Good Wednesday morning. Take that you nattering nabobs of negativism.
Crisis, what crisis? — Gov. Ron DeSantis — continuing to use his weight when it comes to guiding the Republican Party of Florida — used the final seconds of his appearance at the annual Associated Press legislative planning session to drop the news that President Donald Trump is coming to Florida for the RPOF Stateman’s Dinner.
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Ain’t nobody but me — It’s not surprising that Trump would agree to come to the Sunshine State, a keystone for his re-election campaign. But it marked a win for DeSantis, who remains a staunch ally of the president amid the impeachment inquiry, because he made the announcement about 16 hours after the party rescheduled its biggest annual fundraiser. DeSantis predicted it would be one of the “most successful Stateman’s dinners we’ve ever had.” The surprise announcement capped a furious behind-the-scenes effort to salvage the event and avoid potential embarrassment. But the way it played out exposed the rifts between the governor’s team and party Chairman Joe Gruters, who is now effectively sidelined. DeSantis is the winner of this narrative.
Take the long way home — Now, it is worth noting some of the details for dinner now rescheduled for Dec. 7 have not been announced. The dinner was originally slated to be held at the Coronado Springs resort in Disney World. DeSantis did not say where the event with Trump will be held. Wonder if there is a golf resort in Doral that might be free that evening?”
BIG GET — “Trump rescues Florida GOP fundraiser amid leadership fight,” by POLITICO’s Matt Dixon: President Donald Trump’s promise to headline the Republican Party of Florida’s annual fundraiser has given it a much-needed financial and emotional boost going into 2020, even as the news has laid bare divisions within the state party’s leadership. The party’s scramble to land a Trump visit culminated in a political victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday and effectively left state GOP Chairman Joe Gruters with a title but no influence. The power play caps a monthslong effort by DeSantis to elbow the chairman out of power.
BAD TIMING — “Website for petition-gatherers was overwhelmed by users, Lee said,” by POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie: Secretary of State Laurel Lee said a website for registering petition-gatherers was inoperable because the system couldn’t handle the volume of people attempting to register.
GETTING CLOSER — “Effort to raise minimum wage passes signature hurdle,” by AP: “A petition drive to ask voters to gradually increase Florida’s minimum wage to $15 an hour has enough signatures to make the November 2020 ballot.”
LABORATORIES — “How states forced the NCAA’s hand on student athlete endorsements,” by POLITICO’s Mackenzie Mays and Andrew Atterbury: The National Collegiate Athletic Association’s surprise decision Tuesday to allow student athletes to earn endorsement money was spurred by an unlikely alliance of states that typically disagree on everything from abortion to immigration. Pressure from states, with California taking the lead and Florida, New York and New Jersey quickly piling on, broke down a longstanding NCAA rule prohibiting student athletes from earning money from endorsements and other outside sponsorships….On Oct. 24, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, an ardent sports fan and former Yale baseball captain, said he would back legislation to allow student athletes to profit from their names and likenesses.
AP DAY — The annual legislative planning session put together by the Associated Press and featuring several prominent state elected officials yielded a fair amount of news ranging from immigration to abortion to education. DeSantis got a fair amount of attention, but let’s not miss the interesting presentation by Secretary of State Laurel Lee. Lee essentially told reporters that the election security review ordered earlier this year by DeSantis has been finished….but she couldn’t say what had been found because the information would be used by “our adversaries.” So more murkiness in a story that has been murky.
Story so far — Let’s not forget how we got here: A March report from special counsel Robert Mueller concluded that at least one county in Florida had been breached in 2016. Then the FBI told Gov. Ron DeSantis that Russians accessed voter information files in two counties. A Senate Intelligence committee report released in July revealed that top election officials in Florida — identified in the report as “State 2” — were unaware of the Russian efforts as late as December 2017 and said it could not have happened. Lee maintained that while there is a “very real threat” heading in 2020, she maintained the state is working with local election officials to take care of potential “vulnerabilities.”
Other highlights:
SESSION HERE WE COME — “Ron DeSantis says teacher pay, e-Verify top priorities to pass in 2020,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Emily L. Mahoney: “Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that passing his proposal to gives teachers a raise as well as requiring employers to verify their hires’ immigration status are two of his top priorities for the 2020 state legislative session.”
‘NOT GUARANTEED’ — “Florida governor signals another push for E-verify system,” by AP’s Bobby Caina Calvan: “On E-Verify, (Senate President) Galvano said he would approach the legislation cautiously. “I expect that there will be a robust debate,” he said. “But the case is going to have to be made before it passes. It’s not guaranteed.”
BLAME GAME — “Florida CFO blames public adjusters, lawyers for Hurricane Michael insurance claim delays,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower: “Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis blamed public adjusters and lawyers for Hurricane Michael claim delays, proposing a law giving Floridians more time to break their contracts with adjusters.”
PROMISES, PROMISES — “Patronis promises to present consumer protection bill for homeowners,” by POLITICO’s Alexandra Glorioso: “Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis said on Tuesday he is “absolutely” going to present the GOP-controlled Legislature with a policy package meant to protect homeowners after hurricanes but refused to go into details.”
SENATE PRESIDENT WEIGHS IN — “Galvano supports parental consent bill. But he says not to expect other abortion legislation,” by News Service of Florida’s Christine Sexton: “Senate President Bill Galvano on Tuesday said he supports legislation that would require minors to get consent from their parents before obtaining abortions, increasing the chances that the proposal will pass during the 2020 session. “I have said, ‘yes,’ that’s something that I have an interest in and have looked at,” Galvano told reporters and editors gathered in Tallahassee for an annual Associated Press pre-session event.”
CHANGES COMING? — “Florida Senate president calls transportation’s five-year planning ‘not realistic’ for toll roads projects,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower: “Senate President Bill Galvano defended the tight timelines for creating more than 300 miles of toll roads, saying the Department of Transportation’s five-year plan was ‘not realistic.’”
THE DETES — “DeSantis teacher pay plan faces questions as leaders work through details,” by News Journal’s Christopher Girod: “Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday continued his full-throated support of a plan to increase minimum teacher salaries in Florida to $47,500, but Senate President Bill Galvano cautioned it might be difficult to carry out.”
BECAUSE PARENTS WANT MORE TESTS — “DeSantis: Common core replacement to be rolled off soon, may include citizenship test for high school seniors,” by WFSU’s Ryan Dailey: “Governor Ron DeSantis says the state is poised to roll out K-12 education standards that will replace common core before the year is out. Removing “all vestiges” of common core, a set of standards for mathematics and English-language arts, was something DeSantis tasked Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran with in the Governor’s first weeks on the job. But DeSantis gave few specifics on what its replacement will look like, aside from saying he wants a civics education component included.”
‘TOUGH ISSUE FISCALLY’ — “DeSantis, lawmakers ponder disabilities program,” by News Service of Florida’s Christine Sexton: “Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he’s “very open” about steps the state should take to rein in costs of caring for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.”
— “Dana Young asks business leaders to ‘speak up’ and save VISIT FLORIDA,” by Florida Politics’ Drew Wilson
— WHERE’S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.
MEME FEVER — “Yes, Matt Gaetz really tweeted #MattGaetzIsATool,” by Pensacola News Journal’s Nate Chute: “If the internet was not confusing enough, let us help muddy the waters. On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R) tweeted a GIF of a shirtless man swinging a sledgehammer with the hashtag #MattGaetzIsATool from his personal account. ‘I kinda like it,’ Gaetz wrote….By Tuesday, #MattGaetzIsA Tool was beginning to trend. People like actor Zach Braff and Fred Guttenberg, a gun control advocate whose daughter died in the Stoneman Douglas High School school shooting in 2018, were among those who used the hashtag.”
POINT — “Trump impeachment inquiry continues to be a ‘three-ring circus,’ Rick Scott says,” by Fox News’ Charles Creitz: “The Trump impeachment inquiry is a “three-ring circus” led by Democrats bitter over the 2016 election, according to Senate Armed Services Committee Member Rick Scott.”
POINT NO. 2 — “Sen. Rubio: Many Dems made up their minds about impeaching Trump in November 2016,” by Fox News’ Julia Musto: “Florida Senator Marco Rubio said Tuesday House Democrats have lost credibility with their impeachment charge, since many have wanted to take such an action since Presiden’t Trump’s election. Appearing on “Fox & Friends” with host Steve Doocy, Rubio said that Americans should not forget the gravity of an impeachment.”
COUNTERPOINT — “New testimony raises concerns over Sondland’s credibility, says Wasserman Schultz,” by The Hill’s Rebecca Klar. “Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) on Tuesday said testimony from a White House official is raising “more concerns” over the credibility of U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s testimony from earlier this month.”
NOTHING TO SEE HERE — “GOP lawmaker says he hasn’t been to impeachment depositions to which he’s been invited,” by CNN’s Chandelis Duster: “A Republican House member who sits on a committee that is participating in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump said the Democratic-led proceedings are a “sideshow” — but he hasn’t attended any depositions of key witnesses because he has “other responsibilities” in Congress. Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, one of three committees hearing testimony from key witnesses behind closed doors.”
WITHOUT A LAWYER — “Despite common belief, Floridians can’t always get a public defender,” by New Times’ Jerry Iannelli: “The right to a lawyer is a bedrock principle of the American justice system. But for decades, thousands of defendants have passed through Florida’s misdemeanor court system without any legal representation. For the past three months, New Times analyzed multiple state databases to provide the most accurate estimate to date of that occurrence in all 20 court circuits in Florida — and the results were bleak.”
HUGE QUESTION — “Feds figured out why FIU bridge fell. Now prosecutors must decide if deaths were a crime,” by Miami Herald’s David Ovalle and Nicholas Nehamas: “In wrapping up a 19-month probe last week, a federal transit safety board blamed the fatal bridge collapse at Florida International University on a major design error and a complete lack of oversight, calling the accident ‘astounding.’”
ADDING ON — “Chemdog cannabis curator joins Florida team,” by Herald-Tribune’s Billy Cox: “Mike Nee’s long and unlikely path to the American dream began one spring weekend in Connecticut when, at age 15, he and a buddy decided to grow marijuana in the woods outside their high school.”
CRACK DOWN — “Inmate who shot film inside a Florida prison gets busted — again — with bootleg camera,” by Miami Herald’s Romy Ellenbogen: “Scott Whitney embarrassed the Florida Department of Corrections when he used multiple smuggled-in cameras and shot hours of video at Martin Correctional Institution depicting zombie-like drug overdoses, skittering rats, a homemade shank, rampant mold and vicious brawls — typical conditions in the Florida prison system.”
TAKE A LOOK — “FBI releases ‘Finders’ files after 3 decades; Declassified investigation linked to Tallahassee child abuse case,” by Tallahassee Democrat’s Jeffrey Schweers: “The FBI unlocked its vault recently and released hundreds of documents related to the Finders and a Tallahassee child abuse case that sparked a bizarre federal investigation into allegations of Satan worship and child pornography involving an eccentric commune in Washington, D.C.”
GREEN LIGHT — “FPL wants to run Turkey Point’s nuclear reactors for 80 years. Regulators grant a key OK,” by Miami Herald’s Jack Brook: “The Turkey Point nuclear power plant has moved a key step closer to receiving a 20-year extension to remain in operation through 2050, after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission released a favorable environmental impact statement Monday.”
AS PREDICTED — “Scot Peterson: You can’t fault me in Parkland massacre when state blames Scott Israel,” by Sun-Sentinel’s Rafael Olmeda: “Former Broward Deputy Scot Peterson can’t be held criminally responsible for failing to stop the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School because the state has already pinned the blame on his boss, ousted Sheriff Scott Israel, Peterson’s lawyers argued Tuesday. In a motion asking Broward Circuit Judge Martin Fain to dismiss criminal charges against Peterson, his lawyers said the state can’t blame the vilified school resource officer for following training that was later deemed inadequate. The argument was first advanced by state Sen. Lauren Book, who voted against upholding Israel’s suspension.”
PACKING — “Tampa Bay area airports are seeing a lot of guns in carry-on bags,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Richard Danielson: “Nearly twice as many people as usual have been caught with guns in their bags at Tampa Bay area airports so far this month, federal officials said Tuesday.”
— “Tiger dies at Busch Gardens after altercation with her brother,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Sharon Kennedy Wynne
— “Businessman seeking JEA board seat found in contempt of court over disputed payments, accused of domestic violence,” by Times-Union’s Christopher Hong
— “Orlando Magic’s downtown entertainment district grows to $500 million-plus,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Laura Kinsler
— “In Central Florida, successful opioid treatment harder to get than illicit drugs, speakers say,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Kate Santich
— “2,000-pound great white shark is swimming off the coast of Florida,” by Tribune Media
BIRTHDAYS: Chief inspector general Melinda Miguel … Journalist and writer Lizette Alvarez … former State Rep. Ron Saunders
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