Peter Schorsch
Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Daniel McAuliffe, Jim Rosica, and Drew Wilson.
And so the well-timed attacks against U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson continue.
A complaint, filed Tuesday by Alan L. Swartz, a Pinellas accountant, takes umbrage with an April 6 Nelson townhall held at the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, or PSTA, in St. Petersburg.
Swartz charges that the event was carried out in Nelson’s capacity as a U.S. Senator, but instead served only to aid Nelson’s re-election campaign. That, Swartz claims, is a violation of federal laws limiting the scope of taxpayer-backed Senate resources.
Ryan Brown, Nelson’s Senate-side communications director, disagreed.
“This was an official event organized by official staff,” Brown told Florida Politics. He suggested that other members of the media have dismissed a similar complaint as “bogus” and that covering the story follows the mantra of being “all about the clickbait.”
At the crux of Swartz’ complaint is correspondence (subjected to public records requests) sent between PSTA and Nelson’s Senate office.
Local media coverage, Swartz asserts, proves that the event was for campaign purposes — not official business. An article from the Tampa Bay Times about the event was titled, “Bill Nelson, in campaign mode, talks guns at St. Pete town hall.” It’s cited in a footnote in the complaint.
Nelson is quoted in the Times’ story saying, “Whoever my opponent is, I always take them very seriously and I run like there’s no tomorrow.” Swartz relies on this, in part, to allege the townhall was a campaign event. It is not clear whether Nelson was prompted by a reporter to speak about campaign-specific details or whether he did so with volition.
It’s just another timely attack as the incumbent fights against Scott for his seat in 2018, following a different complaint filed last week alleging Nelson leveraged his power to get a lower valuation on a property he owns, so he could pay less yearly in property taxes. Nelson himself dismissed that charge as a perennial issue.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
— @Dshesgreen: @SpeakerRyan on possible push to oust him from Speaker’s post: “Obviously I serve at the pleasure of the members … but I think we all agree the best thing for us is to completely our agenda” and not have a divisive leadership election distract from that.
— @FrancesRobles: The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority reports that 99% of its customers have gotten their power back. (So that’s about 14,700 customers to go!) Sylvia Martínez, the lady in San Lorenzo we featured in our recent report, got her power back this weekend after nearly 9 months
— @AndrewGillum: Tomorrow, all across America, little girls who look like mine will wake up to a country where they can be anything, including a Governor. Congratulations to my dear friend @staceyabrams! What a victory. Onto November!
— @RepTomGraves: We all know someone who was taken too soon by cancer, Alzheimer’s or some other deadly disease. As @POTUS said in his #SOTU, every terminally-ill patient should have the #RightToTry lifesaving innovative drugs. #S204 provides options & hope for those who exhaust other treatments
— @JohnMorganEsq: Always follow the money. The implementation of #MedicalMarijuana in Florida is so incompetent that it must be intentional. I believe that failure rests squarely w/ @FLGovScott. The buck stops here. This will be a HUGE election issue in the FL Senate race.
— @Fneout: Overheard: Reporter asks @LaurenSchenone about being at an official news conference being held soon w @FLGovScott — “Thought you were on the campaign side,” reporter asks. “I am,” she responds. “It’s a public event.” Schenone worked in comms office, switched to Scott’s campaign
— @JKennedyReport: As a former @Mets fan, I know how @FLHouseDems feel: Mathematically eliminated in bid for gaining enuf sigs to force a special session. With two days still to go in balloting.
— @Laforgia_: I’ve said this before. But I miss living and being a reporter in South Florida every single day.
— @TonyDungy: I guess you know that you’ve made it when you become the answer to a Jeopardy question
Tweet of the Day:
According to public court documents obtained by the @TDOnline pic.twitter.com/Zhgn5YVwFL
— Karl W. Etters (@KarlEtters) May 22, 2018
— DAYS UNTIL —
Solo: A Star Wars Story premier — 2; Memorial Day — 5; Democratic gubernatorial candidates debate in St. Petersburg — 17; Democratic gubernatorial candidates debate in Miramar — 19; Time Warner/AT&T merger ruling — 20; 2018 FIFA World Cup begins — 22; Father’s Day — 25; Close of candidate qualifying for statewide office — 30; Florida GOP Sunshine Summit starts — 36; Democratic gubernatorial candidates debate in Fort Myers — 46; MLB All-Star Game — 55; Deadline for filing claim bills — 70; ‘The Race for Governor’ Republican gubernatorial debate — 70; ‘The Race for Governor’ Democratic gubernatorial debate in Miami — 71; Start of the U.S. Open — 96; Primary Election Day — 97; College Football opening weekend — 99; NFL season starts — 106; Future of Florida Forum — 126; ‘Before You Vote’ Florida U.S. Senate debate — 153; ‘Before You Vote’ Florida Governor debate — 154; General Election Day — 167; ‘Hamilton’ comes to the Straz Center — 267; 2019 Legislative Session starts — 286.
— TOP STORY —
“Once at odds, Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell plot path to hold Congress” via Julie Bykowicz and Mike Bender of The Wall Street Journal — Now, the two men are talking nearly daily about saving the Republican majority this fall, with the White House engaging more directly in fundraising and strategic efforts led by [Senate Majority Leader] McConnell, people close to both men said. Democrats need a net gain of just three seats to retake control of the chamber in November’s midterms. “They’ve been on [a] good footing,” a senior administration official said. … The improved relationship with Mr. McConnell was born out of the fight for tax legislation last year, aides said. Both realized they needed to work together to pass a bill, and they established trust in the process.
—“House ratings changes: GOP fortunes improve in four districts” via David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report
— NOTES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —
First on #FlaPol — “Bill Nelson’s Brevard County property valuation challenged” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — A Brevard County taxpayer is challenging Nelson‘s appraisal of land he owns there, alleging it has been undervalued for years, costing the county “hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions” in under-taxation. It’s not a new issue, and Nelson dismissed the complaint as something that comes up from political opponents in every election, while he insisted the property’s appraisal is appropriate as the land’s use is for grazing cattle. The complaint was filed last week by James Peter Fusscas of Malabar … It charges that Nelson’s property has been far undervalued, with the office listing the land’s market value at $3,038,750, while assessing its value for tax purposes at only $210,630, when Nelson had once listed the property, and a smaller adjacent parcel, for sale for at nearly $10 million.
“With Rick Scott on defense, reports show Florida woes for not expanding Medicaid” via Alexandra Glorioso of POLITICO Florida — Two new reports that highlight Florida’s decision to not expand Medicaid found it left the state with more women at risk for mental health problems and significantly increased the number of uninsured overall across the state. The pair of separate reports lands in the middle of campaign season as Gov. Scott, a former hospital executive, is running for U.S. Senate and has been defensive over his long health care record. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Florida has the third-highest percentage of uninsured adults in the country: 20.1 percent in 2017. That’s up from 19.8 percent in 2016. The average percentage of uninsured adults in non-expansion states was 19 percent in 2017, more than double the average uninsured percentage in expansion states: 9.1 percent. And while non-expansion states’ uninsured percentages are ticking up, expansion states’ uninsured percentages are continuing to decline.
“As warnings of election hacking escalate, Florida looks to be inviting target” via Ledyard King of USA TODAY — Russian hackers targeted Florida’s election in 2016 and there’s new worry a similar attempt could happen again this year. Trump administration officials warned congressional lawmakers in a classified, closed-door briefing Tuesday about another wave of potential threats targeted at state and local elections this year around the country. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said the meeting’s primary aim was to spell out the resources the federal government can provide to prevent such attacks, such as technical assistance, and to urge lawmakers to “raise awareness” with state and local elections officials about ways to protect the integrity of the voting system. There was no specific mention of Florida, where a Tallahassee-based company that provided election-related software to most of the state’s 67 supervisors of elections offices was reportedly targeted by the Russian military during the 2016 election cycle.
“Florida Democrats want Ron DeSantis to disclose Elliott Broidy connections” via Florida Politics — The Florida Democratic Party is pointing to a report from The Associated Press about Broidy lobbying in favor of anti-Qatar policies in Washington in order to ingratiate himself with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and possibly nail down up to $1 billion in business deals. “New reports have raised the chilling prospect that Ron DeSantis’ outspoken opposition to Qatar was part of a quid-pro-quo with one of his leading donors, Elliott Broidy. DeSantis should immediately disclose whether he had any conversations with Broidy about U.S. policy toward Qatar. Floridians deserve a governor who will stand up for them — not someone who is controlled by DC lobbyists and foreign governments,” said FDP spokesperson Kevin Donohoe. FDP then openly questions whether DeSantis’ hardline stance on Qatar may have been due to direct lobbying from Broidy, who is also a member of DeSantis’ national finance team.
Mentioned by @FlaDems — “Trump gushes about DeSantis: “He’s always helping me on television. He’s so great” — At a White House ceremony, Trump once again gushed about DeSantis saying “Where’s Ron DeSantis? He’s always helping me on television. He’s so great. Thank you, Ron.” Rumors swirl about a possible Trump visit to Florida to campaign for DeSantis. Trump has loomed large in Florida’s Republican gubernatorial primary — and both DeSantis and Adam Putnam have been jockeying for the president’s support. Last week, The New York Times reported that the Putnam campaign was backchanneling to Vice President Mike Pence to stop Trump from further supporting Ron DeSantis. DeSantis told the Tampa Bay Times that he had the President’s full support. A few days later, Trump mysteriously said (via telephone) that he was planning to come to Florida for a “special event” — immediately leading to speculation that he would soon hit the campaign trail for DeSantis. That speculation only increased when Congressman Matt Gaetz — one of the President’s most vocal supporters — took to the alt-right Breitbart News to formally endorse DeSantis and slam Putnam as a “Trump shade-thrower.”
Spotted on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” Republican David Jolly and Democrat Patrick Murphy, trying to build momentum for their possible ‘Purple Ticket’ run for governor and lieutenant governor. As the Miami Herald explained the plan, “Murphy, a Democrat, would run for governor and would nominate Jolly, a Republican, as his running mate after making it through the primary.”
“Florida A&M alumni group plans governor’s race candidate forum in Orlando” via Stephen Lemongello of the Orlando Sentinel — The FAMU NAA’s Gubernatorial Candidates Forum is scheduled to be held Saturday at the Rosen Centre on International Drive. Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum has confirmed he will attend. No other candidates were yet listed as attending or accepting the invitation. Other events at the convention include the FAMU President’s Luncheon, Distinguished Alumni Awards Black-Tie Gala, and Fundraising Luncheon and Parade of Giving. State Rep. Ramon Alexander, a FAMU alumnus, will deliver the keynote during the luncheon.
More Florida Sheriffs endorse Ashley Moody for AG — Moody announced the endorsement of three more Sheriffs, bringing the total than 39 — more than 80 percent of Republican sheriffs statewide — in her bid for Attorney General. New additions to list are Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister; Columbia County Sheriff Mark Hunter and Jefferson County Sheriff Alfred Kenneth “Mac” McNeill Jr.
“Congressional candidate under fire for saying Puerto Rican evacuees shouldn’t vote in Florida” via Marc Caputo of POLITICO Florida — Amid the blowback at his remarks, political newcomer John Ward clarified his comments to stress that he believes Puerto Rican voters are U.S. citizens and that they should be allowed to register to vote in Florida if they decide to become permanent residents of the state. Now Ward is in damage-control mode as he tries to blunt the effects on his campaign of his remarks last month. The controversy erupted almost immediately after a voter asked: “A lot of Puerto Ricans have moved either temporarily or permanently to Florida. How do you respond to them when they say that they need more help and that the aid to Puerto Rico is not enough?” Said Ward at the April event: “First of all, I don’t think they should be allowed to register to vote. And it’s not lost on me that, I think, the Democrat Party’s really hoping that they can change the voting [registration] in a lot of counties and districts. And I don’t think they should be allowed to do that.”
Bob Cortes backs colleague Fred Costello in CD 6 — “As a colleague, as a friend, and as a Puerto Rican American, I strongly support Fred Costello’s candidacy for Congress. Sadly, his primary opponent has made it clear he does not believe Puerto Ricans should be allowed to exercise their rights as American citizens,” state Rep. Cortes said in a statement. Costello, a former Republican state representative, faces Ward in the GOP primary, and Democrats Nancy Soderberg and John Upchurch in the general election to replace DeSantis.
Darren Soto gets highest rating from Polk progressives — U.S. Rep. Soto received the highest rating offered by the Polk County Progressive Democratic Caucus of “Strongly Progressive,” according to his campaign for re-election in Florida’s 9th Congressional District. Soto is in a primary with former Congressman Alan Grayson of Orlando, who left the district seat in 2016 for an unsuccessful run for the Senate. The winner of the primary will likely win in November since CD 9 is heavily Democratic in registration.
Lauren Baer gets Palm Beach, Treasure Coast endorsements for CD 18 — New endorsements for Democrat Baer include State Attorney for Palm Beach County Dave Aronberg, state Sen. Lori Berman; state Rep. David Silvers; St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky; Palm Beach Gardens Councilmember Rachelle Litt; former Mayor of Palm Beach Gardens Eric Jablin; Treasure Coast Black Chamber Founder and President Chauncelor Howell; Puerto Rican Association for Hispanic Affairs President Robert Roldan and Vice President of Puerto Rican Association Jacquelene Burke.
“David Richardson again hammers CD 27 opponent Donna Shalala in new ad” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Richardson is out with another campaign ad slamming Democratic primary opponent Shalala, this time over her ties to the Lennar Corporation and donations to Republican politicians. It’s the third ad targeting Shalala launched by the Richardson campaign this week. The Lennar Corporation, based in Miami, is one of America’s biggest homebuilders. Shalala served on the board of Lennar from 2001 to 2012. The ad says Shalala “sold out progressive values for personal profits. Shalala gave thousands to pro-gun, pro-life, anti-gay Republicans, profited off the housing crisis, made millions from health insurers and opposed Medicare-for-all.” The new ad also attacks Shalala for her past political donations to Republican campaigns.
To view the ad, click the image below:
“Democrats reserve $1.9 million in Miami TV airtime ahead of 2018 election” via Alex Daugherty of the Miami Herald — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced Tuesday that it reserved $1.9 million in the Miami market ahead of Election Day 2018. The Miami reservation, part of a $12.6 million nationwide ad buy … It’s not clear yet which Democrats stand to benefit from the outside television presence. The GOP equivalent of the DCCC, the National Republican Congressional Committee, previously announced a $3.2 million ad reservation in the Miami media market in March as part of a $46.3 million ad buy nationwide.
Happening tonight:
“Lone Democrat drops out of HD 64 race” via Florida Politics — Democrat Heather Kenyon Stahl is ending her campaign for House District 64, the Tampa-based seat held by Republican Rep. James Grant. In her announcement, posted on Facebook, Stahl thanked her supporters before citing a new job and her husband’s ongoing health problems as reasons for her exit. “Over the past month, I have obtained a new job which provides great health benefits and allows me to work from home. I have not spoken about this a great deal but my husband had a health scare last year that has left him with cognitive issues (he is on full disability). Being able to work from home allows me the ability to be there if he needs me,” she wrote. She closed by pledging to remain involved in Democratic causes and to help other 2018 Democratic candidates in their races this election cycle.
— “Randy Fine draws a second challenger in HD 53” via Orlando Rising
“Controversial comments from HD 98 candidate Michael Gottlieb could cause problems with Democratic voters” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Like many defense attorneys, Gottlieb has handled his share of unsavory cases … But it’s Gottlieb’s comments outside the courtroom that could raise more serious questions for voters. In 2016, Gottlieb defended a cop accused of raping a woman during a traffic stop. In a separate civil suit, to which Gottlieb was not a party, that officer was forced to pay $4.5 million in damages by a federal judge. Gottlieb responded to the judge’s ruling, saying, “There was only one side of the story. There was nobody there discrediting them,” referring to the victims. “There’s always another side to the story.” In 2013, Gottlieb represented Doug Eaton, a photographer accused of possessing child pornography and having sex with a 15-year-old prostitute. Gottlieb admitted his client hired the young girl through an escort service but said it wasn’t Eaton’s fault the girl was underage. Then there is the case of Augustine Bollo, a Weston podiatrist who was convicted of molesting a 15-year-old girl in 2016. Bollo was a longtime friend of the victim’s family and accused of paying the girl to get her to stay silent. “I know his wife and family fully support him and stand by him,” Gottlieb said.
Tweet, tweet:
House District 113 primary gon’ be fun https://t.co/kRMD0vw6Un
— David Smiley (@NewsbySmiley) May 22, 2018
Miami election results
Tweet, tweet:
Campaign strategist @culvert for @eyesonmyworld scores his third straight victory over a DLP (JJR in 12, JJR in 16, Eileen in 18)
— David Smiley (@NewsbySmiley) May 22, 2018
Correction: Michael J. Chitwood is sheriff of Volusia County. He was misidentified in Tuesday’s SUNBURN. We regret the error.
— WHITE FLIGHT —
To move the needle in 2018 and 2020, Democrats want to capture more white voters.
That’s easier said than done, writes political researcher Joshua N. Zinghe for The Washington Post, as whites have been fleeing the Democratic Party for quite some time.
“The decrease in white support for the Democratic Party is one of the most important trends in U.S. politics,” Zinghe writes. “This shift in white voting behavior is the result of changes of the parties’ positions and the country’s demographics.”
One reason why: Polarization. Masses pick a side, rather than hang around in the middle. “Republicans are conservatives and Democrats are liberals.” And that explains some of what’s caused white voters to leave the Democratic Party.
Catch-22: As the percentage of white voters decreases in total, more have “shifted rightward” on economic issues in response. “Overall, the Democratic Party has made inroads among socially liberal whites while losing social and economic conservatives.”
Times change: “The demographics of the white voters who are likely to support Democrats are different from the white voters who supported the Democratic Party in previous decades.” Democrats now are a party of “professional-class whites and members of ethnic and racial minority groups” who live in states unhelpful for winning the presidential electoral college.
— STATEWIDE —
Assignment editors — Gov. Scott will hold a job creation event, 8:15 a.m., Pratt & Whitney, 17900 Beeline Hwy. in Jupiter. Later, the Governor will honor Florida veterans with a Governor’s Veteran Service Award ceremony, 2 p.m., CW Bill Young Armed Forces Reserve Center, 2801 Grand Ave., Pinellas Park.
“Florida’s early voting ban on campus challenged in court” via Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times — The complaint filed by the League of Women Voters seeks to strike down a controversial interpretation of Florida’s early voting laws by Scott’s chief elections officer, Secretary of State Ken Detzner. Detzner’s office issued an opinion in 2014 that the Legislature’s expansion of early voting sites to include “government-owned community centers” does not include the student union building on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville. The city of Gainesville asked if the Reitz Student Union building on the UF campus could serve as an early voting site in 2014. The state said no. As a result, the lawsuit claims, many young people will find it “difficult, and in some cases, impossible” to vote in 2018.
Assignment editors — Conservatives on the Right Side of Quality, a coalition of center-right conservatives committed to championing the potential of every individual — including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT) — will hold a reception in Tampa; doors open 5:30 p.m., program begins at 6 p.m., Centre Club, 123 S. Westshore Blvd., Eighth Floor, Tampa. Scheduled to appear are state Sen. Dana Young and state Reps. Chris Latvala, Amber Mariano, and Jackie Toledo as well as Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist.
“‘Framers’ of schools amendment seek role in court battle” via the News Service of Florida — Some members of the 1998 Constitution Revision Commission are seeking to file a brief in the Florida Supreme Court as part of a legal battle about whether the state is meeting its constitutional duty to provide a high-quality system of public schools. … the former commissioners filed a motion Tuesday asking for approval to file a friend-of-the-court brief. A footnote in the motion indicates 10 former commissioners want to join in the brief, including former Attorney General Bob Butterworth, former Supreme Court Justice Gerald Kogan and former House Speaker Jon Mills. The motion came in a long-running legal battle led by the group Citizens for Strong Schools, which argues that the state has failed to comply with the 1998 voter-approved amendment. The 1998 constitutional amendment says it is a “paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders.”
“Horse breeders, track battle over slots license” via Dara Kam of the News Service of Florida — Thoroughbred breeders and trainers are accusing gambling regulators of erring when they allowed Calder Race Course to keep its lucrative slot-machine license after demolishing the grandstand where bettors once watched horses compete. But during an administrative hearing, lawyers for Calder accused the horsemen of trying to force the track to build a glitzy new stadium despite the dramatic decline in horse betting that prompted the destruction of the aged facility two years ago. The challenge highlights the growing tension between the greyhound and horse industries and racetrack operators, who have sought to do away with live racing while keeping more-profitable gambling activities such as slots and poker, a process known as “decoupling.” Under Florida law, slot-machine gaming areas must be “contiguous and connected to the live gaming facility.” The complaint alleges that the renewal of Calder’s slot-machine license after the grandstand was torn down amounts to an “unadopted rule.”
“Tribe continues challenge to state utility taxes” via Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida — The Seminole Tribe of Florida has gone to a federal appeals court as part of a long-running legal dispute about whether the tribe should be shielded from state utility taxes on electricity used on reservation land. Lawyers for the tribe last week filed a notice of appeal after a federal judge refused to reconsider his decision to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Seminoles against the Florida Department of Revenue. The notice of appeal does not detail the arguments that the tribe will make to the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But U.S. District Judge Robert Scola dismissed the lawsuit because he said it essentially involved the same issues as an earlier case in which the appeals court rejected the tribe’s challenge to state utility taxes.
“Florida marks milestone in Everglades python control program” via Jennifer Kay and Josh Replogle of The Associated Press — The state has been paying a select group of 25 hunters to catch and kill the invasive snakes on state lands in South Florida since March 2017. On Tuesday, the 1,000th python collected in that program was measured and weighed at the South Florida Water Management District’s field office in Homestead. Half the 1,010 pythons harvested by hand as of Tuesday have been females, which can produce up to 70 eggs each year.
“Miami Beach considers taking over scandal-plagued North Bay Village” via Brittany Shammas of the Miami New Times — Since revelations surfaced last year of a blackmail plot against a commissioner with an undisclosed arrest for cocaine in his past, scandal after scandal has rocked tiny North Bay Village, a two-island town on the 79th Street Causeway. Now Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola is proposing a dramatic fix: He wants his city to take over the troubled village. “Frankly, North Bay Village residents that I’ve spoken to, they’re so exasperated with their government, they are so frustrated with their government, that they’re looking for a solution,” he says. “And I think some of them love the idea of the cachet of Miami Beach’s moniker.” At least one person does not love the idea: North Bay Village Mayor Connie Leon-Kreps, who, not coincidentally, has been at the heart of most of the local turmoil. Among other things, the mayor fired a cop who was investigating a blackmail plot in which she was labeled a “person of interest” and threatened to sue a local blogger covering the case.
“Void the warrant and destroy the records. So says lawyer of Hernando County commissioner up on prostitution-related charges” via Barbara Behrendt of the Tampa Bay Times — Citing jurisdictional and procedural mistakes, the attorney for suspended Hernando County Commissioner Nick Nicholson is seeking to void the warrant for his arrest on prostitution-related charges and to erase all records of his arrest. In a motion filed last week, attorney Peyton Hyslop argued that Nicholson’s arrest warrant, handled by the Circuit Court, was incorrectly filed because “a circuit judge has no authority to hear or try a case that only accuses misdemeanors.’’ The warrant also does not list the county where it was issued, as required by law, Hyslop said. According to arrest records, the warrant was issued in Marion County rather than Hernando County. Hyslop asserted that the court erred in issuing a warrant instead of a simple summons, because “the judge had no reason to believe that the person against whom the complaint was made will not appear upon a summons.”
“All Children’s CEO: Not telling parents about needle left behind was ‘complete failure’” via Kathleen McGrory and Neil Bedi of the Tampa Bay Times — The only operations currently being performed in the Heart Institute are “low complexity ones,” Dr. Jonathan Ellen told the Tampa Bay Times editorial board. They are all being led by a surgeon who is flying in from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. “We’ve shut our program down as low as we can go,” he said. Ellen also addressed a state review that found the hospital failed to properly report two cases in which surgical needles were left behind in patients. In one case, the report said, the hospital did not tell the child’s parents. The fact that the family was not told, he said, was “a complete failure … I can’t sit here and defend it in any way, shape or form. … That broke my heart. That’s the reality.”
“Orlando Police Department is one of the first in the nation to test real-time facial recognition” via Larissa Hamblin of Orlando Weekly — By using Amazon Rekognition, OPD can spot people in real time, in contrast to the former method of comparing still photos to a person’s mug shot. Orlando Police Department said in a statement that the system is still in the “pilot program” phase and is not being used as an investigative tool quite yet. The technology also has not been set up in public spaces and there is still no word on when it will be implemented. To use Amazon Rekognition, a photo must be uploaded as a comparative device for the system to base its search on. According to Amazon, it can “detect, analyze, and compare faces for a wide variety of user verification, cataloging, people counting, and public safety use cases.” Currently, there are no laws in place regarding the practice of real-time facial recognition and it has not been tested in high court.
— CRIME RATE REMAINS LOW —
“Gov. Scott announced 6-percent drop in crime in 2017 for the Sunshine State” via Tyler White of First Coast News – Gov. Scott announced Tuesday in Jacksonville that the state’s crime rate dropped 6 percent in 2017, a 47-year low for the Sunshine State. On top of that, Scott said violent crimes were down 3 percent in the same time period. He also lamented on the loss of law enforcement across the state this year, holding a moment of silence for those who died in the line of duty. “Every time this happens, a family is tragically impacted,” Scott said. “These tragedies have been horrible for our state.” The Tallahassee Democrat reports the state prison system has cut programs aimed at dramatically reducing substance abuse, assisting in mental health issues and providing re-entry programs to fill a $28 million hole in the budget. When asked if he feels the cuts would impact the gains he’s helped facilitate in crime reduction across the state, Scott said he feels it could be a concern, but cited that recidivism is down and crime rates have continued to drop.
— “Crime in Florida, Tampa Bay region decreased in 2017” via Tony Marrero of the Tampa Bay Times
— “Crime rate takes another drop in Manatee. Not so everywhere on the beach” via Jessica De Leon of the Bradenton Herald
— “Crime rate down, but Leon County still tops state” via Karl Etters of the Tallahassee Democrat
— “Crime rates drop in Tallahassee” via Mariel Carbone of WCTV
— “Escambia and Santa Rosa crime rates are dropping, but not as quickly as the rest of Florida” via Emma Kennedy of the Pensacola News Journal
— MUST-READ —
“Gun violence’s distant echo” via Eli Saslow of The Washington Post — “And here’s something you don’t hear every day,” the radio host said. “We apparently have a liberal gun protest happening right here in Gillette [Wyoming].” If America had in fact begun to reconsider its relationship with guns after two decades of escalating mass shootings, then a crucial test was now arriving in the rural West, where that relationship has long been inseparable. Wyoming has more guns per capita than any other state, with sales rising in each of the past five years, and more than 80 percent of adults in Campbell County have firearms in their homes. In the days since the march, the “Campbell County Ten” had become the object of profane graffiti, the inspiration for a rival Freedom March and the favorite target of a new Instagram account, “Campbell County Students for America” … For his part, Alan Engdahl had considered grounding [his 16-year-old daughter] Moriah for skipping school [to take part in the march] but decided against it. “I’m pretty sure the rest of Wyoming is going to punish her for me,” he said, so instead he had chosen to needle Moriah at every opportunity … “Win any popularity contests at school today?” he asked her. She rolled her eyes and ignored him, so he tried again. “Did you manage to get everyone’s guns yet?” he said. “How many times do I have to tell you it’s not about that?” she said. “We’re just pushing for more safety, a little more control.” “That’s a bad word,” Alan said. “First, it’s gun control, then it’s confiscation. I don’t know where you learned any different.”
— D.C. MATTERS —
“Inside the Trump tweet machine: Staff-written posts, bad grammar (on purpose), and delight in the chaos” via Annie Linskey of The Boston Globe — They overuse the exclamation point! They Capitalize random words for emphasis. Fragments. Loosely connected ideas. All part of a process that is not as spontaneous as Trump’s Twitter feed often appears. Some staff members even relish the scoldings Trump gets from elites shocked by the Trumpian language they strive to imitate, believing that debates over presidential typos fortify the belief within his base that he has the common touch. His staff has become so adept at replicating Trump’s tone that people who follow his feed closely say it is getting harder to discern which tweets were actually crafted by Trump sitting in his bathrobe and watching “Fox & Friends” and which were concocted by his communications team. Staff-written tweets do go through a West Wing process of sorts. When a White House employee wants the president to tweet about a topic, the official writes a memo to the president that includes three or four sample tweets, according to those familiar with the process.
“Gaetz, DeSantis join call for 2nd special counsel” via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times — Gaetz and DeSantis joined a group of Republicans in demanding a second special counsel to investigate what they say are widespread abuses of power at the Justice Department and FBI in probing the Trump campaign and Russia. The move comes as Trump escalated his complaints about Robert Mueller‘s probe into the 2016 election and Russian interference. Trump and his team have begun to assert that a spy was inserted into the campaign. “If they had spies in my campaign, that would be a disgrace,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I hope they weren’t.” In fact, as The New York Times reported, “FBI agents sent an informant to talk to two campaign advisers only after they received evidence that the pair had suspicious contacts linked to Russia during the campaign.”
“Marco Rubio on Donald Trump’s China approach: ‘not winning’” via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times — The Florida Republican has all but directly challenged Trump on the issue (we’ve asked his office about any communication) and he said: “We will begin working on veto-proof congressional action” to uphold tough penalties against telecommunications company ZTE. Rubio tweeted: “Sadly #China is out-negotiating the administration & winning the trade talks right now. They have avoided tariffs & got a #ZTE deal without giving up anything meaningful in return by using N. Korea talks & agriculture issues as leverage. This is #NotWinning.”
“Marco Rubio, Mario Diaz-Balart want Trump to charge Cuba’s Raúl Castro for ‘96 shootdown of planes” via Sergio Bustos of POLITICO Florida — … that killed four Cuban-Americans. “We urge you to direct the Department of Justice to review whether Raúl Castro should be indicted for the illegal and heinous act of shooting down in international waters two American civilian aircraft flown by Brothers to the Rescue on February 24, 1996,” Rubio and Rep. Diaz-Balart wrote Tuesday. “The Cuban operative ultimately responsible, then-Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces Raúl Castro, was never indicted.” At the time, former President Bill Clinton was considering a rapprochement with Cuba. But after the shooting, which happened during an election year, Clinton reversed course to appeal to Florida’s influential Cuban-American community and signed into law the codification of the embargo in the Helms-Burton Act, which was drafted by Diaz-Balart’s brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who was then a congressman. The law remains in effect today.
Assignment editors — Faith and community leaders meet to denounce Rep. Brian Mast‘s vote on the House Farm Bill and call on Sens. Rubio and Nelson to vote “no” on any legislation that makes cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), included in the Farm Bill. News conference begins 11:30 a.m., St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church, 921 Orange Ave., Fort Pierce.
— OPINIONS —
“Lauren Book: Controversial ‘show dogs’ sends disturbing message to kids — skip this at the box office” via Florida Politics — Recent controversy surrounding the soon-to-be-released movie “Show Dogs” makes it clear that sexualized content — made worse under the guise of humor — has no place in children’s movies. I am extremely alarmed by reports that a character in the movie was instructed to essentially tolerate having their private parts touched, sending a disturbing message to young moviegoers. Show Dogs is about a police dog who goes undercover in a dog show to find a missing panda … the hero prepares to compete in a dog show by learning how to prance, show, and even stay completely still while his private parts are being inspected and touched — something he is alarmed about and does not wish to do. The trainer explains this a natural part of showing dogs (and it is) and to go against his instincts by finding a “Zen place” as a distraction from the groping. This has no place in a movie for children and parents should avoid taking their child to see it unless the scene is removed before its Friday release. In this case, it’s OK if someone touches your private parts because it’s part of the “show” and it’s just silly fun. But it’s actually called grooming and is a frequent tactic used by predators to keep victims quiet, questioning their fear.
— MOVEMENTS —
Personnel note – AT&T has appointed Troy McNichols as its new Vice President External Affairs for Florida. Nichols will lead a team responsible for representing AT&T with local governments across Florida, along with state officials in Tallahassee. “Troy brings a distinctive expertise to the Florida team along with his fundamental understanding of the communications challenges we face in Florida,” said Joe York, president of AT&T Florida, Puerto Rico & USVI. “Troy’s desire to serve the state of Florida is invaluable and his experience in Government and knowledge of our local communities is an excellent combination that will enable him to collaborate with community leaders and lawmakers statewide to ensure Florida is positioned to be a leader in connectivity and technology growth.”
Earnings:
—“Colodny Fass earns up to $960K in Legislative Session fees” via Florida Politics
—“Cynergy Consulting duo earns up to $350K in Q1” via Florida Politics
—“Dean Mead rakes in up to $500K in first-quarter fees” via Florida Politics
—“Floridian Partners cracked $1M in first-quarter earnings” via Florida Politics
New and renewed lobbying registrations:
Paul Bradshaw, Matt Brockelman, Christopher Dudley, Mercer Fearington, James McFaddin, Clark Smith, Southern Strategy Group: Full Potential Management dba Acorn Health, Justin Williamson, Public Trust Advisors, Kumballistic
Hayden Dempsey, Greenberg Traurig: Ocala Horse Properties
Fred Dickinson, PooleMcKinley: Pearson Education
Dan McCrea: Florida Voters Coalition, VerifiedVoting.org
Douglas Russell, D. Russell & Associates: Seaside Town Council, Spark Therapeutics, U.S. Ecogen
Nancy Valley: KPMG
— ALOE —
“Disney World pictures from 1972: What the Magic Kingdom looked like after 6 months” via Roger Simmons of the Orlando Sentinel — My grandparents, Sibyl and Mauric
“Despite Walt Disney’s wishes, you can now buy alcohol at every Magic Kingdom restaurant” via Sharon Kennedy Wynne of the Tampa Bay Times — Has there been a backlash to the slow integration of alcohol at the Magic Kingdom? “None whatsoever, zero,” said Dennis Speigel, president of International Theme Park Services Inc., a Cincinnati-based consulting firm. “Today, alcohol is perceived differently than it was 60 years ago, that’s for sure. At one time nobody served alcohol. But it does have a higher profit margin than anything, including food.” For some longtime Disney fans, it was sad to see Walt Disney’s wishes for an alcohol-free park disappear, said Robert Niles, found and editor of Theme Park Insider. “Anytime Disney makes a change it gets a social media backlash,” Niles said. But once the reality showed no spike in drunken incidents, he said, Disney fans accepted the change.
What Chris Carmody and Mike Griffin are reading — “Gators to face USF in football in 2022, 2023, 2025” via Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel — The Florida Gators and USF Bulls agreed to a three-game series in football, beginning in 2022 in The Swamp. UF announced the two schools also will play 2023 in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium and again in Gainesville in 2025 … UF athletic director Scott Stricklin called the series “a unique scheduling opportunity” between schools separated by just 125 miles along I-75. Gators’ coach Dan Mullen noted the potential impact on recruiting. “The Tampa/St. Petersburg area is an important recruiting footprint for us and our players will love playing another game in an NFL stadium,” he said.
Happy birthday belatedly to Sam Ard, our ol’ friend Jordan Raynor, and the incredible Eileen Stuart of Mosaic. Celebrating today is Kevin Reilly.
