Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
With the Legislative Session in the rearview and bills hitting the Governor’s desk daily, the Florida Chamber of Commerce has released its annual report card grading lawmakers’ performance.
The Chamber’s 2020 Legislative Report Card compares lawmakers’ vote records against the legislative agenda the Chamber released ahead of the 2020 Legislative Session.
“Transparency and accountability are essential in the legislative arena, and our legislative report card helps small businesses, taxpayers and voters know if their elected officials voted to secure Florida’s future with pro-business votes,” Florida Chamber executive vice president David Hart said.
The agenda emphasized policies that “lower the cost of living, reduce the cost of doing business, prepare for future growth and protect Florida’s Constitution.”
Specifically, the Chamber backed school choice expansions, economic development and tourism marketing such as VISIT FLORIDA, the water quality investments championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the ban on sunscreen bans, rural community investments and preserving affordable housing funding.
Overall, lawmakers delivered — 107 lawmakers earned an A or B, 11 got a C, 24 got a D and 16 flunked. On a percentage scale, the average Representative earned an 85% and the average Senator scored an 89%, both improvements over the 2019 Legislative Report Card.
A whopping 70 lawmakers — 15 Senators and 55 Representatives — earned perfect scores, among them Senate President Bill Galvano, Senate Budget Chief Rob Bradley, House Speaker José Oliva and House Budget Chief Travis Cummings.
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 80,676 FL residents (+2,548 since Tuesday)
— 2,043 Non-FL residents (+62 since Tuesday)
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
As of Tuesday:
Total claims: 2,531,627
— Confirmed unique claims: 2,323,628
— Claim verification queue: 187,584
— Claims processed: 2,135,684
— Claims paid: 1,395,268 (+9,271 since Monday)
Total paid out: $6.32 billion (+$40 million since Monday)
Evening Reads
“Coronavirus has come to Donald Trump country” via Philip Bump of The Washington Post
“John Bolton says Trump impeachment inquiry missed other troubling actions” via Peter Baker of The New York Times
“U.S. Senate GOP unveils police reform bill that draws Democratic rebukes” via Allison Stevens of the Florida Phoenix
“How the Warren Court enabled police abuse” via David B. Rivkin Jr. and Andrew M. Grossman of The Wall Street Journal
“Officer who shot Rayshard Brooks charged with felony murder” via Kate Brumback of The Associate Press
“Justice Department proposes limiting internet companies’ protections” via Brent Kendall and John D. McKinnon of The Wall Street Journal
“‘Either he’s dead or he’s been kidnapped’: ICE detainees go ‘missing’ amid coronavirus” via Monique Madan of the Miami Herald
“Ron DeSantis denies COVID resurgence, but state data shows otherwise” via Florida Politics
“DeSantis said recent worker tests at Orlando International had 52% positive rate. Airport says it was 0.4%” via Jeff Weiner of the Orlando Sentinel
“Joe Henderson: With COVID-19, ignoring experts could be deadly” via Joe Henderson of Florida Politics
“Face masks, staggered classes, outdoor instruction: What lies ahead when the public schools reopen” via Danielle J. Brown of the Florida Phoenix
“Nation’s largest labor group caravans around Capitol, calls for investment in workers” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics
“With eviction freeze extension, Florida landlords wonder how they’ll recover lost rent” via Emily L. Mahoney and Christopher O’Donnell of the Tampa Bay Times
“Hillsborough sheriff changes mind after protests, seeks full-time body cameras” via Tony Marrero of the Tampa Bay Times
Quote of the Day
“America really needs some unifying common experiences right now, not to distract us from our challenges, but to remind us of the things we have in common. Baseball can help fill that void & I am cautiously optimistic we will play ball very soon.” — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, after speaking with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
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