Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
More than three dozen bills landed on the Governor’s desk Tuesday.
Some of the legislation is mundane, but a handful of bills were hot-button issues in the 2020 Legislative Session.
The most controversial among them is a measure that would require parental consent for youth abortions, reinstating a rule struck down by the Florida Supreme Court three decades.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has signaled he’ll sign SB 404 — during Session, he said he believes the “matter deserves to be reconsidered.”
SB 644 rivaled the parental consent in spurring debate. The legislation would increase requirements for employers to check the immigration status for new workers.
The bill is a light implementation of E-Verify — it requires private employers to use the federal database or, alternatively, collect I-9s from new hires, basically allowing a business to accept evidence from workers indicating they can legally work in the United States.
It’s drawn criticism from the left for its potential to force immigrants into the shadows, but has also been blasted by some conservative lawmakers for not going far enough.
Another tendentious bill received by the Governor: a ban on local sunscreen bans.
SB 172 was crafted in response to Key West’s local ban on sunscreens containing oxybenzone and octinoxate, two chemicals research shows can degrade coral reefs.
Proponents contended it the concentration found in sunscreens was too low to pose a danger to Florida reefs and that the risk of skin cancer outweighed potential coral damage.
SB 70, which would require all schools to install mobile panic alert systems, was also among the 38 bills ready for the Governor’s signature.
The panic alert system would be called “Alyssa’s Alert.” It’s named after Alyssa Alhadeff, one of 17 people murdered during the Stoneman Douglas shooting.
Less somber is HB 1039, which would give ride-hailing companies the green light to place illuminated ads on top of vehicles.
A priority of Uber and Lyft, the signs would range from 20 inches to 54 inches with the condition that they don’t block the driver’s line of sight and are only turned on when drivers are on the clock.
A full list of bills sent to the Governor is available here.
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 78,128 FL residents (+2,740 since Monday)
— 1,981 Non-FL residents (+43 since Monday)
Origin:
— 2,286 Travel related
— 35,273 Contact with a confirmed case
— 2,210 Both
— 38,359 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 12,206 in FL
Deaths:
— 2,993 in FL
Unemployment numbers
Total claims: 2,502,346
— Confirmed unique claims: 2,297,617
— Claim verification queue: 178,464
— Claims processed: 2,119,153
— Claims paid: 1,385,997 (+7 since Sunday)
Total paid out: $6.28 billion (+$70 million since Sunday)
Evening Reads
“Donald Trump signs police reform executive order that focuses on training, falls short of protesters’ demands” via Felicia Sonmez, Mike DeBonis and David Nakamura of The Washington Post
“Democrats blast Trump for pushing Republican convention to Jacksonville” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Trump’s rally could be a ‘perfect storm’ for the virus, Tulsa officials fear” via Noah Weiland of The New York Times
“Lawmakers: Trump’s environmental rollbacks threaten minority communities” via Allison Winter of the Florida Phoenix
“‘Crazy ideas’: Rick Scott continues crusade against calls to ‘defund the police’” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“The pandemic broke end-of-life care” via Sarah Zhang of The Atlantic
“Boats, pools and home furnishings: How the lockdown transformed our spending habits” via Matthew Dalton and Suzanne Kapner of The Wall Street Journal
“Many White Americans are ready to reopen the economy. Black Americans aren’t.” via By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux and Daniel Cox of FiveThirtyEight
“The Trayvon generation” via Elizabeth Alexander of The New Yorker
“U.S. retail sales rose record 18% in May” via Harriet Torry and Sarah Nassauer of The Wall Street Journal
“Florida sets new single-day record for coronavirus cases, adding 2,783” via Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times
“Florida businesses are reopening. So what about state government?” via Ana Ceballos of News Service of Florida
“What does Gov. Ron DeSantis think about racism and criminal justice in America? It’s a puzzle.” via Steve Contorno of the Tampa Bay Times
“After long legislative road, E-Verify awaits DeSantis’ signature” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
“Lake to ask state to find ‘more appropriate’ place for Confederate statue” via John Cutter and Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel
“University of Miami students to return in the fall to Gables campus, despite coronavirus” via Jimena Tavel of the Miami Herald
Quote of the Day
“Today’s record-high new cases makes it clear: Gov. DeSantis has lost control of Florida’s COVID-19 response. His policies are simply not working, and he’s recklessly reopening Florida despite the data screaming for caution. Refusing to acknowledge the alarming patterns in cases, hospitalizations, and positivity is not only arrogant, but will cost lives, public health, and our economy.” — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, on the Governor’s pandemic response.
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