Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 5.31.18

Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.

By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Daniel McAuliffe, Jim Rosica, and Drew Wilson.

Combing through the complaints that have flooded in since we published polls showing Democrats trailing in two key Senate battleground, you’d think we said the “blue wave” was a hoax.

To recap: The polls reported about in yesterday’s Sunburn showed Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes leading Democratic challenger Carrie Pilon 48-39 in the SD 24 race, and Republican Sen. Dana Young ahead of House Minority Leader Janet Cruz by the same margin in SD 18. The third poll showed former Democratic Rep. Amanda Murphy with a small lead over former Republican Rep. Ed Hooper in the race for SD 16.

Nothing about those polls was out of the ordinary, and our take on them is the same today as it was yesterday: Pilon and Cruz are down because they’re polling in the 60s among Democratic voters, while Brandes and Young are in the mid-70s among Republican voters.

That’s right now. And that is fully expected to change as Election Day approaches.

Cruz is running for a Senate seat that has more than triple the population of her current district in the House. No matter how well known her supporters think she is, the last time her name was printed on a ballot was in 2012, and there’s just no getting around the fact that she has some old-fashioned campaigning to do.

Heck, even the leading Democratic candidate for Governor (and yes, those polls are sound, too) was unable to remember Cruz’ name during a debate in her backyard.

Despite all of that, Young has no more support today than she did on Election Day 2016, when she received — wait for it — 48 percent of the vote.

Take all that and add some more for Pilon, who should be beyond ecstatic that as a first-time candidate she’s running only 9 points behind a fairly popular Republican in a Trump plus-7 district.

Still not convinced? Just ask Murphy. The results in the SD 16 edition of those polls aren’t far off from the internal numbers touted in her campaign prospectus.

Their pitch: “A recent poll by nationally recognized Anzalone Liszt Grove Research showed Amanda with a three-point lead on Republican Ed Hooper — including a lead in Pasco County, which a generic Democrat would be losing by 20 points.”

SD 16 is home to 100,000 Pasco voters, most of them Murphy’s former constituents, and they tend to prefer their old rep to Hooper, a guy from the next county over who has been on the sidelines a couple years longer. Who’d a thunk?

And to think, all of these complaints on methodology and sample size and turnout model flood in when a couple Democrats are down in races that the party, in any other year, would see as pipe dreams, yet when another poll from the same outfit showed Jane Castor up big in the Tampa mayoral race there wasn’t a peep.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

Instead of the usual collection of timely tweets, we are posting the 25 big questions facing Florida politics as we enter Summer. You can read the full discussion of these questions here.

— Will Marco Rubio fully embrace his role as a counterbalance to Donald Trump?

— Does Bill Nelson have an answer for the Rick Scott juggernaut?

— Will an active hurricane season lockout Nelson from campaigning while Scott gets to don his Navy ball cap and SERT jacket and play Action Figure Governor?

— How often does Trump campaign for Ron DeSantis?

— Will DeSantis do anything that resembles traditional campaigning, such as hire an expanded staff, establish campaign HQs or issue policy positions? Or is his only path to the Governor’s Mansion via Fox News?

— Can Adam Putnam stop shooting himself in the foot?

— Will any other significant corporate contributors to Putnam be boycotted similar to what happened to Publix over Memorial Day Weekend?

— Is the Democratic field for Governor set?

— Will John Morgan continue to plow money into a 2020 ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage to $15? What will he do next to push for full legalization of marijuana (and not just the medical kind)?

— If Patrick Murphy doesn’t run, what does David Jolly do next? He’s ubiquitous on cable news, but he doesn’t live in a winnable congressional district. Read his Twitter account and try to tell yourself he doesn’t want to mount a primary challenge against Trump in 2020.

— How much money is Phil Levine willing to spend to win the primary election?

— When does Gwen Graham go up on the air? More importantly, can she raise the money to be on the air for the final post-July 4 weeks of the campaign?

— Will Andrew Gillum have the resources needed to communicate to African-American voters and the progressive wing of the party, the two pillars he’s basing his campaign on?

— Now that he’s rolling out his agenda and spending money on TV ads, will Chris King finally see a bump in the polls?

— Will any of the Democrats emerge victorious from the series of debates planned for over the summer? Or will they regress to their performances on display during the first televised debate?

— What kind of campaigns — for and against — will spring up around the CRC’s ballot questions?

— Will city and county governments be able to muster a defense against the expansion of the homestead exemption?

— Will the push to restore voting rights find bipartisan support?

— Will any of the undercard candidates breakout?

— Where will state Democrats find the money to fund their Senate campaigns?

— Can Senate Democrats actually work together to gain seats or is the recent formation of two political committees by a faction of Senators a sign of dissension to come?

— Will former Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas decide to run for Senate District 36?

— What kind of surprises are in store for the last day of candidate qualifying?

— Who or what is David Hogg’s next target?

— DAYS UNTIL —

Democratic gubernatorial candidates debate in St. Petersburg — 9; Democratic gubernatorial candidates debate in Miramar — 11; Time Warner/AT&T merger ruling — 12; 2018 FIFA World Cup begins — 14; Father’s Day — 17; Close of candidate qualifying for statewide office — 22; Florida GOP Sunshine Summit starts — 28; Democratic gubernatorial candidates debate in Fort Myers — 38; MLB All — Star Game — 47; Deadline for filing claim bills — 62; ‘The Race for Governor’ Republican gubernatorial debate — 62; ‘The Race for Governor’ Democratic gubernatorial debate in Miami — 63; Start of the U.S. Open — 88; Primary Election Day — 89; College Football opening weekend — 91; NFL season starts — 98; Future of Florida Forum — 118; ‘Before You Vote’ Florida U.S. Senate debate — 145; ‘Before You Vote’ Florida Governor debate — 146; General Election Day — 159; ‘Hamilton’ comes to the Straz Center — 259; 2019 Legislative Session starts — 278.

— NELSON VS. SCOTT —

Bill Nelson, Miami community leaders talk climate change — Two days before the official start of hurricane season, Nelson Join community leaders and environmental activists in Miami’s Little Haiti to discuss the threats and realities of climate change to vulnerable areas of Florida — including sea level rise, intensifying storms and flooding in less affluent populations across the state. “It is just unfair with the way different people, because of income status, are being treated,” Nelson told participants. “It’s so important that we talk about the effects of climate change, especially as we head into hurricane season, in the communities that are most vulnerable.” Former Pinecrest Mayor Cindy Lerner said climate change is a national security issue and presents an existential threat. “You are the senator who gets it and travels around the state encouraging us to do what we need to do,” Lerner said.

“Carlos Beruff, Darlene Jordan give big boost to Scott-aligned committee” via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida — Scott’s Senate campaign is being boosted by nearly $70,000 from longtime political allies who are giving through the national organization that helps Senate Republican candidates nationally. Both Beruff and Jordan gave $33,9000 to a committee tied to Scott’s campaign that has a fundraising agreement with the National Republican Senatorial Committee. That money went to the Rick Scott Victory Fund, which is the joint fundraising committee that allows Scott’s campaign to share fundraising resources with the national group. Scott appointed both to serve on the Constitution Revision Commission, which suggests changes to the state’s constitution (Beruff was chairman), and he has appointed Beruff, a Sarasota homebuilder, to past committees, including one reviewing hospital spending. Over the years, Beruff has given $75,000 to Scott’s state-level political committee.

“Scott op-ed: Congress should not act like a wax museum” via The Wall Street Journal — A class of politicians has emerged in our nation — one that makes Congress their permanent home and has no accountability or desire to achieve anything noteworthy for the people they serve back home. A recent example of Washington’s inaction happened right here in my own state. Sen. Nelson and 11 other members of Florida’s congressional delegation sent a letter urging the state of Florida to do their jobs for them by passing state-level health care policy because of their own self-admitted failures at the federal level. This attempted handoff of responsibility is exactly what we cannot stand for from our leaders in Congress. I recently rolled out my “Make Washington Work” plan to focus on improving accountability and reforming the tired ways of thinking in Washington. The first step is instituting term limits for Congress. A government can move efficiently and secure results — if it has the right leaders.

Assignment editors — Gov. Scott travels to Puerto Rico at the invitation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló, to continue to offer guidance, advice and assistance for ongoing Hurricane Maria recovery. On this trip, the sixth to the U.S. territory since Maria, Scott will meet with Rosselló, Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Luis G. Rivera — Marin, and Speaker of the House Carlos Johnny Méndez.

— GREENE AIN’T BLUE —

Palm Beach billionaire Jeff Greene is reportedly considering entering the Democratic gubernatorial field.

But given Greene’s past and the current political environment, that might not be a good idea, as he’s lived a life that would cause the most moderate Dem to question his party loyalty.

He campaigned as a Republican in California in the ‘80s and it wasn’t until 1992 that he changed his voter registration to “Declined to State.” And up until as late as 2009 he had given to Republican efforts in the Golden State. He executed a failed Democratic primary bid for U.S. Senate in 2010 in Florida.

The Trump factor: The Democrats’ favorite punching bag isn’t so for Greene. In January, he defended the President on CNBC. In November 2016, he said he was behind Trump “100 percent.”

Party boy: Greene’s past is riddled with promiscuous tales, some involving Lindsay Lohan and some involving orgies on his 145-foot yacht, Summerwind. “It was nothing short of ‘Sex, Drugs and Techno Music,’” a former stewardess described.

Backdrop: In the age of heightened awareness of sexual assault and abuse, Greene’s past might come back to haunt him in some way or another. And while that hasn’t kept Trump from the White House it should give Greene considerable pause as he weighs a decision.

— NOTES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —

“Medicaid could be the key issue for Democrats hoping to win control of a crucial state in 2018” via AP Joyce of Mic — As Democrats prepare to mount an effort to reclaim control of government from Republicans at all levels in 2018, one of their most important races is heating up: the race to be the next governor of Florida. Since the state’s last gubernatorial election, Florida has grown to become the nation’s third-largest state in terms of population and remains one of the nation’s fastest-growing states. Yet Florida’s rapidly growing population, combined with eight years of total Republican control of state government, has also left the state with one major crisis that could be the key to Democratic victory in November: Florida has yet to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act and has one of the largest uninsured populations in the country. It has also created a major political opportunity for Democrats.

“New Facebook rules for political ads trip up Florida candidates” via Steve Contorno and Emily Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times — For the first time, campaigns, candidates and political organizations will have to include a “Paid for by” line near the top of the post. The policy has tripped up more than a dozen Florida candidates and many more political organizations in the days since it was unveiled this month, leading to the removal of thousands of dollars’ worth of paid political advertisements. The ads can be seen in a database of Facebook advertisements, another new feature. In addition to the new requirements, Facebook has created a verification process to confirm the identity and location of the source of the advertisement. The new requirement that all political ads explicitly disclose who paid for them in a text banner above the post went into effect May 24 — well into campaign season for the August primaries.

Levine launches digital ad on gun reform — “How Much More?” focuses on Levine’s continued commitment to take action on gun reform if elected Governor. The 30-second spot as part of a five-figure media buy to “reaffirm the Mayor’s commitment to pass common-sense gun reform and make Florida’s gun laws the safest in the nation.” Senior Levine adviser Christian Ulvert says: “Whether through the legislature or by supporting the family-led constitutional initiative spearheaded in part by Congressman [Ted] Deutch, he will not stop until Florida takes decisive action.”

To view the ad, click on the image below:

 

“Rebekah Mercer strokes a check to DeSantis” via Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times — Mercer last week wrote a $25,000 check to DeSantis’ political committee. It’s a drop for the bucket for the highly influential conservative activist and daughter of hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer, but it does indicate her commitment to the Palm Coast conservative. The Mercers own (in addition to the disgraced and politically toxic data firm Cambridge Analytica) a stake in Breitbart News, formerly run by Steve Bannon. Breitbart has been promoting DeSantis aggressively. The site has also been knocking repeatedly DeSantis’ primary opponent, “anti-Trump, pro-open borders establishment candidate Putnam,” as a Breitbart contributor called him earlier this month.

“Greyhound racing-ban supporters launch digital campaign” via Florida Politics — Supporters of the proposed constitutional ban on greyhound racing have launched a digital campaign to inform voters about the amendment, the Protect Dogs-Yes on 13 group announced Wednesday. “The campaign will communicate to voters via a dedicated website, Facebook page, Twitter feed and Instagram account,” a news release said. The campaign’s website is now ProtectDogs.org, the Twitter handle is @VoteYesOn13, and a Facebook page and Instagram account will both be at VoteYesOn13. There’s also an official campaign logo: A greyhound jumping through the number 13. “We will take our humane message directly to the voters,” campaign co-chair Sonia Stratemann said in a statement.

“Progressive Democrats of America back David Richardson in CD 27” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Current state Rep. David Richardson has positioned himself as one of the more progressive candidates in the Democratic primary for Florida’s 27th Congressional District. His latest endorsement makes that pitch even stronger. Progressive Democrats of America has announced support for Richardson’s bid. The advocacy group was founded in 2004 and has chapters in 26 states across the U.S. and seeks out candidates “who are demonstrably progressive.” “It is an honor to be recognized for my progressive bona fides by the one and only Progressive Democrats of America,” said Richardson. “From the first day of my campaign, I have supported Medicare-for-All and a comprehensive progressive platform that will reverse years of disastrous Republican rule.”

Spotted: Outgoing House Democratic Leader Cruz on Bay News 9’s Political Connections. She “called out Sen. Young for not doing her job during the assault weapons ban vote, leaving Tampa Bay without a say while the eyes of students, parents, and the nation were on the Florida Legislature,” according to her campaign. Cruz is challenging Young in Florida Senate District 18, “one of the most watched and competitive swing districts in the state.”

To watch Cruz’s appearance, click the image below:

 

Learn why Dana Young's failure to vote on the ban for assault weapons motivated me to run for Florida Senate! pic.twitter.com/v7Cy6h2Vbz

— Janet Cruz (@SenJanetCruz) May 30, 2018

“Looking toward November, SD 22 race turns up the heat” via Bill Rufty of Florida Politics — The main issue is education. The campaign of former Circuit Judge Robert Doyel fired several blasts at Sen. Kelli Stargel, a Lakeland Republican, because she would not participate in a canvas of senators, seen by some as a move by Democrats, for a Special Session. Doyel, picking up on teacher dissatisfaction with funding from the recent Legislative Session, blasted what he said is leaving regular public schools shortchanged. “I am disappointed that she couldn’t even be bothered to complete the survey. A majority of the senators who voted this week agreed that we need to get clear answers for our public-school teachers, students and parents, but Kelli Stargel doesn’t seem to care,” he charged in a prepared statement.

Happening tonight:

—

“Nation’s largest public employee trade union backs Jason Pizzo for SD 38” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Support for Pizzo’s primary challenge to state Sen. Daphne Campbell continues to pour in, as the nation’s largest public employee trade union has now endorsed Pizzo’s bid. The American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) announced it will be backing Pizzo. AFSCME has more than 1.6 million working and retired members according to its website. The organization represents workers from a diverse set of fields including nurses, corrections officers, and sanitation workers.

“Keep your eye on this race: Elizabeth Fetterhoff challenging Patrick Henry in HD 26” via Florida Politics — DeLand Republican Fetterhoff opened her campaign account, joining Michael Cantu in the GOP primary for the Democratic-leaning district. Fetterhoff spent more than four years working as the legislative assistant to Republican Sen. Dorothy Hukill, whose SD 14 seat covers parts of Volusia and Brevard counties. Since leaving that position in August, Fetterhoff has worked as the government affairs director for the New Smyrna Beach Board of Realtors. The Florida State University alumna is said to be a favorite of Republican leadership in the House and is likely to come out swinging on the fundraising trail, although she wouldn’t have to bring in all that much to surge past Henry’s as yet uninspiring finance reports.

— STATEWIDE —

“State awards more ‘job growth’ money” via Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida — Gov. Scott has one month to spend a little more than $16.6 million in economic-development money after rolling out the latest round of awards … six projects will collectively receive $9.8 million from the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, including $860,000 for aviation-maintenance and mechanic-training programs at Florida Gateway College in Lake City; $800,000 to help Charlotte County complete road and infrastructure improvements at Punta Gorda Interstate Airport Park; and $2.3 million for Baker County to create an access road to Woodstock Industrial Park. The announcement of the projects came a day after Scott told officials at the Walton County Emergency Operations Center that the last of the $85 million in the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund had largely been designated. But not to worry, Scott told the locals, who were inquiring about state money for road improvements: Another $85 million is awaiting with the start of the state’s next fiscal year.

“Florida addresses its business travel slump by adding leisure to the mix” via Dan Peltier of Skift — VISIT FLORIDA plans to capitalize on the state’s world-famous attractions — and a growing bleisure travel trend — to convince business travelers to choose Florida and stick around for a few days before or after their trips. Business travelers often have more disposable income than some leisure travelers but are more time restricted with vacations, but Florida already has a strong brand for meetings and conventions. The organization said a bleisure travel marketing campaign is in the works for the upcoming fiscal year and will target both domestic and international business travelers, but doesn’t yet have a timeline for its launch. Florida currently has 109 hotels and 14,525 rooms under construction across the state and 307 hotels and 48,103 hotel rooms are expected to break ground in the next 12 to 24 months. Florida’s hotel room inventory is expected to grow 3.4 percent in 2018, and that doesn’t include alternative accommodations growth.

“Supreme Court weighs judge’s Facebook friendship” via Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida — Justices will hear arguments about whether a Miami-Dade County circuit judge should be disqualified from a case because she is a Facebook friend with a lawyer for one of the parties. The outcome could have reverberations in courthouses across the state, as justices weigh whether a Facebook friendship poses the potential for bias. The underlying case stems from a dispute between the Herssein Law Group and a former client, United States Automobile Association, about attorney fees and alleged fraud and breach of contract. The law firm sought the disqualification of Circuit Judge Beatrice Butchko because she was a Facebook friend with attorney Israel Reyes, who was hired to represent a company official in the case. Butchko refused to step aside, leading the Herssein Law Group to take the issue to the 3rd District Court of Appeal. That court rejected the request to disqualify the circuit judge, concluding that “a `friend’ on a social networking website is not necessarily a friend in the traditional sense of the word.” But the Herssein Law Group, in a brief filed with the Supreme Court, said a judge who is a Facebook friend with a lawyer appearing before the judge violates part of a judicial code of conduct, “by presenting the appearance of impropriety, particularly where opposing counsel is not similarly sharing the same ‘special position’ or status of being a Facebook ‘friend’ of the trial judge.”

“Financial regulator’s office defends actions” via the News Service of Florida — A spokeswoman for the state Office of Financial Regulation disputed that the agency has shown an unwillingness to follow “emerging trends and technology,” which is among issues raised by Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis as he seeks to remove the agency’s leader. Jamie Mongiovi, a spokeswoman for Office of Financial Regulation Commissioner Drew Breakspear, also maintained that the agency “consistently meets with members of the public, businesses and (Department of Financial Services) staff to address their questions and help them understand the agency’s role as regulator of Florida’s financial services industry.” Patronis, who oversees the Department of Financial Services, has requested Gov. Scott and the rest of the Cabinet — Attorney General Pam Bondi and Agriculture Commissioner Putnam — discuss replacing Breakspear, who has been in his $135,158-a-year position since October 2011. Breakspear’s tenure is expected to be addressed during a June 13 Cabinet meeting.

“Seminole Tribe announces $700M expansion at Hard Rock Tampa” via Florida Politics — The first line of the news release says it all: “Florida’s biggest casino is getting even bigger.” The Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa on Wednesday announced “a nearly $700 million expansion … with 5,000 slot machines and almost 200 gaming tables,” the release said. Work should be completed by mid-2019. “The expanded casino will offer one of the largest varieties of slot machines in the nation and will offer guests approximately 200,000 square feet of entertainment and gaming,” it added.

“Sarasota declares local state of emergency over significant beach erosion” via Samantha Putterman of the Bradenton Herald — A local state of emergency was declared by the City of Sarasota for significant erosion on Lido Beach. The decision was made, city officials said, after a walking inspection along the beach by City Manager Tom Barwin and an official from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Barwin is authorized to declare a state of emergency with the approval of one city commissioner. On the southern half of the beach, markers R-37 south to R-442 are included. Along the northern half, markers R-31 to R-33 are included. By declaring a local state of emergency for the beach, the city says it seeks to qualify for any regulatory and financial assistance that may be available.

“Police officer accused of using threats of rape and death to get nude photos from a woman” via David Neal of the Miami Herald — Joshua Fancher officially joined the Orange City Police Department at a December ceremony … On Tuesday, Fancher resigned from the department amid accusations that he threatened to kill a Georgia woman, then kill or rape her family if she didn’t give him what he wanted: nude photos. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office announced Fancher’s arrest on a felony warrant out of Lowndes County, Georgia, charging him with making terroristic threats. VCSO also hit Fancher’s DeLand apartment to execute a search warrant. “The victim reported receiving numerous threatening messages from an unknown person attempting to extort her for nude photographs,” VCSO said. “The messages, which started via Instagram, included threats to kill the victim and kill and/or rape her family members if she didn’t provide the photos.”

“At year-end, summer programs await school shooting survivors” via Kelli Kennedy and Terry Spencer of the Associated Press — As students count down the days until summer vacation, concerned parents are scrambling to keep survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre occupied so they don’t have extra time to relive the nightmare. Community leaders and parents eager to prevent stress caused by time away from friends are organizing programs so students can socialize, play sports, create art or talk to therapists. Michelle Siccone says she worries about what to do this summer with her 15-year-old daughter, Aria, who saw the terror-stricken face of a boy through a window as he pounded furiously on her classroom door just before being gunned down. When a SWAT team later led her out of the building, she saw three more bodies in the hallway. Freshman Kacie Shatzkamer said that she would likely participate in a setting where she could hang out with her friends and that being around other students who went through the February shooting helps her cope. Alexis Grogan, on the other hand, can’t wait to be away from the school. “I don’t really like coming to school much,” she said. “Things that trigger me would have to be seeing the siblings or girlfriends or friends of the victims who were killed in the shooting.”

“Manatee toddler found unresponsive with drugs in his system. His parents have been arrested” via Samantha Putterman of the Bradenton Herald — Manatee County detectives arrested the mother and father of a 2 — year — old boy after he was found unresponsive, with both marijuana and cocaine in his system. The boy was found by his mother Monday, May 14, in his bed in the 900 block of 21st Street E in Palmetto. He was unresponsive and appeared to be having a seizure, deputies said. Emergency responders arrived and transported the child to the hospital for treatment. At the hospital, it was revealed that he had cocaine and marijuana in his system. The investigation led to arrest warrants against the boy’s mother, Kierstyn Lapek, 23, and his father, Devon Barendse, 28, for child neglect with great bodily harm. The toddler has been released from the hospital.

— DILUTION —

It’s easy to forget the minutiae of the Legislative Session, but with Florida on the cusp of what’s expected to be an active hurricane season, it’s high time to look back on the Legislature’s hurricane-related actions.

And as Bruce Ritchie of POLITICO Florida puts it, some bold recommendations made by fellow lawmakers tasked with proposing bills “became watered-down half-measures.”

In the early stages of Session, lawmakers suggested moving infrastructure out of floodplains, as well as purchasing buffer areas, but Ritchie notes that legislation only focused on buying land for conservation purposes, rather than the proposed concepts of moving already existing infrastructure and restricting coastal development

Finding a balance: “It’s the same old argument about finding the balance between property rights and building back resiliently,” Holly Raschein, a Key Largo Republican state Representative who sat on the House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness, told Ritchie.

The no-no word: Critics blame Republicans for not factoring the effects of climate change, including dangers of sea level rise and coastal flooding.

‘Vulnerability’: One other recommendation dealt with conducting an analysis to identify and develop strategies for coastal areas deemed vulnerable. Money for the concept was requested by Scott, notes Ritchie.

— D.C. MATTERS —

“Florida asks feds for $19M in new election security money” via Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times — The Department of State released a three-page letter that made Florida the 17th state to apply for its share of a $380 million pot of money included in a spending bill that Trump signed two months ago. Elections officials across the state are taking unprecedented steps to secure voting systems in the face of warnings from federal homeland security experts and members of Congress that Florida is a likely target of more intrusions in the 2018 election. The state’s letter said it will work with the 67 county election supervisors “to deploy the funds as rapidly as possible” for various purposes … the money will strengthen implementation of cybersecurity for election systems, enhance election technology, facilitate cybersecurity training for the state and counties, implement cybersecurity best practices for election systems, continue election activities such as voter education, poll worker training and standardizing of election results reporting, and upgrading voting systems to address cyber vulnerabilities and “all other election costs deemed necessary by the Department of State.”

“FEMA paid millions for half-empty ‘floating hotel’ after Hurricane Maria” via Daniel Rivero of WLRN — In the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the federal government signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Carnival Corporation to help house federal aid workers and first responders on the company’s Fascination cruise ship in the United States Virgin Islands. Documents show that the ship hosted less than half the federal workers than was agreed to in the $74.7 million agreement, and the cruise line ended up getting more money over the course of that contract than what was directly given victims of the storm to rebuild their homes. As outlined in the contract, the company was to house 2,056 FEMA workers and other first responders for the length of the contract. The average number of nightly passengers for the contract window was only 799.5. Taxpayers footed the cruise ship bill to a tune of $834 per person per night, equal to a rate of $5,959 per person per week, according to a spreadsheet of the daily passenger count and the contract itself.

“Ileana Ros-Lehtinen praises possible Democratic replacement” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen may be ready to retire after her current term ends, but she’s still got plenty to say in a new interview with the Washington Blade, the oldest LGBT newspaper in the U.S. … Ros-Lehtinen remains a Republican and says she will support the Republican nominee for her seat in Florida’s 27th Congressional District. (But she) did praise one of the Democratic candidates … call(ing) current state Rep. David Richardson, one of Florida’s first openly gay state representatives, a “great guy.” She also said Richardson is running “a great grassroots campaign.”

— OPINIONS —

“Joe Henderson: State’s medical marijuana fight is past point of silly” via Florida Politics — I’m betting that when most of those folks voted yes on the medical marijuana amendment, they did so with the expectation that users in dire need of relief would be smoking the weed, which is said to be the most efficient way to obtain relief. At some point, all this begs the question: Whose side is the Governor on? The Legislature has done some pretty snarky things over the years, but this was essentially an upraised middle finger on an issue that should be about compassion. We’ve seen the crisis in this state and nation from opioid addiction. It’s legal to prescribe potent painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin, and they work well; oh yeah, they work. But they carry a horrible risk of addiction that can kill. Would smoking medicinal weed be worse than that? This is past the point of silly.

— TWEET OF THE DAY —

— MOVEMENTS —

Earnings:

—“The Advocacy Group at Cardenas Partners tops $1.1M in Q1 pay” via Florida Politics

—“The Rubin Group cracks $2M in first-quarter earnings” via Florida Politics

—“Meenan PA earns up to $430K in Q1” via Florida Politics

—“Metz Husband & Daughton posts top — 10 earnings report in Q1” via Florida Politics

—“The Fiorentino Group reels in $500K — plus in Q1 lobbying pay” via Florida Politics

—“Ramba Consulting posts top — 25 first — quarter haul” via Florida Politics

— ALOE —

“Alberto may have affected some turtle nests” via the News Service of Florida — As sea-turtle nesting season reaches its peak, the number of reptiles laying eggs on Florida beaches continues to trend upward. But officials say Subtropical Storm Alberto washed away some nests and flooded others across the state this week, which makes it unlikely any of those eggs will survive. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Robbin Trindell said natural occurrences like Alberto make it even more important for residents and guests to help protect turtles. “We need to really help as much as we can,” Trindell said. “Sea turtles have always faced many, many dangers out in their oceanic environment. We need to make sure that we’re not adding to those struggles.”

“Airbnb CEO says 2019 IPO ‘could happen’” via Kia Kokalitcheva and Ina Fried of Axios — Airbnb will be ready to go public next year, CEO Brian Chesky said, though he’s not sure it will. “I want to make sure it is a major benefit to the company if we do … It could happen,” he said at the Code Conference in Palos Verdes, California. Chesky said he wants to add at least one woman (its first) to Airbnb’s board of directors and two or three independent members. Shedding some light on how Airbnb wants to become a full-fledged travel company, Chesky said that he wants to expand into a variety of services, from groceries to content. In some areas, the company will partner with others, as it has done with restaurant reservation service Rezi. In other areas, it will build its own service.

“How Jabil will help you get your Amazon products faster” via Margie Manning of the Tampa Bay Business Journal — A division of Jabil Inc. is designing packages that will automatically alert Amazon.com when it’s time for replacement products. Jabil Packaging Solutions joined the Amazon Dash Replenishment Services solution providers program, a program that allows connected devices to build automatic reordering experiences. Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Jabil is the second-largest public company headquartered in the Tampa Bay area with $19 billion in revenue for fiscal 2017, views packaging as one of its high-growth lines of business, according to CEO Mark Mondello. Jabil Packaging will deliver specially-designed smart packaging and devices with embedded technology that sense when new supplies are needed. When the contents run low, the packaging containers use Dash Replenishment Services to trigger an order from Amazon.

Happy birthday 31st birthday to Keith Fernandez; we remember when he was a 30-under-30 rising star of Florida politics. Happy birthday to another young Turk, Adrian Lukis. Also celebrating today is former state Sen. Charlie Dean.