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.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are all 2-0, while the Florida State Seminoles are 1-2 after losing to lowly Syracuse.
What more proof do you need that this will be a wave election in November?
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
—@BrianStelter: It sounds like Christine Blasey Ford agonized over what to do. Whether to speak out on the record. With rumors spreading and reporters knocking, she decided to speak publicly: “I feel like my civic responsibility is outweighing my anguish and terror about retaliation.”
—@MDixon55: Lots of @ScottforFlorida ads during @BadgerFootball game. I’d just like to say I’m honored the campaign was thinking of me
—@SteveSchale: DeSantis only has two demands: he gets to participate by remote from a Fox News studio, and no gotcha Florida questions, like “how would you improve Florida schools?”
—@BradHerold: Um, didn’t we just do a 30 min sit down with @bsfarrington? We also did three open press events TODAY, while rolling out our first policy paper this week. I think we’ve shown an eagerness to talk about our positions and look forward to debating @AndrewGillum
—@JimmyPatronis: We placed our 1st TV commercial during college football this year, I’m glad we placed it in the 1st half of the @FSUFootball instead of the 2nd half.
—@Scott_Maxwell: I’m not a reporter. I’m an opinion columnist. You’re going to find opinions in opinion columns. It’s like complaining about groceries in a grocery store.
—@Finebaum: This Florida State football program is officially on life support. Willie Taggart has been an abject disaster.
—@WayneMcGaheeIII: State of the #FSU program right now: We have had 2,000 people look up Willie Taggart‘s contract today from our story from December of last year. Apparently, a lot of people have been looking that up today.
—@BrodyLogan: Miami vs. FSU is going to be broadcast on those screens at gas station pumps
— DAYS UNTIL —
First general election mail ballots go out — 5; First day of fall — 5; Future of Florida Forum — 9; Government shutdown — 13; FSU vs. UM football game — 19; Voter registration deadline for General Election — 22; ‘Before You Vote’ Florida U.S. Senate debate — 36; MLB World Series begins — 36; ‘Before You Vote’ Florida Governor debate — 37; Early voting begins — 40; Halloween — 44; General Election Day — 50; 2019 Legislature Organization Session meetings — 64; Thanksgiving — 66; Black Friday — 67; Florida Chamber Insurance Summit — 71; ‘Hamilton’ comes to the Straz Center — 148; 2019 Legislative Session starts — 169; 2020 General Election — 778.
— TOP STORY —
“The economy is humming, but Donald Trump is tweeting. Republicans are worried” via Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns of The New York Times — Republican leaders do agree on one surprising element in the battle for Congress: They cannot rely on the booming economy to win over undecided voters. To the dismay of party leaders, the healthy economy and Trump have become countervailing forces. The decline in unemployment and soaring gross domestic product, along with the tax overhaul Republicans argue is fueling the growth, have been obscured by the president’s inflammatory moves on immigration, Vladimir Putin and other fronts, party leaders say. These self-inflicted wounds since early summer have helped push Mr. Trump’s approval ratings below 40 percent and the fortunes of his party down with them. “This is very much a referendum on the president,” Rep. Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, said of the November election. “If we had to fight this campaign on what we accomplished in Congress and on the state of the economy, I think we’d almost certainly keep our majority.”
— DESANTIS VS. GILLUM —
“Andrew Gillum demands three debates; Ron DeSantis wants ‘probably more’” via Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times — “Florida voters deserve the chance to hear from Mayor Gillum and Congressman DeSantis about the critical issues facing our state,” senior Gillum adviser Scott Arceneaux said. “Mayor Gillum looks forward to sharing his vision for Florida that lifts people up, with higher wages, more money for schools, and affordable health care. We hope that Congressman DeSantis will join us, though it’s unclear whether he’ll be able to answer a single question about his nonexistent campaign platform.” Asked about this, DeSantis said he is “hellbent” on debating Gillum and would probably agree to more than three debates. The more they debate, DeSantis said, the better for him. “I definitely want to do debates. It’s very, very important, particularly for a candidate like Andrew who nobody thought could win the primary. He did not face scrutiny of his record. He didn’t face a single dollar in negative advertising, I don’t think,” DeSantis said after a picnic with Republican veterans. “I had $17 million between U.S. Sugar and Putnam. So, I think it’s very important that Floridians have a clear sense of our visions for Florida, our leadership.”
“DeSantis veers into the absurd in bid to raise fear and doubt on Gillum” via Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times — DeSantis suggested that a Gov. Gillum would usher in a state income tax and be soft on child molesters. Gillum does call for raising Florida’s corporate tax rate two percentage points to 7.5 percent to boost education funding, including raising minimum teacher salaries to $50,000 per year. He has said nothing about a state income tax, which would be virtually impossible to enact even if he wanted to. DeSantis said that if Gillum refused to work with immigration authorities — something the mayor never said — a convicted child molester could be released onto Florida’s streets after completing his sentence rather than being sent back to his home country. In making preposterous, hypothetical allegations about Gillum freeing child molesters, DeSantis made it easier for Gillum to push back.
“DeSantis dodges question about Trump’s Hurricane Maria death toll tweet” via Amanda Castro of ClickOrlando.com — Saturday marked the first time the public has heard from the Republican gubernatorial candidate following Trump’s tweet this week in which he denied the death count of nearly 3,000 Puerto Ricans from Hurricane Maria. DeSantis dodged News 6’s questions about the tweet. “I think it was a devastating storm. I think there was a lot of loss of life. I think I made my point clear. I also think the Democrats tried to politicize all of this stuff,” DeSantis said. DeSantis also refused to respond to the report that Louis Marin, the vice chairman of Orange County’s Republican Executive Committee, posted social media conspiracy theories, saying he shared them as a way to have an open discussion and debate online. “I’m not going to get sidetracked into focusing on somebody who put something stupid. Half of the crap on Facebook is crap. Give me a break. We got to stop doing that, and I’m not going to let people try to impute things to me that I didn’t say or do. I’m going to focus on these issues that are important,” DeSantis said.
“DeSantis blocks fundraiser over ‘hurtful and disgusting racial slurs’” via Marc Caputo of POLITICO Florida — DeSantis’ decision to block former state Rep. Ralph Arza from the post underscored the sensitivity the Republican’s campaign has to racial issues after Democrats blasted the candidate as a “racist” for using the phrase “monkey this up” in relation to his opponent. “Ralph Arza’s name was removed because of hurtful and disgusting racial slurs that he has used in the past. He is not affiliated with our campaign,” the DeSantis campaign said in a written statement. In 2006, Arza was accused of calling Miami-Dade County’s first black schools chief a “black piece of s—” in Spanish. Arza was then criminally charged with witness tampering and intimidation, but he struck a plea deal just before the 2006 November by agreeing to retire from office and not run for reelection. His name appeared on the ballot, but the votes counted for another stand-in candidate.
“’The primary is behind us’: Richard Corcoran now backing DeSantis” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics — Corcoran’s endorsement did not help Adam Putnam in the primary. However, despite the rhetoric of the summer, Corcoran found his way toward backing DeSantis (“chihuahua a**“ notwithstanding). On Sept. 12, Corcoran’s Watchdog PAC ponied up a relatively modest $22,625 to Friends of Ron DeSantis. That’s technically more than the $20,000 the PAC gave to Putnam’s Florida Grown committee earlier this year.
“Jackie Pons got the all clear. Could that happen for Gillum in FBI probe?” via Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat — Gillum has called on the FBI to publicly state he is not a focus of its investigation into local public corruption. But that’s not likely to happen soon, if ever. Gillum’s situation in some ways parallels that of former Leon County Schools Superintendent Pons, who ran for re-election in 2016 amid a long-running FBI investigation. Pons earlier this year met with Acting U.S. Attorney Chris Canova, who later called him to say the investigation was over and no charges would be filed. Canova never confirmed that publicly. And the FBI has said nothing about the Pons probe. But news about the FBI ending its investigation into Pons surfaced over the summer nevertheless.
“Republicans pan Gillum’s plan to raise corporate tax” via John Kennedy of the GateHouse Capital Bureau — Gillum has called for a stunning 40 percent increase in Florida’s corporate income tax — which he wants to use to raise $1 billion more for education, including $50,000 minimum starting salaries for teachers. The Republican Governors Association is now seizing on the idea, ridiculing it in a new TV spot as a “disaster for the economy.” Florida’s biggest business groups also have begun sharpening their attacks. “National headquarters of companies in this state are focused on this like a laser beam,” said Tom Feeney, a former Republican Florida House speaker and president of Associated Industries of Florida, whose members include some of the state’s biggest companies. He said Gillum’s proposal has spawned “terror” in boardrooms and is fueling business support for Republican DeSantis, who has said little about his economic plans, other than embracing most of the tax-and-regulation-cutting policies advanced by Scott over the past eight years. “Punishing corporations by taking money out of the pockets of job-creators is going to have a chilling effect on this state’s economy,” Feeney added.
—“Gillum video promises opportunity campaign pushes back at tax critics” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
— SCOTT VS. NELSON —
“Rick Scott launches new Spanish-language ad distancing from Trump” via Steven Lemongello of the Orlando Sentinel — In the new ad, “Commitment,” Scott says in Spanish, “When I don’t agree with what President Trump does or says, I’ve said it. My only commitment is with you … For me, what’s important is that your families have the best opportunities,” he said. “I ask for your vote so that together we can make Washington work for our families. I’m Rick Scott, and I approve this message because I know that with your help, we’ll keep on working.”
To view the ad, click on the image below:
“Déjà vu all over again: Scott says Bill Nelson has done ‘nothing’ for ‘Lake O’” via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics — The Scott spot throws back to a 1990 Nelson ad, in which the Senator vowed to “fight to stop the poisoning of lakes and streams across this state. Lake Okeechobee is dying because of the massive dumping of pollutants.” Alas, contends the ad, Nelson “failed … couldn’t get anything done” and is “all talk, no action.” The Scott campaign has been messaging on Nelson’s lack of efficacy on this issue for the better part of the summer. Days after the Scott ad dropped, Nelson responded with his own buy, pinning the blame on the “man-made crisis” on Gov. Scott.
To view the ad, click on the image below:
“Jeb Bush: Nelson ‘will always vote for more taxes’” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Bush stumped Saturday on behalf of one of his successors, Gov. Scott … And while Bush’s governorship overlapped with Nelson’s first term, he did not express much nostalgia from the podium. “With all due respect to the incumbent, the United States Senator, what has he done?” Bush asked. “I’ve been waiting. I can’t think of anything. He must have done something.” Then he answered his own question. “Yes, he has,” Bush said. “He has voted for every liberal idea that has made it harder for us to progress as a nation.”
“Fred Guttenberg endorses Nelson for Senate” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Guttenberg, whose daughter, Jaime, was killed seven months ago in the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, endorsed Nelson at an event Friday afternoon. The event was held at the Marriott Coral Springs. Guttenberg followed the announcement with a Twitter post reiterating the endorsement, noting several other Parkland families were also in attendance. U.S. Rep Ted Deutch, who serves the 22nd Congressional District, which covers Parkland, also spoke to the crowd gathered at the Marriott. “Don’t let people tell you the issue of gun violence has fallen by the wayside,” Deutch said, according to Kara Voght of Mother Jones. “It’s not what I see; it’s not what I hear.”
— EYE OF THE BEHOLDER —
When Scott touts his economic successes, some data points go unmentioned.
“Jackson County, an hour west of Tallahassee, is one of three dozen counties that had fewer jobs in 2017 than it had in 2007,” reports Steve Bousquet for the Tampa Bay Times.
In Jackson, there are fewer jobs than were a decade ago. And the small population has a higher rate of poverty than the state as a whole.
Response: Scott, when asked about how his job-growth narrative didn’t fit rural counties, dismissed the idea as a “Democratic talking point.”
Politics: Jackson is solidly conservative. Scott’s won the county twice, and Trump got nearly 70 percent of the vote there in 2016.
Pending matters: The county’s requested $5.9 million through the $85 million job growth grant fund. Scott has discretionary power over the fund.
— NOTES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —
“Gambling industry ponies up to fight amendment” via the News Service of Florida — Faced with a proposed constitutional amendment that could make it harder to expand gambling in Florida, the gambling industry early this month put another $1.25 million into a political committee fighting the November ballot measure, according to a newly filed finance report. The money was contributed from Sept. 4 to Sept. 7 to a committee known as Citizens for the Truth About Amendment 3, Inc. Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts International and Jacksonville Greyhound Racing, Inc. each contributed $500,000, while the South Florida Racing Association added $250,000. The committee, which started in July, had raised $3.52 million as of Sept. 7 and had spent $91,868, the report shows. The committee opposes a proposed constitutional amendment, known as Amendment 3, that has been heavily backed by Disney Worldwide Services, Inc., and the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
Adam Smith’s Winner of the Week in Florida politics: Amendment 4 — “The ballot initiative to automatically restore the voting rights of ex-felons who have completed their sentences (not murderers or sex offenders) has produced a virtual miracle in today’s political climate: Consensus support from both left and right wings. The conservative, billionaire Koch brothers formally joined the likes of Ben and Jerry and the ACLU in supporting the amendment. “In the Sunshine State, Floridians are permanently excluded from voting because of a prior felony conviction — one of only four states with a lifetime ban. If we want people returning to society to be productive, law-abiding citizens, we need to treat them like full-fledged citizens,” said the Koch-funded group, Freedom Partners.”
“Lauren Book says ‘it’s time for equal rights’ in new Marsy’s Law ad” via Florida Politics — In the 30-second ad, Book describes the court system from her perspective as a sexual assault survivor and asks viewers to vote for the measure, also known as “Marsy’s Law.” “I’m a survivor of childhood sexual assault from the time I was 10 until I was 16. Every. Single. Day,” Book says. “The court process was difficult and painful. It can completely destroy a victim. You’re not informed of court dates, denied the chance to tell your story, and the person that did this to you has stronger rights than you … The scales of justice in Florida are not balanced. It’s time for equal rights. Please, vote yes on Amendment 6.” The ad was paid for by Marsy’s Law for Florida, the main political committee backing the amendment. Recent filings posted on the Federal Communications Commission website show the committee has made multiple TV buys in Florida this week and the committee said the ad is part of its statewide advertising campaign.
To view the ad, click on the image below:
Happening today — Democratic Chief Financial Officer candidate Jeremy Ring will speak at a meeting of the Duval County Democratic Party meeting, 6 p.m., IBEW union hall, 966 North Liberty St., Jacksonville.
“Outside groups spent $1.2 million to help Darren Soto defeat Alan Grayson” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Apparently highlighting the outside help for Soto was the George Soros — backed Latino Victory Fund, which claimed on primary day that it had pumped more than $500,000 into media buys to support Soto on Spanish-language media. FEC records also show Latino Victory Fund also was not alone in spending to either support Soto or oppose Grayson, and perhaps not even the most generous toward Soto’s candidacy. FEC records show Latino Victory Fund spending $415,000 through the primary, while Progress Tomorrow Inc. spent $544,000. The total for outside spending to support Soto or oppose Grayson was $1.18 million, potentially more than Soto might have spent through his own primary campaign fund, though the final numbers are not yet in for his official campaign’s account.
“Shock poll: Kristen Carlson leads Ross Spano in first poll of CD 15 battle” via Florida Politics — A new internal poll released by Democrat Carlson shows her with a 1-point lead over Dover state Rep. Spano among voters living in CD 15, which covers parts of Hillsborough, Polk and Lake counties. The poll, released by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, conducted live interviews with 400 CD 15 voters with a sample that was 36 percent Democrat, 42 percent Republican and 22 percent with no party affiliation. When asked how they would vote generically, respondents favored Republicans 42-36 percent. However, that margin tightened to 48-47 percent in favor of the GOP when respondents were asked how they would vote in a generic congressional race. When the names of the two candidates were revealed, respondents said they preferred Carlson by a point, 48-47 percent with 5 percent undecided. Also noted by the Carlson campaign was her 10-point lead among unaffiliated voters, who favored the former prosecutor and General Counsel for the Florida Department of Citrus over Spano, a third term state lawmaker, 54-44 percent.
“DCCC and David Shapiro drop $900K on ad blitz in CD 16” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is joining with Shapiro on a $900,000 ad campaign against incumbent U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan in Florida’s 16th Congressional District. Both Shapiro and the DCCC will put $450,000 toward the new ad campaign. The 30-second spot, titled “Rig,” focuses on Buchanan’s purchase of a yacht on the same day House Republicans passed the first version of their tax cuts bill last year. It was later reported that Buchanan received a loan for that purchase from a company who was also lobbying in support of the bill.
To view the ad, click on the image below:
“In heavily weighted live polling, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell leads Carlos Curbelo in Florida’s 26th Congressional District” via The New York Times — Be cautious with these results. They are heavily weighted compared with most of our polls, which makes them less reliable. Mucarsel-Powell leads 48 percent compared to 45 percent for Curbelo with 7 percent undecided. Given expectations, our poll may be a good result for Democrats so far. But remember: It’s just one poll, and we’ve talked to only 334 people. Each candidate’s total could easily be seven points different if we polled everyone in the district. And having a small sample is only one possible source of error. As we reach more people, our poll will become more stable, and the margin of sampling error will shrink. The margin of sampling error on the overall lead is 13 points, roughly twice as large as the margin for a single candidate’s vote share. One reason we’re doing these surveys live is so you can see the uncertainty for yourself. Even if we got turnout exactly right, the margin of error wouldn’t capture all of the error in a poll. The simplest version assumes we have a perfect random sample of the voting population. We do not.
“Janet Cruz mailers blame school lead, A/C woes on Senate opponent Dana Young” via William March of the Tampa Bay Times — In two campaign mailers, Democrat Cruz blames Republican Young for air conditioning failures and lead in drinking water in Hillsborough public schools, saying Young’s past votes to cut school budgets are responsible. Cruz says education funding is the central issue in her campaign to take Young’s District 18 state Senate seat … The mailers say Young “slashed Hillsborough schools funding (and) teacher pay” and “forced our kids into schools with no A/C and lead in the water.” The mailers cite Young’s 2011 vote on a state budget that, according to PolitiFact, included $1.3 billion in K-12 funding cuts.
Happening tonight:
Meanwhile … a campaign note from a galaxy far, far away: “NJ vote-by-mail law confuses voters, election staff” via The Asbury Park Press — Letters sent out to explain a new law that automatically signs up some voters for vote-by-mail ballots are causing confusion across New Jersey. Some voters say they don’t understand how they were signed up for vote-by-mail ballots, while others say the messages county clerks sent out may end up discouraging people from voting. “With all of the accusations of voter suppression, we should be making it easier not harder,” said Jane Kleinman, a Red Bank voter who received one of the letters. “It’s creating confusion rather than clearing up confusion.”
— STATEWIDE —
“Deal on local property tax rates helped stabilize Florida’s budget” via Michael Moline of Florida Politics — A leading Senate budget writer claimed vindication Friday in a lingering dispute with House leaders over whether to allow local school boards to capture all of the value of rising property values when setting local tax rates. Rob Bradley, co-chair of the Joint Legislative Budget Commission, underscored the point during a presentation on the state’s three-year fiscal outlook by Office of Economic and Demographic Research director Amy Baker. Baker, the Legislature’s chief economist, expects state revenues to grow by 3.3 percent or so through each of the next three fiscal years. That works out to about $1 billion per year, suggesting a stable budget picture through the near future.
“Education board backs $673 million boost for schools” via Lloyd Dunkelberger of the News Service of Florida — The Florida Board of Education advanced a $21.8 billion request for public school funding in the next budget year, including a $200 boost in per-student funds and increased funding for school safety initiatives. Highlights of the 2019-20 budget proposal include: An overall $673 million, or 3.5 percent, increase, compared to the current budget for the 67 school districts; an increase in per-student funding from $7,407 to $7,607; $101 million increase to pay for an additional 13,680 new students expected in classrooms next fall. In total, there will be nearly 2.9 million students in the K-12 system next year; $100 million increase in the “safe schools” initiative, boosting total funding to $262 million. The funding allows districts to hire sworn law enforcement officers to protect school campuses.
“Jose Oliva to lead investigation of misspent state money at UCF” via Florida Politics — Incoming House Speaker Oliva will take over chairmanship of the Public Integrity and Ethics Committee “to investigate the misuse of funds by the University of Central Florida,” term-limited Speaker Richard Corcoran announced Friday. The university’s chief financial officer, William Merck, stepped down Thursday after an audit revealed the school improperly used $38 million in state funding to construct a campus building. UCF President Dale Whittaker told the state university system’s Board of Governors on Thursday that the school has replenished the state money, while taking steps to investigate the problem and to prevent similar occurrences in the future. The use of state operating funds to build the 137,000-square-foot Trevor Colbourn Hall, which opened this semester at UCF, was in violation of state policy that restricts that money to activities like instruction, research, libraries, student services or maintenance.
“Chris Latvala to propose child-welfare reform ‘Jordan’s Law’ in slain toddler’s memory” via WTSP News — Latvala said he plans to file “Jordan’s Law” in December. The proposed law is named after 2-year-old Jordan Belliveau, who was killed last month, allegedly by his birth mother, after being taken away from the foster family he had lived with most of his life. Latvala said the bill would provide more caseworkers for the Department of Children and Families and higher pay. He said each caseworker handles on average about 24 cases. The optimal number for each worker is 10, Latvala said experts told him. Latvala said the bill came about after a meeting with a 20-year-old mother who started a petition to reform child welfare laws in the state. The petition has garnered more than 20,000 signatures.
“Customers say Marlin Financial’s auto loans are deceptive. Now the state is investigating” via Malena Carollo of the Tampa Bay Times — Marlin Financial has saddled desperate consumers with much more debt than expected, apparently breaking the law in the process, a Tampa Bay Times investigation has found. The Times spoke with 20 Marlin customers, interviewed former employees and reviewed hundreds of pages of documents, from the company and public records from three states. Marlin has approved loans that are larger than it is licensed to make. Its debt cancellation policy … can push its interest rates over state limits. It has failed to give customers an opportunity to take belongings from repossessed cars … For more than a year, the company has largely slipped the notice of state regulators. Marlin is now the subject of a consumer protection investigation by the Florida Attorney General’s office. Based on customer accounts, according to experts, Marlin would be in clear violation of state law. Lenders are required to tell people where their cars are being held and give them an opportunity to take their belongings.
“Marijuana smoking ban case smolders in appellate court” via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics — The state constitution “creates a procedural right to seek treatment with smokable marijuana,” according to a new filing in an appeal by patients seeking to light up medicinal cannabis. Attorney Jon Mills filed a 48-page answer brief, in response to the state’s 57-page brief last month arguing that the smoking of medical marijuana should remain outlawed. The 1st District Court of Appeal case followed a May ruling by Tallahassee Circuit Judge Karen Gievers, who said the smoking ban violates the 2016 constitutional amendment, passed by 71 percent of voters, that broadly legalized medical marijuana.
“Judge dismisses horse group’s challenge of Calder gambling permit” via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics — A Tallahassee administrative law judge has booted a Florida horsemen’s group challenge of a South Florida track’s gambling permit. The reason: “Jurisdiction over the issuance of the summer jai alai permit being” contested in appellate court, not the Division of Administrative Hearings, Judge E. Gary Early wrote. “Thus, there is nothing for (the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association) to attack.” The case was against the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering, which regulates gambling, and regarded Calder Casino’s summer jai alai permit. The pari-mutuel previously went by the name Calder Race Course.
“Rays tickets could lead to disbarment of former Bradenton judge” via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics — The Florida Bar now is seeking to disbar a former judge who accepted baseball tickets from a law firm representing a woman whose personal injury case he was presiding over. Circuit Judge John F. Lakin, elected in 2012, quit the bench in March 2016 … He’s a former legal analyst for Court TV and MSNBC and a past “Florida Super Lawyer.” Lakin’s resignation ended a judicial conduct inquiry, but The Bar filed its own discipline case against him. A referee recommended a 90-day suspension, followed by one year of probation. The Bar called that “too lenient.” Lakin “committed serious misconduct, which undermined the integrity of the judicial system,” its initial brief said. The “appropriate sanction … is disbarment.”
“Florida prisoner kills cellmate, gouges out eyes, wears ear on necklace, sources say” via the Miami Herald — An inmate at Columbia Correctional Institution’s annex was able to strangle and mutilate his cellmate, gouge out his eyeballs, wrap his blood-soaked body in a sheet and walk into the prison’s chow hall wearing the dead inmate’s ear strung around his neck before officers learned anything was amiss … The murder happened Thursday morning, hours before an apparently unrelated gang melee erupted in another building on the compound, located in Lake City, 50 miles west of Jacksonville. In that disturbance, two gangs — the Bloods and the Cutthroats — began stabbing each other with knives in a clash over smuggled contraband, a source said. Only one officer was in the control room — responsible for supervising scores of inmates at the time it happened in G Dorm of the main building, one of the sources said.
“Did gunman open fire on Lake Worth transformer, blacking out city?” via Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post — Did a gunman try to sabotage the city’s electrical grid? Could the outage have been domestic terrorism? Knowing that gunmen had attacked electrical equipment in California and Arkansas in recent years, city utility officials said the unusual circumstances around the explosion gave them no choice but to consider foul play. The FBI was called. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation. The damaged transformer was sent to a forensic lab for analysis. Then, it happened again. On the night of June 20, another fireball lit the sky over the same substation: A second transformer had catastrophically failed, causing a citywide power outage for nearly seven hours. No suspicious holes were found on the second damaged device, which was directly next to the one that failed April 9. But that offered city officials little comfort … the other troubling reality is that attacks on power stations in North America are not unheard of.
— HISTORY LESSON —
There are centuries of history packed into a new piece for The Bitter Southerner.
“The First Floridians” retells the origins of Fort Mose, once a Spanish slave sanctuary. But also recounts the more modern history of the man who unearthed the St. Augustine site: Jack Williams.
“In the story … one gathers a sense of St. Augustine as what it appears to have always been, at least since statehood: a city in deep turmoil, full of squabbling historians, with so much to be proud of and to preserve, so much that has been invented for effect, other parts it might like to bury, and an ultimately loose grip on the controls,” writes Jordan Blumetti.
Discovery: Williams purchased the tract believing that something significant lay within. He recruited the University of Florida to help him unearth the fort later.
Conflict: The state soon sought to purchase the site from Williams, though it consistently low-balled him. He refused to sell the property, and the state took him to court and won.
Character: Williams’ reputation was damaged by the high profile conflict with the state. Because of the nature of the property — a slave sanctuary — he was pegged a racist.
— D.C. MATTERS —
“Marco Rubio: Phil Bredesen tries to ‘pull a fast one’ in Dem Senate bid” via Jonathan Mattise of The Associated Press — Rubio said Democratic former Tennessee Gov. Bredesen is “trying to pull a fast one” on voters by promising to be moderate if he’s elected to the Senate in a critical race. He made the comments to reporters after attending a Tennessee campaign roundtable with Hispanic community members for Bredesen’s opponent, Republican U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn. Rubio praised the congresswoman as having the right background to contribute to what Republicans are doing in the Senate. Bredesen and Blackburn are locked in a tight contest to replace retiring Republican Sen. Bob Corker.
“Charlie Crist’s proposal adding seat belts the school buses takes on new life” via the Sunshine State News — Back in April 2017, Crist introduced the “Best to Use Safety (BUS) Belts Act” which would mandate that all new school buses have seat belts. Crist worked on the issue when he served in the Florida Senate. This week, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee brought out legislation to strengthen safety requirements on school buses, including provisions from the Best to Use Safety (BUS) Belts Act including Crist’s proposal that busses be “equipped with three-point belts and providing grants to upgrade existing buses with safety belts.” Crist pointed to recent bus crashes across the nation as to why his bill was needed.
Happening today — Republican operative Roger Stone will appear at the Palm Beach County Trump Club, 7 p.m., Palm Beach Kennel Club, 1111 North Congress Ave., West Palm Beach.
— OPINIONS —
“Scott must answer for environmental malpractice” via the Palm Beach Post editorial board — Scott is trying to fool voters into thinking that Sen. Bill Nelson, the Democrat whom Scott is trying to unseat on Nov. 6, is to blame for the algae blooms. A Scott ad contends Nelson has done “nothing” for “Lake O.” It’s supposedly Nelson’s fault that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hasn’t limited water discharges or fixed the Herbert Hoover Dike. This is nonsensical double-talk. The dike’s condition and the rate of discharges have nothing to do with the pollutants in the water in Lake Okeechobee. Letting all that phosphorus and nitrogen into the water, to begin with — that’s the problem. And that’s on Scott. The same Scott, by the way, who didn’t buy an available 153,200 acres of U.S. Sugar land, which would have given that water someplace else to go. Backing off that deal, in 2015, was a blow to Everglades restoration. The list goes on.
“Reggie Garcia: Amendment 4 will save taxpayers money, give felons a second chance” via Florida Politics — Called the “Voting Restoration Amendment,” a proposed constitutional amendment will grant most of the 1.7 million convicted felons the right to vote and help select their leaders for local, state and federal offices. Amendment 4 is good public policy and smart justice. Here’s why: Data from the Florida Commission on Offender Review proves that the vast majority of felons who get their voting and other civil rights back do not commit new crimes. They have learned their lesson and are trying to earn the second chance they have been given. The reduction in the number of reoffending felons will have a positive $365 million economic impact … How? By leading to fewer prisons and more jobs and positive economic activity. Reduced prison construction and staffing costs will save $223 million. Many of the affected individuals are our family members, neighbors, co-workers, high school classmates, church friends and mutual acquaintances of people we know. Except for their status as felons, they are regular Floridians who pay taxes, own homes and businesses, have kids, and contribute to our schools and communities.
Erika Donalds: Roadblocks re-energize reformers” via Florida Politics — I cringed as the League of Women Voters cheered the end of Amendment 8 and their success in disenfranchising Floridians. Voters deserved to have a say in whether to allow the school district monopoly over schools to continue, but activist judges decided otherwise. The LWV patted themselves on the back while blocking mothers from voting on something most precious to them: the education of their children. Schools can look different and be a perfect fit for an individual child. Please stop fearing change. Schools of choice are real schools too, with real students and loving teachers. That is all that matters. Families want choices. Choices are working for students. We will find a way to give them the choices they deserve. You can be sure this is not the end. If anything, roadblocks re-energize reformers. And we have thick skin.
— MOVEMENTS —
“Interim leader remains at helm of Financial Regulation” via the News Service of Florida — Florida appears likely to end the year with an interim commissioner at the Office of Financial Regulation, leaving the future leadership of the agency to the next governor and state Cabinet. Gov. Scott and the Cabinet in June appointed Deputy Commissioner Pam Epting to serve as interim commissioner. That move came after former Commissioner Drew Breakspear resigned under pressure from state Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. The Cabinet drew 58 applications for the commissioner’s job, and interviews were conducted with five applicants. But Scott and the Cabinet have not named a commissioner.
New and renewed lobbying registrations:
Kaitlyn Bailey, Edward Briggs, Natalie King, Ronald Pierce, RSA Consulting Group: Family Health Source
Kendall Moore, Moore Law Group: Waste Management of Florida
Louis Rotundo: Celebration Pointe Holdings
William Scherer, Michael Dutko, Jordana Jarjura, Conrad & Scherer: NUCO CITRUS
Lincoln Quinton, NorthPointe: Vendita
— ALOE —
“Hurricane Florence evacuees flee to Disney World” via Gabrielle Russon of the Orlando Sentinel — With the threat of Hurricane Florence, some East Coast residents have evacuated to the Orlando area, making trip reservations within a day or two, the kind of planning that normally takes months. Nine Orlando-area Rosen Hotels and Resorts properties will offer reduced rates for people affected by Hurricane Florence, the company announced. The “distress rate” also includes free lodging for pets with guests. “Friends and Family in the Carolinas,” wrote travel agent Meredith Maki, who runs Inspirely Travel in Charleston, South Carolina, that specializes in Disney vacations, on her Facebook page. “Why not evacuate to DISNEY?!?”
“Vanilla could spice up Florida’s agriculture” via Ryan Ballogg of The Associated Press — Products like vanilla extract and beans that flavor ice creams and lace perfumes come from plants in the genus Vanilla, part of the orchid family. Florida’s farmers might want to look into the plant’s tasty potential as a valuable secondary crop. The spice could be nice for Florida’s agriculture and may help solve a budding global dilemma. Consumers take the world’s second most-prized spice (after saffron) for granted, but the vanilla industry is facing major challenges: Vanilla prices have skyrocketed in recent years as major food brands attempt to go all-natural, dumping the artificial flavor vanillin. Vanilla is now more valuable than silver, selling for around $600 a kilogram; climate change and geopolitical challenges are impacting world vanilla suppliers like Madagascar and Mexico, contributing to price rise and global supply instability.
Email away message of the day via Brendan Farrington of The Associated Press: “Hello. So, unless Hurricane Florence zips over to Atlanta Saturday morning and parks itself there, I will be out of the office until Thursday, Sept. 20. But hopefully, we can get in and out of there without any problems and get up to the great state of Massachusetts, home of the Red Sox, some pretty amazing lobster rolls, scenic Cape Cod, the Berkshire Mountains, and the five-time Super Bowl champion Patriots. Not that we’re doing or seeing any of those things. We’re pretty much going to plant our butts in Wilbraham, the corporate headquarters of Friendly Ice Cream. I probably won’t be checking my email much, but if you really, really need me, call or text 850-591-5805. But remember, my parents might be napping, so try not to wake them up.”
Happy birthday to St. Petersburg City Councilman Charlie Gerdes, reporters Charlie Frago and Jeff Schweers, and the incredibly talented Mary Beth Tyson.
