| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | | |  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivers his State of the State address during a joint session of the Florida legislature at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla., on Jan. 9, 2024. Also seen, from top to bottom, are State Rep. Chuck Clemons, State House Speaker Paul Renner, State Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, and State Sen. Dennis Baxley. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | | Good morning from Tallahassee and welcome to Monday. The Legislature is over halfway through its official business this session and less than two weeks into the new normal of having Gov. Ron DeSantis back in Florida full time. Legislative leaders have proceeded with their wish lists with relatively few obstacles. Following passage in the Senate, a House subcommittee will take up the sweeping health care access and workforce measure tomorrow that’s a priority of Senate President Kathleen Passidomo. The biggest item for lawmakers to get done in the next five weeks is the budget, which will be smaller than in recent years because federal Covid funding for states has run out. The House and Senate are both taking up their versions on Wednesday but will eventually need to resolve differences on money for prisons, replenishing a fund to help Floridians harden their homes and paying for the new health care bill. This session has seen its mix of so-called “culture war” measures, too. A Senate committee will take up a bill tomorrow to prevent local governments and schools from flying flags “with a political viewpoint,” including Pride flags. Another up for consideration tomorrow would block local governments from relocating monuments — including Confederate statues. Unlike the last session, when the Legislature seemed to be ticking off a list of DeSantis priorities at breakneck speed, the governor has instead been taking questions at stops across Florida to share where he stands on various measures lawmakers have put forward. DeSantis came out in favor of a measure that would make it a crime in Florida to sell lab-grown meat, which uses cultivated cells to create meat servings rather than slaughtering animals. The position puts him on the side of the agriculture industry and comes as federal regulators have cleared the sale of certain products. The governor has had influence on shaping legislation. The Senate Judiciary will hold a hearing today over a bill that would ban most minors from social media. While the House already passed its version, DeSantis has said he’s concerned about legal issues getting in the way. House Speaker Paul Renner, who has prioritized restrictions, said he was working with DeSantis and the upper chamber to make adjustments. Assuming the Senate revises the bill, then it would need to go back to the House for another vote. But the governor also lost a key battle last week. A legislative push DeSantis supported to bring a casino to Miami Beach fell apart after Miami Beach leaders and wealthy South Florida billionaires such as hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin opposed it, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. — WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis will be in Miami-Dade County for an event on homelessness. 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: Every day, American businesses generate big global sales on Alibaba's online marketplace – to the tune of $66B in one year alone. These sales are having a bigger impact on communities back home. Florida companies like Timberwolf Pet Foods and DS Laboratories sell to over one billion consumers in China through Alibaba, supporting 15,800 local jobs and contributing $1.9B to Florida's GDP. Learn more about how Alibaba positively impacts Florida's economy. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | |
TODAY — A state Senate committee is set to advance the nomination of Mark Thieme of Apollo Beach to lead the Florida State Guard as members deploy to Texas to assist at the border, per Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski.
HOUSING FIGHT — “This Florida mall has Gucci, Prada … and soon, affordable housing?” by the New York Times’ Patricia Mazzei. “In a rare instance of bipartisan agreement, the Florida Legislature passed a law last spring intended to encourage projects like the one that the owner of the mall, Bal Harbour Shops, has in mind. Called the Live Local Act, the law allows developers to bypass certain local zoning rules and to qualify for tax breaks if their projects include enough ‘work force housing.’ Local officials around the state, stripped of their power to say no, don’t like it. And nowhere has seen more backlash to date than little Bal Harbour.” AVOIDED CONSTITUTIONAL CHALLENGE — “Florida drops death penalty pursuit for man accused of child sex abuse,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Romy Ellenbogen. “The accused man instead pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison … the prosecutors took it at the request of the victim’s family and ‘with the interests of the child victim in mind.’” ANNIVERSARY — “Three years later, is Moms for Liberty losing influence? Here's what's changed since it started,” reports Florida Today’s Finch Walker and Steven Walker. “Moms for Liberty loses more elections than it wins, and some chapters are seceding from the national organization over public controversy stemming from a three-way sex scandal involving one of the organization's co-founders and her husband … Despite the noise, the group's founders and its local chapters are preparing to head into another election cycle with the same battle cry as at their founding: fighting for parental rights in education. They are not backing down.” BIG BUSINESS — “Publix Super Markets is now the largest corporate donor in Florida politics, according to a review of state campaign-finance data,” per Jason Garcia of Seeking Rents. RULING — Federal appeals court narrowly blocks controversial Florida law barring Chinese land ownership, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. A federal appeals court blocked a controversial Florida law restricting Chinese citizens from buying land from being enforced against two people who sued the state, with one judge saying the law “blatantly violates” protections against discrimination. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Thursday said the Chinese immigrant plaintiffs, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, have shown a “substantial likelihood of success” in proving their case against the 2023 state law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. ID QUESTIONS — “Now that Florida has banned gender changes on driver’s licenses, how will it actually work?” by Shira Moolten of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “Spokespeople for the department have said the only real policy change pertains to getting a replacement license, but critics believe it could have far-reaching consequences, in large part because of its chilling effect.” LIMITING COMPLAINTS — “A top Florida ethics expert is sounding the alarm about an ethics bill passed by the state Senate Thursday that would make it easier for corrupt officials to avoid investigation – and much harder for residents to hold them to account,” reports Bob Norman of the Florida Center for Government Accountability. STATE OVERRIDE — “Local governments could not ban single-use plastics or polystyrene, also known as Styrofoam, on their properties under companion bills filed in the Florida Legislature,” reports WUSF’s Jessica Meszaros. “This measure would be retroactive, so rules already in place in about 20 municipalities across the state would be affected.” CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS — “Florida lawmakers discuss a possible study into eliminating property taxes,” reports WFSU’s Gina Jordan. “The House proposal would require the results of the study to be submitted to lawmakers by February 1st of next year. That would give them the opportunity to act on it during the next annual session.” THRIPS PARVISPINUS — “Taming a pest: New invasive species to Florida is tiny but deadly to landscapes and crops,” reports the Palm Beach Post’s Kimberly Miller. “In the rich agricultural soils that grow row crops and commercial ornamental plants, millions of dollars in damage was happening. Peppers were hit especially hard, showing signs of curling leaves, stippling, scabbing and stunted growth when infected.” FLIGHT RISK — “Court sets June hearing for JetBlue and Spirit appeal of a ruling blocking their $3.8 billion merger,” by The Associated Press. “The schedule set Friday by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston is a month later than the airlines had hoped. They asked for an expedited hearing in May so the court could rule before a July 24 deal-closing deadline in their merger agreement.” — “Florida schools adjust as federal pandemic relief money ebbs away,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey S. Solochek | | | | 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. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | |  FILE - Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a media availability in Manchester, N.H., Jan. 19, 2024. Before launching his ill-fated campaign for the White House, DeSantis was a star. Again and again, Republican voters said they saw him as the future of the party. But after a bitter scorched-earth primary in which Trump pounded DeSantis viciously for the better part of a year, interviews with voters across early-voting states suggest the Florida governor may have an uphill battle if he chooses to run again in 2028. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) | AP | BEEHIVE STATE — “DeSantis lost a pingpong match in Utah, and maybe the state along with it,” reports Samuel Benson of the Deseret News. “Some big-money donors were perturbed that DeSantis planned his visit during the July 24 weekend, when many Utahns are busy celebrating Pioneer Day or traveling. Others, when given the chance to interact with DeSantis, were turned off by DeSantis’ ‘cold’ demeanor. Don Peay, the founder of Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, knew DeSantis was a former collegiate baseball player, and he secured a signed ball by ex-New York Yankees pitcher David Wells to present to DeSantis as a gift. When Peay offered it to DeSantis, he was met by a blank stare.” INTRAPARTY FLIP — “This lawmaker endorsed DeSantis over Trump. Will he regret it?” by the Wall Street Journal’s Kristina Peterson. “Trump has a long record of using his deep influence with Republican voters to take revenge on lawmakers over perceived disloyalty. Headed into this year’s elections, [U.S. Rep. Bob] Good is one of several conservative politicians who may need to find their way back into the good graces of Trump now that he is the clear front-runner for the presidential nomination.” ‘LETTING IT ROLL’ — “'Should we really be doing this?': What went wrong for DeSantis' campaign,” reports ABC News. “Among his problems, sources inside and around the DeSantis campaign said, were being hamstrung by the inexperience of key aides, a culture of blinding loyalism, an unusual relationship with his main political group and a strategic failure on how to face the former president who was DeSantis' biggest foe.” GOV RETURNS — “A once or future king? Floridians ask if DeSantis is looking forward or back,” reports the Guardian’s Richard Luscombe. “On his return to Tallahassee following his national humiliation there was no period of quiet contemplation, or pause to refocus on his day job. Instead, DeSantis got straight down to business, little of it having immediate consequence to Florida or its voters.” INVOKING MARSY’S LAW — “Ziegler claims victim status, fights release of records from sexual assault investigation,” by Zac Anderson of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. “Christian and Bridget Ziegler are fighting the release of information from Christian Ziegler's cell phone that was obtained by the Sarasota Police Department as part of its investigation into a sexual assault allegation against Christian Ziegler.” GEN Z — “Young Democrats form a PAC to push turnout in 2024, eye Boca Raton Florida House district,” reports the Palm Beach Post’s Stephany Matat. “Florida College Democrats and Florida High School Democrats in January formed Florida Future Leaders, a political action committee to turn out young voters and raise funds for community outreach.” | | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | |
— Florida Sen. Marco Rubio came out against the bipartisan border and military aid bill unveiled in the Senate last night. “It reads like a parody of an actual border security bill,” Rubio posted on X. Sen. Rick Scott appeared similarly skeptical saying the bill represented an “immigration bill” and “not a border security bill.”
| | | TRANSITION TIME | | |
— Florida journalist Marc Caputo, previously with The Messenger and a Playbook alum, is now working as national political reporter for The Bulwark, where he’ll helm a new newsletter called “MAGAville.” His inaugural piece is about how Never Back Down “launched with so much promise, burned through so much money, and failed with so much spectacular acrimony.”
— The Tampa Bay Time’s Emily L. Mahoney has a new beat as the publication’s energy and climate reporter. She previously was senior political writer. — Lauren Cassedy, who previously worked for former Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Ashley Moody, is the new chief of staff for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Cassedy had spent three years as public affairs director for Moody before leaving in March 2022 to take a position with AT&T. She worked on Scott’s 2018 Senate campaign and had been a press secretary for Scott while he was governor. The News Service of Florida reported in December that former FDLE chief of staff Shane Desguin was forced to retire in the aftermath of an internal dispute between the governor’s office and FDLE staffers over the governor’s travel records. — 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 | |
PAW-TY — The DeSantises have welcomed a new furry family member. James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat has the story about how it all happened.
BIRTHDAYS: Former state Rep. Clay Ingram ... Michael Olenick, former member of the State Board of Education | | A message from Alibaba: Timberwolf Pet Food, a family-owned company based in Windermere, Florida, achieved an impressive 7-figure growth after launching on Alibaba's online marketplace, which reaches over one billion consumers in China. Partnering with Alibaba helped the 25-year-old company double its sales projections, allowing Timberwolf to expand its product lines, production, and staffing to meet the increasing demand.
Florida businesses generated enough global sales on Alibaba’s online marketplace to add $1.9 billion to Florida’s economy, supporting 15,800 local jobs and $1.1 billion in wages in one year.
"I knew from experience that Alibaba, with over one billion online consumers, was essential to launch our brand in China successfully," said Timberwolf CEO Kam Martin.
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