| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | | |  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is welcomed to a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives by House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, left, and Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, right, to give his State of the State address, Tallahassee, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough) | AP | Good morning and welcome to Monday. Gov. Ron DeSantis faces his biggest showdown of the session yet as he weighs whether to sign into law the social media bill lawmakers passed last week despite his misgivings. The bill bans minors under 16 from having their own social media accounts and is a top priority for GOP House Speaker Paul Renner, who has been a staunch DeSantis ally. Since Friday multiple law enforcement organizations have come out in support of the bill, which also would make it harder for minors to access adult content. And today, Florida Citizens Alliance, a socially conservative advocacy group whose co-founders worked on DeSantis’ education transition advisory team, will urge the governor to sign the bill into law, saying it’s important to protect children against cyberbullying and for safeguarding mental health. DeSantis said Thursday that he thought the ban wasn’t “there yet.” Asked about it again on Friday, after full passage, the governor said he’d “be processing” the bill over the weekend. While he said he thought social media had a “net negative for kids,” he added that “we’re somebody that’s believed in involving parents as much as possible.” Appearing to agree with that concern was Tiffany Justice, cofounder of the DeSantis aligned conservative parents group Moms for Liberty, per Douglas Soule of USA Today Network - Florida. DeSantis has until Friday to decide. Renner called questions about a potential veto “premature” when speaking to reporters last week, per POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. His position is that social media is inherently harmful to children’s mental health, like drinking and smoking, so it should be similarly regulated with age limits. But the wider subtext at play is whether DeSantis has the same hold on the Legislature as he did before he ran for president. Unlike in past years, DeSantis didn’t come charging into the current session with a long list of demands. So far this session, lawmakers rejected a proposal DeSantis supported to bring a casino to the Fontainebleau in Miami Beach. But the governor also got his way in other cases, including a budget priority that would lift taxes on property insurance, as POLITICO’s Gary Fineout reported. And a bill to pay for former President Donald Trump’s legal bills quickly got pulled when DeSantis fired off a sassy social media threat promising to veto it. It's worth noting that lawmakers made numerous changes to the social media bill after DeSantis weighed in, such as targeting addictive features and adding requirements for anonymous third-party age verification tools. But what's not clear yet is whether it'll be enough to get DeSantis' sign off. 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 — Budget conferencing expected to begin.
WAPO SUIT — “DeSantis staffers blocked public records, ex-law enforcement officials say,” reports Beth Reinhard of the Washington Post. Top DeSantis aides “blocked the release of records detailing his taxpayer-funded travel and retaliated against those who favored making them public, according to sworn statements from two former Florida Department of Law Enforcement officials. The statements were filed Wednesday in Leon County Circuit Court as part of a Washington Post lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new Florida law limiting release of the governor’s travel records. The officials describe DeSantis’s staff demanding a close review of many requests from media organizations, often hampering the release of public information.” PERMITTING ‘CHAOS’ — Florida DEP to seek stay of judge's wetlands ruling, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection will request a stay of a judge's order that removes federal wetlands permitting authority from the state, a DEP spokesperson said Friday. The request comes after U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss in Washington on Feb. 15 overturned a Trump Administration-era federal agency decision, a move now causing "chaos" for developers in Florida, a representative of industry trade group said Friday. — “DeSantis sending more FHP troopers, National Guard to Texas for border patrol efforts,” reports the Pensacola News Journal’s Mollye Barrows UNDECIDED — “DeSantis to seek input on left lane crackdown bill,” reports CBS Miami. “DeSantis said Friday he will talk with law-enforcement officials before deciding whether to sign a bill that would bar motorists from cruising in the left lanes of highways.” CASH COW — “Seminoles gambling deal expected to bring $4.43 billion to Florida” from 2028 to 2029, reports News Service of Florida. Economists from the state Revenue Estimating Conference “estimated payments will total $343.9 million during the current fiscal year, which will end June 30. The estimate would jump to $749.3 million in the 2024-2025 fiscal year and continue increasing to $889.6 million during the 2028-2029 year, according to the report.” | | | | 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. | | | | | | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | |
‘GROWING PAINS’ — “How a migrant influx is causing tensions in one of the most Hispanic cities in the U.S.,” reports Verónica Egui Brito and Syra Ortiz Blanes of the Miami Herald. “Mayor Esteban Bovo, Jr. has claimed that as many as 80,000 Cubans have arrived in Hialeah over the last two years, stretching the city’s resources. He says it’s a plausible estimate when considering that more than 420,000 migrants have come to the U.S. from Cuba during that time, which he likened to a ‘Mariel on steroids,’ referring to the 1980 mass-flotilla from Cuba to Florida.”
SPREADING — “Measles is a 'heat-seeking missile' experts warn as Florida outbreak grows,” reports NBC News’ Erika Edwards. “The spread beyond school-age kids was expected. Cases are ‘not going to stay contained just to that one school, not when a virus is this infectious,’ said Dr. David Kimberlin, co-director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.” SPACEPORT TERRITORY — “Homestead Air Base could become a spaceport, but don’t expect rocket launches,” reports the Miami Herald’s Alyssa Johnson. “Senate Bill 968 would turn property at the Homestead Air Reserve Base in Miami-Dade into ‘spaceport territory,’ allowing space technology businesses and other space-related companies to conduct research, develop space infrastructure and more on site. Homestead Mayor Steve Losner is hopeful that if the legislation passes it will benefit South Florida’s economy.” ‘TEACHING OUR OWN HISTORY’ — “Rev. R.B. Holmes' task force symposium: Crafting new Black history curriculum,” reports Alaijah Brown of the Tallahassee Democrat. “The Rev. R.B. Holmes Jr. is bringing Black History lessons to the sanctuary of Bethel Missionary Baptist Church for two days in response to what he perceives as the state's efforts to dilute its importance in Florida's classrooms. The purpose of the conference is two-fold: To highlight Black history and to present a proposed curriculum to the governor's office.” ‘LIFE RAFT’ — “Transgender people find a safe haven in Florida’s capital city,” reports Florida Phoenix’s Nada Hassanein. “Tucked in a quiet neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Florida’s capital city, the four-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot house with a brick archway and shrub-lined walkway is just 5 miles from the capitol building. But it offers a sanctuary — albeit a limited one — from the transgender debates roiling the Florida Legislature.” | | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | |  He'll endorse at an event later today. | Phil Sears/AP Photo |
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Florida GOP Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson is endorsing Sen. Rick Scott for reelection today. Scott will announce it at a campaign event in Dover, where the senator will unveil his “Farmers for Rick Scott” coalition. Simpson, who refrained from endorsing during the presidential race, called Scott a “once-in-a-generation kind of leader” who “held the line against Washington excess, stood up to dangerous policies, and injected some good old fashioned Florida common sense into a town desperately in short supply." Other endorsements will include Florida Sen. Jay Collins, who chairs the agriculture committee, GOP state Rep. Danny Alvarez, U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee, as well groups like Florida Farm Bureau and Florida Citrus Mutual.
“In Florida, we lead the way when it comes to agriculture — a critical industry that provides good-paying jobs to hundreds of thousands of Floridians and fuels our state economy,” Scott said in a statement. “In recent years, our great farmers, ranchers, and growers have faced numerous hardships, from citrus greening to natural disasters, and it’s imperative that we continue to do everything we can to ensure they have the resources they need to succeed.” SOUNDING OFF — “Why DeSantis keeps bickering with Trump,” by Gary Fineout and Kimberly Leonard. DeSantis in a recent call warned against using “identity politics” in Trump’s potential vice presidential pick. That call, along with a press conference to trumpet his legislative battles with Disney and a sendoff of Florida National Guard to the Texas border, has once again raised questions about his motives, especially considering that he endorsed Trump for president and often criticizes Trump’s rival, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. “I think he is just very frustrated that no one else is saying these very obvious things and so feels the need to say them himself. Like the boy in ‘The Emperor's New Clothes,’” said Jason Osborne, the New Hampshire House majority leader who backed DeSantis’ presidential bid. PRIMARY MANEUVERS — “How Johnson wooed Trump to back a GOP congressman targeted by Gaetz,” by CNN’s Manu Raju and Melanie Zanona. “Speaker Mike Johnson and his top lieutenants had a mission last week when they made a trek to Mar-a-Lago: Secure a Donald Trump endorsement for an incumbent House Republican over an insurgent primary rival boosted by Rep. Matt Gaetz … Johnson lobbied Trump to back Republican Rep. Mike Bost against his MAGA-aligned primary foe, Darren Bailey, in the southern Illinois district — a sign of how the new speaker is leveraging his relationship with the former president as internal GOP primary battles threaten to reshape the makeup of Congress.” | | DATELINE D.C. | | | | 
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack) | AP | TODAY — The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments over a Florida law that made it illegal for tech companies to ban candidates from their platforms. POLITICO has a handy preview of what to know about the case and concludes social media has turned in conservatives’ favor. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody will be in D.C taking questions from the press today, per A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics. TOMORROW — “U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Donald Trump Jr. will attend a town hall with PublicSquare and its CEO, Michael Seifert,” in Pensacola, per Florida Voice. STOCK TRADING BAN PUSH — Gaetz attacks GOP House Ethics chair amid investigation, reports POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy. During his CPAC session entitled “Burning Down the House,” Gaetz directed attacks at House Ethics chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) over stock trading, which Guest has reported on his financial disclosures. Gaetz said Guest has “become a brilliant stock trader while in office.” “For the same reason you don’t let the umpire bet on the game, members of Congress should not be allowed to trade individual stocks,” Gaetz said. “How about the Ethics Committee take up those reforms?”
|  U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) speaks during the Florida Freedom Summit at the Gaylord Palms Resort on November 04, 2023 in Kissimmee, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | IN THE VEEP MIX — “Byron Donalds says he’s not offended by Trump’s remarks on Black voters,” reports Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics. Donalds said yesterday that “he was not offended by recent comments made by Trump that suggested Black people like him because he has been criminally charged. Donalds, who appeared on NBC News’ Meet the Press, contended that Black voters are interested in supporting him for multiple reasons, including Trump’s handling of the economy, but he said that Trump’s legal woes are a factor as well.”
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MOST FLORIDA — “At the Florida Man Games, big crowds cheer competitors evading police, wrestling over beer,” reports The Associated Press’ Russ Bynum. “Promoted as ‘the most insane athletic showdown on Earth,’ the Florida Man Games poke fun at the state’s reputation for bizarre stories that involve brawling, drinking, gunfire, reptile wrangling and other antics carrying a risk of time in jail or intensive care.”
BIRTHDAYS: State Rep. David Silvers … Ana Cruz of Ballard Partners ... Former state Rep. Ron Greenstein ... Former state Rep. Jerry Paul ... Jason Dearen, investigative reporter … Photographer Mark Foley | | 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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