News: What DeSantis has and hasn't gotten from the Florida Legislature

Monday, April 10, 2023

What DeSantis has and hasn't gotten from the Florida Legislature

Apr 10, 2023

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By Gary Fineout

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Hello and welcome to Monday.

The countdown — There are 25 days left in this year’s session and lawmakers have been moving at a ferocious pace.

Back at it — After taking a short break for Passover and Easter, legislators are ready to resume their work, which includes pushing through the top priorities of Gov. Ron DeSantis ahead of his anticipated run for president. DeSantis, who has enjoyed tremendous sway with Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature, has assembled a lengthy and robust to-do list for a governor.

Snapshot — Let’s take a quick look at where many of the proposals stand right now:

What’s done — New limits on lawsuits against insurers, eliminating permit requirements for those who carry concealed weapons. Legislators also passed a significant expansion of private school vouchers and a comprehensive workforce housing measure that were top priorities of the two GOP legislative leaders.

What’s close to the finish line — A ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, a measure repealing the requirement for a unanimous jury recommendation in death penalty cases; a ban on gender-affirming care for minors; new mandates for state and local governments and banks regarding investment decisions; expanding restrictions on school lessons about sexual identity and gender orientation; and a ban on some public sector unions from deducting dues from employee paychecks.

What’s moving but still has a bit to go — Additional anti-immigration measures; a higher education overhaul that includes post-tenure reviews and a bar on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and activities; making it easier to sue news organizations over defamation; and legislation that would prevent regulators from taking action against a health care practitioner for taking positions contrary to medical experts including on social media; and legislation aimed at tech companies.

What has not yet moved — A measure that would repeal a 2014 law that lets undocumented students pay in-state tuition waivers, a measure making permanent bans on vaccine and mask mandates (a bill, however is up Monday in a House committee).

The official line — “We are pleased to see the Legislature taking up many of the important issues proposed by Gov. DeSantis leading up to session,” said Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for the governor. “We look forward to and expect much more to come before session ends.”

Caveats — House Speaker Paul Renner, in talking to reporters last week, made it clear that he expects legislators to carry out DeSantis’ wishes but he did leave some wiggle room, especially on the measure dealing with in-state tuition. “Will it be exactly word for word what he said in his press conference? We’ll see how that plays out,” said Renner, who said legislative proposals are normally tweaked and changed before they pass.

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

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com

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DESANTISLAND

THE MONEY GO-ROUND — “For DeSantis, overflowing war chest obscures the challenges ahead,” by New York Times’ Rebecca Davis O’Brien: “Though it is still early in the campaign cycle, some donors and strategists have questioned whether Mr. DeSantis’s skills as a politician are lagging behind his robust bank account. ‘He is in the most enviable financial position of any candidate,’ possibly including Mr. Trump, said Mike Murphy, a longtime Republican strategist. ‘There are questions in Republican circles about DeSantis’s candidate skills — can he make the transition from being the governor of a Republican state, where you exist on people’s TV screens, to the microscope of New Hampshire and Iowa?’”

FILE - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to a crowd at Adventure Outdoors gun store, Thursday, March 30, 2023, in Smyrna, Ga. DeSantis won a commanding 20-point reelection last year, even carrying the longtime Democratic stronghold of Miami-Dade County. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

THE PATH AHEAD — “‘Not going to be bullied’: Why DeSantis went after Trump, then retreated,” by Washington Post’s Hannah Knowles, Josh Dawsey and Isaac Arnsdorf: “The person who said [Gov. Ron] DeSantis wasn’t going to be ‘bullied’ expects the governor to push back on [former President Donald] Trump more sharply if he runs for president. But this person also expects he will take ‘the high road’ and engage with Trump on policy rather than trade insults and employ name-calling — for instance, by rebutting the former president’s criticisms of how DeSantis handled the pandemic and taking aim at Trump’s own record on the issue, including his use of Anthony S. Fauci as a White House coronavirus adviser.”

— Newsom says DeSantis ‘scared to death,’ by POLITICO’s Gregory Svirnovskiy

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TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

THE AIR THAT I BREATHE — As Trump dominates the airwaves, ‘it feels like f----- 2016,’ by POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg and Natalie Allison: The Republican presidential primary was always expected to revolve around Trump. But post-indictment, as Republicans rally to his defense — including, crucially, conservative talkers on Fox News — Trump’s opponents are confronting an even more damaging dynamic in race: Their inability to break through at all. “It feels like fucking 2016,” said a Republican strategist who supports DeSantis and was granted anonymity to speak freely about the dynamics of the race. “Is there anything that can suck up as much political oxygen in the American political landscape as Trump? I don’t think so.”

THE TEAM — “How a tight circle of aides is trying to keep Trump out of (more) trouble,” by NBC News’ Matt Dixon and Jonathan Allen: “His team’s discipline promises to be put under severe duress as he simultaneously runs a presidential campaign and defends himself against charges in New York and investigations at the federal level and in Georgia. ‘I’ve never seen a more professional operation around Trump. I’ve also never seen a Trump-world operation with so little infighting,’ said one longtime operative in his orbit. ‘All of the key people are genuine pros.’ Indeed, the biggest difference, according to interviews with half a dozen people working on his campaign or with direct knowledge of its operations, is the type of operatives Trump is surrounded by right now.”

MEANWHILE — “Trump wanted to hire Laura Loomer, anti-Muslim activist,” by The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan: “On Tuesday, after Trump’s arraignment in Manhattan, Loomer attended the former president’s speech at Mar-a-Lago, his resort and residence in Palm Beach, Fla. Some of Mr. Trump’s aides were said to have concerns that such a hire would cause a backlash, given her history of inflammatory statements and her embrace of the Republican Party’s fringes. That proved to be correct: The New York Times’s report on the potential hire ignited a firestorm among some of Mr. Trump’s most vocal conservative supporters, and by late Friday, a high-ranking campaign official said Ms. Loomer was no longer going to be hired.”

— Former attorney general says Trump is doing himself no favors by attacking judge, by POLITICO’s David Cohen

— “Trump’s South Florida supporters stick with him despite criminal charges. ‘If he doesn’t win in 2024, I’ll never vote again,’” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Anthony Man

— “Trump and his lawyers: A restless search for another Roy Cohn,” by The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan

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RESPONSE — “‘We say gay.’ Bills targeting LGBTQ+ community have some South Florida families worried,” by Miami Herald’s Grethel Aquila: “When Richard Denis-Carr thinks about the direction Florida is headed, he considers packing up and moving his family out of the state. Denis-Carr, who lives in Pembroke Pines, worries that Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential ambitions have stirred up hate against the LGBTQ+ community. He fears for the future of his 10-month-old son, Zachary, who he’s raising with husband Joseph Denis-Carr.”

TO COURT — Judge orders Florida Medicaid chief to testify about transgender ban, by POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian: A Tallahassee federal court judge has ordered Florida’s top Medicaid regulator to testify in a lawsuit challenging a ban on covering the costs of transgender surgeries and hormone therapy for beneficiaries. Judge Robert Hinkle wrote in an order he handed down on Tuesday that Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida should be questioned in deposition about whether the public rulemaking process used by the agency to create the ban was a just charade in support of a predetermined result.

— “As abortion ban looms, Florida may soon authorize ‘baby boxes’ for unwanted infants,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Shira Moolten

— “Republicans moving fast, but there’s still a lot to do as Legislature hits halfway mark,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald’s Ana Ceballos, Tampa Bay Times’ Romy Ellenbogen and Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas

— “Poll: Floridians across the political spectrum favor Medicaid expansion,” by Florida Politics’ Anne Geggis

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

HMM — “Florida health officials removed key data from COVID vaccine report,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Christopher O’Donnell: “[Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo’s] recommendation was based on a state analysis that showed the risk of cardiac-related deaths increased significantly for some age groups after receiving a vaccine. It has been criticized by experts, including professors and epidemiologists at the University of Florida, where Ladapo is employed as a professor. Now, draft versions of the analysis obtained by the Tampa Bay Times show that this recommendation was made despite the state having contradictory data. It showed that catching COVID-19 could increase the chances of a cardiac-related death much more than getting the vaccine. That data was included in an earlier version of the state’s analysis but was missing from the final version compiled and posted online by the Florida Department of Health.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

MATCH GAME — “In DeSantis’ shadow, Florida Democrats fight to be relevant,” by The Associated Press’ Brendan Farrington: “Looking for a spark — any spark — of energy, the state’s Democrats are hoping that the arrests of two top party leaders this week may prove to be a turning point signaling a new fighting spirit. ‘I have heard this over the last four or five years – where are the Democrats?’ state party Chair Nikki Fried said after her arrest. ‘Where is the fight? So much of the oxygen is taken by Ron DeSantis and the Republican Party, and they’re looking for Democrats to stand up and fight back.’”

— “Castor, Cruz Tampa elections campaigns closely aligned,” by Tampa Bay Times’ William March

— “Carlos Guillermo Smith looks to return to Tallahassee, files in SD 17,” by Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles

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PENINSULA AND BEYOND

R.I.P. — “Ben Ferencz, last living Nuremberg prosecutor of Nazis, dies,” by The Associated Press’ Mike Schneider: “Ben Ferencz, the last living prosecutor from the Nuremberg trials, who tried Nazis for genocidal war crimes and was among the first outside witnesses to document the atrocities of Nazi labor and concentration camps, has died. He had just turned 103 in March. Ferencz died Friday evening in Boynton Beach, Florida, according to St. John’s University law professor John Barrett, who runs a blog about the Nuremberg trials. The death also was confirmed by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. ‘Today the world lost a leader in the quest for justice for victims of genocide and related crimes,’ the museum tweeted.”

Ben Ferencz speaks during an opening ceremony for the exhibition commemorating the Nuremberg war crimes trials.

Ben Ferencz speaks during an opening ceremony for the exhibition commemorating the Nuremberg war crimes trials in Nuremberg, Germany, Sunday, Nov. 21, 2010. | Armin Weigel/Pool via AP Photo

EXIT INTERVIEW — “New College program director: ‘If I were more patriotic, I would burn,’ the school down,” by Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Zac Anderson: “The director of New College's applied data science program called Gov. Ron DeSantis a fascist in a scathing letter that slams the governor's conservative overhaul of the school and declares: ‘If I were more patriotic, I would burn the college's buildings to the ground.’ Aaron Hillegass wrote the incendiary comments in a letter to New College Interim President Richard Corcoran that he also posted on Twitter. Hillegass said he will be leaving the school in August when his employment contract expires.”

SITUATION — “Florida abortion clinics monitored, fined – and struggling to stay open,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Cindy Krischer Goodman: “The agency, which regulates abortion clinics, has issued close to $500,000 in fines to 14 of Florida’s 52 abortion clinics. Some of the businesses settled; some still are fighting the fines. Broward County’s East Cypress Women’s Center has challenged a $56,000 fine stemming from allegations that it did not properly comply with the 24-hour waiting period. Today’s Women Medical Center in Miami challenged a potential $3,000 fine for allegedly violating the same law and settled for $500.”

UNSOCIAL MEDIA — “Sarasota School Board’s Bridget Ziegler defends social media post critics call transphobic,” by Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Steven Walker: “Sarasota School Board Chairwoman Bridget Ziegler defended a social media post showing her in a T-shirt that said ‘REAL WOMEN AREN'T MEN’ — which drew protest and condemnation at Tuesday's School Board meeting — saying that the reaction was ‘insane’ because her shirt's message was ‘a fact.’ Ziegler made the comments in an interview with the Herald-Tribune Friday in response to questions about her remarks at Tuesday's School Board meeting, where she stood by her Twitter post as people held up screenshots of it in protest.”

— “Ex-solider with Jan. 6 ties gets 7 years prison in Tampa case,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Dan Sullivan

— “Four dead, including gunman, in domestic violence shooting,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Natalia Jaramillo

— “FSU criminology professor abruptly leaves after accusations of cooking race data,” by Florida Standard’s Livia Caputo

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ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

BIRTHDAYS: Former state Rep. Will Kendrick … Jose Gonzalez, director of government and industry relations at Walt Disney Parks & Resorts ... Jason Miller