| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | Presented by Duke Energy | | 
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a campaign event at Hudson's Smokehouse BBQ, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024, in Lexington, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford) | AP | Good morning from New Hampshire and welcome to Monday. Only one Florida man is still in the race, and he’s on track to become the Republican nominee for president. Again. With Ron DeSantis suspending his presidential campaign, many Florida legislators followed the governor’s lead and immediately endorsed former President Donald Trump. DeSantis’ allies acknowledged they were disappointed but tried to spin the news in a positive light, saying they now got to have it both ways: DeSantis would be governor for three more years while Trump’s one step closer to the White House. “We're all solidly on the Trump train at this point,” said GOP Rep. Joel Rudman. Many see DeSantis, 45, as having a clearer shot at the office in 2028. GOP Rep. Alex Rizo of Miami-Dade, who knocked on doors for DeSantis in Iowa, said he’d observed a shift among GOP voters who were initially eager to have DeSantis jump in the race but ultimately wanted “a second bite at the apple” with another Trump term. “It moved from ‘This is Gov. DeSantis’ time’ to ‘Gov. DeSantis has time,’” Rizo said. DeSantis’ decision to leave the contest takes a huge wedge out of Florida politics in terms of setting allegiances or showing favoritism. In the last couple of months, GOP grassroots across Florida’s counties held straw polls or outright endorsed Trump for president, putting DeSantis backers on the spot. Now Republicans all have one person to get behind. While DeSantis himself won’t be on the ballot in November, he can still be involved in other races throughout Florida, particularly as Democrats have set their sights on cutting into Republicans’ supermajority in the Legislature. GOP Rep. Randy Fine, who flipped from DeSantis to Trump, said the governor saved the GOP “untold months and untold millions wasting our time shooting each other” and freed them up to go after Democrats. Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, meanwhile, threw DeSantis’ words back at him, calling his presidential campaign a “dead, rotten carcass on the side of the road” — which the governor called the Democratic Party — and pledging to fight his policies “at every turn.” Republican Party of Florida Chair Evan Power hit back on X, warning that DeSantis staying governor would “just speed up their extinction.” It’s not clear yet how or if DeSantis will campaign for Trump, or how he’ll go about governing Florida. Fine outlined three scenarios: disengagement, vindictiveness or taking a positive approach. "I hope he uses it as a learning experience," he said. — WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is in Tallahassee and hasn’t announced his schedule. An interview he did with New Hampshire Today will air this morning. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com | | | | A message from Duke Energy: Duke Energy is working to significantly improve energy reliability, and make the grid stronger and more secure, while also cutting carbon emissions. Strategic investments in equipment upgrades and grid technology are helping reroute power to avoid outages and keep the lights on for Florida’s growing communities. See more ways Duke Energy is building a smarter, more reliable energy future. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | |
WHAT’S NEXT? — “With campaign over, DeSantis could reassert hard-right pull on Florida policy,” reports John Kennedy of USA Today Network - Florida. “The 2024 Legislature, which opened earlier this month, is chock-full of the kind of culturally divisive legislation DeSantis has advanced in earlier years. And while the governor hasn’t been involved much in the session so far, his State of the State address on opening day did urge lawmakers to ‘stay the course.’”
WRONGFUL DEATH LAWSUITS — Florida abortion rights supporters fear new proposal would target doctors, reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. The legislation, HB 651, would change the state’s civil liability law to add the parents of an unborn child to the list of potential survivors associated with a wrongful death lawsuit. It’s brought by state Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, a Republican from Fort Myers who previously sponsored Florida’s 15-week and six-week bans on abortion. “This bill … is a thinly veiled attempt to allow men to sue women and doctors in cases of wanted and needed abortion care,” said Lauren Book, the Democratic leader of the Florida Senate.
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A person looks at books at a Miami-Dade Public Library on July 19, 2023 in Miami, Fla. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | LIMITING THE BANS — After national backlash, Florida lawmakers eye changes to book restrictions, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature wanted to keep obscene books out of the hands of kids. But some are now acknowledging they created a “logistical nightmare” that lawmakers are trying to rein in. Legislators this month introduced a new idea to curb frivolous challenges to books — one of the first admissions the law, which tightened scrutiny around books with sexual content in K-12 schools, may have gone too far. The potential solution: allowing local schools to charge some people a $100 fee if they want to object to more than five books. WASTED — “Florida burns its trash for energy. And now it wants to use climate funds to expand,” reports Talib Visram of Fast Company. “Trash incineration has been around for more than a century as a way to dispose of waste and generate energy at the same time. Though it’s relatively uncommon in the U.S., it is prevalent in Florida, which plans to expand its current operations, partly with Inflation Reduction Act tax credits. Proponents say it’s an environmentally responsible way to deal with excess trash. Critics say it’s the exact opposite.” — “Florida House moves to repeal rarely used scholarships for bullied students,” by the Orlando Sentinel’s Leslie Postal — “Spirit Airlines says it is not pursuing bankruptcy as it joins JetBlue in appeal of ruling that blocked takeover,” reports David Lyons of the South Florida Sun Sentinel | | | | JOIN 1/31 FOR A TALK ON THE RACE TO SOLVE ALZHEIMER’S: Breakthrough drugs and treatments are giving new hope for slowing neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and ALS. But if that progress slows, the societal and economic cost to the U.S. could be high. Join POLITICO, alongside lawmakers, official and experts, on Jan. 31 to discuss a path forward for better collaboration among health systems, industry and government. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | |
TO BE PRESENTED FRIDAY — “Homestead ideal site for new state prison and inmate hospital, state consultants say,” by Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald and Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times. “The idea is being proposed by an auditing firm hired by the state to develop a master plan for Florida’s state prison system, which is at risk without the construction of at least one new prison, according to their final report.”
NEW RECORDS — “Investigators are looking into Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s lucrative side jobs,” by the Miami Herald’s Joey Flechas and Sarah Blaskey. “A public records request filed this month with the city indicates that investigators are casting a much wider net than previously known, and looking into at least 11 of Suarez’s other side jobs.” | | | | A message from Duke Energy:   | | |
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | |  Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) waits for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to arrive at his Iowa Caucus night victory event at HyVee Hall in Des Moines, Iowa on Jan. 15, 2024. | Jamie Kelter Davis for POLITICO | TODAY — U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) is speaking at a Club 47 event in Palm Beach. CAMPAIGN OBIT — How DeSantis collapsed in the glare of a presidential campaign, by Kimberly Leonard, Sally Goldenberg and Gary Fineout. Political observers and people within DeSantis’ orbit saw signs of a poor campaign for months as DeSantis dropped in the polls and fought off negative headlines about his awkward persona, funding mismanagement, failure to hang onto major donors and political allies, as well as struggles over how to effectively contrast himself with Trump. COUNT THE WAYS … — “13 reasons why DeSantis didn’t become the Republican nominee,” by Semafor’s Shelby Talcott, David Weigel and Benjy Sarlin — “DeSantis’ campaign in numbers: 117 days traveling, 0 wins and more,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Ivy Nyayieka — “5 weird moments from DeSantis’ presidential campaign,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Kirby Wilson �� — DeSantis campaign considered unusual fundraising plan after Iowa loss, reports POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt. Slater Bayliss, a top DeSantis fundraiser, had broached to top DeSantis brass a novel idea — one that would potentially stretch the bounds of campaign finance laws. During a meeting at the Surety Hotel in Des Moines the morning after the caucuses, Bayliss told POLITICO that he noted that the campaign had accumulated $10 million in funds that could only be used in a general election. He proposed that the campaign refund those funds to the donors, and then ask that the money be contributed to DeSantis’ leadership PAC. NO THANKS — “DeSantis offered to ‘Make America Florida.’ Voters in Iowa and N.H. shrugged,” reports the Miami Herald’s Max Greenwood. “DeSantis’ rise to presidential contender was built on his transformation of Florida into a laboratory for conservative policies once considered fringe ideas in modern politics. But when he offered to bring that same vision to the rest of the country, his culture-war agenda in Florida failed to persuade voters outside of his home state that he’s the right person to lead the Republican Party.” PIT STOP — Biden to visit Miami for campaign fundraiser, reports POLITICO’s Lauren Egan. President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to Miami on Jan. 30 for a fundraiser hosted at the home of Chris Korge, the national finance chair of the Biden Victory Fund, according to an invitation shared with POLITICO. Ticket prices start at $3,300 and go as high as $250,000 for a co-chair ticket. CASE UPDATE — Ousted Florida GOP leader Christian Ziegler won’t be charged with rape, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. Sarasota police have decided against recommending rape charges against ousted Republican Party of Florida chair Christian Ziegler but he could still face felony charges of illegally recording the alleged victim. SILENT NO MORE — “Trump endorses Joe Gruters for GOP National Committeeman,” by Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles. “He praised Gruters’ leadership of the Republican Party of Florida from 2019 to 2023. During that time, Trump won Florida’s electoral votes, one of the only states in the 2020 election where the Republican’s share of the vote went up.” CAMPAIGN FINANCE — The Federal Election Commission, which is divided among both Republicans and Democrats, is signaling once again that it will not act against a federal candidate who relies on assistance from a state campaign. Newly released records show that in December the commission split on whether to find that Annette Taddeo had violated federal campaign finance laws during her unsuccessful run for Congress in 2022. Taddeo, a Miami Democrat and former state senator, in June of that year switched from running for governor to challenging Rep. María Elvira Salazar. An election complaint alleged that Taddeo’s congressional campaign had accepted a prohibited contribution because her initial campaign ad for the run against Salazar used more than a minute of footage that was identical to her video announcing her run for governor. According to a report by the FEC general counsel, Taddeo’s congressional campaign wound up paying her gubernatorial campaign $3,000 for the video footage two months after it was used and four days after a complaint was filed. Taddeo’s campaign argued that it paid fair market value for the footage, but that amount was significantly less than what Taddeo paid the vendor that first filmed the spot for her run for governor. The FEC’s general counsel did not accept this explanation and recommended the commission find that there was “reason to believe” that Taddeo and her campaign violated campaign finance laws and to investigate further. But at a Dec. 12 meeting three members on the FEC — all Republican — voted against finding that Taddeo and her campaign had violated federal campaign finance laws. There was also a split over whether to dismiss the allegations so in the end the commission voted to close the file. This marks yet another time where the FEC has deadlocked over complaints about a candidate using resources or money from a Florida state campaign (which allows donations not allowed under federal law) for a run for federal office. The commission did the same in a case involving Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and it’s why some observers speculate that complaints that were filed against the DeSantis campaign will also wind up going nowhere. — Gary Fineout | | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
NAMESAKE — With DeSantis officially out of the 2024 race, Trump says he’ll stop referring to the Florida governor by his disparaging nickname, per POLITICO’s David Kihara. “Will I be using the name 'Ron DeSantimonious?' That name is officially retired!” Trump said at a campaign stop in New Hampshire.
BIRTHDAY: Former state Senate President (and now state Senate candidate) Don Gaetz … Jeffrey Sharkey, owner/managing partner at Capitol Alliance Group … Tim Center, CEO at Capital Area Community Action Agency ... Georgia McKeown, president at Ga McKeown & Associates IN MEMORIAM — “James Joanos – retired local lawyer, judge and FSU 'super fan' – dies at 89,” by Jim Rosica of the Tallahassee Democrat. | | | | A message from Duke Energy: As Florida communities grow, Duke Energy is focused on delivering the most reliable energy – with new grid technology that reroutes power to avoid outages, equipment upgrades to make the grid stronger, security enhancements to prevent physical or cyberattacks, and better communication to keep customers in the know.
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