| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | | Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. |  “We have come a long way,” said one Democratic lawmaker. “But we have so much more to do.” | AP |
Today marks six years since the devastating murder of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
In the immediate wake of the shooting, Florida lawmakers under then-Gov. Rick Scott raised the rifles purchasing age to 21, banned bump stocks, required a three-day waiting period and enacted “red flag” laws for firearms to be confiscated in unsafe situations. Gov. Ron DeSantis, as he was campaigning for president, said in October that he wouldn't have signed the restrictions into law, citing concerns about due process. Since he’s been governor, the state adopted a measure allowing Florida residents to carry guns without a state permit and lowered juries' death penalty threshold. DeSantis supported allowing residents to carry firearms openly, but House Speaker Paul Renner said there was “not an appetite" for it. In his opening day remarks, Renner talked about his goal to support policies that protect children. Other Parkland-related rollbacks are emerging but not going anywhere. A House subcommittee cleared bills to return the age to buy a rifle to 18 and extinguish the waiting period, but neither are on the schedule to be heard today in the Justice Committee where they’ve been assigned. During a press conference Tuesday, Democratic state Rep. Dan Daley, who graduated from Stoneman Douglas, called the bills a “slap in the face to my community, to the victims and their families.” Yet the bill to lower the rifle buying age doesn't have a Senate companion, and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said any age rollback was a "non-starter.” Still, Democrats would prefer to see more gun safety measures, including bills banning firearms in locations such as public libraries and hospitals and requiring background checks for ammunition sales. The Legislature is boosting funding on school safety, as well as increasing the number of mental health workers and places for patients to get care. They’ve previously passed plans for schools to respond to threats, brought in more firearm detection dogs and given the Education Department more power to ensure schools are following safety protocols. The House Education and Employment Committee will consider a bill today that would keep access points closed and locked during school hours, and ensure that the safest places throughout instructional areas are clearly marked during an emergency. A Senate bill on school guardians will be considered in committee tomorrow. “There is important school safety legislation each year, and we expect that would continue as there are always going to be new ideas and strategies for how we can improve the safety of our schools,” Passidomo spokesperson Katie Betta said. Daley said many of the policies were a “step in the right direction for school safety, school hardening, mental health reform, teacher training, and yes — reasonable gun reform.” “We have come a long way,” he said. “But we have so much more to do.” DAY AHEAD — DeSantis issued a remembrance proclamation and had flags flown at half staff. The state Senate is holding a moment of silence at 10:17 a.m. and Democratic Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, who represents Broward County, will offer comments during the floor sitting. The House will hold a moment of silence as it convenes for session. IN MEMORIAM — Luke Hoyer, Martin Duque Anquiano, Gina Montalto, Alex Schachter, Alaina Petty, Alyssa Alhadeff, Nicholas Dworet, Helena Ramsay, Chris Hixon, Carmen Schentrup, Aaron Feis, Scott Biegel, Meadow Pollack, Cara Loughran, Joaquin Oliver, Jaime Guttenberg and Peter Wang. 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 Alibaba: Florida businesses like DS Laboratories and Timberwolf Pet Foods are among thousands of American brands selling to consumers across the world on Alibaba's online marketplace. Over one billion consumers in China shop for U.S. products on Alibaba, generating big sales for these brands and benefiting Florida’s economy. In 2022, sales on Alibaba supported 15,800 local jobs and $1.1B in wages. Learn more about how Alibaba positively impacts Florida's economy. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | |
|  Jasmine, 23, waits to receive an abortion at a Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 14, 2022. | Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images | END RESULT — Florida's immigration crackdown is scaring patients away from seeking care, reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. One of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most controversial immigration policies has led to women shunning mammograms and prenatal care out of fear that they’ll be forced to reveal their immigration status. At issue is a new Florida law requiring hospitals that receive Medicaid dollars to ask patients about their immigration status. Undocumented migrants in Florida are now steering clear of hospitals and clinics, worried that they’ll be arrested or deported, according to 10 immigration advocates, lawmakers and health care officials. HIGH COURT — US Supreme Court asked to scrap sports betting in Florida, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. Florida casino operators are trying to convince the U.S. Supreme Court once again to block the $2.5 billion gambling deal between the state and the Seminole Tribe of Florida that opened the door to sports betting. Lawyers for two gambling operations late last week filed a petition with the high court asking it to overturn an appeals court decision that gave a green light to the compact with the Seminoles. The deal was approved by the Legislature at DeSantis' urging. SPEECH FIGHT — A GOP-led push to revamp Florida’s defamation laws — one of the few top priorities last year that DeSantis could not get across the finish line — is picking up momentum but it’s also drawing sharp criticism (again) from those in the conservative media sphere. James Schwartzel, the owner of a conservative radio station in southwest Florida, on Tuesday emailed legislators from his area to slam the bill being sponsored by Sen. Jason Brodeur and Rep. Alex Andrade. “The passage of these bills will cause our family-owned and operated conservative radio station to be inundated with frivolous lawsuits from leftwing lawyers,” Schwartzel wrote. “The leftists will record our shows online and transcribe them to file suits; even if we win every case, the legal costs and time will be crippling.” The email came a day after Andrade, a Pensacola Republican, tussled with former U.S. Rep. Trey Radel on Radel’s show on the station owned by Schwartzel. USA Today Network-Florida’s Douglas Soule wrote about the exchange and noted that Drew Steele, another radio host on the station had written an op-ed criticizing the proposed legislation. By late afternoon, Andrade was feuding with Steele on the social media platform X about the legislation. Andrade also exchanged heated texts with Schwartzel that the station owner attached to the email he sent to lawmakers. Andrade contends that critics are wrong about the extent of this year’s bill — which is narrower in scope than the version lawmakers proposed in 2023 that caused many conservatives, including Rep. Cory Mills, to oppose it. Andrade maintains that “frivolous lawsuits” would not be allowed if the measure becomes law and in his text message to Schwartzel he called the station owner a “liar.” “I texted Mr. Andrade and asked if calling me a liar was defamation or simply an insult?” Schwartzel told legislators in his email. “You can see the attached text exchange as Mr. Andrade becomes unhinged on me and attacks US Congressman Cory Mills again, calling him an imbecile and midget-minded.” So far the defamation bills are on the move and last week the Senate allowed the bill to bypass one of its committee stops – a sign that the measure could be headed to the floor. The House version has just one more stop before it can be considered by that chamber. — Gary Fineout
|  FILE - This combination of photos shows logos of X, formerly known as Twitter, top left; Snapchat, top right; Facebook, bottom left; and TikTok, bottom right. | AP | SCREEN TIME — “LGBTQ advocates say Florida social media minor ban would block life-saving resources,” reports Douglas Soule and Ana Goñi-Lessan of USA Today Network - Florida. “The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that provides crisis support for LGBTQ young people ... argues the measure would harm LGBTQ kids, pointing to its research that found that LGBTQ young people who reported feeling safe and understood in at least one online space had 20 percent lower odds of attempting suicide in the past year.” 'MISMANAGE' — State regulators want Florida Power & Light Co. to refund more than $11 million charged to customers for what they are calling chronic mismanagement at the utility's two nuclear plants, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. Public Service Commission staff last week filed testimony and an agency audit report that blames management problems for some of the more than 40 shutdowns and fines at the Turkey Point and St. Lucie nuclear plants. One of the fines levied against Turkey Point involved falsifying maintenance records. MOVING AHEAD — Senate advances regulatory overhaul of state's local child welfare organizations, reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. The accountability measures include levying civil fines of up to $100,000 per offense on community organizations, including board members, that fail to disclose to DCF any conflicts of interest in business deals. DESANTIS APPROVED — “A new bill moving quickly through the Florida legislature would intensify penalties for retail theft and ‘porch piracy,’ making it a third-degree felony to steal packages worth over $40,” reports Shira Moolten of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. DeSantis on Tuesday described it as “a measure to avoid a ‘culture of lawlessness’ in progressive states like California and New York.” STARTING IN KINDERGARTEN — “Florida lawmakers advance bill to require communism lessons in all grades,” reports News Service of Florida's Ryan Dailey. “The bill (HB 1349) would require lessons about communism and its history in all grades of public schools. The requirement would take effect in the 2026-27 school year, and lessons would have to be ‘age appropriate and developmentally appropriate’ while covering certain topics.” FUEL REVAMP — “Bill could boost Florida’s ‘renewable’ fuel industry. Critics say it will cost consumers,” reports Ashley Mixnazi of Florida Keys News. “There is booming interest across Florida in turning cow manure, urban sewage and other nasty stuff once considered waste into ‘renewable’ gas. If used instead of oil and other fossil fuels, such alternative sources of energy could, at least potentially, help slow emissions driving climate change and the rising seas that threaten communities up and down the coast. But such experimental projects come at considerable costs — costs that under a bill being considered by Florida lawmakers would be passed on to consumers, not the companies that stand to profit from the operations.” YIKES — “Two private Florida insurance companies propose 50 percent rate increase,” reports Spectrum News. The proposed rate increases, for Castle Key and Amica, are being attributed to inflation, higher home costs and bad weather. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation still has to approve. | | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S GOVERNORS SUMMIT: Join POLITICO on Feb. 22 to dive into how Governors are wielding immense power. While Washington remains gridlocked, governors are at the center of landmark decisions in AI and tech, economic development, infrastructure, housing, reproductive health and energy. How are they setting the stage for the future of American politics, policies and priorities? How are they confronting major challenges? Explore these questions and more at the 2024 Governors Summit. REGISTER HERE. | | | | |
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | |
LAWSUIT — “Ousted Miami commissioner facing criminal charges sues city over voting map change,” reports the Miami Herald’s Joey Flechas. “As former Miami Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla awaits trial on corruption charges, he is suing the city over recent changes to the voting map that he says are illegal. Díaz de la Portilla and Jose Garcia, the pastor at the Allapattah church New Hope Ministries, accuse the city of violating a state law when commissioners approved a change to Miami’s voting map in January … to include the longtime family home of Commissioner Miguel Angel Gabela, whose house had been excluded from the district in a previous voting map approved in June.”
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
FLORIDA TRANSPLANT — “Former DeSantis Wall Street fundraiser to bolster Trump’s campaign war chest,” reports CNBC’s Brian Schwartz and NBC News’ Dasha Burns. “Veteran Wall Street executive Omeed Malik is planning to raise over $3 million and donate at least $100,000 in support of Donald Trump's campaign."
PROFILE — “Evan Power says being both party chair, lobbyist is natural fit to strengthen Florida GOP,” reports James Call of USA Today Network - Florida. “The 41-year-old Chattanooga, Tennessee, native was in his third attempt to be state chair. He had worked nearly 20 years for the opportunity … Power's clients this year include AT&T, the Automobile Dealers Association, the City of Daytona, the Florida Chiropractic Association, Florida Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs and the Professional Vacation Rental Coalition … Power said his dual roles are a natural fit given his ability to work with lawmakers. That ability, he said, could reap benefits both for the GOP and for his employer.” | | | | 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. | | | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | |
TODAY — U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is doing a roundtable in D.C. at 10:30 a.m. on Hamas’ sexual and gender-based violence against women in Israel. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will join. (Tune in).
| | TRANSITION TIME | |
— Janelle Perez is interim executive director for LPAC, a national political organization that works to elect LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people. Perez is a previous Democratic Florida Senate candidate for a Miami-area seat.
— Karol Molinares, previously with U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson’s office, is LPAC’s communications director. | | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | |
LAYOVER — “Roses are red, violets are blue, through Miami’s airport yours probably flew,” by The New York Times’ Patricia Mazzei.
HOME SWEET HOME — WalletHub is out with its list of best state capitols to live in, and Tallahassee landed at No. 31 — before Juneau, Alaska, but after Columbia, South Carolina. The publication factored in “affordability, economic well-being, quality of life, education and health care.” SPOTTED: Bob Corker walking down County Line in Palm Beach yesterday morning. We’re told Corker is basing himself in Palm Beach for a couple of months and spending time with family. WEEKEND WEDDING — Miami-based couple Michael Colonnese, COO at AlwaysHired, and Shelley Rolph, account executive at DoorLoop, got married in Costa Rica at Zephyrs Palace on Saturday after meeting on Hinge in 2020. Pic ... Another pic BIRTHDAYS: Former HHS secretary and U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala … Cari Roth, vice president of governmental and regulatory affairs for Lykes Bros | | A message from Alibaba: Local Florida businesses such as DS Laboratories, from Miami, and Timberwolf Pet Foods, from Windermere, are currently reaching one billion consumers through Alibaba’s online marketplace. In doing so, they are generating big sales for their home state. Florida businesses are among numerous American brands that collectively achieved $66 billion in sales on Alibaba in one year.
These sales positively impact Florida's economy. In 2022, sales on Alibaba supported 15,800 local jobs and $1.1B in wages, NDP Analytics reports.
DS Laboratories CEO Dr. Fernando Tamez said, "Sales on Alibaba exceeded expectations by 50% in the first year." The company is hiring marketers, manufacturers, shippers, and more to keep up with the demand. He adds, "At first, Alibaba seemed too good to be true. Now, we jump into every single program they offer.”
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