| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | | |  US Representative Chip Roy (R-TX) looks on as Florida Governor and then-2024 Republican Presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference near the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, on June 26, 2023. | Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images | Good morning and welcome to Monday. Gov. Ron DeSantis is inserting himself into Congress’ border negotiations as former President Donald Trump threatens to burn it all down. Since dropping out of the presidential race, DeSantis has been weighing in on national policy issues through videos on X, including over the weekend when he called the U.S. Senate’s stalled bipartisan border plan a “farce.” “Joe Biden already has the authority to shut the border down,” DeSantis said. “He could declare it a national emergency. He could stop the invasion cold if he wanted to.” DeSantis’ comments are similar to those from U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who urged Biden to take executive action rather than wait for Congress. Johnson and DeSantis have said they think the deal that’s coming together allows too many illegal crossings. The text of the bill isn’t out yet, but one provision — per POLITICO’s Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing and Burgess Everett — would require the Department of Homeland Security to shut down the border if encounters spike to an average of 5,000 migrants a day. To DeSantis and other conservatives, that level’s unacceptable. “That’s 1.8 million plus over the course of a year, which they’re codifying into law saying that’s an appropriate number of illegal entries,” DeSantis said. “I think the appropriate number of illegal entries is zero, and our policies should reflect that.” DeSantis also said recently that he would be willing to send the Florida State Guard and the Florida National Guard to the Southern border to assist Texas, as the Legislature considers a bill to give him those expanded powers. When DeSantis was campaigning in Iowa, he would often say that while Florida wasn’t a border state like Texas, it was a “maritime border state” since migrants take the dangerous trek by boat to get here, mostly from Cuba or Haiti. Illegal immigration will be a top issue in the 2024 presidential election, with or without the Florida governor opining on social media. The U.S. hit a monthly record last month, of 249,785 illegal crossings, and Biden promised to use the shutdown authority if Congress sends him a bill. As for Trump, he has said he’d be happy to take responsibility for having a “bad” border deal fail, predicting it would otherwise be a political gift to Democrats. DeSantis is out of the 2024 race but he’s clearly not letting up on Biden. He already legislated a good deal on illegal immigration, having made it more difficult for undocumented migrants to work, as well as banning “sanctuary cities,” which limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities by refusing to report or hand over certain undocumented immigrants for deportation. For this session, DeSantis requested $5 million for Florida officials to relocate migrants to sanctuary cities. — WHERE'S RON? Nothing official announced yet for DeSantis. 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 Instagram: More than 75% of parents want to approve the apps teens under 16 download.
According to a new poll from Morning Consult, more than 75% of parents agree: Teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps from app stores without parental permission.1
Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done.
Learn more. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | TODAY — The Florida Senate’s Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee will take up SB 1120, which would prevent schools and local governments from flying flags with “a political viewpoint,” including pride flags. (Tune in.) ALSO TODAY — “A Florida House panel is poised to hear legislation that would impose new restrictions on the state’s hemp industry,” reports Florida Politics’ A.G. Gankarski. COMING AROUND — “Major Florida GOP donors stand to make windfall profits if recreational cannabis is legalized,” reports Akela Lacy of the Intercept. “With GOP donors coming around to legal weed, Republican apparatchiks and even judges have shifted their stances. At least two justices close to DeSantis have signaled that they might rule against the governor’s position.”
|  Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. | Phil Sears/AP | ‘WOKE’ INVESTING — “Florida’s CFO divested state from BlackRock, but not his own accounts,” reports the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald’s Lawrence Mower. “While he was purging the treasury account of BlackRock funds, he did not divest more than $75,000 in a company-managed fund he personally owned, according to his most recent financial disclosure filed with the state. Patronis’ BlackRock holdings were in a 401(k) profit-sharing plan for the Panama City Beach restaurant he owns.” UNMASK — “Florida lawmakers resurrect push to make Jeffrey Epstein grand jury records public,” reports the Miami Herald’s Alyssa Johnson. “Two lawmakers who sought unsuccessfully last year to change the state law that masks grand jury proceedings in secrecy are once again promoting the legislation, hoping that it will convince the courts to release testimony given before the grand jury that in 2006 weighed evidence that Epstein had lured teenage girls to his Palm Beach mansion and sexually abused them.” INVESTIGATION — “Opioid sales boomed at Publix while other pharmacies settled suits,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Ian Hodgson and Christopher O'Donnell. “The Lakeland-based grocer’s sales of oxycodone climbed from 26 million pills per year in 2011 to 43.5 million in 2019, the data shows. The increase in sales, which far outpaced the chain’s addition of stores in Florida, saw its market share rise to 14 percent, enough to overtake CVS to become Florida’s second-largest dispenser of all opioid medications, behind only Walgreens, which dispensed 28 percent of opioids in the state in 2019. The analysis excludes drugs like methadone prescribed for addiction treatment. Opioid sales at Publix dipped slightly in 2018 and 2019, the last two years of available data.” BACK HOME — DeSantis returns to his comfort zone, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. Before a friendly audience in Florida on Friday, the governor was greeted with cheers and loud applause when he criticized the Biden administration and illegal immigration. During the nearly hourlong press conference, DeSantis was asked about legislation the GOP-led Florida House passed this week that would prohibit anyone under 16 from accessing some social media platforms — a priority of House Speaker Paul Renner’s that also scored some Democratic support. DeSantis was iffy on the social media bill, telling the audience that while he was concerned about the negative impact of social media on minors, he was not yet on board with legislation that would make it illegal for anyone under the age of 16 to have an account on various platforms. “I’m sympathetic to, as a parent, what’s going on with our youth,” DeSantis said. “But I also understand that to just say that someone that’s 15 just cannot have it no matter what, even if the parent consents, that may create some legal issues.” DROP OFF — “Florida saw a massive decline in active voters last year, with Democrats enduring the biggest drop as they attempt to bounce back from a landslide defeat in 2022,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Lemongello. “The state had more than 1 million fewer active voters at the beginning of 2024 than it did a year earlier, including about 520,000 fewer Democrats and 500,000 fewer independents, but only about 160,000 fewer Republicans.” FOURTH YEAR IN A ROW — “Florida gets 'F' in protecting residents from tobacco dangers,” reports WMFE’s Joe Mario Pedersen. “Overall, it’s Black Floridians who ultimately are among the most hurt by the use of flavored products, the [American Lung Association] found. Research shows that 81 percent of Black Americans smoke menthol cigarettes. On average, 45,000 Black Americans die each year due to tobacco-related illnesses. For the fourth year in a row, the association gave Florida an ‘F’ for its failure to create effective restrictions on flavored products.” — “Florida Bar gives Trump’s tainted Broward counsel a pass but bedevils a lawyer on DeSantis’s blacklist,” reports the Florida Bulldog’s Noreen Marcus | | | | 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. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
NEW CANDIDATE — Sabrina Bousbar, senior adviser on emergency preparedness in the Biden administration, is running to challenge U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) in Florida’s 13th Congressional district — a seat previously held by Democratic Rep. Charlie Crist. She’d be the first woman Gen Z member of Congress if elected.
“I’ve worked at the highest levels of government and seen the power of bringing people together to get things done — something sadly lacking in Congress these days,” Bousbar said in a statement. STATE RACE — “Who’s showing financial muscle in high-stakes contest for Broward state Senate seat?” by the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man. “One was a heavy spender. Two put six-figure amounts of their own money into their political campaigns. Two had gangbuster financial starts. One received multiple checks from family members.”
|  Then-President Donald Trump meets with outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, in Washington. | Evan Vucci/AP | PALM BEACH ELECTIONS SUMMIT — “Key network of GOP megadonors to meet with Trump and Haley camps,” reports The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. “A network of Republican megadonors has invited aides to both Donald Trump and Nikki Haley to make presentations at the group’s winter meeting this week, as the wealthy contributors assess the presidential race with just nine months until Election Day. The network, known as the American Opportunity Alliance, is expected to hear from Haley’s campaign manager, Betsy Ankney, and Trump’s top adviser, Susie Wiles, at the gathering in Palm Beach, Fla., according to two people familiar with the event.” PRE-NBD — “Kanye West tried to hire Jeff Roe to run his presidential campaign,” by Semafor’s Kadia Goba. “In the summer of 2020, Roe held talks with Ye, as the rapper and off-the-rails political figure is now known, to run his 2020 presidential campaign under the so-called Birthday Party, three sources familiar with their interactions confirmed to Semafor.” | | | | A message from Instagram:   | | |
| | DATELINE D.C. | |
ON THE AIRWAVES — U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar got in a testy exchange with CBS Miami’s Jim DeFede on “Facing South Florida,” after he confronted her about publicly presenting federal funding for projects in the area but voting against the bills that created the funding. Salazar replied that she couldn’t remember all her votes but countered that constituents should “look at the positive.”
MACHADO BLOCKED — “US condemns ban on Venezuelan opposition leader’s candidacy and puts sanctions relief under review,” reports The Associated Press’ Regina Garcia Cano. “The Biden administration remained noncommittal about reimposing economic sanctions on Venezuela, which it has threatened to do if the government of President Nicolás Maduro failed to ensure a level playing field for the country’s presidential election this year.” | | | | 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. | | | | |
| | TRANSITION TIME | |
— Hayley Edmonds is joining Frontline Strategies as digital director. She previously was deputy director of operations for Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign.
| | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | |
BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. Christopher Benjamin … Natalie Kelly, CEO of the Florida Association of Managing Entities
| | | | A message from Instagram: Parents should be able to decide which apps are right for their teens.
According to a new poll by Morning Consult conducted in November 2023, more than 75% of parents believe teens under 16 shouldn’t be able to download apps without parental permission.1
Instagram wants to work with Congress to pass federal legislation that gets it done.
Learn more.
1"US Parents Study on Teen App Downloads" by Morning Consult (Meta-commissioned survey of 2,019 parents), Nov. 2023. | | | | | | | 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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