| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and good Friday morning. Shine A Light — The political and media world is fixated right now on all things Ron DeSantis — and what the Florida Legislature is doing to carry out his agenda. Pause for a moment, however, to consider the scene in the Florida Senate on Thursday. Can’t You Hear Me Knocking? — House Speaker Paul Renner — in an unusual act — sat on the side of the chamber through the entire debate over HB 1, the landmark legislation that would extend private school vouchers to every student in the state regardless of family income. Connection — After the Senate approved the bill along party lines, Renner bear-hugged state Sen. Corey Simon, the former NFL football player and first-year Republican legislator who knocked off a Democratic incumbent last fall and was the Senate sponsor of this bill. Happy — There’s a reason for that excitement. Because as stated earlier this year — this was and this is — a very big deal. Two decades after then-Gov. Jeb Bush enacted the state’s first voucher program, the step-by-step process to expand their use is now complete. Just three weeks into the nine-week session the nation’s third-largest state now has no limits on who can get a voucher, including “millionaires” and “billionaires” as noted by Democratic opponents. All Down The Line — “The Florida Legislature has firmly established the Sunshine State as first in the nation for school choice,” Bush himself said in a statement. He added, the legislation “unlocks options for all families, ends the frustration of waitlists and empowers parents to make decisions based on their child’s unique learning needs, regardless of their income or [ZIP] code.” No Expectations — The Legislature rushed the legislation through despite persistent and lingering questions about the true cost (both the House and Senate have taken divergent paths in their proposed budgets to pay for it). Get Off My Cloud — Backers of the bill waved off Democratic objections that the measure would drain money away from public schools as nothing more than teachers union talking points. The complexities of school funding — and the potential ramifications — were dismissed in soundbites. You Can’t Always Get What You Want — DeSantis himself expressed reservations about letting wealthy people obtain vouchers, but that concern is unlikely to stop him from signing the bill into law. Start Me Up — There is no doubt that state legislators plan to hand a long-line of policy wins to DeSantis this session ahead of his likely presidential run, some of them substantial in nature. But even as the spotlight quickly turns elsewhere, this could be the bill that defines the 2023 session. — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official 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. | | | | | |  | DESANTISLAND | | GROWING GOVERNMENT — “DeSantis’ State Guard vision: planes, boats, police powers,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald’s Ana Ceballos and Tampa Bay Times’ Romy Ellenbogen: When Gov. Ron DeSantis first proposed reviving the long-dormant Florida State Guard, he wanted 200 volunteers and a modest $5 million budget. Then it grew to 400 members and $10 million. Now it’s 1,500 members and a nearly $100 million budget — with police powers, helicopters, boats and, under one lawmaker’s request, cellphone-hacking technology. ALLIES — The culture war bromance of Ron DeSantis and Chris Rufo, by POLITICO Magazine’s Michael Kruse: Chris Rufo said the debate over critical race theory was a way for conservatives to “take some of these essentially corrupted state agencies and then contest them, and then create rival power centers within them.” He heard from the DeSantis team shortly thereafter. “Not from him personally,” [Chris] Rufo told me, but from staff. “They said,” he said, “‘We’re putting together this policy, we’d love to have you advise, we’d love to have you come out and help announce it, we’d love to have essentially your support in pushing this concept through.’” Rufo obviously obliged. “I said, ‘That sounds great. I’m very excited.’” And if Fox News had given Rufo a platform, DeSantis put him on the physical, literal stage. The agenda — “The governor is smart enough to engage people in certain situations that can help further what he wants to accomplish,” said Nick Iarossi, another prominent Tallahassee lobbyist with close DeSantis ties. “Even though Chris Rufo is new to the Governor’s orbit, Rufo’s research on DEI programs within the state university system and placement on the New College board of trustees will further the governor’s agenda.” “What that tells us,” a third former aide to DeSantis told me, “is that Ron will be happy to put partisan ideologues in places in the government.” | 
Chris Rufo is the latest iteration of a certain sort of person in the Ron DeSantis operation — sicced at the governor’s behest to pick a point-scoring fight that generates headlines and left-of-center outrage. | Jenny Riffle for POLITICO |
BE HIT AND HIT BACK — Ron DeSantis has one very big problem: Donald Trump, by POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg: Gov. Ron DeSantis’ defenders say he’s handled former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles deftly — ignoring them until asked, then zinging the former president in his answer while taking a larger swing at the Democratic district attorney who is bringing the charges. “I think he’s handled it well. It’s not his issue, he addressed it, he was able to take a shot at Trump and [he] moved on. I don’t know that he could have done any more than that,” said Bill McCoshen, a Wisconsin-based Republican strategist.
Path ahead — The conundrum DeSantis finds himself facing is among the first indications that he may struggle with the same political dynamics that have tripped up past Trump opponents: Align yourself too closely and get tagged as a cheap imitation; attack him and be tarred as a traitor to the cause. “I don’t think there’s a right playbook unfortunately,” said Jason Roe, who worked on the 2016 presidential campaign of Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida. GLOBAL VISION — What the world looks like to Ron DeSantis, by POLITICO’s Alexander Ward: He’s dropped hints about how he sees the world in books, speeches, interviews and written statements. China is the main threat facing the United States. Prioritizing Ukraine’s defense against Russia distracts from domestic problems. And Washington elites are often disastrous on foreign policy, preaching a globalism that ignores the will of the voter. But in stating these views, DeSantis uses language ripped from both Republican tradition and the Donald Trump hymnal. It has confused observers who wonder how the former lawmaker and current Florida governor would conduct U.S. foreign policy from the Oval Office. | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | EXCUSE ME — Trump to GOP firms: Stop using my image or your clients will suffer, by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: The Trump campaign has sent a warning shot to the Republican Party’s House campaign arm and some of its most prominent digital consultants: Stop using the former president’s image and likeness in your fundraising pitches or you will pay. In a letter sent on Thursday afternoon to the National Republican Campaign Committee and ten GOP consulting firms, Trump’s top two campaign officials, Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita, said the former president may not endorse candidates who used firms that were fundraising off of Trump without his consent. AS THE PAGES TURN — “Court action underscores peril for Trump in documents investigation,” by The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman, Alan Feuer, Ben Protess and William K. Rashbaum: “The behind-the-scenes legal fight over obtaining evidence from a lawyer who represented former President Donald J. Trump in the investigation into his handling of classified documents has brought into sharper view where the Justice Department might be headed with the case. According to the wisps of information that have seeped out of sealed court filings and closed-door hearings, prosecutors believe they have compelling evidence that Mr. Trump obstructed the government’s efforts to reclaim the sensitive records and may have even misled his own lawyers.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | A BIG DEAL — Florida becomes the largest state in nation to adopt vouchers for all, by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: While DeSantis has expressed some reservations about opening the state’s voucher programs to wealthy families, the Republican governor is a noted school choice advocate and likely will sign the legislation, joining states like Arizona and Iowa in passing similar expansions. “The ironic thing about this entire bill, and when you listen to the debate that’s happened on this floor and in the other committee chambers, is that the parents have been erased from the entire spectrum of what it is we’re doing with our education system,” said Sen. Corey Simon (R-Tallahassee), who carried the bill through the Senate. THE AGENDA — Florida Republicans hand DeSantis first major legislative win, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature on Thursday sent to Gov. Ron DeSantis a sweeping crackdown on lawsuits despite protests from some members of his own party that the bill is a giveaway to insurance companies and is unfair to the families of crime victims. The bill is the first of DeSantis’ legislative priorities lawmakers sent to his desk, setting up what is expected to be a string of legislative victories for the governor ahead of his expected run for president later this year. It also hands a stinging loss to trial attorneys, a group that has been one of the few constant sources of campaign donations to Democrats in the state. TO COURT — Groups sue to stop Florida’s gender-affirming care ban for kids, by POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian: Parents of four children have filed a federal lawsuit against Florida’s two medical boards over recently-enacted rules that ban gender-affirming care for minors. The Southern Legal Counsel, Human Rights Campaign Foundation and others filed the lawsuit Thursday in Tallahassee federal court. It seeks to block the state from implementing the ban that was approved by the Florida Board of Medicine and the Board of Osteopathic Medicine late last year. ‘I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY’ — “Florida passes on millions in federal gun violence prevention funds,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher: “Florida is leaving up to $15 million in federal money on the table that could be used to fight gun violence. Florida was one of only six states that did not receive funding through a new federal grant to help carry out emergency risk-protection programs. Such orders are used by law enforcement to temporarily seize guns from people suspected of being a danger to themselves or others.” — Florida House advances bill restricting pronouns in schools, by POLITICO’s Alex Atterbury — “Revamp of compensation for people wrongfully imprisoned heads to Senate floor,” by Florida Politics’ Anne Geggis — “Trailblazing migrant lawyers got his chance from Florida lawmakers. Now, GOP wants door closed,” by USA Today Network-Florida’s John Kennedy — “Two Florida Republican governors with different paths on immigration, elections on mind,” by USA Today Network-Florida’s John Kennedy | | DATELINE D.C. | | ‘YOU TOOK AWAY MY SON’ — Gun rights hearing turns chaotic amid arrest of Parkland parent, by POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus: A gun rights hearing on Capitol Hill escalated Thursday into a verbal altercation between two lawmakers amid the arrest of a parent whose son died in 2018’s Parkland, Fla., school shooting. The fracas during a joint hearing held by the House Oversight and House Judiciary Committees began when Patricia and Manuel Oliver shouted aloud about their son Joaquin’s death before being removed by Capitol Police at the request of Reps. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). | 
Manuel Oliver, the father of Joaquin Oliver, one of the victims of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., is removed from the hearing room for disturbing a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 23, 2023. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo | | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | ‘MORE TO DO’ — “Worrell announces reelection bid amid scrutiny from GOP officials, local law enforcement,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Christopher Cann: “Amid contentious exchanges with GOP officials and the heads of the largest law enforcement agencies in her circuit, Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell on Thursday declared that she has launched her campaign for reelection. ‘I am proud to represent the people of Orange and Osceola Counties,’ she said in a statement. ‘Every day, I have the privilege of working alongside lawyers committed to pursuing justice, supporting victims, and working towards a more fair and equitable legal system. We have achieved a lot, but we still have more to do. It would be an honor of a lifetime to represent this community for a second term.’” FOLLOWING — “Other states are copying Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ efforts,” by The Associated Press’ Andrew DeMillo: “Florida’s move to expand its prohibition on teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom comes as Republican lawmakers in other states are pursuing their own versions of what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” law. The prohibition signed last year by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to announce a presidential run soon, is being copied by GOP lawmakers pushing for similar limits on what can be taught in public schools.” — “Trial approaches for deputy accused of hiding during Stoneman Douglas shooting,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Rafael Olmeda — “Osceola sheriff says Worrell’s office sending ‘wrong message’ in drug trafficking cases,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Cristóbal Reyes — “Disney World reaches union deal with minimum $18 hourly wage,” by The Associated Press’ Mike Schneider
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — “Tallahassee principal ousted after complaints about Michelangelo’s ‘David’ in art lesson,” by Tallahassee Democrat’s Ana Goñi-Lessan: “Tallahassee Classical, a Hillsdale College curriculum school, is required to teach about Renaissance art in sixth grade. But three parents complained that the lesson’s content, which included learning about Michelangelo’s sculpture, ‘David,’ upset their children. Michelangelo, considered one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, created ‘David’ between the years of 1501 and 1504 during the height of the cultural movement.” BIRTHDAYS: Anthony Rodriguez, Miami-Dade county commissioner and former legislator … former state Rep. Adam Hattersley … Abby Goodnough with The New York Times … Fred Menachem, ThriveDX senior director of communications. (Saturday) Palm Beach County Commissioner and former state senator Maria Sachs … John Cortes, district director for Rep. Darren Soto and former legislator … (Sunday) Rep. Laurel Lee … Scott Dudley with the Florida League of Cities ... Sam Miller, former executive vice president with the Florida Insurance Council. | | | | 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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