| | | | |  | | By Gary Fineout | Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Florida’s largest property insurer this week signed off on another round of double-digit rate hikes it wants state regulators to approve. Citizens Property Insurance was created by the state and it is meant to be an insurer of last resort. But in times of trouble for the insurance market, its policyholder count swells — and there’s been plenty of trouble for insurance in a state bedeviled by hurricanes and with a lot of people living near the coast. In recent years insurers have gone insolvent, shrank their policyholder count and raised rates. As an entity blessed and created by the state, Citizens does not operate like a private insurer because it has a different mission and different rules. And more than 1 million policyholders — many of them living in South Florida — rely on Citizens for coverage that is likely to keep rising in cost. Citizens’ board on Wednesday approved asking state regulators for an average 14 percent hike — news that comes amid the ‘it’s getting better’ sentiment advanced by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis and Republican legislators. Lawmakers and DeSantis have responded to soaring insurance rates in several ways, but primarily by making it harder to sue insurance companies who said litigation was driving up costs. GOP policymakers resisted any other significant changes, however. Florida leaders have recently pointed to trends that they say show the market is improving, including the entry of new companies and some insurers either asking for no increases this year or even recommending a slight decrease. “We said it’s just not going to happen overnight,” DeSantis said on Wednesday, when he was asked about insurance at an event he held in the Florida Keys. “We are going in the right direction,” proclaimed Patronis, when he was asked on Tuesday evening during an appearance held on the social media platform X. Both politicians also place some blame on inflation, which drives up replacement costs for insurers. DeSantis said in his comments that a recent drive-thru visit to McDonalds cost his family of five more than $50. “My wife and I really didn’t get that much,” he said. But Florida Republicans are in a conundrum with insurance rates that mirrors the messaging problem that President Joe Biden and Democrats have with the economy. There may be all sorts of signs and data that show inflation is not raging the way it once was, and that there are plenty of healthy bellwethers for the economy. But Americans are still paying more when they go to the grocery store and want to buy basic staples or when they are thinking about buying a house or a car. And Floridians are still paying considerably more for property insurance than they were just a few years ago.Recent reports have placed Florida property insurance rates at the highest in the nation and four times the national average. The political element to this is that inflation and the economy remain a big problem for Biden and Democrats. Meanwhile, Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried and other Democrats have tried to link the state’s affordability crisis and the problems with homeowner’s insurance to DeSantis and Republicans — pointing to GOP control in Tallahassee for the past 25-plus years. The question is who will voters blame? — WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget in the budget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com. Kimberly Leonard will be out June 14-21. POLITICO’s Gary Fineout will be anchoring Playbook this week, and you can reach him at gfineout@politico.com.
| | | | THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists.
Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | |  | CAMPAIGN MODE | | STAR GAZING — Democratic National Committee chair Jaime Harrison — fresh off a visit to Tallahassee — contended on MSNBC on Wednesday that “the stars are aligning in Florida.” Harrison added that “we can’t sleep on Florida.” The message the DNC chair gave to a cable television audience was similar to one he delivered a day earlier, when he assembled with Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried and other Democrats to tout the party’s efforts at fielding a candidate in every congressional and legislative race in the state. But, but, but — Democrats have contended the state is in play this year, in part thanks to the abortion access amendment that will be on the November ballot. But Harrison sidestepped questions about whether national Democrats — from the President Joe Biden’s campaign to Senate and House committees — will actually spend significant amounts of money in the Sunshine State. Two years ago, Democrats essentially gave up on the state ahead of a GOP drubbing up and down the ballot. Harrison told reporters “we’ll look and see what the numbers are.” But he said visits by Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and others were proof that “Florida is important to us.” He also pointed out that the Biden campaign is setting up offices in the state and plans to expand its footprint over the summer. Response — Evan Power, the chair of the Republican Party of Florida, mocked Harrison’s visit to Tallahassee as a trip to give Fried a “participation trophy.” “In rounding up patsies to run in every legislative district in the state, Fried can enjoy today's Pyrrhic victory — only for her candidates to once again face defeat this November,” Power said in a statement.
|  DNC chair Jaime Harrison visited Tallahassee earlier this week | Francis Chung/E&E News/POLITICO | FALLOUT — “Lake Republicans censure tax collector and his brother over alleged ‘elections fraud,’” by Orlando Sentinel’s Stephen Hudak: “An outraged executive committee of the Lake County Republican Party voted unanimously Tuesday to censure Tax Collector David Jordan and his brother Mark, alleging they ‘concocted a plot to steal the Republican nomination’ for property appraiser from incumbent Carey Baker. The party resolution alleges the Jordan brothers lay in wait Friday for Baker to leave the Elections Supervisor’s Office so that Mark Jordan could file last-minute papers to run against him. Because Baker had filed as a write-in candidate, the result was that Jordan’s name will appear on the ballot while Baker’s will not.” — “VP Kamala Harris lauds Black voting rights group on Juneteenth,” by Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry
| | DESANTISLAND | | IMITATION ZONE — “Newsom and DeSantis agree on swiping smartphones from school kids but they’re still sniping,” by POLITICO’s Christopher Cadelago and Eric He: The California Democrat and the Florida Republican now find themselves converging on an issue that’s gained a surprising amount of bipartisan support: outright banning, or severely curtailing, children from using smartphones at schools. That doesn’t mean the popular policy will erase the long-running grudge match. DeSantis last year moved to own the issue with his first-in-the-nation ban. On Tuesday, Newsom followed suit, telling POLITICO he is planning to sign legislation this year to adopt tighter restrictions on smartphones in classrooms. DeSantis’ team revived the rivalry with a jab to claim Florida got there first. “There may still be a chance to come back from the brink,” DeSantis spokesperson Bryan Griffin wrote online, a reference to the low esteem they hold California in. INBOX — “Florida medical marijuana patients get an unexpected email praising DeSantis,” by Associated Press’ Brendan Farrington: “Florida has more than 700,000 medical marijuana patients and Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis — who is battling a proposal to allow recreational use of marijuana — wants them all to know what a great job he’s doing. The Department of Health last week sent a blast email to its medical marijuana patient list boasting that DeSantis signed the state budget.” Reaction — “Nothing in the email mentions medical marijuana, and patients and advocates say that the DeSantis administration violated their privacy by using the patient list to promote policy. ‘That is revolting. That is really such a misuse of power and information,’ said state Rep. Kelly Skidmore, the ranking Democrat on the House Health Policy Committee.” — “Gov. DeSantis touts cancer funding accomplishments, hints at future changes,” by Florida Politics’ Christine Jordan Sexton — “Gov. DeSantis announces $5 million for coral reef recovery, additional day to lobster mini-season,” by CBS Miami’s Mauricio Maldonado
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | SPLIT SCREEN — “‘No to dictators, no to Trump’: Billboard on Palmetto draws outrage, agreement in Miami,” by Miami Herald’s Max Greenwood and Syra Ortiz Blanes: “A roadside billboard in Miami that draws comparisons between Donald Trump and dictators like Fidel Castro is aiming to strike a chord with South Florida Hispanics. For some, it’s touching a nerve. The billboard, which reads ‘No a los dictadores, no a Trump – “No to dictators, no to Trump’ – was posted Monday along the Palmetto Expressway near Northwest 67th Avenue by an anti-Trump outside group called Mad Dog PAC. It depicts Trump and the late Castro face-to-face on opposite sides of the sign.” SHORT LIST — “How Marco Rubio went from rival to one of Donald Trump’s VP finalists,” by Washington Post’s Marianne LeVine: “When Marco Rubio flew with President Donald Trump on Air Force One in 2017, the Republican senator from Florida cracked a joke about Trump’s reported strong handshake with French President Emmanuel Macron. Rubio knew his hands weren’t small, Trump quipped. Trump was referring to Rubio’s awkward attack on him — an implicit reference to male anatomy — during the 2016 primary, when the two were bitter rivals, charting different courses for the GOP. Evolution — “The in-flight conversation, recounted by then-Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.), was one of the earliest indicators of a thaw in a once-frosty dynamic between Rubio and the man he had labeled a ‘con artist.’ Now Rubio is a finalist to be Trump’s running mate, the culmination of a years-long shift that has impressed the former president’s allies — and surprised and disappointed some of the senator’s former associates.”
| | DATELINE D.C. | | DETAILS — “House Ethics gives new details on Gaetz investigation,” by POLITICO’s Jordain Carney: The committee said it is reviewing a long list of allegations against the Florida Republican, including sexual misconduct, illicit drug use, accepting improper gifts and obstructing investigations into his conduct. And it added that it’s not taking further actions “at this time” on some allegations, including that Gaetz shared inappropriate images on the House floor and accepted a bribe or “improper gratuity.” It’s the most comprehensive accounting to date on what the notoriously private panel, which is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans, has been doing behind the scenes on Gaetz.
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | MOUSE TRAP — “Disney told L.A. residents to move to Florida for a planned campus. They did, it was canceled and now they’re suing,” by Los Angeles Times’ Meg James: “According to a lawsuit filed Tuesday against Disney in Los Angeles County Superior Court, numerous workers heeded the company’s calls, dutifully sold their homes in Los Angeles and moved to Central Florida. Plaintiffs Maria De La Cruz and George Fong, both current Disney employees, alleged they were fraudulently induced to relocate to Florida by being led to believe that they would lose their jobs if they turned down the move.” ‘IT HELPS TELL THE STORY’ — “The site of the first free Black town in the U.S. is being rebuilt near St. Augustine,” by Miami Herald’s C. Isaiah Smalls II: “What [Jane] Landers ultimately discovered was Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose, better known as Fort Mose, the first town for free Black people in what would become the United States of America. Established in 1738, the town sat just a few miles north of St. Augustine, the oldest city in the country, until the Spanish sold Florida to the British in 1763. And while this history lay dormant for years until the mid-80s, its importance to not only Florida but this country will be enshrined forever once the reconstruction of the fort is finished in 2025. ‘We decided to reconstruct the 1738 fort because that was the first site of freedom,’ said Julia Gill Woodward, the CEO of the Florida State Parks Foundation, a nonprofit that’s helping to oversee Fort Mose’s resurrection.”
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