Peter Schorsch
Sixty Days — A prime-time look at the 2019 Legislative Session
The Last 24
Good Tuesday evening. While you’ve been agog to learn more on the Hollywood college entrance scandal, The Process kept grinding today, with a host of committee meetings and a Cabinet meeting. There, Gov. Ron DeSantis took the spotlight to answer questions on, among other things, his ride on a billionaire real estate investor’s jet. (That exchange is highlighted below in ‘Three Questions.’) Meantime, the Capitol is getting ready to watch the House — we’re told — pass a bill tomorrow OK’ing medical marijuana smoking, ready-made for DeSantis’ signature. But we get ahead of ourselves. Hey, Sixty Days gets excited sometimes. Here’s your nightly rundown.
Getting tougher on ‘hazing’: An FSU fraternity pledge died; now lawmakers want to boost anti-hazing laws.
Fighting prejudice: Legislation combating anti-Semitism moved forward with unanimous bipartisan support.
Night at the museum: Money for museums is one step closer to inclusion in the state budget.
Packin’ on campus: A House panel advanced two NRA-backed gun bills, reopening a debate about concealed carry on school grounds.
Show ‘em the money: A bill changing the budgeting process for Florida’s court clerks sailed through a Senate panel.
Recovering from Michael: The zone of wreckage from the storm covers an area the size of New Jersey, the Governor and Cabinet were told.
Appointing wishes: DeSantis said he wouldn’t mind having the ability to directly appoint administrative law judges.
Quote of the Day
“You talking about the form letter they sent me? I’m not mad. I’m incensed.” — CFO Jimmy Patronis, on a reply by Florida Bar President Michelle Suskauer. He asked her for help on attorneys filing dubious lawsuits under assignment of benefits agreements. She suggested just filing ethics complaints against such attorneys.
Your Metz Husband Daughton-sponsored question of the day is:
What is the highest natural point in the state of Florida?
As always, click here to tweet your answer to @MHDFirm. The first person with the correct answer will get a shout-out in tomorrow’s 60 Days!
Yesterday, we asked: Who was the first female member of the Florida Cabinet?
Answer: “Dorothy Glisson, who was appointed Secretary of State in 1974 by Gov. Reubin Askew.”
Congrats to Steve Kropp (@kropp_steve), first to tweet the correct answer!
Bill Day’s Latest
3 Questions
DeSantis fielded questions from reporters about potential conflicts stemming from his February flight to New York aboard billionaire real estate executive and casino owner Jeffrey Soffer’s jet. Sun-Sentinel columnist Steve Bousquet on Monday had reported the flight. Soffer accompanied DeSantis and has gambling interests with the state. (Questions and answers have been edited for brevity and clarity.)
Q: What’s your reaction to the story about Soffer’s plane?
DeSantis: It’s done through the Republican Party. It’s all legal and ethical — no issues there. We were able to get up to New York first thing in the morning, did a whole bunch of great meetings, and then ended up back late that same night. I don’t think the … plane that we have here, that’s not going to get to New York. You’d need like two refuelings. It’s actually been being repaired a lot lately as well. So, that really wasn’t, I don’t think, viable.
So the question is what’s the most efficient way you can do it that’s not abusing the taxpayer? That flight did not cost the taxpayer anything. So I think I was able to do a lot of good things, lay the groundwork for some good stuff into the future. I’ve told my folks with any of these things that it’s got to all be accordance, by the book, legal, ethical. If it’s coming up against those lines, then we’re just not going to do it. That flight clearly was legit. It was vetted.
Q: But there could be a perception that you’re taking a favor by taking the flight?
DeSantis: It wasn’t because it was paid for and was done in accordance with the law. So, it’s not me getting anything. There was no favor done. It was done through the proper legal channels.
Q: Does the story highlight the need for a state plane?
DeSantis: I’ve stayed out of it because I don’t want to be a judge for my own cause. For me to be prattling on — it’s not about me, it’s about how important it is for the Governor to be able to get around. Certainly, we have emergency situations that happen.
And then you might want the Governor to be able to go to Washington and plead for disaster relief, or New York to bring business. If that’s important to the Legislature then they can look at different ways to do it.
Lobby Up
There are a handful of autonomous vehicle (AV) bills up for debate in the 2019 Legislative Session. One of the proposals, filed by Sen. Jeff Brandes and Rep. Jason Fischer, would update state law with modern AV lingo, open the door for an automated ride-sharing platform, and allow The Florida Turnpike Enterprise to “fund, construct and operate test facilities” to study AV technology.
Autonomous vehicle tech is viewed as a key component of connected communities, and there are several companies looking to get in on the ground floor if the Sunshine State elects to be on the cutting edge of the nascent industry. One such company is Waymo, which was originally Google’s research arm for self-driving cars before it was reorganized as a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
Waymo has already rolled out a self-driving ride-hailing service in Phoenix, Arizona, and would love nothing more than to bring its platform to Florida. Last week, the California-based corporation hired a new slate of lobbyists to help it accomplish that mission.
Rhett O’Doski, Ryder Rudd, Sean Stafford and Sara Clements of McGuireWoods Consulting will work alongside in-house advocate Eric Douglas to get Waymo’s AV tech on Florida roadways.
And they’ve already got a head start — Fischer’s bill (HB 311) cleared its first committee the day the Waymo-McGuireWoods deal was inked.
Breakthrough Insights
The Next 24
Several civil-rights groups will take part in a rally calling on lawmakers to pass reforms to the criminal justice system. That’s at 9 a.m., Old Capitol.
The Senate Military and Veterans Affairs and Space Committee will take up a proposed constitutional amendment that would expand a homestead property-tax exemption provided to disabled veterans. The proposal would provide the exemption to spouses if the veterans die. That’s at 10 a.m., 37 Senate Office Building.
The Senate Rules Committee will consider a proposal that would prevent the Constitution Revision Commission from “bundling” multiple issues into single proposed constitutional amendments. That’s at 10 a.m., 110 Senate Office Building.
The Senate Agriculture, Environment and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee will hold confirmation hearings for Lottery Secretary Jim Poppell and Department of Management Services Secretary Jonathan Satter. That’s at 1:30 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building.
The House will take up a proposal that would allow patients to smoke medical marijuana in Florida. The Senate has passed its version of the proposal, and the House is expected to go along. That’s at 3 p.m., House chamber.
The Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee will consider a proposal that would make permanent a policy requiring people to apply for Medicaid the same month they become ill or suffer catastrophic injuries. In the past, people had 90 days to qualify. That’s at 4 p.m., 412 Knott Building.
The Senate Transportation, Tourism & Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee will hold confirmation hearings for Department of Economic Opportunity Executive Director Ken Lawson and Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault. That’s at 4 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building.
In other legislative action:
— House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee, noon, Reed Hall, House Office Building.
— House Health Market Reform Subcommittee, 12:30 p.m., 306 House Office Building.
— House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee, 12:30 p.m., 404 House Office Building.
— House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, 12:30 p.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building.
— House PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee, 12:30 p.m., 212 Knott Building.
— House Workforce Development & Tourism Subcommittee, 12:30 p.m., 12 House Office Building.
