| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | Presented by |  | | | |  President-elect Donald Trump arrives for a news conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 16, 2024. | Evan Vucci/AP | Good morning and welcome to 2025. Time for a jam-packed January for Florida. It begins this weekend, when the Republican Party of Florida will hold its annual meeting and election in Orlando for top officers. So far, RPOF Chair EVAN POWER isn’t facing any challengers, after leading the party to a huge victory in November and overcoming a rocky start to state party leadership in 2024. Then, the following weekend, RPOF will host a slew of events in Washington around President-elect DONALD TRUMP’s inauguration. (The full schedule is here.) Across the aisle, the Florida Democratic Party is having its own leadership elections on Jan. 25, also in Central Florida. Chair NIKKI FRIED is running for reelection, telling Playbook ahead of the holidays that the state party needed “consistent, steady leadership" and someone who "understands the obstacles ahead” and had a “willingness to have hard conversations.” “We can’t burn it down every two years and start over,” she said. She won't be the only one vying for the job, Playbook scoops. AUDREY GIBSON, a former Democratic leader in the Florida Senate who unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Jacksonville in 2023, is also getting into the race for party chair, she confirmed in a brief interview. “I’m not challenging an individual,” Gibson told Playbook. “I’m challenging the way we do business.” Vice chair candidates include JAYDEN D’ONOFRIO, 20, the co-founder and chair of Florida Future Leaders, and DANIEL HENRY, 33, who became the Duval County Democratic Party’s youngest chair in 2019 and the first Black LGBTQ+ person to hold the job, per Florida Politics’ Jesse Scheckner. (ICYMI: POLITICO’s deep dive on Florida Democrats’ identity crisis.) Big changes are ahead in Congress, too. There are two special election primaries on Jan. 28, for the 1st and 6th Congressional Districts — and the GOP nominee in both districts is expected to cruise to Congress in a few months, given that both districts are ruby red. Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) will also be leaving. He hasn’t yet said when he’ll be resigning his post to become secretary of state, and the confirmation hearings for this forthcoming nomination haven’t been announced yet. But there’s one person who won’t be the next senator from Florida: Over the holiday break, Trump daughter in law LARA TRUMP, who was the former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, removed her name from consideration to replace Rubio, POLITICO’s Gary Fineout reports. It still leaves Gov. RON DESANTIS with a hugely consequential decision — which he is expected to make early this month — that appears to be tilting in favor of Florida Attorney General ASHLEY MOODY. Finally, Florida continues to serve as the backdrop for Trump’s wheeling and dealing. He’s hosting top Republicans at Mar-a-Lago this weekend to lay out his policy agenda, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill reports, and he hosted Italian Prime Minister GIORGIA MELONI there on Saturday. And what the incoming president calls the “Winter White House” isn’t his only property in Florida. House Republicans plan to hold their retreat Jan. 27-29 at his Doral golf club just outside Miami. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
| | A message from Alibaba: U.S. businesses are succeeding globally by expanding sales to over one billion consumers through Alibaba’s online marketplace. Alibaba helps American companies do business abroad, generating more jobs and wages back home. In just one year, sales from U.S. businesses contributed billions of dollars to the U.S. GDP and supported hundreds of thousands of jobs. Learn how Alibaba helps drive global success for U.S. businesses. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | TODAY — Environmentalists are gearing up for a public hearing in Tallahassee on proposed state rules that are supposed to protect springs from groundwater overpumping. In December, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection proposed rules that define and limit groundwater pumping that is “harmful to the water resources.” — Bruce Ritchie LANDS FUTURE — “Florida for sale? Environmentalists worry that state’s conservation lands face uncertain future,” reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. “Some environmentalists are increasingly concerned about the direction the state is heading, including talk by some state leaders of selling or trading land, and a recent failed push by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration to build golf courses and lodging at state parks. And the state’s recent focus on easements paying farmers not to develop their land within the Florida Wildlife Corridor — a state-designated network of over 18 million acres — has split environmentalists, with some praising the program and others saying it comes at the expense of buying more land for parks, wildlife and public access.” POST-AMENDMENT 4 — “Florida’s pot industry suffered a major loss in November. But it won’t easily be dethroned,” reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. “The ever-increasingly difficult path faced by the new [pot] licensees is a welcome consolation prize for the big medical marijuana companies already operating in Florida, which just lost a bruising fight with DeSantis over legalizing recreational marijuana use for adults in the nation’s third-largest state. Had they won, existing pot companies would have been at the front of the line to sell non-medicinal products in a potential $6.1 billion dollar industry.”
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Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Aug. 8, 2024. | Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images | TREND SETTER — “DeSantis made Florida an incubator for ‘classical education.’ Is a national wave next?” by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “While several states are embracing the education approach — which emphasizes liberal arts and western teachings on math, science, civics and classical texts that have increasingly been embraced by conservatives and some Christians — Florida under DeSantis is going further by turning the state into an incubator for classical schools, both public and private alike.” NEW STATE LAWS AND REGS IN EFFECT FOR THE NEW YEAR — Florida’s minimum wage is up to $14 an hour, per USA Today Network-Florida’s C.A. Bridges … Florida residents can now sue local governments when people are sleeping outside overnight, reports Max Klaver of the Miami Herald. Under another new law, people have to stand at least 25 feet from a first responder who warns them to stay back, reports Howard Cohen of the Miami Herald … Florida’s Medicaid program covers adult incontinent supplies when they’re deemed medically necessary, reports Christopher O’Donnell of the Tampa Bay Times … Age verification laws took effect for porn sites, though websites are “either blocking access or not complying at all,” reports Douglas Soule of USA Today Network-Florida. LEGISLATION ROUNDUP — State Rep. JIM MOONEY (R-Islamorada) has filed a bill to make the flamingo Florida’s state bird, reports Jim Rosica of USA Today Network- Florida … Reps. MICHELLE RAYNER (D-St. Petersburg) and FIONA MCFARLAND (R-Sarasota) have introduced legislation to build more grocery stores in food deserts, reports Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix … Rep. MITCH ROSENWALD (D-Broward) has filed legislation that would protect public workers with medical marijuana prescriptions from facing repercussions following a positive marijuana test as long as the drug is used offsite, reports Jay Waagmeester of the Florida Phoenix … A bill from state Sen. ILEANA GARCIA (R-Miami) would make boating penalties more in line with those following car accidents, reports Alexandra Glorioso of the Miami Herald/Tampa Bay Times. — “States are walking away from high school exit tests. Is Florida next?” by Jeffrey S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times. — “Home insurance costs in Florida spiked in third quarter. Are more increases on the way?” by Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | TUESDAY — MONIQUE WORRELL is planning to return to her post as Orange Osceola County state attorney after winning reelection in November — despite DeSantis previously suspending her from the job. She announced that she’s hosting a couple of events Tuesday amid several reports — which she did not comment on publicly — that a state investigation might keep her from office. — On a semi-related note: Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel is reporting that the outgoing state attorney, ANDREW BAIN, intervened on behalf of former state Rep. CAROLINA AMESTY’s case to get charges dropped. — “Venezuelan regime hunts for foreign hostages to pressure its rivals,” by The Wall Street Journal’s Kejal Vyas. — “After three hurricanes in 13 months, residents of Cedar Key, Florida, are considering the island’s future — and their own,” by Amy Green of Inside Climate News. — One way to deal with high condo special assessment bills? Miami-Dade is offering residents loans at 0 percent interest, but they’re so popular that the money is running out and only has enough for another 400 residents, reports Rebecca San Juan of the Miami Herald. — Unsafe levels of fecal bacteria have been found in South Florida beach water, reports Cindy Krischer Goodman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | CAMPAIGN PROMISES — Florida Chief Financial Officer JIMMY PATRONIS, who is running to succeed former Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) in the 1st Congressional District, pledged over the weekend that if elected he would help create a committee that would investigate the bipartisan Jan. 6 Committee to “see what laws were violated and hold those accountable.” The promise came just ahead of today’s certification of the 2024 election results. — “Billionaire Ken Griffin was 2024’s top political donor in Miami-Dade County government,” reports Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald.
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | MORE TRUMP APPOINTMENTS — The incoming president has picked Miami-Dade Commissioner KEVIN MARINO CABRERA as ambassador to Panama, amid repeated threats to take back the Panama Canal, reports POLITICO’s Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing. Cabrera was Trump’s 2020 Florida reelection campaign state director. Again turning to Florida, Trump plans to nominate BENJAMÍN LEÓN JR., founder of Miami’s Leon Medical Centers, as ambassador to Spain, reports Michelle Marchante of the Miami Herald.
| | A message from Alibaba: Alibaba’s e-commerce marketplace is having a positive impact on Florida businesses. In fact, Fernando Tamez, CEO of FL-based DS Laboratories says “sales on Alibaba exceeded expectations by 50% in the first year,” and added that Alibaba guided DS Laboratories through every step in the process as they prepared to enter the global market.
DS Laboratories is now hiring more employees at its headquarters in Miami, Florida, to keep up with the growing global demand for its hair and skin care products. In just one year, it is estimated that sales on Alibaba by Florida businesses contributed millions to the state’s GDP and supported thousands of local jobs.
Learn how Florida businesses are achieving global success with Alibaba. | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | ETHICS INVESTIGATION REPORT — “The Office of Congressional Ethics found ‘substantial reason to believe’ that [Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.)] violated campaign finance laws, including making ‘payments to a state political action committee in connection with her campaign and failed to report these payments as contributions to her campaign,’” reports POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs. She said in a statement that “the fact that the allegations were referred for further review does not indicate any violation has occurred,” and that she would continue to “collaborate” with the investigation. — The House also released its report into Gaetz just before the holidays. The investigation found “found ‘substantial evidence’ that the Florida Republican committed statutory rape, solicited prostitutes and used illegal drugs,” POLITICO’s Olivia Beavers reports. Gaetz denied the allegations and several supporters urged him to keep fighting. 2ND YEAR IN A ROW — Florida has opted out of a federal summer food program that deposits money into food assistance debit cards to help families pay for groceries, reports Gabriella Paul of WUSF.
| | TRANSITION TIME | | — ERIKA DONALDS, a school choice advocate married to Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.), is joining the Trump-supporting America First Policy Institute to chair its Center for Education Opportunity, reports Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics. — GEORGE ALDERMAN is now communications director for Republican Rep. MIKE HARIDOPOLOS, Florida’s newest member of Congress. Alderman was previously press secretary for Rep. MIKE WALTZ (R-Fla.), who’s set to join the Trump administration as national security adviser. ANNIE MCCARTHY is now press secretary for Haridopolos, coming from Targeted Victory where she was an analyst. — ASHLEY JONES will be chief of staff for Rep. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-Fla.). She was deputy assistant to President JOE BIDEN and deputy director of the Office of Legislative Affairs. Jones takes over from current chief of staff TRACIE POUGH, who is leaving at the end of January after a 20-year career in Congress. — Outgoing Palm Beach County State Attorney DAVE ARONBERG is opening a new law firm in downtown West Palm Beach focused on land-use planning and civil and criminal litigation, reports Hannah Phillips of the Palm Beach Post.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | IN MEMORIAM — “Former Florida Gov. Buddy MacKay, who lost to Jeb Bush in 1998 but still served 23 days in office after the sudden death of Gov. Lawton Chiles, has died. He was 91,” reports The Associated Press. — “Randy Perkins, AshBritt disaster relief founder, dies at 60,” reports Lisa J. Huriash of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “AshBritt is currently the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor for 25 states covering all hurricane states: every Gulf state from Texas to Florida, and up the east coast to North Carolina. Their territory covers half the population of the United States, said his daughter, Brittany Perkins Castillo.” Birthday: Former Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva. | | | | 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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