| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | Presented by |  | | | BREAKING — “President-elect DONALD TRUMP’s team is eyeing Florida Division of Emergency Management Executive Director KEVIN GUTHRIE to lead FEMA,” reports POLITICO’s Adam Wren, Daniel Lippman, Arek Sarkissian and Gary Fineout.
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A pro-Edmundo González Urrutia protest in Doral, Florida. | Ali Bianco/POLITICO | Good morning and welcome to Friday. Tensions are high in Venezuela — and in Florida’s Latin American diaspora — as strongman NICOLÁS MADURO is set to be sworn in for a third term today. Opposition candidate EDMUNDO GONZÁLEZ URRUTIA — who the U.S., under President JOE BIDEN, has recognized as the rightful winner of the July election — has said he’ll return to his home country to be sworn in despite an arrest warrant. But on Thursday, fellow opposition leader MARÍA CORINA MACHADO said she was detained by Venezuelan officials when she joined a protest after months of being in hiding. Right around the time of the detainment, Playbook learned that the Biden administration had already planned to unveil “major new actions” today that would include visa restrictions and sanctions, per a person familiar with internal administration deliberations, granted anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss it publicly. After the detention, National Security Council spokesperson SEAN SAVETT said officials were tracking the reports about Machado “very closely.” “We condemn such arrests, repression and intimidation, which cannot obscure the fact that Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia is the true winner of the July 28 elections,” he said. During a protest in Doral, Florida, on Thursday, more than a thousand Venezuelans rallied together under the unified message that González must be allowed to take power. The protest in the aptly nicknamed Doral-zuela, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S., was one of dozens across the globe organized by the opposition in the lead up to the inauguration, POLITICO’s Ali Bianco reported. González met with Biden this week in Washington and with Rep. MIKE WALTZ (R-Fla.), Trump’s incoming national security adviser. He told POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi in an interview that he wants to see the U.S. impose more sanctions and legal targeting of Maduro. Maduro has the Venezuela armed forces on his side, and resisted a push to leave office during Trump’s first term. But during the 2024 U.S. election, Trump’s posture was widely viewed as more hardline than Biden’s on Venezuela, including by voters in areas like Miami-Dade, which swung in his favor. While campaigning, Republicans also continuously worked to cast Democrats as “socialists,” using a term that revolted voters who’d fled left-wing authoritarianism. Trump’s selection of Waltz and Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) as secretary of state brings in two Florida politicians with a deep understanding of the dynamics on this issue. More than 210,000 people of Venezuelan descent live in Florida and share similar experiences as Cuban Americans. In a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, Trump drew attention to support he received from Venezuelan American voters and praised the protesters as “freedom fighters” who “should not be harmed." The situation in Venezuela is occurring just 10 days before Trump prepares to take office and will bleed into key issues for the incoming president, including mass migration, energy policy and relations with Venezuela-aligned China and Russia. It’s also drawing alarm among Florida’s delegation. During an event in Florida today, Rep. DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-Fla.), co-chair of the Congressional Venezuela Democracy Caucus, will talk about her bill to crack down on loopholes that allow oil company revenues to flow to the Maduro regime. The bill is co-sponsored by another Florida representative, Republican MARÍA ELVIRA SALAZAR. Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) re-introduced his STOP MADURO Act this week to increase the maximum reward amount from $15 million to a maximum of $100 million for information leading to Maduro’s arrest and conviction. Another bipartisan bill would impose additional sanctions on Venezuela and try to pressure a move toward democracy. WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis is doing a school choice event in Jacksonville. 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 ... | | |  Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks as Utah Gov. Spencer Cox listens before President-elect Donald Trump talks at a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. | Evan Vucci/AP | MET WITH TRUMP LAST NIGHT — “DeSantis said Thursday he wants the state to take over management of federally funded Everglades projects, to help speed up the environmental restoration,” reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. “At a press conference in Juno Beach, the governor said Florida would ask the incoming Trump administration for more authority to help speed construction of a federal reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee.” HEALTH CARE ASK — “State healthcare agency wants $6.7 million to hike staff pay, improve services,” reports Jeffrey Schweers of the Orlando Sentinel. “The agency wants to raise the salaries of underpaid positions so it can hang onto those employees. At current employee levels, some state residents wait hours on hold to talk to someone at Florida’s Medicaid call center, studies show. … The budget amendment is pending approval by the Governor’s Office and due to take effect Friday if no formal objections are filed. The raises would be retroactive to July 1, 2024.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | WEEKEND LONGREAD — “Massacre upon massacre: Haiti’s bleak spiral into a failed state,” by The New York Times’ David C. Adams and Frances Robles. “Back-to-back massacres that killed more than 350 people, followed by a Christmas Eve assault on Haiti’s largest public hospital have underscored the Haitian government’s increasing lack of control over the nation’s deepening crisis.” CITRUS CRISIS SOLUTION? — “UF researchers explore breakthrough approach to combat devastating citrus greening disease,” by Brad Buck of UF/IFAS. “Scientists at the University of Florida are testing a new type of citrus tree that can fight off the tiny insects responsible for citrus greening. It is one of the most promising discoveries to date in a challenge that has plagued growers, researchers and consumers as Florida’s citrus industry has plummeted over the past two decades.” — “Hamburger Mary’s works toward Kissimmee reopening as state law on drag shows winds way through court,” reports Natalia Jaramillo of the Orlando Sentinel. — “'Anti-trans bias': Florida school district met with blowback for banning LGBTQ+ book,” reports Douglas Soule of USA Today Network-Florida.
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | TODAY — The campaign finance filing deadline is at midnight for political committees, parties, leadership funds and state candidates running in 2026. THIS WEEKEND — The Republican Party of Florida is having its quarterly meeting in Orlando at the Rosen Plaza Hotel. Chair EVAN POWER is expected to be reelected and doesn’t have any challengers. POLITICO’s Gary Fineout will be covering the event. Reach him at gfineout@politico.com. IF IT MAY PLEASE THE COURT — DeSantis is being sued — again — over his decision to hold off calling special elections. Two voters in Santa Rosa and Brevard counties — who are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida — filed a lawsuit on Thursday asking a judge to compel DeSantis to set a date to pick successors to GOP state Sen. RANDY FINE and former GOP state Rep. JOEL RUDMAN. Both Rudman and Fine resigned their legislative posts to run for seats in Congress that opened up after Trump tapped Waltz and former Rep. MATT GAETZ for jobs in his administration. Gaetz ultimately withdrew from consideration for attorney general but had already resigned from Congress. Rudman, who is one of several candidates for the 1st District in northwest Florida, resigned from the House effective Jan. 1. Fine’s resignation takes effect on March 31. Both are safe Republican legislative seats. In its lawsuit filed in Leon County circuit court, attorneys for the ACLU point out that Florida governors have routinely acted quickly to set up special elections after a vacancy occurs in Congress or the Legislature. The lawsuit says that DeSantis is violating his duties under state law by failing to set a date for special elections for House District 3 and Senate District 19. Those filing the lawsuit say voters in those districts deserve representation for the full 60-day session that kicks off in March. “I don’t understand why the governor resists calling special elections in a timely manner,” said Nicholas Warren, a staff attorney for the ACLU of Florida. “From Jeb Bush to Rick Scott, past governors moved quickly to ensure the people retained their voice in government. DeSantis’ refusal to do so is both troubling and illegal.” This is not the first time a lawsuit has been filed against the governor over his handling of special elections. DeSantis has been sued three times, including over how long he waited before setting a special election to select a successor to the late Democratic Rep. ALCEE HASTINGS. The governor’s office didn't respond to a request for comment about the latest lawsuit. — Gary Fineout ‘26 WATCH — Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.) has brought the star polling operation Fabrizio, Lee & Associates onto his political team, the same group that helped chart Trump’s political comeback, reports Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics. Donalds is widely viewed as a contender for governor of Florida in 2026. — “Jimmy Patronis points to partisan gerrymandering as only reason he doesn’t live in CD 1,” reports Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics.
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Incoming White House chief of staff Susie Wiles listens as President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Republican governors at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. | Evan Vucci/AP | ‘ICE MAIDEN’ COS — Trump’s incoming chief of staff, SUSIE WILES, told Elisabeth Bumiller of The New York Times that she intends to stay on all four years as chief of staff. “This job is not guaranteed,” she said. “But I’m going to try my best and give it everything I have.” — On how she sees Trump: “Some of the stories I hear about the first term, I can’t even conceive of that Donald Trump. Now, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get mad, and that doesn’t mean he isn’t tough. And it’s hard to get him to yes sometimes. But I think he’s different, and the organization will have different sensibilities than it had in the first term.” — On what happened with DeSantis: “I wasn’t just banished. He did his level best to make me unemployed. I mean it was a vicious, all-out, frontal attack.” MAR-A-LAGO SUMMIT — Trump is meeting with key House Republicans throughout the weekend to discuss his agenda. Kimberly Leonard will be covering the ins and outs for POLITICO. Reach her at KLeonard@politico.com
| | 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. | | PRIVATE REVIEW REQUESTED — House Oversight Committee Democrats told the Justice Department in a letter that it wanted to see special counsel JACK SMITH’s findings on Trump’s alleged hoarding of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after his presidency, reports Ivana Saric of Axios. Attorney General MERRICK GARLAND said this week that the agency wouldn’t be releasing the report because of ongoing legal proceedings involving some of the president-elect’s co-defendants in the case. The Justice Department does plan to release the part of the report focused on the 2020 election subversion case. BIPARTISANSHIP OPPORTUNITIES — Rep. MAXWELL FROST (D-Fla.) told the Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry that he’s open to working with the Trump administration on some areas. “I’m hoping maybe we can work on something related to guns,” the progressive Gen. Z lawmaker said. “I know that seems unlikely, but remember it was under Trump that we got the bump-stock ban. So maybe there’s room for that. We need to build more housing, and hopefully there’s room for that as well.” — Sen RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) is the lead sponsor on the Sunshine Protection Act, a bipartisan bill that would make daylight savings time permanent, as Trump has called for. Outgoing Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) was the lead sponsor last Congress, when the bill (surprisingly) passed out of the Senate. — “Calm before the storm? Buddhist center sues feds over Everglades project arguing it will disrupt tranquility,” by Lauren Costantino and Alex Harris of the Miami Herald.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — “A singer, a pitchwoman and an anti-gay activist: Anita Bryant’s life in South Florida,” by the Miami Herald. — DeSantis tore into the press for how it covered Democratic elected officials during natural disasters, per a clip on CSPAN from Mar-a-Lago. BIRTHDAYS: Jared Kushner ... State Rep. James Buchanan … (Saturday) former state Rep. Tommy Gregory ... Toni Large, president at Large Strategies INC … (Sunday) Frank Collins, chief of staff to Florida’s Chief Financial Officer … former state Rep. Charlie Stone … Barbara Petersen, executive director at Florida Center for Government Accountability … Victoria Langley Heller, director of media relations in the north Florida division for HCA Healthcare. | | | | 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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