| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | Presented by |  | | | |  The guitar shaped hotel is seen at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on Oct. 24, 2019, in Hollywood, Fla. | Brynn Anderson, File | Good morning and welcome to Monday. The Republican grassroots got their marching orders during this weekend’s quarterly state party meeting, as the election season enters its final two months. Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power told Playbook in an interview that the state party has put in motion the “best get-out-the-vote game that a party has ever had in Florida.” Because the state isn’t considered a battleground by the national party, it’ll be leaning on its county parties to “go out and work harder than they ever have before.” Power said Florida Republicans have nearly 170,000 people signed up to volunteer. “What we're going to do is try to turn out every Republican we can — especially low-propensity and medium-propensity voters,” Power said. RPOF members met this weekend at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, where they received pamphlets and yard signs on opposing ballot referendums to legalize recreational cannabis for adults and enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution. The party launched a TV ad over the weekend against the abortion amendment. Power said they’ll eventually air an ad against cannabis legalization too, but they don’t know yet how much they’ll spend as they continue to fundraise. (Worth noting that late last night former President Donald Trump revealed he would support the cannabis amendment.) The GOP meeting wrapped up Saturday with a “Victory Dinner.” Roughly 700 guests dined on braised short rib, sea bass and au gratin potatoes as Sen. Rick Scott took the stage and called it “crazy” for anyone to think Trump might lose Florida. Trump had also been invited to speak, but he was campaigning in Wisconsin so his campaign dispatched Kimberly Guilfoyle — the former Fox News personality and Donald Trump Jr.’s fiancée — as keynote. Republicans stressed they can’t get complacent, and no one Playbook spoke with predicted a repeat of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 19-point victory in 2022. Power said he expected Republicans would maintain a supermajority in the state Senate, but that the state House “gets a little more complicated.” He also predicted Trump would win Florida by 7 or 8 points, saying it would have been higher against President Joe Biden. (Trump won Florida by 3.3 points in 2020.) The evening turned more heated when DeSantis took the stage and put the congressional delegation on blast. He listed off every House member who’d either stated their opposition to the abortion amendment or donated toward the fight. Then he said it was “untenable” for the others to remain silent. He added that stating a position was the “least” they could do as Republicans and criticized “some people” who go with the “political winds.” “That's not leadership,” he said. “That is not what's going to make this state great. You've got to stand up, even when it's not easy, even when you're taking the arrows." DeSantis didn’t name those he was criticizing, but it was clear through the process of elimination. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s campaign was the only one that didn’t respond to Playbook's questions about being excluded from the list. The others — Reps. Bill Posey, who is retiring, Laurel Lee and Brian Mast — had either posted opposition or already previously told local outlets they’d be voting against the amendment. Former state Senate President Mike Haridopolos — who’s likely to be elected to Posey’s seat — told Playbook in a statement that he’d be voting against the amendment because it would cause Florida to “forever be an abortion on demand state.” It’s unclear how the list was decided, but Taryn Fenske, spokesperson for the Vote No on 4 campaign and the governor's political operation, said they were “excited” to see more members oppose the “extreme” amendment and looked forward to working with them to defeat it. What is clear is that DeSantis is frustrated with how some Republicans are handling the issue. At City Church Tallahassee last night, the governor referred to the House list he’d ticked off and added that it bothered him when Republicans “run saying you’re for life … and then when it comes time to actually do something about it, you’re nowhere to be found,” per POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. The comments come as Trump’s abortion messaging has been muddled, though he did eventually state he would oppose Florida’s amendment. COMING UP: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will face off in a debate next week. What questions should the ABC News moderators ask that would have particular salience for Florida? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com for a chance to get featured in Playbook.
| | | | A message from Uber: How does Uber expand transit access in Florida?
Every week, Uber helps over 3,000 people get to and from Brightline stations across Florida. On average, riders travel nearly 6 miles to connect to Brightline, extending their reach far beyond the tracks. Learn more about how Uber is working with transit agencies in Florida and across the country. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | |  Anti-abortion activists protest near the "Rally for Our Freedom" to protect abortion rights for Floridians, in Orlando, Florida, on April 13, 2024. | Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images | BLURRING THE LINES — “Florida health agency campaigns against abortion-rights ballot measure,” reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. “A Florida health care regulatory agency has launched a website to attack a ballot initiative asking voters to expand abortion access in November, as Republicans in the state try to rally opposition against it. The Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, which regulates the 49 licensed abortion clinics in the state, released the new ‘Florida is Protecting Life’ website on Thursday.” TRYING AGAIN — “Guns battle brewing: Campus and open carry bills will be back in 2025 Florida Legislature,” reports James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat. “A Labor Day weekend glass bottle attack of two Pennsylvania students wearing yarmulkes has prompted Rep. Randy Fine, R-Brevard, to renew his pledge to file legislation to repeal Florida’s ‘gun-free zone’ for state college and university campuses. Fine’s pledge comes in the wake of gun activists filing a federal lawsuit in South Florida to have Florida’s open-carry ban declared unconstitutional, and after Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican Legislature earlier this year eliminated a requirement for a concealed weapon permit to carry firearms in public.” KNOCKING ON DOORS — “DeSantis’ election police questioned people who signed abortion petitions,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Romy Ellenbogen, Justin Garcia and Lawrence Mower. “Since last week, DeSantis’ secretary of state has ordered elections supervisors in at least four counties to send to Tallahassee at least 36,000 petition forms already deemed to have been signed by real people. Since the Times first reported on this effort, Alachua and Broward counties have confirmed they also received requests from the state.” AFTER SIX-WEEK BAN — “Abortions in Florida drop nearly 13 percent,” reports Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida. “Newly released state data showed that 44,771 abortions had been reported in 2024 as of Monday. That was down from 51,318 abortions reported in early September 2022 and 51,253 abortions reported at the beginning of September 2023, according to numbers compiled in the past by The News Service of Florida.” FILES RUSHED OUT — “Florida state parks whistleblower personnel files released by DeSantis admin,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Emily L. Mahoney and Max Chesnes. “Days after a state employee was fired for disclosing information about plans by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to build golf courses, hotels and more on state parks, the administration released portions of the employee’s personnel file that detailed issues from a previous state job. The documents were provided to a Gainesville TV news station, WCJB, which reported that they came from the DeSantis administration — specifically an unnamed source inside the Agency for Health Care Administration. That agency provided those records without being asked, an unusual step for an administration that typically takes months, even years, to provide public records when journalists request them, if the state turns them over at all.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | FLED TO ASYLUM — “Edmundo González, likely winner of Venezuela election, flees to Spain,” reports POLITICO’s Carlo Martuscelli. “A Venezuelan judge last Monday issued an arrest warrant for the 75-year-old González, but Vice President Delcy Rodríguez said that the opposition leader had been granted safe passage out of the South American nation ‘for the sake of the tranquility and political peace of the country.’” REFERENDUMS — “Candidates in Orlando split over new rules to save rural land from suburban sprawl,” reports Jason Garcia of Seeking Rents. “When voters in Orlando go to the polls this fall, they will find suburban sprawl on the ballot. It’ll be there in the form of two referendums that would establish new protections for rural lands in Orange County, the rapidly growing region of nearly 1.5 million people that includes the city of Orlando. But it will also be on the ballot in the form of three county commission races, where rural land protections have also become a bright dividing line between the candidates.” — “Synthetic opioid more deadly than fentanyl becomes public health threat in South Florida,” reports WLRN’s Verónica Zaragovia. — “Girl, 14, arrested for making online threats of violence at multiple Broward schools, officials say,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man.
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | STORMS FALLING SHORT OF PREDICTIONS — “Meteorologists look for clues as to why hurricane season stalled. Is the answer in Africa?” by Kimberly Miller of the Palm Beach Post. “Rains came in mysterious abundance to the vast rocky plateaus and sand seas of the Sahara Desert this summer, rolling north from the fertile savanna grasslands in clouds heavy with as much as six times the normal amount of moisture. And it’s there, in one of the driest places on Earth, that bemused tropical meteorologists are looking for answers as to why the hurricane season stutters despite nearly every forecast calling for a far-above-average year.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | |  Second gentleman Doug Emhoff speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on August 20, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. | Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | THIS WEEK FOR DEMOCRATS — The party hosted unity rallies in Melbourne and Jacksonville over the weekend, where former Senate candidate Stanley Campbell endorsed Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. Tomorrow, Democrats are hosting roughly 30 debate watch parties across Florida. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will descend on Central Florida Friday, soon after the presidential debate, to rally around Vice President Kamala Harris’ “New Way Forward” to “mobilize support, drive enthusiasm and reach the voters who will decide this election.” The campaign is dispatching Harris, Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota first lady Gwen Walz at various other states across four days. FLORIDA CONNECTION — “Inside the Trump-Harris debate prep: method acting, insults, tough questions,” by The New York Times’ Jonathan Swan, Maggie Haberman, Katie Rogers and Reid J. Epstein. “In Mr. Trump’s debate prep sessions, Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida has embraced the role of posing tough questions to Mr. Trump, including on uncomfortable subjects like his criminal convictions, according to a person with knowledge of the gatherings ... When Mr. Gaetz, the Florida congressman involved in the preparations, was asked about them, he stayed on message. ‘President Trump doesn’t do debate prep,’ he texted on Friday. ‘He regularly assembles advisors to talk about how he will secure the border, lower prices and stop the global chaos caused by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Just another day at Mar-a-Lago!’” — “Florida GOP mum on Carolina Amesty’s indictment, suggesting tacit support,” reports Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel. MESSAGING PUSH — “Democrats launch text message campaign in Florida Senate race to reach Latino voters,” reports NPR’s Claudia Grisales. “Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, the former U.S. House Democrat now challenging Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott for the Senate, has launched a new campaign on WhatsApp to reach voters and attack a sea of disinformation. The direct messaging operation is part of a broader attempt to close the gap in a race that has grown increasingly tight.” — “Debbie Mucarsel-Powell launches Spanish language ad,” reports A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics. — “Democratic Tennessee lawmaker campaigns in Florida on avoiding ‘authoritarians,’” by the Florida Phoenix’s Jay Waagmeester.
| | | | A message from Uber: Expanding transit access in Florida
Did you know that every week, Uber helps over 3,000 people get to and from Brightline stations across Florida?
Key stat: On average, riders travel nearly 6 miles to reach these stations—extending Brightline’s reach far beyond the tracks.
From MiamiCentral to Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, Uber is making it easier for Floridians to access public transit.
Learn more about how Uber partners with transit agencies to improve access to public transportation. | | | | | TRANSITION TIME | | — Ballard Partners is expanding the Ballard Global Alliance into South Korea through a partnership with The GR Company. Together the firms will be offering public affairs services, crisis management, legislative advocacy, strategic counsel on complying with regulations and guidance on entering new markets. "We are delighted to be partnering with Ballard Partners, a US lobbying powerhouse. Through this partnership, we are able to offer our clients deeper and exceptional access to the American market at this critical point in time. This is a win-win for both firms and our clients, and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership," Jakob Edberg, CEO and president of The GR Company, said in a statement.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | OFFICERS BEING INVESTIGATED — “Tyreek Hill 'still trying' to process pregame detainment by police,” reports ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques.“ Multiple Dolphins players were detained by Miami-Dade Police Department officers before Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, including All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill said he was pulled over for allegedly speeding while driving to Hard Rock Stadium, roughly three hours before the game kicked off. He was ultimately placed in handcuffs after a ‘verbal altercation’ occurred, sources told ESPN's Jeff Darlington. Hill was cited for reckless driving, sources told Darlington.” BIRTHDAYS: Former state Sen. Tony Hill … investor and hotel owner Harris Rosen … Former Tallahassee Democrat editor Ron Morris. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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