Welcome to the world — Phoebe Wren Wickboldt was born at 11:04 a.m. on Mardi Gras 2019, 7 lbs. 5 oz. — 20 inches long. Mama Valerie and baby are doing great! Dad Steven and brothers are in love!
—
First in Sunburn — A high-profile move is afoot to amend the state Constitution to allow open primaries.
What’s noteworthy about this effort is it’s led by wealthy GOP benefactor and health care executive Mike Fernandez, prominent Miami businessman Carlos M. de la Cruz Sr. and attorney Eugene Stearns.
Other attempts have been made, all unsuccessfully, to button up what’s known as the “write-in loophole” in Florida’s primary election system.
Here’s how it works now: A Florida primary is open to all voters if candidates from other parties don’t qualify to run. But state elections officials have opined that a write-in candidate qualifying for a general election in a race keeps a primary closed.
And here’s how political parties and others have gamed the system: They’ve been known to line up a political novice to file as a write-in to close a primary, which usually benefits the incumbent. On average, primary elections in 10 of 67 counties will be closed because of write-ins, Polk County Supervisor of Elections Lori Edwards has said.
Some voters also indirectly game the system by registering with a party just so they can vote in a primary, then switch back to no-party affiliated status, or NPA.
The Fernandez-de la Cruz-Stearns group will be behind two ballot initiatives.
One is titled “All Voters Vote in Primary Elections for United States Senate and House of Representatives.
Here’s the ballot summary: “Allows all registered voters to vote in primaries for U.S. Senate and House of Representatives regardless of political party affiliation. All candidates for an office, including party nominated candidates, appear on the same primary ballot. Two highest vote-getters advance to general election. If only two candidates qualify, no primary is held, and winner is determined in general election. Candidate’s party affiliation may appear on ballot as provided by law.”
The second is “All Voters Vote in Primary Elections for State Legislature, Governor, and Cabinet.”
Here’s that summary: “Allows all registered voters to vote in primaries for the state legislature, governor, and cabinet regardless of political party affiliation. All candidates for an office, including party nominated candidates, appear on the same primary ballot. Two highest vote-getters advance to general election. If only two candidates qualify, no primary is held and the winner is determined in general election. Candidate’s party affiliation may appear on ballot as provided by law.”
Both would be effective on January 1, 2024.
—
First in Sunburn — Sen. Jeff Brandes messaged late Tuesday night: “Just filed what should be the final major revision to SB 182 (which deals with) medical marijuana.” Read the bill here.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
—@AaronBlake: Our dreams of a campaign between two elderly white, male billionaires from New York who have cycled through multiple party affiliations have apparently been dashed.
—@CurtOnMessage: This is such a fun article. With hard-hitting journalism like this, it can’t be long before @MarcACaputo and @fineout get scooped up by Access Hollywood or the National Enquirer.
—@JimmyPatronis: I’m proud that @GovRonDeSantis mentioned Hurricane Michael recovery his State of the State address. His continued commitment to the Florida Panhandle will help these families and communities rebuild better and stronger than before!
—@Loranne Ausley: Thank you @GovRonDeSantis and @JaredEMoskowitz for your strong commitment to the FL Panhandle, and to building back stronger than before.
—@CarlosGSmith: Hey, @RonDeSantisFL — there are NO sanctuary cities in Florida. Immigrants are proven to be LESS likely to commit dangerous crimes than U.S. citizens. Please stop the xenophobia!
—@AnaCeballos_: A few days after House Speaker José Oliva referred to pregnant women as “host bodies” when saying he supported restrictive abortion legislation, Gov. DeSantis attacks Virginia, NY governor for their “callous disregard for human life.”
—@TroyKinsey: In his State of the State address, @GovRonDeSantis notes it takes 1,760 hours to become a licensed interior designer in Florida & notes @HalseyBeshears is out to change that. BTW, the FAA’s private pilot certification minimum is just 40 hours. Want to learn to fly? DM me.
—@MDioxon55: Soaring rhetoric about possibility and hope on the 4th floor, @Walmart banners hanging over “We the People” on Plaza Level.
—@JacobOgles: I love how House agendas are pretty much just loose plans and in no way an indication what order bills get considered.
—@AgeDidnt: And so #Session2019 begins … I will be exposing insider secrets in the #FloridaCapitol every day for the next 60 days. No BS this time. This will be fun.
—@BSFarrington: Was just offered pot leaf Mardi Gras beads at the Capitol. At another time, in another place, in another life, maybe. But today, here and now, I politely declined.
— DAYS UNTIL —
‘Captain Marvel’ release — 2; Players Championship begins — 8; St. Patrick’s Day — 11; Jacksonville municipal first election — 13; Major League Baseball opening day — 22; Scott Maddox corruption trial begins (maybe) — 22; Final season of ‘Veep’ begins — 25; Masters Tournament begins — 36; Final season of ‘Game of Thrones’ begins — 41; Easter — 46; 2019 Legislative Session ends (maybe) — 58; Mother’s Day — 67; Memorial Day — 82; 2020 Democratic presidential primary debates start — 93; 2019 General Election — 247; Iowa Caucuses — 334; 2020 General Election — 608.
— TOP STORY —
“Ron DeSantis makes final pitch for ‘bold’ reforms in State of the State speech” via Emily Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times — “We here today are united in insisting that the constitutional protections central to a free society are honored for all of our citizens,” he said during his state of the state address. “Let’s fight the good fight … so that when Floridians look back on the fruits of this session, they will see it as one of our finest hours.” DeSantis threw down the gauntlet on his top issues, some of which may become flashpoints — the elimination of so-called sanctuary cities, the suspension of Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel, private school voucher expansion and tough stances on Latin American regimes.
“DeSantis prefers shorter speeches” via Michael Moline of Florida Politics — The Governor didn’t want his inaugural State of the State speech to get bogged down in dreary detail. So the fact that he didn’t specifically mention a pressing state issue — say, state worker salaries — doesn’t mean he’s not working on it. That’s what the new governor told reporters in the Capitol rotunda immediately following his address. “I didn’t say a lot about a lot of things,” DeSantis said. “There’s probably 30 different things I could have put in there.”
“Sheriff comment by DeSantis causes stir” via the News Service of Florida — DeSantis used part of his State of the State address to tout his decision to suspend Israel. DeSantis replaced Israel with Gregory Tony, but Israel has appealed his suspension to the Florida Senate, which has the power to reinstate or remove elected officials. During his remarks, DeSantis noted that Israel’s suspension would come before the Senate soon. “Why any Senator would want to thumb his nose at the Parkland families and to eject Sheriff Tony, who is doing a great job and has made history as the first African-American sheriff in Broward history, is beyond me,” the governor said. But Senate President Bill Galvano wasn’t comfortable with the governor’s comment about the Israel case.
Progressives counter DeSantis’ State of the State with ‘The People’s Response’ — They unveiled their Sunrise Agenda to “build a Florida that works for all Floridians, not just the wealthy and well connected,” a news release said. “The Republican majority continues to rig the rules,” said Damien Filer, Political and Communications Director for Progress Florida. “Florida’s progressives believe that it’s time for a new day here in the Sunshine State and we’re launching the Sunrise Agenda to put Floridians first, prioritizing our economy, our students, our health and our people.”
— THE ADMINISTRATION —
“DeSantis could come up short on environment money” via the News Service of Florida — DeSantis’ request for $625 million next year for environmental projects may be “pushing” the limits of a budget expected to be taxed because of the response to Hurricane Michael. Senate President Galvano supports environmental efforts that include combating a potential return of red tide and helping communities shift from septic tanks to sewers. However, the Bradenton Republican said the governor’s “big numbers” proposed for the 2019-2020 fiscal year would require lawmakers to determine what is “realistic and what is the most effective and efficient means of pursuing” some of the ideas. “It’s pushing it a bit giving the challenges we have budget-wise with Hurricane Michael and the impact of Hurricane Michael and what we’ve spent there already,” Galvano said.
“From Indiana cowgirl to Florida’s first pot czar. Meet Holly Bell.” via Samantha Gross of the Miami Herald — For the past several years, the Nashville consultant and banker has boosted young entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry. Bell says her main goal is to bring that entrepreneurial spirit to Florida. “Helping people, making it a better place … the older you get, the more you realize that it’s what it’s all about,” she said. Her older sister, now an anesthesiologist in upstate New York, said Bell has always been passionate about agriculture, but that the new job is a path she didn’t see coming. “I don’t know I would have predicted it, but she’s well suited for it,” Melany Rookstool-Welch said. “Life takes you down paths you can’t predict.”
— 2019 SESSION —
“Bill Galvano cites the greats” via Michael Moline of Florida Politics — The Senate President must have pulled his copy of Bartlett’s off the shelf when preparing his 2019 Opening Day remarks. He presented each senator with an hourglass bearing the following quote from “my favorite president, Abraham Lincoln” — “The best thing about the future is it comes one day at a time.” Galvano urged his colleagues: “Let’s make every single day of this session meaningful, purposeful, and have it lead to accomplishment.”
“José Oliva stakes his claim on health care” via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics — The House Speaker told members on the first day of the 2019 Legislative Session that health care was the “greatest financial threat” facing Floridians. Oliva spoke in the first House sitting of the Session before Gov. DeSantis delivered his State of the State address. Saying “great clouds have formed above us now,” he called out pharmaceutical companies for “gouging Floridians for their medications, often 10 times what the rest of the world pays, sometimes more.” “Floridians are depending on us to remedy this crisis,” Oliva said.
“Oliva focuses on health, higher ed changes” via Christine Sexton and Ana Ceballos of the News Service of Florida — House Speaker Oliva made his case during an address on the opening day of the Legislative Session, urging the House to pursue a fiscally conservative agenda by tackling rising health care costs and “great excesses” in the state university system. Oliva said a budget proposal the Florida House will craft for the upcoming fiscal year would be aligned to priorities, including reform in health care and higher education. “Nothing is a (greater) financial threat to the public and private coffers alike as is health care,” Oliva said. “Today, we spend almost more on health care than we do on all other things combined. Still, hundreds of thousands go without.”
—“DeSantis to lawmakers during session opener: be bold on big issues” via James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat
“Audrey Gibson sees ‘ominous signs’ in State of the State speech” via Florida Politics — The Senate Minority Leader had concerns. Sen. Gibson spotlighted “ominous signs that are rising, signaling that his proposed solutions really aren’t new at all” … “Gov. DeSantis likes to use the word ‘bold’ … being ‘bold’ means unafraid to break the rules, to defy convention, and to buck any system that leaves any Floridian behind.”
House releases ‘thank you’ video — The House media office put a nearly 2-minute clip on YouTube. “As we look forward to Opening Day, we would like to share our “For the People of Florida” video,” a news release said. “Thank you to those who participated in the making of this video; we hope you like the end result.” A succession of Republican and Democratic House members talk about their backgrounds (“…son of a chicken farmer,” Chuck Clemons says) before talking about what being in the Legislature means to them.
“Does the Legislature reflect the Florida populace? Nope. We crunched the demographic numbers” via Lloyd Dunkelberger of the Florida Phoenix — Nearly seven out of every 10 state senators are millionaires. In the 40-member state Senate, the average net worth is $5.48 million. The highest net worth ($45.8 million) belongs to Sen. George Gainer, who has built his wealth over decades as a successful car dealer. In the 117-member state House, about 29 percent (not counting three currently vacant seats) are millionaires. The average net worth is $1.55 million. Rep. Ralph Massullo, a dermatologist and Republican, has the largest net worth of $36.4 million. Six House members reported negative net worth, meaning the money they owe exceeds their financial assets. The average negative net worth was $116,843. Five of those members reported outstanding student loans, which averaged $103,037.
— MORE SESSION —
“Florida Senate highway plans start moving” via Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida — Plans for expansion and construction of three toll roads started rolling Tuesday in the Florida Senate, with the proposed projects eventually expected to require about $140 million a year in transportation funding. The Senate Infrastructure and Security Committee unanimously supported the measure (SPB 7068), which is a top priority of Senate President Galvano. The proposals would extend the Suncoast Parkway from the Tampa Bay area north to the Georgia border, extend the Florida Turnpike west to hook up with the Suncoast Parkway and build a new transportation corridor from Polk County to Collier County. The committee approval came over limited concerns that construction of the roads would spur sprawl in rural communities.
“Lawmakers look at fixing election problems” via Dara Kam of the News Service of Florida —Voters would have more time to “cure” ballot signature discrepancies, county canvassing boards could start counting absentee ballots earlier and election supervisors would have more time to submit recount results, under a sweeping elections proposal approved by a key Senate committee. The Senate proposal (SB 7066) is a “glitch bill” aimed at fixing those and other issues exposed by last year’s contests, Senate Ethics and Elections Chair Dennis Baxley said. The legislation, approved by the Ethics and Elections Committee, is “tightening all the nuts and bolts and making it work better,” Baxley, said.
“Joe Gruters: Punish Twitter for banning ‘hate speech’ ” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — The Florida co-chair for President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign wants to punish Twitter and Facebook when they ban users for ‘hate speech.’ State Sen. Gruters filed legislation (SB 1722) to hold social media giants accountable for censoring free expression. “We all know there have been lots of issues where conservatives and Christians feel they have been targeted,” the Sarasota Republican said. That’s certainly been asserted in Florida political circles. Twitter booted right-wing blogger Jacob Engels last month for a tweet inferring U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Muslim, would deliver a future of “roaming rape gangs” and “massive terrorist attacks.”
“Panel approves bill to require forgotten kid alarms in child care vans” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Senate Bill 94, co-introduced by two Orlando Democrats, Sens. Linda Stewart and Victor Torres, would require child care centers and similar places that use vans or other vehicles to transport children to have alarm systems that warn drivers if children are left inside. Stewart and state Rep. Bruce Antone have introduced the measure the past couple of years in response to a nationwide set of tragedies caused after children were left in cars, vans and other vehicles on hot days, causing them to die. In particular, they responded to an incident in Orlando in August 2017. Stewart called the bill “an attempt to eradicate an unfortunate but growing epidemic.”
“Bill targets $50 million per year for Hurricane Michael restoration” via Michael Moline of Florida Politics — The money would pay for reforestation, ecosystem management, fire control, debris removal, pollution mitigation, coastal protection, and beach nourishment through the 2025-26 fiscal year. The vote demonstrates the Legislature’s determination to help the 14-county Michael disaster zone recover, said committee Chair Bill Montford, who sponsored the legislation (SB 376). “And the governor, too,” Montford said, following the vote. “It shouldn’t go unnoticed that he was over three times the first two weeks he was in office. His wife has been there multiple times. There’s a commitment from President Galvano, to making sure we address issues there, as well,” he said. “I feel comfortable this session we’ll do something for those areas.”
“Bill that would block recordings of mass violence from the public goes to House floor” via Elizabeth Koh of the Miami Herald — HB 7017, which passed its final committee stop, would exempt from public record requests any photos, audio or video recordings of events that cause or relate to the deaths of three or more people, not including the perpetrator, in an incident of mass violence. It is one of several dozen public records exemptions being proposed this session, prompting open government advocates to sound the alarm that this year may be one of the most restrictive in shielding information under the state’s Sunshine Law. But Rep. James Grant, who chairs the committee sponsoring the House bill, told lawmakers in the House State Affairs committee that the bill was an attempt to “strike a balance” between protecting families of victims and allowing for an open press.
Member projects get backing — The House Transportation and Tourism Appropriations Committee briefly considered and approved dozens of project requests. The committee is the pit stop for many member bills ahead of consideration for inclusion in the House’s spending plan. Members presented a variety of projects, like state Rep. Jayer Williamson’s HB 4355. The Pace Republican is pushing the $2.5 million request to help offset emergency protective measures incurred by Bay County following Hurricane Michael. That project, along with all others considered by the panel, got the OK.
“Anna Eskamani, Jose Javier Rodriguez push for energy efficiency” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Their bills would call on the Florida Office of Energy within the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Affairs to consult with a wide range of agencies, universities, utilities, and other entities to develop a statewide plan to generate 100 percent of the state’s energy from renewable sources by 2050. Rodriguez’s version is Senate Bill 1762. Eskamani’s is House Bill 1291. “As the Sunshine State, Florida should be a nationwide leader in the push for 100 percent clean, renewable energy,” Rodriguez…
