| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Kierra Frazier | |  President Joe Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis arrive to tour an area impacted by Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. | Evan Vucci, File/AP Photo | Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Gov. Ron DeSantis has been contrasting the state and federal response to Hurricane Helene, just as President Joe Biden plans to drop in on Florida today to survey the storm’s damage. At relief stops in the last couple of days, DeSantis portrays the state’s actions as fast, nimble and responsive. As for the federal response? It can sometimes be slow, overly bureaucratic and ultimately not as effective, he said. “If you look at how this response went — the prep and the immediate response — this was overwhelmingly state and local, and that’s how we view it,” Desantis said this week. “We don’t want to be waiting on the feds. We want to be able to lean in.” DeSantis has often cast Florida as a counterpoint to President Joe Biden’s administration while in office. It’s not clear whether the governor will appear alongside Biden during his Florida visit today, but Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who’s up for reelection in November, is set to join, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. Biden will fly into Tallahassee then take an aerial tour and land in Perry. Then he’ll receive a briefing in Keaton Beach. DeSantis said Wednesday that he would use every state lever he could to help Floridians with the recovery. This week he talked about making sure that people aren’t paying property taxes when their homes have been destroyed and about easing regulations and waiving fees so businesses, such as restaurants, could rebuild faster. He brought attention to how the state quickly brought trailers into Horseshoe, estimating FEMA would otherwise have taken six weeks. The state is holding an “Insurance Recovery Village” in Clearwater today where insurers will be on hand to write people checks for their claims, said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. DeSantis also criticized the Biden administration over a dock worker’s strike that’s affecting ports in several states, including Florida. It was “totally unacceptable,” he said, to “deprive people of the supplies they need” for rebuilding after a natural disaster. It would be a “really really bad look for the Biden-Harris administration to allow supplies to just be sitting in the Atlantic Ocean” given that cargo can’t be unloaded at ports along the eastern seaboard and Gulf Coast. “We should be doing all we can — the federal government should be doing all they can — to make sure all the supplies continue to come in here unabated,” DeSantis said, promising that if there was something he could do as governor to get things moving, then he would. DeSantis has gone so far as to say the federal government should be focused more on North Carolina. As if to underscore the point, DeSantis directed state helicopters into North Carolina to drop off food, water and gas, and to get Floridians out of the wreckage. Similarly, Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), an Army veteran, flew helicopters filled with essential supplies into North Carolina, and helped with rescues and welfare checks. The move, he said on Fox News, was intended to “answer the call for Americans when the federal government fails to act,” reported POLITICO’s Greta Reich. Former President Donald Trump most vocally criticized Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris early over the hurricane response, creating a new line of attack in the 2024 elections. But Trump’s comments were far more personal. To those comments, Biden replied angrily: “He implies that we’re not doing everything possible. We are.” Biden was in South Carolina and North Carolina on Wednesday surveying the damage, and sent 1,000 active-duty military personnel to help with the response. He thanked first responders and received an operational briefing alongside Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper of North Carolina. “In a moment like this we put politics aside,” he said. “At least we should put it all aside and we have here there are no Democrats or Republicans, we are all Americans.” He also used his closing remarks to criticize those who ignore the climate crisis. “Nobody can deny the impacts of the climate crisis anymore, at least I hope they don’t,” he said. “They must be brain dead if they do.” Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget in the campaign reporting that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
|  | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | | | 
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) arrives to deliver an economic address to financial and business leaders, at the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. | Richard Drew/AP Photo | TODAY — House Speaker Mike Johnson is traveling to Steinhatchee this afternoon, when he’ll be accompanied by Reps. Kat Cammack and Neal Dunn. He’ll be meeting with local officials, first responders and people who’ve been affected. ANOTHER — “Hurricane center tracks system that could hit Florida while TD13 joins Hurricane Kirk in Atlantic,” by the Orlando Sentinel’s Richard Tribou. “As Hurricane Kirk gained strength and Tropical Depression Thirteen formed Wednesday but were no threat to land in the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center was keeping track of system that could develop in the Gulf of Mexico and turn toward Florida. As of the NHC’s 8 p.m. tropical outlook, the system that could mean at least heavy rains for Florida next week was for now a broad trough of low pressure with a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms running from the southwestern Caribbean Sea up into the southern Gulf of Mexico.” — “Mayorkas warns FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to last through hurricane season,” by The Associated Press. RESPIRATORY HAZARD — “Red tide found in Pinellas County waters as Hurricane Helene cleanup is underway,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Max Chesnes. “The notorious algae could cause breathing problems for people already struggling to pick up waterlogged debris from moldy, ruined buildings. State wildlife biologists and county experts are tracking medium and low concentrations of Karenia brevis, the algae that causes red tide blooms, on a miles-long stretch of coastline ranging from Pass-a-Grille Beach north to Honeymoon Island.”
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | CASE DISMISSED — “Judge dismisses Florida’s college accreditation lawsuit against Education Department,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “The decision, which gives Florida a chance to reformulate its challenge, comes as several universities in the state are deep in the process of switching accreditation boards — including some that have already scored approval from President Joe Biden’s education agency.” $750K IN FEES — “‘Stop WOKE’ case could cost Florida as businesses seek fees after ‘resounding victory,’” reports News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders. “Citing what they called a “resounding victory,” attorneys for the businesses filed a motion Friday seeking $749,642 in fees. Also, they sought $41,144 in additional costs related to the lengthy legal battle. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in August ruled that the plaintiffs were entitled to seek fees, clearing the way for Friday’s detailed motion. The state faces an Oct. 28 deadline to respond to the request.” UNDER INVESTIGATION — “Florida Democrats call for grand jury probe of allegations against property insurer,” reports Spectrum News 13’s Jason Delgado. “In a letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell spotlighted a new 60 Minutes report that suggests at least one insurer operating in Florida is undermining damage reports related to Hurricane Ian — a Category 4 storm that struck in 2022. The 60 Minutes segment focused on Heritage Property & Casualty Insurance, a company the state confirms is under an active and ongoing fraud investigation.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | ‘LAST RESORT’ — “Under new law banning sleeping in public, will homeless people be arrested?” by South Flordia Sun Sentinel’s Angie DiMichele. “In South Florida, elected officials and several law enforcement agencies say that’s not the plan. Both the Broward Sheriff’s Office and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office have said they don’t intend to start making arrests, and some cities and counties agree that arrests are not the first option they plan to pursue. TEMPORARY HOMES — “Pensacola to spend $1 million on small shelters to get people off the street,” reports Pensacola News Journal’s Kevin Roinson. “[Pensacola Mayor D.C.] Reeves said the intent of the semi-permanent shelters is to provide an effective housing solution that also brings the city into compliance with the new law quickly. … Asked how many shelters the city could provide with $1 million, Reeves said the cost to install a 70-square-foot, single-person unit was around $20,000, and that there are two-person units that are a little more expensive.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | OCTOBER 15 — CBS Miami will host a debate between Trump-endorsed Republican Rosanna “Rosie” Cordero-Stut and Democrat James Reyes, candidates for Miami-Dade sheriff. CBS Miami’s investigative reporter Jim DeFede will moderate. “This is one of the most critical races facing our community and they deserve to hear from the two candidates on how they will address a wide range of issues from building trust with the police, safety, immigration laws and many other topics,” said Miguel Fernandez, vice president and news director for CBS Miami. MUSK AND DESANTIS — “Elon Musk gave tens of millions to Republican causes far earlier than previously known,” reports The Wall Street Journal’s Dana Mattioli, Joe Palazzolo and Khadeeja Safdar. “[In 2023], Musk gave $10 million in support of DeSantis as he ran for president, people familiar with his donation said. The money was routed through a group called Faithful & Strong Policies, according to the people familiar with the matter. Musk’s contribution to DeSantis’s presidential efforts hasn’t previously been reported. More than half of the money ended up in the coffers of a pro-DeSantis political-action committee called Never Back Down. DeSantis dropped out of the race in January.” SUPPORT AMONG BLACK VOTERS — “Could Black voter surge for Kamala Harris help Florida Democrats downballot?” reports USA Today Network – Florida’s John Kennedy. “Black voters reliably support Democrats, election results show. And the success or failure of Democratic candidates in Florida is largely pegged to just how engaged Black voters are in an election season, records show. Two years ago, when DeSantis was re-elected by a 19 percent margin, the biggest margin of victory in a Florida governor’s race in 40 years, Black voters represented only 10 percent of the electorate, below their state registration total of 13 percent."
| |  Former President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is joined by former first lady Melania Trump after accepting his party's nomination at the end of the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 18, 2024. | Nick Oxford/AFP via Getty Images | AMENDMENT 4 SUPPORTER? — “Melania Trump passionately defends abortion rights in upcoming memoir,” by the Guardian’s Martin Pengelly. “Donald Trump himself recently got into a tangle over whether he would vote in November to protect abortion rights in Florida, a ballot his wife will also cast given their residence at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. He eventually said he would vote no. Judging by her own words, Melania Trump appears likely to vote yes.” AMENDMENT 3 — “Trulieve sues Florida Republicans over anti-legalization ads,” reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. “Florida’s largest medical marijuana company on Wednesday filed a lawsuit accusing the state GOP and a TV station of defamation over advertisements urging voters to reject a ballot initiative seeking to legalize pot. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Tallahassee-based Trulieve and argues that a campaign mailer and a TV advertisement footed by the Republican Party of Florida falsely claims the company is using the initiative to establish a monopoly on the state's marijuana market. Trulieve has contributed the vast majority of the more than $100 million collected by the Amendment 3 campaign, and the company is also the largest and fastest-growing in the state.” NEW AD — “Recreational pot ad touts support from Kamala Harris, Donald Trump and broad political coalition,” reports Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles. “The Smart & Safe Florida campaign notes Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican opponent Donald Trump both favor legalizing marijuana in Florida. So do their running mates, Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz. A new ad, titled 'We’re All Saying the Same Thing,' cuts together supportive comments from all four political figures, and encourages Florida voters to pass Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana for adults.” OVERCROWDED — “Hillsborough’s pet adoption center, at 150 percent capacity, needs a new campus,” reports Tampa Bay Times’ Paul Guzzo. “A new and larger facility is on the county’s $2.6-billion wish list if voters renew the Hillsborough County Community Investment Tax on the November ballot. Approved by voters in 1996 for 30 years, the half-cent sales tax funds capital improvement projects throughout unincorporated Hillsborough, Tampa, Temple Terrace and Plant City. It is set to end in November 2026. Voters can reapprove it for another 15 years.” MUG SHOT PUBLICIZED — “Mailers bearing Carolina Amesty mug shot land in HD 45 mailboxes,” by Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles. “The miniature mailers were funded by Florida Student Power, which sent out 3,000 cards to voters in [Rep. Carolina] Amesty’s district, one of the top battlegrounds in the General Election this year. The cards reference Amesty’s arrest on two counts of forgery, one count of illegally notarizing her own signature on documents, and one of falsely certifying a signature as a notary.” BOTTOM OF THE BALLOT — “The Pinellas school board referendum on 2024 ballots, explained,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey S. Solochek. “This year, the school board is asking voters to double the rate from 50 cents to $1 per $1,000 of taxable value. … In addition to almost doubling the annual bonus that teachers receive, the change would allow the district to give other employees nearly $3,000 each in extra pay.”
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | PLACEHOLDER DATE — November 18 is the placeholder date that U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has set for alleged would-be Trump assassin Ryan Routh’s trial for a two-week session. Such dates, however, rarely hold. The case is slated to move to Fort Pierce, where Cannon’s chambers are located and where she also heard motions regarding the Trump classified documents case. … But prosecutors quickly sought a delay … “In an afternoon filing with the U.S. District Court, they cited a massive amount of evidence that still needs to be analyzed and reviewed by experts, thus making it a ‘complex’ case under the law that requires more time to prepare … There are also more than 100 outstanding subpoenas to be returned, according to the filing, along with ‘thousands of videos to review’ from multiple electronic devices seized thus far,’ reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s David Lyons.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: State Sen. Travis Hutson … Donna Blanton with the Radey law firm … Kimberly Leonard with POLITICO. | | | | 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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