and the public. Corcoran will hold the job until Sept. 1, 2024 or a permanent president is picked, whichever comes first. That means he will earn more than $1 million if he stays in the job until the end of his contract.” FALLOUT — “New U.S. parole program for Haitians leads to long passport lines, cops fleeing the country,” by Miami Herald’s Jacqueline Charles: “A hastily created U.S. policy to curb irregular migration at the United States’ border with Mexico is having unintended consequences in Haiti, one of the four countries whose nationals can apply for the program and where the Biden administration is spending tens of millions of dollars to help the police take on heavily armed kidnapping gangs.” — “DeSantis wants Hillsborough to refund sales taxes. How would that work?” by Tampa Bay Times’ C.T. Bowen — “Miami Spanish-language TV station to be sold for $64M – and there may be on-air changes,” by Miami Herald’s Andres Viglucci
| | | | DOWNLOAD THE POLITICO MOBILE APP: Stay up to speed with the newly updated POLITICO mobile app, featuring timely political news, insights and analysis from the best journalists in the business. The sleek and navigable design offers a convenient way to access POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Don’t miss out on the app you can rely on for the news you need, reimagined. DOWNLOAD FOR iOS– DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | A BIG REFUND — Florida taxpayers paid out more than $13 million to help political campaigns in 2022, which appears to be a record total for the state’s matching funds programs that some Republicans in the past have derided as “welfare for politicians.” But two GOP candidates who took cash from the state gave some of it back this month. Newly filed campaign finance reports show that Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis last week returned every dime of matching funds his campaign had received during the last election cycle. That came to $221,915.25. Gov. Ron DeSantis took in more than $7.3 million in taxpayer money for his campaign. But his campaign earlier this month returned slightly more than $65,000 in matching funds it received. No other statewide candidates reported returning matching funds, although the final report for Charlie Crist lists a nearly $1,694 contribution to the state on Feb. 6. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson was the lone Republican who won a statewide election last year and did not accept any public matching money. | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | COMING SOON — “Judge orders partial release of Georgia grand jury report on possible 2020 election crimes,” by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney: A judge in Georgia has ordered public release on Thursday of a special grand jury’s report that focuses on whether former President Donald Trump broke state law by pressuring local officials to change the 2020 presidential election results. However, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney said he doesn’t plan–for now–to release the bulk of the grand jury’s work, including the parts that address potential criminal liability for Trump or other individuals. ‘I DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT’ — “Trump denies brainstorming ‘unimportant’ DeSantis nicknames after report,” by New York Post’s Mark Moore: “Former President Donald Trump spent part of his Monday disputing a report that he’s conjuring up nicknames for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’s widely viewed as his strongest potential rival in the 2024 Republican primary. ‘All of the Fake News is reporting that I spend large amounts of my time coming up with a good ‘nickname’ for Ron DeSanctimonious, who is obviously going to give the presidential ‘thing’ a shot,’ the 76-year-old Trump said Monday on his Truth Social platform. ‘They are all 100% wrong, I don’t even think about it — A very unimportant subject to me!!!’ he added.” | | DATELINE D.C. | | BECAUSE HE CAN? — “Why would McConnell do that to Rick Scott?” by Washington Post’s Aaron Blake: “While you could fault [President Joe] Biden for casting a plan with no realistic prospects of passing as representative of the broader GOP’s aspirations, he did characterize it carefully. He even acknowledged that few Republicans have endorsed it. And now Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has undercut [Sen. Rick] Scott’s entire effort, delivering a rebuke that’s remarkable for a number of reasons.” — “Florida seems like a lock for Republicans. But is it a sure thing for Rick Scott?” by Palm Beach Post’s Stephany Matat UP IN THE AIR — “Lawmakers demand Biden address nation on UFO incursions,” by The Hill’s Brad Dress: “Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, also joined in the calls for President [Joe] Biden to address the nation, noting the unprecedented nature of the military shooting down aircraft in U.S. airspace. ‘NORAD’s been around almost 65 years,’ he said of the command in charge of patrolling U.S. and Canadian airspace. ‘We’ve never shot anything down, and in eight days we’ve shot down four things. That’s a pretty big deal. It doesn’t happen every day.’ Rubio added in a tweet: ‘Americans need to hear directly about this from their President today.’ ENGAGED — Jaqlyn Alderete, legislative assistant for Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), and Cyrus Huncharek, director of policy and advocacy at the National Down Syndrome Congress, got engaged this weekend at Dan’s Cafe. They met in a college fellowship program in 2016 and reconnected in 2020 when they both moved to D.C. for work and ended up being neighbors. | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | ‘WE DON’T THINK IT CAN COME BACK’ — “‘There’s no Spring Break here’: Florida’s Gulf Coast fights to rebound after Hurricane Ian,” by The New York Times’ Shannon Sims: “On a recent afternoon, sitting at a table outside the Sanibel Grill, which roof and water damage kept closed for months, the mayor of Sanibel, Holly Smith, 61, was blunt. ‘There’s no spring break here,’ she said. ‘As far as the recovery of tourism, we have a long way to go.’ Ms. Smith said that during the storm, the island had ‘a complete washover’ — the 12-foot storm surge covered everything.” | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — “Carollo critics cry foul over arrest of protester in chicken suit at pet sculpture park event,” by Miami Herald’s Charles Rabin: “What do you get when a small flock of protesters dressed in chicken suits crash the coming out party for Commissioner Joe Carollo’s controversial $1 million pet project of dog and cat sculptures in Miami’s Museum Park? You get cries of foul from Carollo critics who called Saturday’s arrest of one chicken man heavy-handed, saying he and three others were simply exercising their right to free speech. Police, however, insist Morgan Gianola would not cease and desist disruptive clucking or stop handing out tank tops with a mug shot of the commissioner from when he was jailed during a domestic violence incident involving his wife more than two decades ago.” BIRTHDAYS: Former Rep. Donna Shalala … Cari Roth, vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs for Lykes Bros. | | | | 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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