| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | Presented by Duke Energy | | 
Former President Donald Trump shakes hands with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a rally in Tampa, Fla., Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2018. | Chris O'Meara/AP Photo | Good morning from New Hampshire, where it’s Primary Day and the race is minus one Florida governor. One of the biggest questions in Florida politics is where Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis’ relationship goes from here. The two went after each other often during the GOP primary. DeSantis challenged Trump over how his policies fell short as president, while Trump hurled childish and emasculating — but arguably effective — insults at the governor. (The New York Times recapped many of them, just in case anyone lost track.) Now that DeSantis dropped out of the race and endorsed Trump, a détente seems to have set in. At least initially. Trump on Sunday promised to retire the nickname “DeSantimonious” and said he looked forward to working with DeSantis to beat President Joe Biden. Last night, Don Trump Jr. said he could envision DeSantis working in his father's White House, per POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt, though Trump himself seemed less sold on the idea in a Fox News interview on Sunday, calling it “highly unlikely.” It’s not clear whether DeSantis will appear at any campaign events with Trump, as three other has-rans did in New Hampshire last night, or whether DeSantis might warm to the idea of serving in a GOP administration that isn’t his own, particularly given that he’ll term limit out as governor in 2026. Neither side replied to questions about the prospects or whether the two men had talked since DeSantis called it quits. But it's hard to believe it’ll ever go back to the way things were. Right before dropping out of the presidential race, DeSantis told New Hampshire Today that he didn’t think Trump stood a shot at winning the general election and said he’d still have challenged the former president even knowing how it would all turn out for him. In one of the most charged attacks against Trump in Iowa, DeSantis accused the former president of only liking Republicans — even “worthless” ones — who “kiss the ring.” DeSantis also made it clear last night that he’ll only go so far when it comes to showing unity. In a stunning post on X, he reminded the GOP-controlled Legislature who was in charge by resharing our own Gary Fineout's story about legislation that would have used up to $5 million in state taxpayer dollars to pay for Trump's legal bills. Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, who hadn't endorsed until DeSantis dropped out, was pushing the fund earlier in the day. DeSantis wrote that the “Florida Republican who wields the veto pen” didn’t support the measure, and it was soon withdrawn by the Republican sponsor. — WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is in Tallahassee but hasn’t announced his schedule. 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 ... | | |  Logos of mobile app Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, Google and Messenger are displayed on a tablet. | Denis Charlet/AFP via Getty Images | TODAY — The Florida House will take up a bill that would bar kids younger than 16 from social media accounts. Florida House committee meetings are also scheduled on judiciary, state affairs, commerce and more. (Tune in.) ANTI-TRANS MEASURE — Bill requiring Florida driver's licenses to label sex at birth clears first committee, reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. Lawmakers on Monday advanced a House bill that would require transgender people to identify by their sex at birth instead of their gender on driver’s licenses despite outcry from Democrats who called the measure another attack. LEARNING RESTRICTIONS — New Florida bill targets ‘woke’ teacher training programs, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. Senators introduced new legislation Monday that would extend a 2023 law rebuking diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to dozens of teacher education programs at state universities, colleges and school districts by prohibiting them from “distort[ing] significant historical events” or teaching “identity politics” as they prepare educators and school leaders. REVERSING COURSE — Florida Republicans take another swing at union law, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. Lawmakers introduced a bill Monday, FL SB1746 (24R), that recommends dropping a fledgling requirement calling for many unions to have their finances audited yearly by a certified public accountant while also exempting more labor groups from key portions of the law. Several restrictions, however, would still apply to teachers unions, a group explicitly targeted by DeSantis when pushing for policies last year. HOUSING COSTS — “Raising local property taxes could become harder in Florida. A proposal begins moving forward,” reports News Service of Florida’s Jim Turner. “In a 15-7 vote, the House Ways & Means Committee backed a bill (HB 1195) that would require two-thirds votes by city, county and special district governing boards to approve increases in millage rates, which represent dollars assessed per $1,000 in property value.” BALLOT FOLLOW — Florida appeals court tosses challenge in 'rights of nature' case, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. A state appeals court panel has tossed out a challenge to a lower court ruling blocking an Orange County "rights of nature" charter amendment that was the first of its kind in Florida. The three judges of the 6th District Court of Appeal on Friday ruled that the 2020 ballot measure approved by 89 percent of voters was preempted by state law passed by the Legislature earlier that year. JUSTICE REFORM — “Beating the heat behind bars: The effort to add air conditioning to Florida prisons,” by the Tallahassee Democrat’s Elena Barrera. “Thousands serve their time in un-air-conditioned cells, and advocates have been pushing for change in the wake of last summer's record breaking heat waves.” HIGHEST EVER — “Florida sets new high school graduation record for recent graduates,” reports 7News’ Kevin Boulandier. “According to state records, 88 percent of high school students graduated in the last school year, which was an increase of 0.7 points over the previous year.” — “Florida Cabinet takes ‘zero-tolerance’ stand against human trafficking,” reports Florida Politics’ A.G. Gankarski | | | | 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 | |
RECORD NUMBERS — “Backlogs in Miami's immigration courts illustrate a crisis in the asylum system,” reports WLRN’s Helen Acevedo. “About 261,000 cases of migrants placed in removal proceedings are pending in the Miami court — the largest docket in the country — according to government data compiled by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.”
— “More searching planned at a Florida Air Force base where 121 potential Black grave sites were found,” reports The Associated Press | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | | 
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaking at Team Trump New Hampshire headquarters, Sunday, Jan. 21, 2024, in Manchester, NH. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) | AP | | | | | A message from Duke Energy:   | | |
NEW HEIR? — ‘The right kind of crazy’: Matt Gaetz makes MAGA World swoon, reports POLITICO’s Sam Stein. Trump has a small army of surrogates working on his behalf in New Hampshire this week. None seem to be enjoying the role as much as Gaetz.
The Florida Republican has appeared at meet-and-greets across the state. He has done numerous press hits, at one point on Sunday propping up a laptop on a box of 60 Bic pens to get the right angle for a shot for a Fox News segment. And he was right offstage at Trump’s rally on Saturday night — earning a shoutout from the ex-president and a notable “We love you Matt Gaetz!!” scream from a woman one football field length across the arena. Having returned to Florida for a speech in Palm Beach last night, Gaetz continued to extoll the MAGA movement, per an audio recording provided to Florida Playbook. In a speech in front of Trump-supporting organization Club 47, Gaetz declared the primary would be “quick and decisive and we intend to win.” “The Trump campaign is also a righteous tool for retribution against weaponized government that has turned against our people for too long,” he said in a roughly 40-minute speech. “My mission is to make sure that the United States Congress is better prepared for the second term of Donald Trump than we were the first term.” Gaetz also was defiant about his actions to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, saying his only “sin” as defined by his critics was demanding Republicans “grow a spine.” “Increasingly, where I work it's filled with husks of humans, who stare at the nameplate on their door,” he said. “All they care about is keeping their job, not doing it.” … MORE DESANTIS PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN POST MORTEMS … — Why voters rejected the Florida governor: “It turns out that Republican voters didn't want Donald Trump Without The Baggage,” writes USA Today Network - Florida’s Zac Anderson and David Jackson — Another theory: “What has happened is he’s too ... establishment for the Trump people and too Trump for the establishment people,” a prosecutor supporting Haley told the Tampa Bay Times — Why he ran in the first place: “He thinks he’s on a mission from God,” one close confidant said of DeSantis’ drive for the presidency, per CNN — Why it looked so bad: DeSantis’ formidable strength early on meant he only had “more room to fall,” per NYT’s Nate Cohn — Why drop out now: As “a parting shot at [Nikki] Haley,” per Axios’ Alex Thompson | | | | 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. | | | | |
TRUTH SOCIAL BOOST — “Trump-linked stocks soar after DeSantis throws in the towel,” reports Reuters’ Noel Randewich. “Shares of Digital World Acquisition, the blank check firm set to take Trump's social media platform public, soared to their highest in 19 months … The stock jumped 55% to $41, its highest since June 2022.”
ALLEGATIONS — “Ethics complaint: Keith Gross’ company gave his campaign free rent,” reports Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles. “The formal complaint, filed by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, notes official documents list the address for Gross’ campaign headquarters as a Brevard County property owned by Vigilant Capital. In Gross’ candidate financial disclosures, he lists himself as a joint owner of that corporation … Gross dismissed the complaint as ‘entirely baseless.’” | | DATELINE D.C. | | | | 
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol Oct. 11, 2023. | Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images | FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES — “Florida congresswoman sued the Pentagon over stem cells. One problem: her husband's stocks,” report Raw Story’s Mark Alesia and Dave Levinthal. “Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and her husband are suing the federal government, alleging COVID vaccine requirements in the military violated their religious beliefs because the therapy was developed using embryonic stem cells. But Luna’s husband, Andrew Gamberzky, who resigned from the Air National Guard over the issue, also invests in a company that uses human embryonic stem cells to treat disabilities, according to Luna’s most recent congressional financial disclosure.” ‘DO SOMETHING’ — ‘I’m tired of the rhetoric’: Stoneman Douglas tour leaves U.S. education secretary angry,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Scott Travis. “The nation’s top education leader toured the site of the Parkland mass shooting Monday, praising the community’s effort to make schools safer while blasting the complacency he sees elsewhere. U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said it shouldn’t take more tragedies like the one at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, which left 17 people dead, for schools, government officials and communities nationwide to demand action.” | | | | 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.
Learn more about how Duke Energy is improving the electric grid to make it stronger, smarter and more resilient. | | |
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
REALITY ROOTS — “'Bachelor' contestant Marlena Haddad of Florida: What to know about former Trump aide,” via Jennifer Sangalang and Samantha Neely of the Palm Beach Post
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