Peter Schorsch
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
No longer a lawmaker, Jose Felix Diaz says he’s now back to being a full-time lawyer—and dad.
The Miami-Dade Republican spoke to capital correspondent Jim Rosica after Monday’s meeting of the Constitution Revision Commission. Diaz, a former state representative, was appointed to the body by Speaker Richard Corcoran when he was still in the House.
The 37-year-old attorney lost a special election to succeed former Sen. Frank Artiles in Senate District 40 last week. Diaz lost by a roughly 51-47 margin to incoming Democrat Annette Taddeo, who’ll be sworn in next Tuesday.
“Right now, my immediate focus is re-establishing my legal practice, working as a member of the Constitution Revision Commission, and spending a lot more time with my kids,” said Diaz, father of two sons. “This weekend, we took them to Disney … Maybe we’ll take them to some spring training games.”
When Diaz realized he had lost, “I was at peace with it immediately,” he said. “It was my first (political) loss, so it’s an unusual feeling … We obviously knew going in that it was a (district) (Donald) Trump lost by 16 points” last year.
But Diaz says he feels like he “left it all on the field,” a sports saying meaning to give it all one’s got. “As soon as I lost, I started getting a lot of calls from people with suggestions as to what I should do next. Right now, thinking again about running for office is a long way off.”
For now, he’s getting back into practicing law at the Akerman law firm, where he handles local government matters, including zoning and land use permitting cases.
“I have enough clients to keep me busy for a while,” Diaz said. “The last couple of months have set me back on billable hours, so it’s an opportunity to catch up. I’m going to focus on being a better lawyer and an even better father.”
Evening Reads
“Gun stocks up after Las Vegas shooting” via Paul La Monica of CNN
“Accused Las Vegas gunman previously lived in Central Florida, brother says” via David Harris and Michael Williams of the Orlando Sentinel
“Vegas gunman was gambler, ‘trusting,’ Brevard neighbor says” via Eliot Kleinberg, Melanie Mena and Olivia Hitchcock of the Palm Beach Post
“Las Vegas shooter’s former neighbors in Viera: ‘He seemed normal’” via Tess Sheets and Wayne Price of Florida Today
“Las Vegas shooting reminds Orlando of Pulse massacre” via Jeff Weiner of Orlando Sentinel
“Florida will open three disaster aid centers for Puerto Rico’s evacuees” via Steve Bousquet and Patricia Mazzei of the Times/Herald Tallahassee bureau
“Curfew lifted in Keys 3 weeks after Irma” via the Associated Press
“Behind ‘grassroots’ campaigns over Airbnb, millions of industry dollars” via Chris Kirkham of the Wall Street Journal
“Tallahassee gets more time to ready Scott Maddox records for FBI” via Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat
“Tom Petty, rock iconoclast who led the Heartbreakers, dead at 66” via Kory Grow of Rolling Stone
Quote of the Day
“The fact that he had those kind of weapons is just — where the hell did he get automatic weapons? He has no military background or anything like that. He’s a guy who lived in a house in Mesquite and drove down and gambled in Las Vegas.” —Eric Paddock of Orlando, Fla., brother of alleged Las Vegas gunman Stephen Paddock, in a Monday interview with CBS.
Bill Day’s Latest
Breakthrough Insights
Wake Up Early?
The Declaration of Rights Committee of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission is scheduled to meet. That’s at 9 a.m., 110 Senate Office Building, the Capitol, Tallahassee.
The Facilities Committee and the Budget & Finance Committee of the State University System Board of Governors will meet in Lee County. The meeting is 9 a.m., Florida Gulf Coast University, Cohen Center, 10501 FGCU Blvd. South, Fort Myers.
The Legislative Committee of the Florida Commission on Ethics is scheduled to meet 9 a.m., at Commission on Ethics headquarters, 325 John Knox Road, Tallahassee.
Sen. Aaron Bean, a Fernandina Beach Republican, is expected to discuss the importance of financial literacy during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a VyStar Credit Union branch at a high school. The ceremony begins 9:20 a.m., Fletcher High School, 700 Seagate Ave., Neptune Beach.
The Florida Public Service Commission will hold a regular meeting, followed by a workshop about electric utilities’ 10-year site plans. It is at 9:30 a.m., Betty Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee.
Senate President Joe Negron and DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein will visit the Caulkins Water Farm Expansion in Martin County on Tuesday, then hold a press conference to discuss its expansion from its existing 413 acres to 3,200 acres. That’s 10 a.m., at 14100-15484 SW Citrus Blvd., Palm City.
Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is scheduled to deliver remarks at the sixth annual Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute’s (CHLI) Trade and International Affairs Symposium. That’s at 1 p.m., The Embassy of Canada, 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, D.C.
The Judicial Committee of the Florida Constitution Revision Commission is scheduled to meet. That’s at 1 p.m., 301 Senate Office Building, the Capitol, Tallahassee.
The Florida Board of Pharmacy is scheduled to meet in Orange County. The meeting is 1:30 p.m., Rosen Plaza Hotel, 9700 International Dr., Orlando.
The Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine is scheduled to hold a conference call at 4:30 p.m. The call-in number is (888) 670-3525, and the participant code is 660 748 5549.
