| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | |  Florida Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell speaks to people during a campaign event held at the United Teachers of Dade headquarters building on February 22, 2024 in Miami, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | Good morning and happy Friday. Senate hopeful and former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is resurrecting a Democratic-favored line of attack in her challenge to incumbent Rick Scott. Yesterday marked two years since Scott released his “Rescue America” plan as the then-head of National Republican Senatorial Committee. Because it called for sunsetting federal programs, Congress would need to reapprove it every five years and the plan was widely interpreted as applying to Social Security and Medicare. Scott insisted he’d never intended that and later edited his plan. Still, Democrats pounced and Republicans distanced themselves. President Joe Biden made Scott's plan a punching bag in a viral exchange during his 2023 State of the Union speech (though he’d introduced a sunsetting idea in 1975). Mucarsel-Powell campaign manager Kate Letzler Moore sent a memo to supporters this week saying polling showed the issue would hurt Scott in 2024. Democrats have been working on their messaging in Florida since the state has become much more Republican-leaning. Social Security and Medicare are especially vital here, a state where one in five residents are seniors. Yesterday at a campaign event in Miami Springs Mucarsel-Powell tore into Scott. She launched a Seniors for Debbie Coalition and promised to “retire” Scott, dragging him over refusing to expand a government-funded healthcare program for low earners as governor, and over the 1997 Medicare fraud settlement at HCA where he was the top executive. The event featured a chocolate-and-vanilla-flavored cake depicting a beach at sunset with the words “Rick Scott will sunset your Social Security.” Mucarsel-Powell called Scott the “king of fraud” in an interview with Playbook and highlighted the state’s affordability issues particularly for seniors on fixed incomes. She said health care was one of the most vital issues for constituents and “should be a priority for anyone that gets elected into office.” “It's something that I've always cared about, I've always worked on," she said. Before going into politics, she held top roles at FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine including associate dean. After losing reelection, she had a consulting firm where she advised Roseman University of Health Sciences on how to set up a medical school. Mucarsel-Powell hasn’t backed a plan to keep Medicare and Social Security sustainable for the long term to prevent the programs from becoming insolvent. She told Playbook economists shared one approach with her to have high-earners pay Social Security for more months in a year, given that they max out their contributions to the program early in the year. The Scott campaign accused Mucarsel-Powell of lying when asked to respond to the latest line of attack, saying the senator never planned the cuts. “While Congresswoman Mucarsel-Powell was repeating Joe Biden’s lies, Sen. Scott was at a Florida citrus grove discussing how he is fighting to secure much needed federal relief for Florida farmers as they recover from recent hurricanes,” said campaign senior adviser Chris Hartline. “The contrast couldn’t be clearer. Floridians already rejected her once, and they will again in November.” WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis is holding a media availability at 9 a.m. Central at the FDLE Operations Center in Pensacola. He'll also hold a 1 p.m. press conference at Cedar Key with Secretary of Commerce J. Alex Kelly. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com | | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, the newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world, including WEF in Davos, Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to UNGA in NYC and many more. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | |
WILL GOV VETO? Florida passes strict social media restrictions for minors despite DeSantis’ misgivings, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. House members voted on the bill mere hours after it was backed by the Senate in a surprise move that procedurally could force DeSantis to act sooner on legislation that he has been skeptical of for weeks. Because the Legislature passed the bill, FL HB1 (24R), with two weeks remaining in session, DeSantis would have to either sign or veto the measure before lawmakers leave Tallahassee.
SAILED THROUGH — Florida House approves $767 million Live Healthy plan despite spending concerns, reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. The House approved two bills, each with a 117-1 vote, that seek to expand health care in Florida, either through training opportunities, increased access to services in rural stretches of the state or promoting technological advances. The chamber also approved SB 7016, which would distribute more than $717 million toward a variety of programs offering training and tuition incentives that are meant to keep medical professionals in the state. The other piece, SB 7018, would create an innovation council that would use $50 million to award businesses with loans that would go toward the development of tech products that make health care more efficient.
|  Florida State House Speaker Paul Renner speaks during a press conference outside the Florida State Capitol Jan. 11, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | YOU’RE SO VAIN — Florida Republicans scuttle plan to revamp primary after fierce opposition, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. Following a furious response from both Democrats and Republicans, the Florida Legislature will not consider a major elections bill that would have forced the top two vote-getters in party primaries to square off against each other in a runoff election ahead of the November general election. House Speaker Paul Renner said he wanted to consider the measure, but he decided to drop the legislation as time is running out on this year’s legislative session. The session is set to end on or near March 8. UNION CHANGES PASS SENATE — Florida close to finalizing new organized labor reforms, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. The legislation creates new carve outs for certain labor groups and removes a fledgling requirement calling for many to have their finances audited yearly by a certified public accountant. But, at the same time, the bill also puts additional requirements on certain unions like a state-mandated membership form that opponents — including some Republicans — say is “needless.” PANNED — DeSantis criticizes bill changes easing Chinese land ownership restrictions, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. The Senate Rules Committee voted Wednesday to amend an unrelated bill dealing with condominiums to allow Chinese residents with some types of visas or those who have been granted asylum to buy property. Legislators also amended the bill, which is backed by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, to allow some "passive" foreign financing of residential development from China or other prohibited countries. The Senate bill sponsor said the change was needed to address the state's housing crunch. But DeSantis, during a press conference in Lake Buena Vista, said the proposed law rewrite "is not something that is going to pass muster with me." WILDLIFE CORRIDOR — Passidomo priority bill would dedicate $200M annually for land acquisition, management, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. The Senate voted 37-0 on Thursday to send to the House a bill that annually would dedicate from the Seminole Tribe gambling compact up to $100 million each for land acquisition and for land management and another $100 million to address sea level rise and flooding. 11 MUNICIPALITIES WOULD BE HIT — “Tens of thousands of Floridians could see changes in their pay under legislation moving in the Republican-controlled Legislature,” reports Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald. “The proposed legislation — which has the backing of some of the most powerful business groups in the state — would strip the ability of counties and cities to set wage standards for private companies they hire for publicly-funded work that go beyond state regulations. Local governments would still be able to dictate what they pay city and county employees, but the measure would block them from controlling what contractors pay their employees.” DOLLARS UNSPECIFIED — “House approves bill to make private Jewish school security funding recurring,” reports Florida Politics’ Jesse Scheckner. “If approved in the Senate, the bill would require the Florida Department of Education to establish a regular funding model for security measures at Jewish day schools and preschools. The funds could only cover the cost of cameras, fencing, shatter-proof windows, perimeter lighting, guard personnel, security-related transportation and “non-hardening security measures” like detection and prevention services.” UP SOON — “Homeless camping ban, backed by DeSantis, speeds ahead,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Ryan Gillespie and Martin E. Comas. “The policies, which received full-throated enthusiasm Thursday from Gov. Ron DeSantis, cleared their final committees in the House and Senate respectively, paving the way to be heard by the full legislative bodies soon … It would require cities and counties to ban public camping, though they are permitted to set up legal encampments where all of a jurisdiction’s unsheltered people would be directed to stay. However, such encampments aren’t required by the bill, and would present steep financial hurdles for local governments inclined to pursue them.” IN THE MIX — “Black farmer medical marijuana licenses back in play for 2024 Session,” reports Florida Politics’ Christine Jordan Sexton. “The Senate Appropriations Committee on Health and Human Services amended SB 1582 this week to include language that directs DOH to revisit decisions to award and deny medical marijuana licenses under a 2023 law that was championed by Sens. Tracie Davis and Darryl Rouson. The amended bill gives Black farmers who applied for licenses under a 2023 law another 90 days to cure any errors or omissions on their medical marijuana applications.” — “This year’s version of a short-term vacation rental bill now goes to the full House,” reports Mitch Perry of Florida Phoenix — State Rep. Christine Hunschofsky was elected to lead the Florida House Democrats for the 2027-28 term.
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | | | 
Performers dressed as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck entertain visitors at Cinderella Castle at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., on April 18, 2022. | Ted Shaffrey/AP Photo |
ONCE UPON A TIME — Gov. Ron DeSantis took a victory lap against Disney yesterday in Buena Vista, Florida, to celebrate the changes to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District after he usurped the past board’s power in favor of his own appointees.
It marked roughly a year since the takeover that ended decades of Disney self-governance. It also came about a month after a judge dismissed Disney’s lawsuit, delivering a significant victory to the governor (though it's being appealed). DeSantis called the district's changes more transparent and accountable. “This is a good story, a good example of good government,” DeSantis said at the close of the event. But that was only part of the story … DeSantis did not raise the many speed bumps the board has faced, including initially seeming to have lost its power, its administrator having to resign from the Ethics Commission because he wasn’t allowed to hold down both jobs under Florida rules, the cancellation of a no-bid contract, a fight over firefighters wanting to keep benefits that included Disney parks perks, and revelations that a board member was involved in a sex scandal. VAX REACTS — “Florida surgeon general defies science amid measles outbreak,” report Lena H. Sun and Lauren Weber of the Washington Post. “Florida surgeon general Joseph A. Ladapo failed to urge parents to vaccinate their children or keep unvaccinated students home from school as a precaution in a letter to parents at the Fort Lauderdale-area school this week following six confirmed measles cases. Instead of following what he acknowledged was the ‘normal’ recommendation that parents keep unvaccinated children home for up to 21 days — the incubation period for measles — Ladapo said the state health department ‘is deferring’ to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.” WOULD BE FIRST IN FLORIDA — “Orange County considers tapping COVID funds to ease residents' medical debts,” reports WMFE’s Marian Summerall. “Orange County commissioners are moving forward with a plan to erase residents' medical debt by using $4.5 million from leftover COVID-19 funding. The money comes from the county's share of the Am e rican Rescue Plan, and could allow for thousands of residents to have their debts cleared.” | | | | Don’t sleep on it. Get breaking New York policy from POLITICO Pro—the platform that never sleeps—and use our Legislative Tracker to see what’s on the Albany agenda. Learn more. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | NO DON-RON BALLOT — “Donald Trump's campaign says Ron DeSantis isn't on Trump's list of candidates for VP,” per David Jackson of USA Today. “Trump aides said Thursday that DeSantis is not in the vice presidential discussion, especially after the Florida governor questioned the former president's criteria for picking a running mate. ‘Ron DeSantis failed miserably in his presidential campaign and does not have a voice in selecting the next Vice President of the United States,’ said Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt.” | | TRANSITION TIME | |
— Florida’s former secretary of commerce, Laura DiBella, is now government affairs advisor at the Adams and Reese law firm’s Intersection of Business and Government Practice in Tallahassee. DiBella was also the President and CEO of Enterprise Florida.
| | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | |
BIRTHDAYS: Tori Lynn Schneider, director of Communications at Apalachee Center … Integrity Florida’s Ben Wilcox … (Saturday) Susan K. Goldstein with The Legis Group ... Bud Chiles, national director American Grown … (Sunday) U.S. Rep. Darren Soto … Carlos Trujillo, former U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States … Public Service Commissioner Mike La Rosa … NBC News’ Matt Dixon
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