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.
President Donald Trump’s job approval has increased by 2 points compared to July’s numbers, according to the latest poll from Florida Atlantic University’s Business & Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI).
It’s now at 43 percent, “tied for his highest approval rating among Florida voters since taking office” in early 2017, the survey said.
In addition, among likely GOP primary voters, Trump has a commanding 80 percent approval rating.
But not so fast — his disapproval rating is at 45 percent among all voters.
In other findings, a majority of voters (56 percent) said they were “very concerned” about the physical safety of students at schools and 60 percent think gun laws should be stricter.
Gun control policy, however, ranked fourth among the most important issues to voters in the upcoming primary election.
Top issues for voters in the survey remain immigration (27 percent), health care (25 percent), and the economy (14 percent), followed by gun control policy (12 percent).
Party breakdown among the survey respondents was 35 percent registered Democrats, 33 percent registered Republicans and 32 percent registered Independents.
The survey, which polled 800 Florida registered voters Aug. 16-20, was conducted using an online sample and automated telephone platform with a margin of error of 3.4 points. “Responses for the entire sample were weighted to reflect the statewide distribution of the Florida population,” the survey said.
Full polling results and cross-tabs are at here.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
—@AnaCeballos: Priceless: watching note-wielding reporters running in and out of the federal courthouse in front of a live TV broadcast #ManafortTrial
—@SenSchumer: My message to the president: you better not talk about pardons for Michael Cohen or Paul Manafort tonight, or anytime in the future.
—@DavidJollyFL: Imagine being a Republican still standing by this President. History has a long memory.
—@LisaDNews: Sen. Collins just said Kavanaugh told her he agrees w Roberts’ take on Roe V Wade — that it is settled law
—@MarcoRubio: I have joined @SenCoryGardner in an amendment to end foreign aid to #ElSalvador after their leftist government decided to abandon #Taiwan in favor of #China. I also spoke to @realDonaldTrump about cutting off their aid just a few minutes ago.
—@MDixon55: Ron DeSantis campaign when asked about Manafort/Cohen news: “We’re proud to have the support and full endorsement of President Trump” DeSantis is Trump candidate in Fla governor’s race. Trump endorsement gave DeSantis huge primary boost against Adam Putnam.
—@TheRickWilson: TONIGHT ON HANNITY: “Do Hillary‘s emails PROVE Pizzagate? We’ll ask our Special QAnon Correspondents!”
—@ScottForFlorida: I’m glad the Senate is back in session this week, but does anyone else think it’s ridiculous how much complaining we heard from politicians like Senator Nelson about having to work in August, when they’ve only worked 3 days this month?
—@JimRosicaFL: Some news: The attorney for the wife of Ryan Torrens told the court late today neither he nor his client, Francesca Yabraian, is showing up for Wed’s trial on whether Torrens should be DQ’d from running.
—@TroyKinsey: AirLevine to get a workout Weds., six days before the Democratic primary: Mayor Levine’s visiting FSU & the early voting polls in Tallahassee before continuing to Gainesville & Orlando for rallies at UF & UCF.
—@GNewburn: Does anyone else see the irony in saying the solution to amendment “bundling” is to lump all the proposed amendments together and vote no on all of them without analyzing their individual pros and cons?
—@RepJimBoyd: Thank you @MattWillhitefl for traveling to the great city of Bradenton today to speak to these firefighters with me. Very proud to support the bipartisan bill you and @JimmyPatronis passed last year which extends support to first responders suffering from PTSD.
— LATEST TURNOUT FIGURES —
Meanwhile … Caroline Rowland, spokesperson for the Florida Democratic Party emails: “With one full week left in primary voting, Democrats have already surpassed the total number of vote-by-mail ballots returned by Democrats in 2014. In addition, Democrats remain ahead of Republicans in early voting numbers — compared to 2014, where Republicans outvoted Democrats in in-person early voting.”
— WHERE THE PARTY AT? —
If you’re with a campaign, we want to hear from you about your candidate’s plans to monitor Election Night results. At home with the family? With 1,000 of his or her closest friends at a banquet hall? Let us know ASAP. Send deets to [email protected] and with any luck, you’ll be “sippin’ on some Cris’” by midnight (or sooner).
— DAYS UNTIL —
Start of the U.S. Open — 5; Primary Election Day — 6; College Football opening weekend — 8; Labor Day — 12; Gubernatorial candidates must choose a running mate — 15; NFL regular season starts — 15; First general election mail ballots go out — 31; First day of fall — 31; Future of Florida Forum — 35; FSU vs. UM football game — 45; ‘Before You Vote’ Florida U.S. Senate debate — 62; MLB World Series begins — 62; ‘Before You Vote’ Florida Governor debate — 63; Halloween — 70; General Election Day — 76; 2019 Legislature Organization Session meetings — 90; Thanksgiving — 92; Black Friday — 93; Florida Chamber Insurance Summit — 97; ‘Hamilton’ comes to the Straz Center — 174; 2019 Legislative Session starts — 195; 2020 General Election — 804.
— TOP STORY —
“What Michael Cohen’s guilty plea means for Trump” via David Graham of The Atlantic — The most important takeaway Tuesday is that the president’s own former personal attorney pleaded guilty to breaking campaign-finance laws at his alleged direction. What Cohen did say is plenty damaging to the president. While the bank- and tax-fraud charges do not involve the president, the campaign-finance charges indisputably do. Cohen made the payments — $130,000 to [Stormy] Daniels and $150,000 to [Karen] McDougal — through shell companies. He said that the payments were intended to influence the election, making them a violation of campaign-finance laws and that he had done so at the direction of the candidate. That exposes several lies that the President made about the hush money.
“Paul Manafort convicted on 8 counts; mistrial declared on 10 others” via Matt Zapotosky, Lynh Bui, Tom Jackman and Devlin Barrett of The Washington Post — The jury convicted Manafort on eight of the 18 counts against him and said it was deadlocked on the other 10. U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis declared a mistrial on those charges. Manafort stood impassively, his hands folded in front of him, and showed little reaction as the clerk read the word “guilty” eight separate times. As through most of the three-week trial, Manafort showed no apparent emotion as he looked at the six women and men who convicted him. Trump reacted to the verdict by denouncing Mueller’s investigation. “It doesn’t involve me … it’s a very sad thing,” the president said after arriving in West Virginia for a political rally, adding that the Manafort case “has nothing to do with” Russian interference in the 2016 election. “I feel very badly for Paul Manafort,” Trump said. “Again, he worked for Bob Dole, he worked for Ronald Reagan. He worked for many people. And this is the way it ends up.”
— NELSON VS. SCOTT —
“Poll: Rick Scott increases lead over Bill Nelson to six points” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — The poll from the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economic Polling Initiative gives Scott 45 percent, Nelson 39 percent, with 16 percent of voters still undecided in a head-to-head matchup in the Nov. 6 general election. The trend is going Scott’s way. The last FAU-BEPI poll, released in July, had Scott leading Nelson 44-40 percent. The FAU-BEPI findings propose the biggest lead yet for either candidate in any recent major polls in the race. Polls tracked in RealClearPolitics.com offer a spread of findings that have ranged from Scott being up by 5 percentage points, to Nelson up by 4, while generally showing Scott with the lead. RealClearPolitics gives the two-term governor a composite lead of just over 1 percentage point in the U.S. Senate race.
“Feds: No ‘new or ongoing compromises’ of Florida voting systems” via Steve Bousquet and Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times — The two federal agencies that safeguard America’s voting systems from outside attacks said they “have not seen any new or ongoing compromises of election infrastructure in Florida.” The letter appears to directly contradict Democratic U.S. Sen. Nelson’s recent claims that Russian intruders have penetrated voting systems in Florida in advance of the 2018 election. The five-paragraph letter, signed by FBI Director Christopher Wray and Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, came more than a week after an Aug. 13 deadline set by Scott’s chief elections officer, Ken Detzner, who sought more information on Nelson’s claim. The letter went on to say: “Russian government actors have previously demonstrated both the intent and capability to conduct malicious cyber operations. DHS and the FBI will continue to notify any victim of a successful cyber intrusion into their election network in any jurisdiction nationwide.”
— NOTES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —
“Florida on top: Political advertising expenditures on Google by state” via Statista — In May, Google announced it was making its political ad report available online and its findings were published last week … In terms of states, Florida had the highest spend by a huge distance with $1.1 million. In April, Gov. Scott announced that he would challenge incumbent U.S. Sen. Nelson and he has spent $324,000 on 356 Google ads since the end of May. By comparison, Nelson has only spent $150,200, less than half that … “Rick Scott” and “Bill Nelson” are also among the top keywords in the report … The top political ad spender overall was the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, a fundraising organization for the president and vice president. It had a spend of $629,500.
“FAU poll: Gwen Graham far out front in Democratic race for Governor” via Florida Politics — The FAU Business and Economics Polling Initiative contacted 280 Democratic voters and found that Graham is pulling 29 percent support in the primary race, giving her a double-digit lead over Philip Levine, who was the pick for 17 percent of Democrats. “One factor driving Graham’s lead is her support among females,” said FAU-BEPI director Monica Escaleras. “As the only female candidate, she leads the field with 32 percent of the female vote. Males also support her, but to a lesser degree at 25 percent.” The true No. 2 in the race was “undecided.” Those who hadn’t made up their mind after several debates and candidate forums, as well as millions in ad spending, accounted for 19 percent of responses. Following the leaders were Jeff Greene and Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, who tied with 11 percent support apiece. Orlando area businessman Chris King rounded out the pack with an even 10 percent.
“Bernie Sanders effect? Andrew Gillum touts poll showing him now tops” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — The poll from Change Research of San Francisco has campaign communication director Geoff Burgan predicting the Tallahassee mayor and his campaign are about to shock the political establishment and the world. The poll, taken Saturday and Sunday right after Gillum rallied in Tampa and Orlando with U.S. Sen. Sanders of Vermont, shows Gillum with 33 percent; former Miami Beach Mayor Levine and former U.S. Rep. Graham tied with 23 percent, each; and Palm Beach businessman Greene fourth with 10 percent.
“Jeff Greene gives $31K ‘first-round’ investment to Democratic state Senate candidates” via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida — The first wave of down-ticket financial support from Greene is $31,000 to a series of priority Florida Democratic Party state Senate candidates in seats the party sees as winnable across the state. Greene wants to use his personal wealth to help Democrats cut into the money advantage Republicans usually have because they control all levels of state government. That promise has included funding the race of Sen. Bill Nelson, but Greene’s first announced funding help is more modest: $5,000 each to six Democratic state Senate candidates who have political committees and $1,000 directly to the campaign of another who doesn’t use a political committee. The money is coming from Greene’s new political committee, the Florida Defense Fund.
Assignment editors — Former Pennsylvania governor and DNC chair Ed Rendell will campaign with Levine at a “Pizza and Politics” phone-banking event, 7:30 p.m., 2215 NW. 1st Pl., Miami.
Assignment editors — Levine will tour three college campuses for get-out-the-vote rallies with students: FSU early vote stop, 10 a.m.: Landis Green, 143 Honors Way, Tallahassee; UF early vote stop, 1 p.m., Plaza of the Americas, Gainesville; UCF early vote stop, 3:45 p.m., UCF Student Union, 12715 Pegasus Dr., Orlando.
“Trump: With one ‘bing-bing,” I catapulted Ron DeSantis” via Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times – “I don’t want to brag about it, but man do I have a good record of endorsements. In Florida, we have a great candidate, his name is Ron DeSantis, and he called me, and asked whether or not I could endorse him. And I said let me check it out. And he was at 3. This was a few months ago. He was at 3. And I gave him a nice shot, and a nice little tweet. Bing-bing. And he went from three to like twenty something. And then I gave him my full and total endorsement. And now he’s leading by like 19 points. And that election is next week. Leading in the primary. He’s a good man.”
“Adam Putnam climbs back within one point of Ron DeSantis in new poll” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — a new poll from Florida Atlantic University’s Business & Economics Polling Initiative (FAU-BEPI) … shows Putnam statistically neck-and-neck with DeSantis. In the survey conducted Aug. 16-20, DeSantis leads Putnam by just one percentage point, earning 32 percent to Putnam’s 31 percent. Those results come from a sample of 222 likely Republican voters; the margin of error is 6.5 percentage points. That’s a large margin of uncertainty, and the results are indeed an outlier when it comes to recent polling on this contest. The RealClearPolitics average has DeSantis up by more than nine points. But that uncertainty could just as easily break Putnam’s way as it could benefit DeSantis.
New Putnam ad features veteran grateful for Operation Outdoor Freedom — Putnam’s campaign launch a new 30-second TV ad part of a statewide media by. The ad features SSG Luke Murphy, U.S. Army Retired, who participated in Putnam’s Operation Outdoor Freedom Program. “I was on the initial assault into Baghdad, the vehicle I was riding on was hit with an explosive device and it blew my right leg off instantly. When I finally got home to Florida, for the first time in my life I felt alone,” says SSG Luke Murphy, U.S. Army Retired in the ad. “Operation Outdoor Freedom, that’s where the healing started. There’s a lot of wounded veterans like myself that might not be here today if it wasn’t for this organization and for Adam Putnam’s leadership.”
To view the ad, click on the image below:
Assignment editors — Putnam will join supporters for a grassroots meet-and-greet as part of his Florida First Bus Tour, 10 a.m., home of Commissioner Weston Prior, 16875 US Highway 27, Moore Haven.
Assignment editors — Putnam joins Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez Cantera to host “Palm Beach for Putnam” rally, 6 p.m., Yesteryear Village, 9067 Southern Blvd., West Palm Beach.
Happening today — Leon County Circuit Judge Karen Gievers will hear arguments in a case challenging the election qualification of Democratic Attorney General candidate Ryan Torrens. Torrens’ Democratic primary opponent, state Rep. Sean Shaw of Tampa, filed the suit, alleging that Torrens used an illegal contribution to pay for an election-qualifying fee. Shaw contends that Torrens should be decertified as a candidate. Torrens has filed a counterclaim alleging libel. Arguments begin 1:30 p.m., Leon County Courthouse, 301 South Monroe St., Tallahassee.
“Baxter Troutman loans $250K to his Ag Commissioner campaign” via Bruce Ritchie of POLITICO Florida – Troutman earlier this month loaned $250,000 to his campaign for agriculture commissioner, according to newly posted state campaign finance reports. Troutman, a citrus grower from Winter Haven, is in essentially a three-way race for the Republican nomination in the Aug. 28 primary against state Rep. Matt Caldwelland state Sen. Denise Grimsley. Troutman has contributed $3 million to his own campaign in addition to the recent loan.
“GOP on a sugar high to replace Adam Putnam” via Emily Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times – Three of the top candidates for Agriculture Commissioner – in this case, all Republicans – have accepted more than $1 million in both direct contributions from U.S. Sugar and Florida Crystals, as well as groups that advocate for sugar’s interests, such as the Associated Industries of Florida and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. Caldwell of North Fort Myers tops the list of candidates supported by sugar, AIF and the Chamber, with about one in every five dollars he’s received coming from their checkbooks for a total of about $450,000. “I’ve always had the attitude that I would accept support form everybody except strip clubs and pornographers,” Caldwell told the Times/Herald.
— NOTES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL, PART 2 —
“Ex-elected officials fight ballot proposals” via Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida — Pointing to ideological opposition to the process rather than the specifics of the proposed constitutional amendments, the 16-member group called Save My Constitution described the eight ballot measures as “confusing” and “misleading.” “We’re not looking at any single issue,” said Jim Kallinger, a former state House member from Central Florida who is among the leaders of Save My Constitution. “We’re saying vote ‘no’ on everything because we feel they were conceived in a deceptive way. We’re going to address the process.” The new group intends to campaign against the different measures. Also, group members will push to end the once every-20-year process that they say allows the governor and legislative leaders to name “lobbyists” and “political insiders” to the Constitution Revision Commission. “It’s an unelected body that, frankly, doesn’t represent anybody,” former Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp said of the commission. “It’s not accountable to anybody, and it conducted its affairs in what we believe was well beyond the scope of their authority.”
Supreme Court asked to block dog racing measure — Readying for a hearing next week, attorneys for the Florida Greyhound Association filed a 58-page brief Tuesday asking the state Supreme Court to scuttle a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at banning dog racing. The association, which includes owners, breeders and trainers, wants the Supreme Court to uphold a ruling by Circuit Judge Karen Gievers, who said the amendment should not go on the Nov. 6 ballot because it would be misleading to voters. Tuesday’s brief argues that the proposed constitutional amendment is misleading because it would not end dog racing. Floridians could still bet on live dog racing “simulcast” from tracks outside of the state. The Constitution Revision Commission placed the greyhound-racing amendment on the ballot. Justices are scheduled to hear argument on Aug. 29.
“On dog racing, national greyhound group says seeing is believing” via Florida Politics — The National Greyhound Association on Tuesday said it would offer tours of “three Florida greyhound tracks and their on-site kennels.” The two-hour guided tours, free with advance registration, are “designed to promote transparency and educate the public about the care of greyhounds at the track, as well as stewardship of the breed,” according to a press release. “Tour guests will get an intimate understanding of the facilities, sleeping spaces, feeding, care and daily routine that racing greyhounds experience,” said Jim Gartland, the association’s executive director. Derby Lane, located in St. Petersburg, and the Palm Beach Kennel Club, located in West Palm Beach, will be the first two tracks to open their doors.
“Vern Buchanan received yacht loan from Canadian bank trying to influence tax bill” via David Sirota and Andrew Perez of the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting — As Republicans were finalizing tax cut legislation in late 2017, a foreign-owned bank seeking to shape the bill gave a seven-figure yacht loan to a top GOP lawmaker on the committee writing the measure … Buchanan, who sits on the House Ways and Means Committee and leads its tax policy subcommittee, has been under fire in recent weeks for purchasing a yacht on the same day he voted for the GOP tax package. Although Buchanan is one of the wealthiest members of Congress, federal records show one of his limited liability companies financed the purchase with a BMO Harris Bank loan worth as much as $5 million. Since 2016, Buchanan’s companies have received three loans worth as much as $35 million from BMO Harris, which is the American subsidiary of the Bank of Montreal. In total, since he was appointed to the Ways and Means Committee in 2010, Buchanan and his companies have received between $17 million and $85 million worth of loans from four lenders.
Happening today — Democrat David Shapiro, who is seeking to unseat Buchanan in Florida’s 16th Congressional District will hold a meet-and-greet event in Manatee County, 5:30 p.m., Cory Wright Fine Art, 419 10th Ave., Palmetto.
Happening tonight:
Happening today — Several Republican will appear at the Republican Club of the Palm Beaches event, including Keiser, who is running in Senate District 25; state Rep. Rick Roth, who is running for re-election in House District 85; and Mike Caruso and Matt Spritz, who are running in House District 89. The event begins noon, Holiday Inn and Conference Center Palm Beach Airport, 1301 Belvedere Road, West Palm Beach.
Happening today — Democrat Nathcelly Rohrbaugh, who is seeking to unseat state Rep. Cord Byrd in House District 11, which covers Nassau and part of Duval counties, holds a fundraiser, 6 p.m., Casa Marina, 691 First St. North, Jacksonville Beach.
“Jake Raburn endorses Sean McCoy as HD 57 successor” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — Exiting state Rep. Raburn weighed into the House District 57 Republican primary battle brought about by his early retirement, offering his endorsement to businessman and U.S. Army veteran McCoy. “Sean’s record of service to his country and his commitment to our conservative principles makes him the best choice to serve our community in Tallahassee,” Raburn said Tuesday … The endorsement comes just over two months after the 33-year-old lawmaker announced that he would not seek a fourth and final term in the Hillsborough County district. McCoy entered the race on the same day as Raburn’s announcement, with fellow Republican Mike Beltran following two days later.
“Facebook reinstates Andrew Dolberg medical marijuana ad after ‘error’” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Facebook says an ad from House District 98 candidate Dolberg promoting medical marijuana was reinstated after being removed due to an “error.” Dolberg says he received a notice from Facebook that the ad was removed because the company does not allow the promotion of illegal drugs. In the ad, Dolberg advocated for the expansion of medical marijuana as one of a few potential fixes to the state’s health care system. Medical marijuana is legal in Florida but illegal at the federal level. A Facebook spokesperson says the ad was rejected incorrectly but was reinstated after the company’s systems identified the error. The ad is now available in Dolberg’s “Info and Ads” section.
“You might hate seeing campaign ads — but they’re very effective” via Eric Glasser of WTSP — “Every year, after election research, it shows that it had an impact and it works,” said 10News Political Expert Lars Hafner. Hafner says you’re also seeing negative ads even sooner this election cycle. Politicians used to wait until it got closer to Election Day to start going negative. But not anymore. “Because of early voting taking place,” Hafner explained. “People aren’t saving their ammunition until the end. They are trying to get a message out to the early voters. And if they don’t start early, then it’s going to be a lost part of their message” … “It still has the capability of turning the voter off at the tail end,” Hafner said. “And, they could lose an election based on it. But I think they still try because it’s been a tried-and-true policy.”
— STATEWIDE —
What Jimmy Patronis is reading: “More states appoint ‘Chief Privacy Officers’ to protect people’s data” via PEW Stateline — In this age of hackers and cybercriminals, every state has a top security official focused on preventing breaches and protecting the vast amounts of data it collects. Now, a growing number also are hiring a top official to make sure that the privacy of residents’ personal data is protected as well. Many large companies have employed ‘chief privacy officers’ for years, but they were rare in state government. A decade ago, there were only a few; today, at least eight states have them — Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, South Carolina, Utah, Washington and West Virginia, according to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers. Arkansas hired its first in June. “I expect we will see more states doing this in the future,” said Amy Glasscock, a senior policy analyst at the association.
“‘Please explain’: Legislative panel again questions marijuana regulators” via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics — A special panel of lawmakers continues to demand answers from medical marijuana regulators, according to a new letter obtained Tuesday through a public record request. Among the latest queries from the Joint Administrative Procedures Committee (JAPC): The identities of “subject matter experts” that the Department of Health plans to use to evaluate license applications, and whether a rule governing a license reserved for a black farmer contradicts state law. Not mentioned in the committee’s Aug. 17 letter, however, is a Tallahassee judge’s ruling earlier this month that the medical marijuana law’s carve-out of special categories of licenses is unconstitutional. JAPC ensures that agencies write rules that line up with statutes passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor. The department regulates the drug through its Office of Medical Marijuana Use. Health spokesman Brad Dalton said the agency’s lawyers were “still reviewing the letter,” and “no response has been authored at this time.”
Happening today — NORML Tallahassee, which supports legalization of marijuana, will hold a rally at the Florida Capitol, 10:30 a.m., Old Capitol front steps, Tallahassee.
What John Morgan is reading: “Denver’s first-of-its-kind social marijuana use program for businesses is mostly a bust” via Denver Post — Pro-marijuana activists, business owners, some city officials and neighborhood activists want Denver to loosen regulations that restrict businesses’ ability to allow marijuana use on the premises. Only one business in the Colorado city has obtained a marijuana use license under the 2016 regulation. Otherwise, interest has fizzled.
“Why wasn’t road closed before FIU bridge fell? Judge orders release of key records” via The Miami Herald — The Florida Department of Transportation must release public records that could shed light on a deadly bridge collapse outside Miami, a judge ruled Tuesday. The Miami Herald sued FDOT in May after the state agency refused to release documents related to the Florida International University bridge that fell down on March 15, killing six people … FDOT has said it could not release the records because of orders from the National Transportation Safety Board, a federal agency investigating the collapse … Circuit Judge Kevin Carroll … said the documents requested by the Herald were public records and did not stop becoming public records when state authorities handed them over to the NTSB … Spokesmen for FDOT and NTSB said they were reviewing the judge’s decision. An appeal would delay the release of records.
“FPL moves forward with Broward, Martin plans” via the News Service of Florida — The proposal, filed with the Public Service Commission, involves accounting issues related to the shutdown of two generating units at FPL’s Lauderdale plant in Broward County and two units at a Martin County plant. The Public Service Commission this year approved an FPL proposal to build a new natural-gas unit in Broward to replace the two Lauderdale generating units. While the new facility is expected to start generating electricity in 2022, the older units will be shut down late this year, according to the filing.
“FSU fraternity facing criminal investigation after head injury” via Karl Etters of the Tallahassee Democrat — Tallahassee Police confirmed an open investigation into FSU’s Alpha Epsilon Pi after the April 9 incident at the fraternity’s Heritage Grove house. In January, the fraternity was dismissed from campus and was prohibited from being recognized as a university organization after it was found responsible for two hazing violations and two alcohol and vandalism violations last year. However, the dismissal was overturned on appeal and a rehearing was held. On April 12, the fraternity was put on disciplinary probation for the fall 2018 semester, probation from social activities and social and risk planning. It was found responsible for violations of hazing and property damage regulations, two of the four initial charges. Six days later, Alpha Epsilon Pi was suspended after FSU officials learned of the pending criminal investigation. Chi Phi was suspended for two years and its recognition as a student organization revoked.
“Florida smokers puff more than counterparts” via Christine Sexton of the News Service of Florida — Slightly more than 13 percent of Florida adults smoked in 2017, but they go through more tobacco than average smokers nationally, a draft report given to Florida health officials shows. The findings, culled from the Florida Adult Tobacco Survey, show that a Florida smoker on average puffs 14.6 cigarettes a day … Nationally, the draft report said smokers average 11.4 cigarettes per day. About 14 percent of adults nationally smoked in 2017. Researchers don’t know why Florida smokers smoke more.
— AFTER PARKLAND —
Students received a different ‘welcome back’ when they returned to schools this week.
Among the nuances: Cops or armed faculty members at every school, one of several key changes in education security spawned in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre.
For the most part, it’s going well. Per Colleen Wright of the Miami Herald, “Most noticeable of all, there were police officers on every campus because of a new state law. But they, too, were part of what seemed like an overall smooth start to the 2018-19 school year.”
In Palm Beach: The county is still reeling from a shooting near a Central High football game. “It just so happened to be in the parking lot of a school,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw tells the Palm Beach Post, “but it could have happened anywhere.”
In Pinellas: The school system is “scrapping its plans to show a video to elementary school students in preparation for state-mandated active shooting drills to begin soon,” reports Jimena Tavel for the Tampa Bay Times.
In Sarasota: The county is witnessing its school system police force in action for the first time. “The district swore in its new force of 12 officers, two sergeants and a police chief this summer, and those officers have started staffing 10 of the district’s 23 elementary schools,” writes Elizabeth Djinis for the Herald-Trtibune.
— “David Hogg plans o run for Congress when he’s 25” via Morgan Gttalter of The Hill
— NOTHING BUT DEATH —
This picture was taken by a commercial fisherman in Florida.
From 12 miles out, all the way in to shore, there’s nothing but death. @quaker4change pic.twitter.com/tEFiDD4jtp
— Benjamin Dover (Alt Quaker) 🌊🍊🦏🗽📚🌈🌎✌ (@quaker4change) August 21, 2018
— OPINIONS —
“Joel Greenberg’s Muslim-baiting just another example why we shouldn’t elect tax collectors” via Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel — Greenberg’s post turned into an angry, meme-filled melee that led to calls for his resignation — and Greenberg claiming he needed taxpayer-funded protection from all the people he upset. There are two things we can take away from this: 1) This is what happens when people spend too much time consuming fringe viewpoints inside an extremist bubble. They lose touch about what’s acceptable in decent society. 2) This is more proof we don’t need elected tax collectors. Seriously, do you know what we need to pay our taxes? A check. Or an escrow account. Not a high-paid politician who only makes news when he’s making people wince. It’s like the only qualification for this job is to be a hot mess.
“Frank Cerabino: One fewer attempt to fool Floridians on November’s ballot” via the Palm Beach Post — Amendment 8 was a doozy … titled “School Board Term Limits and Duties, Public Schools” was dreamed up this year to subvert local school boards in the sneakiest of ways. The measure proposed that school board members be term-limited and that all public-school students be taught civic literacy. Those two items were pretty self-explanatory, popular and clear. But the third element in this single vote wasn’t. It said that while current law says that “district school boards have a constitutional duty to operate, control and supervise all public schools,” that language will be changed to read that a public-school board has a duty to operate, control and supervise all public schools “it establishes.” And it “permits the state to operate, control and supervise public schools not established by the school board.” That’s just another version of the Florida Schools of Excellence Commission, another way for the state to grab local control of schools away from school districts that don’t go along with their overreaching goals to farm out public education to private businesses. And it doesn’t even mention the words “charter schools” in the amendment. And it might have sailed through if it weren’t for a lawsuit filed by the Southern Poverty Law Center on behalf of the Florida League of Women Voters.
“Joe Henderson: Ross Spano says Hillsborough transit tax plan should be no go” via Florida Politics — In a commentary on his website RossSpano.com, he urged voters to defeat the one-cent-per-dollar sales tax increase advanced by the group All For Transportation. Spano, a Republican, is running for the CD 15 seat … Hillsborough traffic congestion has become a major campaign issue on both sides of the debate. Recent attempts to address the problem with tax increases have either failed at the ballot box or didn’t even get that far. Spano, who grew up in Brandon, said in his commentary that he is aware of the challenges in dealing with the impact of this explosive growth, particularly on our roadways. But a new tax won’t solve that problem.” Spano maintains the tax can’t be used to build roads in the eastern and southern parts of the county, and adds, “What the referendum will do is take billions of dollars out of your wallet, to fund transit projects that benefit the few at the expense of the many. Meanwhile, transit ridership is declining nationwide, and disruptive new private sector technology is making traditional transit obsolete.”
— MOVEMENTS —
Florida League of Cities elects Leo E. Longworth as president — The Bartow mayor was elected Tuesday at the Florida League of Cities 92nd annual conference to serve as president for 2018-19. Longworth was first elected to the Bartow City Commission in 1995 and has served since. “During his presidency, Longworth’s ‘We Live Local’ initiative will educate Floridians about local self-government,” according to a press release. Longworth added in a statement: “Special interests are hijacking our hometowns … Home Rule is not a ‘gift’ from the Legislature; it is the will of the people. We don’t need distant politicians meddling in our backyards. We know what works best in our cities.” Longworth is replacing outgoing League President Gil Ziffer, a Tallahassee city commissioner.
Gunster recruits attorneys with Tampa ties, leadership legacy — Gunster, “one of Florida’s oldest and largest full-service business law firms,” announced that it added attorneys William J. Schifino Jr., John A. Schifino, Scott Brown, Daniel P. Dietrich and Iden Sinai as shareholders, Justin P. Bennett and Madison E.M. Gardiner as associates, and William J. Schifino Sr. as of counsel. “Tampa is experiencing tremendous growth and expansion. Bill, John and Scott have strong roots and a history of leadership in Tampa and the greater community,” said Bill Perry, Gunster’s managing shareholder. William Schifino Jr. recently served as president of The Florida Bar (2016-17) and sits on the Board of Trustees for the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He’s been named the Tampa office managing shareholder for Gunster. John Schifino is the president of the Hillsborough County Bar Association (HCBA), active with the association for more than 15 years. William J. Schifino Sr. has a long and distinguished legal career of more than 40 years, much of which was spent running his own firm in Tampa.
— ALOE —
“Disney unveils new interactive art exhibit to celebrate Mickey Mouse’s 90th anniversary” via Madison Roberts of People magazine — In celebration of Mickey Mouse’s 90th anniversary, the company unveiled their plans for an interactive art exhibit titled “Mickey: The True Original Exhibition,” that will open in N.Y.C. in November. The immersive pop-up will span a 16-000-square-foot space in Manhattan and will feature multimedia art installations, from murals to sculptures to paintings. Much like the Disney theme parks, the exhibit is sure to be full of highly Instagrammable spots. “As Walt said, ‘I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing — that it was all started by a mouse’,” Bob Chapek, Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Consumer Products, said in a statement. “From ‘The True Original Exhibition’ to a yearlong celebration in our parks around the world, we are honoring the deep connection that families and fans have made with Mickey and Minnie Mouse for nearly a century.”
Happy birthday to state Sens. Dennis Baxley and Bill Montford.
