| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | |  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a news conference. | Marta Lavandier/AP |
Good morning from Tallahassee and happy Friday.
The end of this year’s Legislative session is expected to be just hours away. Lawmakers are meeting for the last time this morning to decide whether to accept the state budget, conduct final business and formally call it a wrap. In the weeks and months ahead, Gov. Ron DeSantis is likely to hold public signings touting his favorite accomplishments. But first, here's a look back at what came from this session — one that felt less widely watched with a presidential race in the rear view mirror, yet will still make major changes to life in Florida. State lawmakers overrode local decision makers. Under DeSantis’ governorship, the state made several moves to preempt local rules, especially during Covid on matters like mask and vaccine mandates. This year’s Legislative session keeps up that posture. The Legislature got rid of “woke” teacher trainings, limited local watchdog commissions from launching ethics investigations, restricted the local regulation of electric vehicle charging stations and blocked local governments from banning gasoline-powered leaf blowers. Still undecided are measures on preempting local rules that would mandate employers provide heat and water breaks and adopting state regulations for short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo. DeSantis can still flex when he wants something. The governor didn’t have a robust to-do list ahead of session, but he still got his way more often than not. The bill banning minors from social media was the most high-profile example of that — the Legislature made changes to address his concerns and his veto forced a compromise on parental consent. He also got the property tax cut he wanted in the budget and a last-minute request for a toll relief program. And Florida Republicans scrapped an early effort to use taxpayer money to help pay for former President Donald Trump’s mounting legal bills after DeSantis threatened to nix the proposal. After pressing for issues to run on during the 2024 session and being on the campaign trail for the first couple of weeks of lawmaking, DeSantis was able to mostly let Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker Paul Renner take the reins this year. Legislative leaders cemented their legacies. Renner’s time as speaker and the years that follow will be defined by implementing universal school vouchers while going up against Big Tech — and ultimately being taken down a notch by parental rights — through a social media ban. Passidomo helped allocate hundreds of billions of dollars toward improving health care and housing access. Neither publicly criticized the governor nor each other, and instead delivered glowing reviews of how well they all got along and how much they agreed. “We have a lot of the same philosophy of life, and so when we are looking at bills in our respective chambers we look at it through a very similar lens,” Passidomo said of Renner. The House passed far more conservative policies. They included requiring transgender Floridians to display their sex assigned at birth on their IDs, lowering the rifle purchasing age from 21 to 18 and shortening the firearms waiting period. Renner acknowledged he and Passidomo disagreed on firearms related bills but said examples of disagreement were “rare” and “worked out through a lot of deep, mutual respect.” But some members had hoped to send more conservative bills to the governor. GOP Rep. Taylor Yarkosky said the House “definitely led the charge on the conservative agenda” this session, adding that he’d wanted to see changes to gun laws and LGBTQ-related measures. “I believe there were more of those fights that needed to be finished this session that, to my knowledge, the Senate said, ‘We're not doing that,’” he said. The most-divisive bills toppled. The Legislature didn’t pass more restrictions on abortions nor a bill giving new protections to “unborn children.” Despite DeSantis and the Republican Party of Florida voicing support, a measure banning ideological or political flags from government buildings, and another that would have prevented the removal of statues, including Confederate monuments, both met their end. GOP Rep. Randy Fine said it was hard to “improve upon what we did last year” given how many conservative measures the Legislature passed then. “Many of these ideas we can look at next year,” he added. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com | | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT: The stakes are high as America's health care community strives to meet the evolving needs of patients and practitioners, adopt new technologies and navigate skeptical public attitudes toward science. Join POLITICO’s annual Health Care Summit on March 13 where we will discuss the future of medicine, including the latest in health tech, new drugs and brain treatments, diagnostics, health equity, workforce strains and more. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | |
RULED — “Judge rules Florida can’t ban noncitizens from voter drives,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Juan Carlos Chavez. “A federal court overturned a provision of a Florida state law aimed at preventing noncitizens from registering new voters. The provision imposed a $50,000 fine on any organization for each noncitizen or permanent resident who collects or handles voter registration forms for noncitizens.”
NEW SPENDING — “Inside plans for a new $208 million Florida Agriculture office complex,” by James Call of USA Today Network - Florida. “The department will relocate nearly 1,000 office workers out of downtown Tallahassee to a new building five miles away on state-owned land at the department's Conner Complex, near the corner of Capital Circle Northeast and Conner Boulevard … A 2017 study found many state-owned office buildings, like the Mayo and Holland, are reaching the end of their useful lives: The Mayo is 87 years old, the Holland 75. A consultant hired by the Department of Management Services, the state's real estate manager, recommended the state consider disposing of them and advised FDACS to explore building out at the Conner Complex.” UNPACKING THE NUMBERS — “When state-run Hurricane Ian fund swelled, DeSantis allies got fast money – while others were forced to wait,” by the Florida Trident’s Tom Scherberger. “Volunteer Florida, the state’s official private emergency fund, would raise a total of $63 million – nearly eight times the money raised after Hurricane Irma swept through the Florida peninsula in 2017. Some of the biggest corporations in the state donated big bucks, including $5 million from Charles Schwab and $1 million each from Publix, Amazon, Florida Blue and HCA. But where has that money gone? An investigation by the Florida Trident found that a once-rigorous competitive grant system, requiring proof of how donations are spent, was scrapped. Instead, the fund in those early months handed out millions of dollars in “expedited” grants to organizations with no explicit training or experience in emergency disaster relief – but with political ties to DeSantis.”
|  FILE - The Old Capitol and current Florida Capitol buildings are seen, Feb. 8, 2023, in Tallahassee, Florida. | AP Photo/Phil Sears, File | … HEADED FOR DESANTIS’ DESK … — Florida lawmakers back chaplains in schools, changes for book challenges, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. Florida’s legislation, FL HB1 (24R) would clear a path for local school districts and charter schools — if they choose — to permit chaplains to provide “support, services, and programs to students.” It spells out that a chaplain participating in a school program must pass a background check but doesn’t otherwise require any certifications. — Legislature passes bill to close beaches, warn swimmers of beach water quality violations, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. The Senate on Thursday passed a House bill that requires state health officials to issue advisories within 24 hours for high bacteria levels and to close beaches if necessary. — House sends to governor amended energy bill backing gas, banning windmills, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. The House on Thursday passed an amended energy bill backed by Speaker Paul Renner that strikes climate policies in state law and bans nearshore windmills Renner says the bill is needed to support utilities against pressure from the Biden Administration and others who pursue "unrealistic" climate goals. The bill also relaxes siting requirements for natural gas pipelines and allows gas storage tanks in all local commercial, industrial and manufacturing land use categories. Homeowners associations are banned from regulating energy sources in neighborhoods. — “Florida Legislature passes 'no-go' zone around first responders despite transparency concerns,” reports Douglas Soule of USA Today Network - Florida. “If signed, the legislation (SB 184) would create a second-degree misdemeanor for anyone who, after a warning, approaches or remains within 25 feet of working first responders with the intent to harass, threaten, impede or interfere. That's punishable by up to 60 days behind bars.” — “Florida bill allowing parents to waive some child labor laws passes legislature,” reports WFSU’s Tristan Wood. “The Senate approved a House bill Thursday that allows businesses to work minors older than 16-years-old more than 30 hours a week if they obtain parental permission via a state-sanctioned form.” — House sends bear killing bill to governor as sponsor warns wildlife officials will be watching, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. The bill has been the subject of bear jokes on the House and Senate floor. But bill supporters continued to warn that people need to be able to protect themselves from a growing bear threat in North Florida. But some environmentalists and other Democrats have argued that people should do more to discourage bears from seeking food near their homes, including using bear-proof garbage containers. — “Florida lawmakers pass Gabby Petito-inspired domestic violence bill,” reports WFLA’s Kevin Accettulla. “Florida lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously passed a domestic violence bill that includes language pushed for by the family of Gabby Petito … Senate Bill 1224 would require law enforcement to be trained on how to assess if a domestic violence victim is at a higher risk of death or serious injury by asking a series of 12 questions.” — “DeSantis expected to sign truck-towing reforms,” reports John Gallagher of Freightwaves. “Legislation aimed at reducing predatory billing against truckers who need towing services in Florida is expected to be signed into law by DeSantis, according to a source familiar with the reforms. ‘We haven’t heard anything to the contrary, so we’re pretty confident the towing bill will be signed into law,’ a Florida Senate staff member familiar with the legislation told FreightWaves. If approved by DeSantis, the law will go into effect July 1.” — “Legislature OKs bill requiring DNA samples from all Florida inmates,” reports POLITICO’s Jesse Scheckner. “HB 533, which lawmakers passed unanimously, will require that any inmate who doesn’t already have DNA in the state’s database to provide a sample by Sept. 30.” — “Legislature approves flavor-targeting vape restrictions, but exempts e-liquids,” reports Florida Politics’ Jesse Scheckner
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Moms for Liberty co-founders Tina Descovich, left, speaks at the Moms for Liberty meeting in Philadelphia, June 30, 2023. The co-founder of Moms for Liberty, a “parental rights” group that has sought to take over school boards in multiple states, was appointed Wednesday, Sept. 6, to the Florida Commission on Ethics. | Matt Rourke/AP | | … LEGISLATIVE GRAVEYARD … — Lobbying concern stymies Moms for Liberty co-founder’s ethics panel confirmation — for now, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. The Florida Senate declined to confirm Tina Descovich, a co-founder of the conservative parental rights group Moms for Liberty, to the state’s ethics board on Thursday over concerns that her role with the organization could be considering lobbying. While the GOP-led Senate contends her confirmation “requires additional review,” DeSantis intends to quickly reappoint Descovich to the panel responsible for weighing complaints against public officials in the state — Florida backs away from voucher purchasing restrictions, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. The bill that cleared the Legislature on Thursday only requires organizations that administer the vouchers to produce “handbooks” detailing what expenses are allowed and prohibited. The significant policy shift represents a change of heart by both the House and Senate after hearing from frustrated parents, particularly those choosing to home-school, who argued the restrictions would micromanage how they choose to educate their children, cutting them off from valuable learning experiences in extracurricular activities. The change shifted the votes for dozens of Democrats that supported the original legislation but slammed the programs as a “racket” for allowing families to buy televisions, kayaks and trips to amusement parks on the state’s dime. | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | |
EVICTION NOTICE — “Miami-Dade County moves to evict Miami Seaquarium, gives park until April to vacate,” reports Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald. “The notice terminating the Seaquarium’s county lease moves Miami-Dade dramatically closer to ejecting the Seaquarium from its home of nearly 70 years in a rapid escalation of the confrontation between Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and the company that took over the for-profit operation in 2022. In a letter from the mayor’s office, Miami-Dade ordered the Seaquarium to surrender its waterfront property by April 21.”
PROBE INTO ACCIDENT — “Pool deck still is likely origin of Surfside condo collapse, federal investigators say,” reports the Miami Herald’s Aaron Leibowitz. “In their first public update since last fall on a years-long effort to determine what caused the tragedy ... Investigators said there is ‘strong evidence’ that the collapse began in the pool deck of the 12-story, L-shaped Champlain Towers South building, though they have not yet ruled out an initial failure point ‘in some part of the tower’ that could have led to the collapse of the pool deck.” | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | |  Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levina Cava speaks at a news conference, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Miami. | Marta Lavandier/AP | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Florida Rising is endorsing Democratic Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine-Cava for reelection, citing her work on affordable housing, public transportation and on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. "Florida Rising is celebrating International Women’s Day by endorsing her for reelection in November 2024," the group said in a release. DEM SHAKE UP — “‘What was she thinking?’ Florida Democratic Party blasted — and praised — for suspending Palm Beach County party chair,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man. “The tone of the criticism and the nature of the support illustrate the stakes for a party that is attempting to rebuild itself. Also clear: the divisions and infighting [Florida Democratic Chair Nikki] Fried said she was acting to staunch have continued to flow. Turmoil continues in the Palm Beach County Democratic Party with just eight months until critical elections. And that could affect the ability of Democrats to effectively compete in November as they attempt to win back control of the Palm Beach County Commission and regain recent losses in state legislative districts.” | | | | On the ground in Albany. Get critical policy news and analysis inside New York State. Track how power brokers are driving change across legislation and budget and impacting lobbying efforts. Learn more. | | | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | | | 
President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Washington. (Shawn Thew/Pool via AP) | AP |
SOTU — In an energetic speech last night, President Joe Biden criticized "banning books" as "wrong" in what was likely a jab at Florida's law requiring libraries to pull books from shelves deemed inappropriate. U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) told POLITICO's Mia McCarthy afterward that she "loved his vigor" and was glad Biden addressed education.
"Florida, Florida, Florida, it's an embarrassment," she said. "There are many policies that Ron DeSantis and the Republicans have put into place in Florida that are not only destructive but embarrassing." | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | |
MAR-A-LAGO DOCS — Special counsel: Trump’s ‘deception’ on classified docs distinguishes him from Biden, Clinton and Pence, reports POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney. Donald Trump’s efforts to thwart a federal investigation into his hoarding of national security secrets set him apart from other political figures who’ve faced allegations of mishandling classified information, including President Joe Biden, Hillary and Bill Clinton, Mike Pence and James Comey, special counsel Jack Smith said in a court filing Thursday.
Rather than serve as evidence that Trump is being singled out by politically motivated prosecutors, Smith contends that the long list of figures — most of whom never faced any charges — underscores the egregiousness of Trump’s conduct, which was “aggravated” by his monthslong refusal to return the documents. | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
A former presidential candidate thinks Sen. Rick Scott has potential as the next GOP leader.
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