Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 9.3.19

ICYMI because of Hurricane Dorian — House Speaker José Oliva on Friday announced committee and subcommittee assignments for the 2020 Legislative Session, the second and last one he will lead as head of that chamber.

Here are the Top 5 takeaways from that release:

— Pensacola Republican Mike Hill was taken off the Public Integrity and Ethics Committee. He is, however, on the Civil Justice Subcommittee, the Judiciary Committee, and the PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee for 2020. Earlier this year, Hill caught flak for laughing at a joke made by a constituent at a town hall about executing gay people. Oliva and Chris Sprowls, the next-in-line House Speaker, publicly condemned Hill over his reaction to the joke.

— The PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Byron Donalds, a Naples Republican, was eliminated. Donalds, however, remains on the main Education Committee.

— On the Insurance & Banking Subcommittee, Donalds replaces St, John Republican Cyndi Stevenson as chair. He previously chaired the now-defunct PreK-12 Quality Subcommittee.

— The PreK-12 Innovation Subcommittee chaired by Rep. Ralph Massullo will take on a new role. It was expanded from 15 to 18 members, to make room for some of the representatives from the Quality subcommittee. Notably, Orlando Democrat Anna Eskamani was not among them.

— Sprowls, a Palm Harbor Republican, will again head rules. Colleen Burton of Lakeland has taken over as vice-chair, succeeding Jackie Toledo of Tampa. Of note is the addition of Rep. Daniel Perez, who will take over as House Speaker if Republicans hold a majority in the chamber after the 2024 elections.

The full list is here.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@RealDonaldTrump: The Amazon Washington Post did a story that I brought racist attacks against the ‘Squad.’ No, they brought racist attacks against our Nation. All I do is call them out for the horrible things they have said. The Democrats have become the Party of the Squad!

—@RealDonaldTrump: Such a phony hurricane report by lightweight reporter @jonathancarl of @ABCWorldNews. I suggested yesterday at FEMA that, along with Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, even Alabama could possibly come into play, which WAS true. They made a big deal about this … when in fact, under certain original scenarios, it was, in fact, correct that Alabama could have received some “hurt.” Always good to be prepared! But the Fake News is only interested in demeaning and belittling. Didn’t play my whole sentence or statement. Bad people!

—@JacksonDill: Big props to the National Hurricane Center for doing well with #Dorian‘s track forecast. Florida has gotten about a week of warning time!

Tweet, tweet:

For who are asking about how bad are things in the Bahamas, this is a text my cousin who works for the Bahamian Govt – They are in need of our prayers and help! pic.twitter.com/DN8ng5Uvl0

— Shevrin “Shev” Jones (@ShevrinJones) September 2, 2019

—@FBSaunders: Energy officials expect about a half-million customers will lose power in Florida due to Dorian

—@NewsGuyGreg: You know a storm like #Dorian is getting close when Waffle House moves to “limited menu.”

—@GrayRohrer: How times change. 8 months ago, @Airbnb was an anti-Semitic company on FL’s scrutinized companies list for banning services to Israelis in West Bank. It reversed its policy, was taken off the list, & now has reps in the EOC coordinating stays for evacuees

—@HealthyFla: After storms, be alert to wildlife — snakes, alligators, etc. may have been displaced as a result of strong winds or rain.

—@JoseJavierJJR: Happy #LaborDay2019. As we honor working people and thank the labor movement for progress made, we especially think of those workers who have to work holidays like those pulling long hours right now in the face of #Dorian. We appreciate you and your families.

—@ComfortablySmug: Today marks the official start of Christmas season

— DAYS UNTIL —

CNN hosts candidate forum on the climate crisis — 1; TaxWatch Productivity Awards — 8; First Interim Committee Week for 2020 Session — 13; “Morning” Joe Scarborough releases “This Ends Badly: How Donald Trump Conned America” — 14; MSNBC hosts candidates event on climate in D.C. — 16; Emmy Awards live on Fox — 25; 850 Hemp Summit begins — 29; “Joker” opens — 31; SNL season premiere with Woody Harrelson — 31; Triple Force Friday: the next generation of Star Wars products arrives — 31; Debut of Breaking Bad movie on Netflix — 37; New season of “The Crown” streaming on Netflix — 45; Florida Chamber Future of Florida Forum begins — 54; Brexit scheduled — 58; 2019 General Election — 66; 3rd Annual Florida Internet and Television FITCon starts — 65; “Frozen 2” debuts — 80; TaxWatch 40th Annual Meeting — 90; “The Rise of Skywalker” premiers — 108; 2020 Session begins — 133; Florida TaxWatch State of the TaxPayer Dinner in Tallahassee — 134; Iowa Caucuses — 153; New Hampshire Primaries — 161; Florida’s presidential primary — 196; Black Panther 2 debuts — 246; 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo begin — 325; Florida primaries for 2020 state legislative/congressional races — 357; 2020 General Election — 427.

— TOP STORY —

“After Dorian’s direct hit on Bahamas, a scene of ‘total devastation’” via Tim Stelloh and Rachel Alves de Lima of NBC News — When the Category 5 hurricane made landfall on Great Abaco Island, east of Miami, on Sunday at 2 p.m., Dorian’s maximum sustained winds were 185 mph — an Atlantic hurricane record matched only by a storm that struck the Florida Keys in 1935, the National Hurricane Center said. At 3 a.m. Monday, the center warned of the ongoing “life-threatening situation” as the hurricane lashed the island with 200 mph wind gusts and a storm surge 18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels. “These hazards will continue over Grand Bahama Island during most of the day, causing extreme destruction,” it said, referring to the northernmost island of the archipelago.

Florida may be spared the worst of Hurricane Dorian, but the storm has already done its fair share of damage.

Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas over the weekend as a Category 5 storm, the strongest to hit the island chain in recorded history.

In addition to the loss of life, many islanders lost everything. Among those affected by the storm are family members of state Rep. Shevrin Jones, one of whom described a heart-wrenching scene — finding an entire family who died in each other’s arms.

Following any major disaster, opportunists come out of the woodwork to scam people looking to help out by sending relief supplies or their hard-earned money.

But Jones and others in the process are pointing those looking help out with monetary donations to MTHSMILE.com. Others looking to send necessities such as water and non-perishable food can drop them off at the Miami Dade Emergency Operations Center.

For those in the Tampa Bay area, there’s a couple of other trustworthy charities prepping for a trip to the Bahamas: Agape Flights and Operation Helping Hands.

The organization makes weekly trips to other Caribbean nations such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but now their team of 300-plus missionaries are focused on bringing relief to the Bahamas.

Operation Helping Hands is planning a trip of its own with details on how to donate available by calling (305) 643-2501, or 211.

Dorian 5:45 a.m. update —Hurricane Dorian has dropped to Category 3 status, but National Hurricane Center officials remind that the storm remains dangerous and life-threatening. The storm boasts maximum wind strengths of 120 miles per hour and is expected to remain powerful for the next couple days, which are also the days when the hurricane poses the greatest direct threat to Florida.

The storm remains in a stationary position north of Grand Bahama Island, continuing to pound the island nation. But the National Hurricane Center expects this morning the storm will move north-northwest toward Florida. By Wednesday evening, the storm should turn north before peeling north-northeast Thursday.

— DATELINE TALLY —

Ron DeSantis speaks with Donald Trump about Hurricane Dorian — Gov. DeSantis spoke with Trump on Monday, who “reiterated his full support for Florida,” according to a news release. DeSantis also participated in a conference call with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Florida’s Congressional Delegation and said he would continue to receive updates throughout the day from federal, state and local weather experts.

“As Florida waits for Dorian, DeSantis urges people to heed evacuation orders” via Elizabeth Koh of the Miami Herald — Mandatory evacuation orders had been issued for parts of nearly every county, and the state’s Eastern Seaboard from Palm Beach to Nassau, and DeSantis urged people to heed those orders from local authorities. “Get out now while you have time or there’s fuel available, and you’ll be safe on the roads,” he said. Several tolls had been suspended along major roadways to ease evacuations, and DeSantis said he had also expanded the suspension of tolls to include roads in and around Jacksonville, including the First Coast Expressway and the I-295 express lane. The Central Florida Expressway Authority also suspended tolls on several roads, including State Road 408, SR 414, SR 451, SR 453, SR 538 and SR 551.

“DeSantis — and Florida — in the storm spotlight” via Gary Fineout and Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida — Dorian poses a familiar test for Florida’s nascent Republican Gov. DeSantis, who touted his connection to Trump as a reason for Floridians to vote for him last fall. Dealing with the complexities — and politics — of natural disasters has enhanced the reputations of previous Florida Governors. And even though Dorian’s track is ticking east, which could spare Florida from a direct hit this week, the storm has required DeSantis to test-drive his administration’s emergency management capabilities amid the threat of widespread power outages, flooding and fatalities. DeSantis so far is handling his first major appearance in the hurricane spotlight, a rite of passage for Florida Governors, well. The political stakes are high for the new Governor.

“Dorian could shape DeSantis’ political future” via John Kennedy of GateHouse Florida — Facing his first hurricane as the state’s chief executive, DeSantis — just as his predecessors did — has morphed into the symbol of government’s readiness and anticipated response to what became a Category 5 monster, the biggest to menace Florida’s Atlantic Coast in a generation. Not yet eight months into his job, DeSantis’ political future could be shaped by how he and the state handle the next few days. “I don’t view it politically at all,” DeSantis said, instead adding that he saw his task solely being to “protect the state and protect people.”

“Jimmy Patronis attended NYC fundraiser as Florida prepped for Dorian” via Matt Dixon for POLITICO Florida — Patronis’ Twitter feed brimmed with hurricane updates, and he interviewed on a local Tallahassee radio station, but he was out of state as other officials were gearing up for the storm’s arrival. “The CFO had a political/finance meeting in NYC,” Patronis political adviser Melissa Stone wrote in an email. Patronis was expected to be in Panama City, she said. Patronis was the only member of the Florida Cabinet, which includes Republican Attorney General Ashley Moody and Democrat Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, who did not attend a briefing at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.

Tweet, tweet: 

Spoke with FL Chief Resilience Officer @JuliaNesheiwat this afternoon. Proud to report that @GovRonDeSantis and officials on the ground across the state are coordinating to keep roads clear/lift tolls, working with utilities to get power back on after the storm. #HurricaneDorian

— Wilton Simpson (@WiltonSimpson) September 2, 2019

— STATEWIDE —

“Cutting it close: Florida’s fate may be a matter of miles” via Seth Borenstein of the Associated Press — For Florida, just a handful of miles may make a huge difference in Hurricane Dorian’s slow dance with the coast. The National Hurricane Center forecasts Dorian to be 40 to 50 miles off the Florida coast on Tuesday and Wednesday, with hurricane-force wind speeds extending about 35 miles to the west.

“Health facilities evacuated as Dorian looms” via the News Service of Florida — Florida officials said that 72 nursing homes and assisted living facilities and seven hospitals on the state’s East Coast had been evacuated in preparation for Hurricane Dorian. Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew told reporters that only four of the long-term care facilities were evacuated because they didn’t have emergency generators and access to backup power as required by law. “They are making a determination based upon their buildings’ ability to withstand a Category 5 (hurricane), whether they are in the surge zone. So that is separate and apart from the generator,” Mayhew said.

—”Baptist Beaches & Baptist Nassau County evacuate patients” via Allyson Henning of News4Jax

“Florida has gotten more than 2,100 reports of price gouging ahead of Hurricane Dorian” via Courtney Robinson of WTSP — There have been more than 2,100 reports of suspected price gouging in Florida following the state of emergency declaration from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Approximately 600 of the complaints were submitted via the new “NO SCAM” app.”

“Dorian causes Orlando International Airport to close early Tuesday” via Dave Osborn of the Naples Daily News — Orlando International Airport will close at 2 a.m. Tuesday because of Hurricane Dorian, officials announced Monday. Airport executives said they based the decision on the National Weather Service placing the Central Florida region under a tropical storm warning. “Orlando International Airport could see sustained tropical storm winds of between 40-45 mph which prevents the safe operation of automated people mover systems and places first responders in harm’s way when responding to emergency situations,” the airport said in a news release. “Operations will resume subject to safe weather conditions.”

“Dorian prompts Disney to change theme parks’ hours” via Dewayne Bevil of the Orlando Sentinel — Threatening weather conditions from Hurricane Dorian have prompted Walt Disney World to rearrange — and sometimes curtail — Tuesday’s operating hours for its theme parks. There are additional alterations and cancellations to its schedule. Meanwhile, SeaWorld Orlando posted that the theme park, as well as Aquatica water park, will be closed for the entire day Tuesday. Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme parks will be closing at 2 p.m. on Tuesday. Animal Kingdom opens to guests at 8 a.m., with Hollywood Studios opening at 9 a.m. The Disney After Hours event set for Animal Kingdom has been canceled for Tuesday night. Disney is offering to exchange that ticket for other events this year or full refunds.

“Florida woman wraps home in plastic to protect home as Hurricane Dorian approaches” via WFLA — Brittany Vidal is taking the unique approach of plastic wrapping her home, securing it with close to 300 sandbags and duct tape. “We just started out by doing 6 mil plastic all around the house,” Vidal said. Vidal’s home flooded during both Matthew and Irma. She’s considering raising the house but is trying the plastic wrap for now. “Hopefully our barricade will do something for us this year, but at least we can immediately start getting fans, get things going,” Vidal said.

“Anheuser-Busch, American Red Cross team up for hurricane relief” via Melissa Razdrih of Florida Politics — More than 100,000 units of canned water will arrive in communities in advance of Hurricane Dorian. The donation from Anheuser-Busch is a response to a request from the American Red Cross to support aide efforts. Central Florida is still projected to be in Dorian’s cone. If it hits Central Florida, it will be the strongest storm to impact the area in three decades. The water will be delivered to the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Jacksonville, and other partners in the industry including Southern Eagle Distributing, Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, and Bernie Little Distributors who will help get the drinking water to those in need of disaster relief.

“Uber offers free rides to evacuation shelters ahead of Dorian” via Colleen Wixon of TC Palm — “We strongly advise our riders, driver-partners and Uber Eats partners to make safety a priority as Hurricane Dorian approaches,” Uber said on its website uber.com. Those needing a free round trip to a state-approved evacuation shelter should download the Uber app on their smartphones, according to the site. You may need to create an account when you first download the app, so have an email address and phone number ready.

“Airbnb offering free housing to Hurricane Dorian evacuees and relief workers” via the Miami Herald — Airbnb has launched its “Open Homes Program,” which provides free housing to displaced residents and disaster relief workers impacted by Hurricane Dorian. The program is available through Sept. 16. More than 800 Airbnb hosts have opened their doors in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Alabama. You can check available listings here. As of Tuesday morning, more than 30 Airbnb locations around Florida were available, the bulk of them in areas out of Hurricane Dorian’s projected path. Available locations include St. Petersburg, Tampa, Tallahasse and Miami-Dade.

“Dorian could cause major erosion from Florida to North Carolina, report says” via Rene Rodriguez of the Miami Herald — A report by U.S. Geographic Survey coastal change experts warns that 80 percent of the beaches from Florida to North Carolina could suffer beach and dune erosion caused by Hurricane Dorian’s strong waves and storm surges. Based on the storm’s projected path, Georgia and South Carolina will fare the worst, with 100 percent of their beaches facing some level of dune erosion. Roughly 85 percent of Florida’s beaches and 60 percent of North Carolina’s beaches will also suffer some degree of erosion.

“Dorian postpones summit on energy, climate change” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — The Office of Energy has postponed the event, scheduled for Wednesday through Friday at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay. “Due to the storm’s expected impact upon the speakers, panelists, and several hundred registered attendees, the Summit will be rescheduled for a future date,” reads a release from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Officials recommend anyone with reservations for the event cancel by midnight on Monday. The summit isn’t the only major state-sponsored event called off thanks to Hurricane Dorian. The Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism also announced it would not take place next week.

Insurers ask for restraint on Dorian emergency order — As reported by Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida, insurance executives asked the Office of Insurance Regulation to exercise some restraint when it sends out an expected emergency order on Hurricane Dorian. “I know that you and your staff are working away on an emergency order, and the only thing I would encourage you to do is make it as least intrusive as possible,” Security First Insurance chair Locke Burt said to CFO Patronis on a conference call. Burt said the order has the potential to “upend” pending insurance rate requests and siphon away limited staff time when insurers are processing post-storm claims.

Meanwhile … “Forecasters monitoring 4 tropical disturbances in Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico” via News 7 Miami — As Hurricane Dorian hits the Bahamas and slowly crawls west, the National Hurricane Center is keeping an eye on four other tropical disturbances in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. The first disturbance is located about 300 miles west of the Cabo Verde Islands. At 80%, it has a high chance of forming into a tropical depression over the next 48 hours and a 90 percent chance of forming over the next five days. … The second disturbance is located over the south-central Gulf of Mexico. … The third disturbance is located several hundred miles south-southeast of Bermuda. … The final disturbance is a tropical wave that is forecast to emerge over the Atlantic between Africa and the Cabo Verde Islands.

— MORE STATEWIDE —

“Joe Gruters, James Buchanan want film incentives to see a sequel” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Lawmakers seem intent on bringing a program back. But it won’t be the same attract-with-cash model that has turned off so many in Tallahassee in the past. “The whole goal is for this to be the most conservative program of its kind throughout the U.S.,” said state Rep. Buchanan. That’s long been a desire of pro-film lawmakers. State Sen. Gruters last year filed legislation to reestablish grants. The bill (SB 526) passed out of the Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee, which Gruters chairs, but then died.

“Michael Gottlieb looks to expand statute of limitations for civil sex offenses against minors” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — State Rep. Gottlieb wants Florida to follow in the footsteps of New York, giving child victims of sexual offenses decades to file a claim in civil court. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently signed the Child Victims Act. The measure lets child victims file a civil claim up until they are 55 years of age. Gottlieb’s bill (HB 53) would do the same. For victims younger than 18 at the time of the incident, a civil suit “may be commenced on or before the victim reaches the age of 55,” according to the bill’s language. “We’re living in a time now where we have a lot of these valid #MeToo claims,” Gottlieb said of his motivation for filing the bill.

“Lawmaker eyes ‘phantom’ damages reform next session in state where hospital health care is ‘extremely’ high” via Chris Adams of the Florida Record — State Rep. Thomas Leek introduced HB 17 earlier this year to remedy issues pertaining to phantom damages in lawsuits, but the measure failed to advance. Leek said it is difficult to gauge how much of a priority phantom damages will be in the next legislative session but believes it will be addressed. “I would say that you’re more than likely to see the phantom damages or what we call ‘truth in damages,’ ‘accuracy damages’ is another name for it,” he said. “You’re likely to see that come up this year but probably in a different form … the overall package that we’ll put together may take all kinds of different forms and shapes.”

“Key medical marijuana issue goes to Supreme Court” via the News Service of Florida — Days after a split appeals court refused to revisit a decision that could revolutionize the way medical marijuana operators do business in DeSantis’ administration has asked the state Supreme Court to take up the case. The 1st District Court of Appeal turned down a state request for the full appellate court to hear the case, a request known as seeking an “en banc” hearing. Judge Scott Makar wrote in a concurring opinion that “en banc review is unwarranted and would serve only to delay the inevitable, which is to allow for our Supreme Court to weigh in and definitively pass upon the matter.” The 2-1 decision prompted lawyers for DeSantis to file an appeal with the Supreme Court.

“State cracking down on whether schools are really teaching courses required by law” via Diane Rado of Florida Phoenix — Following a scandal related to teaching the Holocaust and questions about whether African American history has been ignored, the Florida Department of Education is moving to require detailed annual reports from districts on what’s being taught across dozens of courses and topics. And the agency is essentially threatening sanctions if public schools don’t comply. That could mean withholding state dollars, grant funds and lottery proceeds used to fund public schools, among other measures. The agency is pushing those requirements by setting up new state rules, though they are not finalized yet. First, people will be able to weigh in on the proposals in a comment period that goes from Aug. 26 to Sept. 16.

“State won’t hold bear hunt in 2019 — but 2020 is possible” via Craig Pittman the Tampa Bay Times — When the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission debated holding a second hunt in 2016, the proposal failed. And when the commissioners brought the idea up again in 2017, they ultimately decided not even to discuss holding another bear hunt until 2019. Now the agency’s executive director says the commissioners won’t take up the subject before December. First, though, will come the updated bear management plan, said Eric Sutton. “As directed by our commissioners two years ago,” he wrote in an email, “we have been focused on updating and revising (the) Bear Management Plan before considering future bear hunts. We plan to release the updated plan for public comment in early October and present to commissioners this December.”

“Florida’s ‘City Beautiful’ taking its fight over takeout container litter to FL Supreme Court” via Mitch Perry of Florida Phoenix — The City Commission of Coral Gables, which has spent three years trying to ban polystyrene (trade name: Styrofoam) containers, has decided to take its case to the Florida Supreme Court. The coastal community on Miami’s southern end is nicknamed the “City Beautiful,” and local leaders were concerned about a growing litter problem. The city commission passed the ordinance prohibiting food service providers and stores there from selling or using expanded polystyrene containers in 2016. Then, after lobbying by state retailers, the Florida Legislature passed a statewide law banning any local government from adopting regulations on packaging materials such as polystyrene and plastic bags after January 1, 2016.

— DOES BIDEN REALLY WANT THIS? —

After a recent speech in Iowa, a reporter asked Joe Biden: “How badly do you want to be president?”

While the answer may seem self-evident, writes Mark Lebovitch of The New York Times, but the question seemed a curveball for Biden.

“I think it’s really, really, really important that Donald Trump not be reelected,” Biden said, more as a justification than answer — before launching a list of why Trump shouldn’t be in office.

“Could I die happily not having heard ‘Hail to the Chief’ play for me?” He then asked. “Yeah, I could,” he said. “That’s not why I’m running.”

So Lebovitch posits again: Why is he running? Is the “singular nature” of the current occupant enough to convince voters that this is the right time for Joe Biden. The Democratic front-runner seems to have difficulty coming up with an answer.

“He doesn’t think you need a revolution here,” Anita Dunn, a Democratic media strategist working for the Biden campaign, told the NYT. 

The campaign is running more on a “strategic bet”: the possibility of another four years of Trump will have Democrats gravitating to the familiar.

Asked in a slightly different way — if a more moderate candidate was in the White House (perhaps Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush) would Biden still be running?

“Um, I’m not sure, to be quite honest with you,” Biden responded. “I hadn’t planned on running again.”

— 2020 —

“Fall campaign season begins with Joe Biden teetering a top Democratic field” via Philip Elliott of Time magazine — The ability to defeat Trump — the centerpiece of his campaign rationale — has become less sturdy as polls indicate other candidates, too, could beat the incumbent in a hypothetical match up. Biden remains the polling leader, although nowhere near as comfortable as when he entered the race in April and then had a rally-style kickoff in May. The once-perceived inevitable nominee has been proven as fragile as his critics warned.

“Dorian stops Trump campaign from pitching Florida beachgoers from the air” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Trump’s reelection campaign plans to dispatch planes over beaches in five states today, trying to reach voters and vacationers. Expect plane sightings in Detroit, Michigan.; Cleveland, Ohio; Milwaukee, Wisconsin.; Erie, Pennsylvania.; and Virginia Beach, Virginia. “Labor Day is the perfect time to thank American workers for everything they do for our country,” said Tim Murtaugh, Trump campaign communications director. With Hurricane Dorian still threatening Florida’s entire east coast, flyovers in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach were nixed. As current projects show Dorian will remain a hurricane when it passes Virginia later this week, the concern appears to be about flying weather and beach population, not whether a state remains under threat of a storm.

“Why Trump may protect one group of immigrants” via Anita Kumar and Daniel Lippman of POLITICO — Florida leaders have been urging Trump to not deport Venezuelans fleeing their economically distressed nation to the United States, with some even ensuring him the move will help him win the all-important battleground state of Florida in 2020, according to two people familiar with the discussions. Trump officials have been receptive. According to six people, including senators, congressional aides and an administration official, Trump officials are discussing allowing Venezuelans to live and work legally in the United States through one of two existing programs used to protect immigrants who come from nations that are devastated by war or natural disasters. The move might cut against Trump’s broader immigration record.

— D.C. MATTERS —

“Donald Trump says he’s OK with acting FEMA chief as Hurricane Dorian bears down” via Evan Semones of POLITICO — Dorian is forecast to make landfall on the Atlantic coast without a Senate-confirmed FEMA administrator to oversee relief efforts — and Trump says he’s OK with that. “Acting gives you great flexibility that you don’t have with permanent,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday before departing to Camp David, where he said he would be closely monitoring the storm. “When I like people, I make them permanent, but I can leave acting for a long period of time.” Deputy FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor is serving as acting administrator of the federal emergency agency after former head Brock Long resigned following a controversy over his personal use of government vehicles. Dorian would be the first hurricane Gaynor has overseen.

“Trump doesn’t think he’s ‘ever even heard of a Category 5’ hurricane. Four such storms have threatened the U.S. since he took office” via Devan Cole of CNN — “We don’t even know what’s coming at us. All we know is it’s possibly the biggest. I have — I’m not sure that I’ve ever even heard of a Category 5. I knew it existed.,” Trump said at a briefing with officials at FEMA’s headquarters in Washington, DC. In September 2017, nearly eight months into Trump’s presidency, Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest Atlantic basin hurricanes ever recorded outside the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, affected at least nine US states. That same month, Hurricane Maria devastated the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, leaving behind an island that is still struggling to recover.

—Here is a minute-long clip of all the times Trump said he had not heard of a Category 5 hurricane. Watch here.

— THE TRAIL —

Happening today — The Financial Impact Estimating Conference will hold a workshop on potential financial impacts of a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban possession of assault-style weapons in Florida, 8:30 a.m., 117 Knott Building.

Happening today — State Rep. Ray Rodrigues, an Estero Republican who is running for an open Senate seat next year, is scheduled to speak during a Lee Republican Women’s Club dinner meeting, 6 p.m., 3 Fishermen, 13021 North Cleveland Ave., North Fort Myers.

— LOCAL —

“In Miami, Afro-Caribbean saints and spirits are part of hurricane prep” via Erin Sánchez-Guerra — In a place like Miami with rich cultural roots that came along with Caribbean immigration, this includes Afro-Caribbean religions such as Santería. “Usually religious people, including in Ochá, Ifá, and in Palo, when natural disasters are about to occur, we try our best to feed all our saints and do whatever we gotta do spiritually to make sure our homes stay safe and our families,” said Luis Romero, an employee at Botánica Nena, a prolific botánica in Flagami focused on the Cuban religious traditions of Ochá, Ifá, Palo, and Lucumí, which are colloquially known as Santería. “It’s obvious that they’re prepping up before the hurricane comes.”

“After police helped evict a 75-year-old ahead of Dorian, Miami-Dade says never again” via Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald — At a time when Miami-Dade was urging residents to prepare for Hurricane Dorian, county police helped a South Beach landlord evict a 75-year-old woman, whose belongings sat on the curb Friday night.

“Jerry Demings signs ‘anti-gouging’ executive order” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Orange County Mayor Demings outlawed price gouging during the emergency of Hurricane Dorian. Demings signed an executive order as director of emergency management for Orange County. It prohibits licensed businesses, including retailers, hotels and landlords, from charging more than “average retail price” while his emergency declaration order remains in effect. The order covers everything from apartment rents to gasoline. There is an exception for situations where wholesale prices or the costs of obtaining materials increased because of the emergency. The executive order sets a $500 fine and or 60 days in jail as punishments.

“Miami-Dade Mayor wants to block Genting from using Chinese trains for monorail bid” via Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald — A rule embedded in draft bid documents proposed by Mayor Carlos Gimenez would bar participation by Chinese train companies, a prohibition that goes to the heart of a monorail proposal by casino giant Genting to use China’s BYD as its rail partner. The move follows backlash to BYD’s possible role in building a new transit system for Miami-Dade, including warnings from Florida’s two Republican Senators, Marco Rubio and Scott, of potential security issues. Armando Ibarra, a lobbyist and head of Miami’s Young Republicans group, led a campaign to block BYD, including funding a poll aimed at showing a lack of support in Miami-Dade.

“$200 fee amounts to ‘tax on being Jewish.’ It’s about to change.” via Larry Barszewski of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Selling or making kosher goods shouldn’t cost more in Broward than it does elsewhere in South Florida, business owners say. But it does. The $200 annual county license doesn’t guarantee their food is safe or kosher, only that the owner has a reason for calling it kosher. It feels less like a fee to them and more like a tax — and an onerous one at that. “To me, it functioned as a tax on being Jewish,” said Eric Rutner, who owns Diamond Kosher Caterers in Pembroke Pines. To show his goods are kosher, Rutner said he is inspected by orthodox Rabbi Nahum Simon of Community Kosher.

“Leon County public defenders noticing increased ICE presence in courtrooms” via Karl Etters of the Tallahassee Democrat — Only about five people have been arrested by federal officials in the past year across the 2nd Judicial Circuit, but public defenders are noticing more and more that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are waiting to detain people during minor court proceedings. On July 2, Mario Gonzalez arrived in Courtroom 2E to face a misdemeanor charge of driving without a valid license. It seemed innocuous. Pay a fine. Maybe do some community service. But Gonzalez, arrested for operating a vehicle with no license in 2017 — the charges were dropped — had been labeled a multistate offender because of a previous DUI in Georgia. He left the courthouse that day in the grip of two ICE officials.

“A crackdown has cleared 30 illegal charter boats from the region” via Duwayne Escobedo of the Northwest Florida Daily News — The Coast Guard, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Okaloosa County and Destin teamed up on the more than three-month-old operation. So far, the agencies have cleared more than 30 illegal charters from local waterways, primarily in Destin. One illegal charter was in Orange Beach, Alabama, and two were in Panama City. “This has been something that has been going on in the past,” Lt. Andrew Nielsen, a Coast Guard investigator, said at a news conference. “That death earlier in the spring put us in action. It’s interesting work. It can be morbid. We just want charters to follow the rules.” Coast Guard Capt. LaDonn Allen said Florida and Gulf Coast waters had experienced multiple deaths this year.

— OPINIONS —

“Advice from a Michael survivor” via Katie Landeck of GateHouse Florida — Here’s Tracy Johnstone’s advice: Go buy a few burner phones from the opposite carrier from what you have. Do this now. Hedge your bet on which one, if any, will work. Get multiple AM/FM radios and batteries. Fill up cars with gas AND a dozen gas cans — this is for your vehicle and generator. No power, no gas. In our case, pumps destroyed so no gas. No cash, no gas. Get cash now. When the banks were closed for three weeks, cash was hard to come by. Communicate with your payroll company and make plans for after the storm. Loop in your CPA. If you are in the cone, assume the worst.

“Hurricane Irma and what it means to hunker down” via John Cutter of the Orlando Sentinel — We can all agree that “hunker” is a word we never use except with the word “down,” and almost exclusively use in Florida when a storm approaches. Apparently to hunker means to squat — basically to bend your butt down to your heels. The Oxford English Dictionary says its origin is “early 18th century: probably related to Dutch huiken and German hocken,” which generally translate as “to squat.” Over time, to hunker down came to mean taking refuge from whatever nature is bringing.

“Rick Scott can hang up that Navy cap. DeSantis is large, in charge and keeping us informed about Hurricane Dorian” via the Miami Herald editorial board — Dorian slow-walking its way west toward Florida, DeSantis resumed including the media in his briefings with emergency managers across the state. Scott, always media wary and an information control freak, stopped that practice. Throughout his two terms, as danger loomed, reporters couldn’t hear what was being said and couldn’t ask state emergency managers to explain or comment because Scott, bristling with authority in his Navy cap, was the only one authorized to speak. More critical, agency heads and emergency managers are available to reporters, able to share valuable information — Bravo to Gov. DeSantis. By broadening access to crucial hurricane updates, he is helping the media — and, therefore, Floridians — know sooner what to expect at this wet, soggy and stressful time.

“DeSantis’ office is making a mockery of Florida public records laws” via the Orlando Sentinel editorial board — Too many local governments have long made sport of requests for public records. They demand to know why someone wants the information (that’s illegal). They say there’s no one around to deal with the request (also illegal). Or they ignore the request (again, illegal). The executive branch under DeSantis is doing its part to thwart transparency by slow-walking public records requests made by citizens and the media alike. We’re keenly aware that some readers might view these criticisms as self-serving. It’s true that the public records law is frequently used by the media to gather information for news stories. But Florida’s public records laws weren’t written for the news media. They were intended to give all Floridians access to government documents.

“Scott’s cowardice on guns” via James Downie of The Washington Post — We don’t have that much robust data on what does stop mass shootings, because Congress has refused for years to fund research into effective gun control. It won’t shock you that Scott has not come out in support of House Democrats’ bill to fix that. But even accounting for low expectations, it’s remarkably telling that Scott, even after winning the GOP nomination easily, not to mention the general election, remains so scared of the NRA and its allies that he’s self-censoring the bills he’s signed. “This is not a partisan issue,” Scott claimed to CNN’s Dana Bash. Sorry, only one party behaves like this when it comes to gun control.

— MOVEMENTS —

“Longtime lobbyist and former congressman Vin Weber resigns from consulting firm” via Tom Hamburger of The Washington Post — Weber, the former Minnesota congressman who has provided guidance to Republican presidential candidates and corporate executives, resigned his position Friday as a partner in a prominent consulting firm amid ongoing questions about lobbying work he did for Ukrainian interests. In a letter to the chief executive of Mercury LLC, where he has worked since 2011, Weber wrote that continued attention on his Ukrainian work “has become a distraction for me and for the important work that Mercury is doing.” Weber said he would “focus my time and energy on protecting my reputation.”

“Nine finalists for 1st District Court of Appeal sent to Governor” via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics — Richard Doran, who chairs the 1st DCA’s Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC), released the list: Circuit Judge James “Scott” Duncan of the 1st Circuit Court; Gilbert Feltel Jr., assistant general counsel for the city of Jacksonville. George Levesque, a GrayRobinson shareholder in Tallahassee and a former general counsel for the Florida Senate and House. Circuit Judge Robert Long of Tallahassee. Rachel Nordby, a partner in the Shutts & Bowen law firm and former deputy solicitor general under Attorney General Pam Bondi. Gary Perko, a Hopping Green & Sams attorney in Tallahassee; Circuit Judge Eric Roberson of the 4th Judicial Circuit. Cristine Russell, a board-certified appellate lawyer. Adam Tanenbaum, general counsel for the Florida House of Representatives.

“Head of hospital association announces retirement; Crystal Stickle to serve as interim president” via Florida Politics — Stickle has been tapped to serve as interim president of the Florida Hospital Association after her colleague and longtime boss, Bruce Rueben, announced his retirement. Rueben’s retirement, slated for later this year, comes after eleven years of leading the FHA. The FHA Board of Directors selected Stickle, currently the executive VP of the organization, to take the reins effective January 1. Stickle has been handling government affairs for the association for the past six years and was recently featured in incoming Senate President Simpson’s inner circle. WittKiefer, a global executive search firm, will conduct a national search to name a permanent leader by Spring 2020.

New and renewed lobbying registrations:

Melanie Bostick, Jennifer Green, Timothy Parson, Liberty Partners of Tallahassee: Florida Assisted Living Association

Bryan Cherry, Tanya Jackson, PinPoint Results: Turbonomic

Hayden Dempsey, Timothy Stanfield, Greenberg Traurig: H2 Processing, Qualtrics

Tracy Mayernick, Frank Mayernick, Rob Johnson, The Mayernick Group: EPIC Behavioral Healthcare

Jared Willis: Florida Osteopathic Medical Association

— ALOE —

“As Dorian loomed, Disney left staff on its Bahamian island. Cruise line says they’re safe” via Monique Madan of the Miami Herald — The company, responding to social media questions raised by the sister of one staffer, insisted that its employees were safe in a strong hurricane shelter as the eye of the 185 mile-per-hour hurricane passed just to the north. Castaway Cay, a private island used by Disney as a stop for cruise passengers, is located near Great Abaco Island. The eye of Dorian passed directly over the town of Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco. Castaway Cay, originally known as Gorda Cay, is just off the southern end of the island.

“Florida man wants the military to fight Hurricane Dorian with ice” via Colin Wolf of Creative Loafing Tampa Bay — “I don’t see how they haven’t come up with some way to combat these storms yet,” said an unidentified Palm Bay man to FLORIDA TODAY’s Tyler Vasquez. “All this warm weather and warm water. We have Navy,” he says, looking directly at the camera. “Why don’t the Navy come and drop ice in the warm water so it don’t, so it can’t get going as fast as it’s going,” he says while wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Not stopping at ice, the Palm Bay man also would like the Air Force to get involved. “There’s gotta be ways to combat this, other than just pointing at the thing and going, ‘Well, now it’s getting worse,’” he says, laughing.

“‘Waffle House index’ is a real thing during disasters. But how does Waffle House do it?” via Annie Blanks Pensacola News Journal — Assemble “jump teams” of operators from Waffle Houses across the Southeast: check. Send in generators, RVs, and gas to areas with restaurants that will likely be impacted: check. Make sure maple syrup, sausage biscuit and waffle rations are fully stocked: check, check, and check. “We try to plan, and our plan gets us up to the storm. Once the storm hits, we really just react,” said Pat Warner, director of public relations and external affairs for Waffle House. “We try to be nimble.” Preparations for the storm typically start days before

— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —

Best wishes to former U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw, Bobby Carbonell, lobbyist Jenna Paladino, and Greg Turbeville of Ballard Partners.

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Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Jim Rosica, and Drew Wilson.