| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Hello and welcome to Tuesday. Price of admission — There’s another round of evidence that it isn’t cheap to live in the “free state of Florida.” State we’re in — The state’s affordability crisis — fueled primarily by skyrocketing housing costs and soaring insurance rates — has been going on for a while now, fueled in part by the surge in people flocking to the state (a fact repeated by Gov. Ron DeSantis on the campaign trail and elsewhere). Going up — DeSantis has lately sharply criticized “Bidenomics” and what he called a “government induced economic problem.” Well, it’s a problem that’s occurring in the governor’s backyard. CNN Business noted on Monday that the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area had the highest inflation rate for large metro areas in the nation, with a 9 percent inflation rate for the 12 months that ended in April, while the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area had the third highest rate. Home sweet home — A key factor in these inflation rates has been rising housing costs, something that DeSantis and the Florida Legislature attempted to tackle during the 2023 session but in a way that probably won’t do anything in the near term. There’s more — Other victims of the state’s affordability crisis? Florida residents being pushed out of southwest Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, according to a new story by POLITICO’s Zack Colman. Middle class and working class homeowners who bought their homes in years past cannot afford to rebuild to meet modern building codes as required by federal rules and wind up selling their property as vacant land. “I hate to say it,” Isabel Arias Squires, a Fort Myers real estate agent who works with the real estate broker Redfin told Colman. “Only very, very, extremely wealthy people will be able to rebuild.” By the numbers — A look at recent real estate data shows a jump in the number of all-cash transactions for real estate in Fort Myers Beach and some of the most expensive vacant lot sales came after Ian pummeled the region. Not stable — And if the housing situation wasn’t bad enough, there’s the ongoing insurance market situation where rates keeping going up. Amid this crisis, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis dropped on social media on Monday that Farmers Insurance might pull out of the state. Patronis said his office would “explore every avenue for holding them accountable.” Those comments, however, just underscore how Florida officials have been unable to adequately fix the state’s insurance problems. — WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to attend presidential campaign fundraisers in Hartland and Lake Geneva, Wis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: gfineout@politico.com
| | | | JOIN 7/11 FOR A TALK ON THE FAA’S FUTURE: Congress is making moves to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act, laying the groundwork for the FAA’s long-term agenda to modernize the aviation sector to meet the challenges of today and innovate for tomorrow. Join POLITICO on July 11 to discuss what will make it into the final reauthorization bill and examine how reauthorization will reshape FAA’s priorities and authorities. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | DESANTISLAND | | CONNECTED — Foreign governments eye lobbyists linked to DeSantis, by POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs: Ron DeSantis is trying to upend Republican politics with his run for the presidency. Foreign governments seem to be paying attention. One day prior to the Florida governor’s launch of a presidential campaign announcement, a major lobbyist in state with connections to the governor’s office finalized a deal to re-up a lobbying contract with the government of Qatar. The lobbyist, Bill Rubin, is a power player in Republican politics in the Sunshine state. He also is politically tight with DeSantis, having served as a co-chair of the governor’s inauguration earlier this year. Another familiar name — On April 12, the government of Japan inked a deal with the firm of Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist considered part of DeSantis’ inner circle. Ballard served as a co-chair of DeSantis’ inauguration earlier this year. His firm also represents Liberia, Guatemala, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (and represented Qatar years ago). Less than two weeks later, DeSantis and his wife Casey DeSantis visited Japan, where he met with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. BAD NEWS, GOOD NEWS — If Florida is supposed to be a firewall for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential aspirations, then a new poll shows he has a lot of work to do ahead of the March 19 primary. DeSantis trails former President Donald Trump by 20 points — 50% to 30% — among Florida Republicans, according to the Florida Atlantic University Mainstreet PolCom Lab poll. “The poll highlights Donald Trump’s quite durable support. He does especially well with white working-class voters, who have consistently formed a steadfast base for the former president,” said Kevin Wagner, professor of political science at FAU. “This persistent support continues to bolster Trump’s strong and steady position within the party.” The positive news for DeSantis is that he’s shaved off Trump’s lead by 7 percentage points since April. Another noteworthy number from the poll: DeSantis has a 13-point lead over President Joe Biden while Trump has only a 10-percent edge. The poll of 933 Florida voters was done from June 27 to July 1 and has a 3.2 percent plus/minus error of margin.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (left) speaking April 21, 2023, in Oxon Hill, Md., and former President Donald Trump (right) speaking on March 4, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo | — “Florida judge to weigh Disney request to toss district dispute amid DeSantis feud,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders — “Florida poll: Florida voters deeply divided over DeSantis vs. Disney battle,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Anthony Man — “Ron DeSantis says Disney workers back him over the company’s ‘woke executives,’” by Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski GLAD THAT’S CLEARED UP — “No, Ron DeSantis’ high school yearbook quote does not mention ‘Sir-Mixes-A-Lot,’” by Associated Press’ Melissa Goldin — “Iowa ad echoes DeSantis LGBTQ video, ‘praises’ Trump support of gay rights,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Lemongello — “DeSantis’ stumbles have GOP mulling other Trump alternatives,” by The Hill’s Alexander Bolton
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | BY THE NUMBERS — Organizers of a proposed citizen initiative on abortion rights raised $1.94 million in June, a newly filed campaign report shows. That brings the total raised by Floridians Protecting Freedom to just more than $4.71 million. Members of the group told Florida Democrats gathered at their annual Leadership Blue meeting that their goal is to raise $19 million for the effort. Several of the June donors include Planned Parenthood affiliates as well as the American Civil Liberties Union and Florida Rising Together. Amendment organizers need to gather nearly 900,000 signatures in order to make the 2024 ballot. They told Democrats that so far they have gathered roughly 422,000 and are on pace to raise 1 million in just a few months. The number of signatures that have been officially verified is slightly more than 22,000.
| | | | UNLEASH THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE WITH POLITICO, A 7/20 INTERACTIVE EVENT: Imagine a future where rare genetic diseases are not only treatable, but potentially curable. Where our approach to chronic illness takes a monumental leap forward. That future is already taking shape in the form of next-generation health care treatments such as gene therapy. Join POLITICO on Thursday, July 20 and delve into the burgeoning field of gene therapies, which hold the power to redefine our health care landscape. Are you ready to explore this new frontier in health care? Don't miss this chance to be part of the conversation. REGISTER NOW. | | | | | | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | AS THE PAGES TURN — Trump wants classified documents trial delayed until after 2024 election, by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney: Trump’s eagerness to push off a trial sets up the first significant test in the unprecedented, ultra-high-profile case for U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon, who is already weighing special counsel Jack Smith’s push for a December 2023 trial, one his team says is strongly in the public interest to begin as soon as possible. The defense filing says bluntly that this December is too soon to start a trial and urges Cannon not to set a trial date now, but makes clear that Trump’s lawyers oppose any trial that would start during the presidential election season, which will get underway in earnest late this year. — “Conservative group plans anti-Trump ad blitz in early states,” by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt — Trump swings at Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, by POLITICO’s Kelly Garrity — “Feds, Trump aide’s lawyers clash over secret documents hearing date,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s David Lyons
| | DATELINE D.C. | | THE ANNA PAULINA LUNA FILES — “The influencer who came to Congress,” by Time’s Eric Cortellessa: “To some, she’s a dangerously effective new version of the millennial MAGA politician ready to tear down the institutions of government in pursuit of an ultraconservative revolution. To others, she’s something more, the vanguard of a potentially significant turn in American politics. Luna is less a politician who parlayed her seat in Congress into a huge online following—like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez—than the other way around: the first social media influencer to parlay an online audience into a seat in Congress.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | AFTERMATH — A hurricane wiped out their Florida beach homes. Then it made them unaffordable, by POLITICO’s Zack Colman: Hurricane Ian’s assault on southwest Florida last fall is speeding a transition already occurring in some of the state’s coastal communities — driving out middle- and working-class people and replacing them with deep-pocketed buyers. In the waterfront cities of Fort Myers Beach and Cape Coral, even homeowners with flood insurance are finding they often cannot afford the costs of rebuilding their houses to modern building codes, as federal rules demand. Instead, many ended up selling their properties as vacant land, according to real estate transaction data shared with POLITICO. WHAT THE DESANTIS CAMPAIGN IS READING — “Disney World hasn’t felt this empty in years,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Jacob Passy: “Visitors to Disney theme parks this summer are encountering something they haven’t seen in a while: elbow room. Travel analysts and advisers say traffic to Disney’s U.S. parks, and some rival parks, has slowed this summer. Data from a travel company that tracks line-waiting time at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., shows that the Independence Day weekend was one of the slowest in nearly a decade. Disney executives have said they have expected weaker earnings from their U.S. parks this year. The Orlando-area resort is even offering hotel discounts around Christmas, typically a peak period.”
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Visitors near Cinderella's Castle in the Magic Kingdom at Disney World. | Ted Shaffrey, File/AP Photo | ‘A CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER’ — “In Miami, members of Congress mark anniversary of July 11 protests, call for sanctions on Cuba,” by Miami Herald’s Nora Gámez Torres: “Citing Cuba’s support of Russia and reports about Chinese espionage activities based near Havana, members of Congress called for tougher sanctions against the island’s government on Monday, during a bipartisan roundtable held in Miami to mark the second anniversary of the July 11 anti-government protests. The anniversary of the island-wide uprising in 2021 comes during a significant deterioration in the human-rights situation in Cuba, with hundreds of people still in prison for joining the demonstrations and a renewed alliance between the Cuban regime and the authoritarian regimes in Russia and China, the roundtable participants stressed.” TROUBLED FLORIDA PRISON — “Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar stabbed by another inmate at federal prison,” by Associated Press’ Michael Balsamo and Michael R. Sisak: “Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing Olympic and college female gymnasts, was stabbed multiple times by another inmate at a federal prison in Florida that is experiencing staffing shortages. The attack happened Sunday at United States Penitentiary Coleman, and Nassar was in stable condition on Monday, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press.” From this past May — “Coleman prison employees sound alarm that understaffing could threaten community,” by The Villages-News’ Meta Minton SUMMER OF DISCONTENT — “Florida in hot water as ocean temperatures rise along with the humidity,” by Associated Press’ Seth Borenstein and Mike Schneider: “Record global ocean heating has invaded Florida with a vengeance. Water temperatures in the mid-90s are threatening delicate coral reefs, depriving swimmers of cooling dips and adding a bit more ick to the Sunshine State’s already oppressive summer weather. Forecasters are warning of temperatures that with humidity will feel like 110 degrees by week’s end. If that’s not enough, Florida is about to get a dose of dust from Africa’s Saharan desert that’s likely to hurt air quality.” — “Florida school boards will no longer get final say on book challenges,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey S. Solochek — “Fraud, bankruptcies, murder: These 7 top Florida Lottery winners lost everything,” by USA Today Network-Florida’s C.A. Bridges — “City leaders recommend preserving Miami River site, after discovery of ancient artifacts,” by Miami Herald’s Andres Viglucci — “Florida patients among 11 million affected by HCA Healthcare data breach,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Christopher O’Donnell — “Sea turtles harassed in Palm Beach, according to letter warning of endangered species lawsuit,” by Palm Beach Post’s Kimberly Miller — “Here’s how people in Florida steal homes from older people and the dead,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Emma Uber
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | WELCOME TO THE WORLD — State Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka and her husband David Mulicka are the celebrating the birth of Hunter Powell Mulicka who was born July 7 at 21 inches and 8 pounds 10 oz. Pic BIRTHDAYS: Former state Reps. Fred Hawkins, Ron Reagan and Cynthia Stafford … Emily Benavides, senior vice president P2 Public Affairs. | | | | 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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