Takeaways from Tallahassee — Early voting gratitude

Takeaways from Tallahassee — Early voting gratitude

If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of Floridians casting an early voting ballot over the past week or so, you might want to send a thank-you note to Ion Sancho.

Before retiring in 2016, Sancho served as the Leon County Supervisor of Elections for 28 years before his retirement and he’s the one who brought early voting to his home county. Early voting has since been adopted throughout the state.

“I went to a conference in 1990 in San Antonio where I found there the Texas Republican Party had introduced something called early voting. People could go to the suburban malls a week or two ahead of the election to vote and therefore on Election Day there were no lines,” he recalled in a 2016 interview. “I found a provision in Florida Statutes called in-office absentee voting with no provisions defining what in-office absentee voting was. I immediately had an ‘ah-ha’ moment.”

Sancho rolled out the process in 1994, and ultimately the state “took all of our basic rules and procedures and put them in the statutes.”

He comes by his outspoken advocacy for “the most accurate numbers” that reflect “the actual will of the public” honestly after losing his race for the Leon County Commission in a botched election. It was the first election for a new — and inexperienced — supervisor. Between voting machine breakdowns, improperly trained poll workers, and incorrect voter registration cards, Sancho estimated 5,000 voters may have been disenfranchised.

Sancho ran against that supervisor and was elected to the position in 1988 — and reelected for a total of seven terms. He would switch over Leon County’s voting to an optical scanning method so that there would be a paper record of each vote cast in case a recount was required.

Although the eyes of the world were on Tallahassee during the 2000 election recount, the city’s home county was able to quickly certify the election with a .018 error rate. Sancho would be appointed to be a technical adviser to the recount of ballots from Palm Beach and Miami Dade counties, a process cut short when the U.S. Supreme Court halted the process in its 5-4 decision.

Sancho has long been a vocal critic of electronic touch-screen voting systems, saying they are hackable and unverifiable. He made appearances critical of Diebold and other manufacturers in the 2006 Emmy-nominated documentary “Hacking Democracy” and another documentary released this year, “Kill Chain: The Cyber War on America’s Elections,” now available on-demand on HBO.

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Coming up, the usual assortment of tidbits, leftovers and not-ready-for-prime-time moments by Peter Schorsch, Drew Wilson, Renzo Downey, Jason Delgado and the staff of Florida Politics.

Take 5 

The “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

Grant leaving House — Tampa Republican Rep. Jamie Grant, who was up for reelection this year, accepted the position of Florida Chief Information Officer. In his new role, Grant will oversee the Florida Digital Service, which aims to transform the delivery of government services to Floridians through design and technology. While in the Legislature, Grant served as one of the chief architects for the FDS, sponsoring legislation in the 2020 Session that created the service to replace the Division of State Technology. The move leaves it to Tampa Bay Republican leaders to choose a nominee to face Democrat Jessica Harrington in the House District 64 election.

Infections soar among inmates — A spike in coronavirus cases among workers and inmates in Florida Department of Corrections facilities raised alarms this week. Through Thursday, 14,271 inmates tested positive for COVID-19, including 2,519 diagnosed in July. To date, there have been 75 inmates who died after being infected, as well as two corrections officers, Joseph Foster and Robert Rogers. Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is continuing to aggressively test and isolate symptomatic inmates. Meanwhile, criminal justice reform advocates and sympathetic lawmakers push for the early release of nonviolent offenders, especially those at high risk.

Governor pushes school reopening — DeSantis attempted to rally teachers around school reopening this year, comparing their mission to the Navy SEAL Team that raided a compound and brought Osama bin Laden to justice in 2012. The following day, after clips of the comments went viral, he clarified he did not intend to compare the dangers of teaching during a pandemic to a dangerous counterterrorism mission. Throughout, he stressed schools will be kept as safe as possible. The first week in which any schools in Florida opened, there have already been faculty members and classes of students sent home to quarantine.

FSU, UF vow to play football — Even with the Atlantic Coast Conference cautious about holding a football season this fall, Florida State University President John Thrasher joined with Gov. DeSantis in expressing confidence games should still occur, at least an annual matchup between FSU and in-state rivals at the University of Florida. DeSantis made clear he would like that to happen. Leaders at UF also expressed optimism. Notably, the Southeastern Conference, to which UF belongs, and the ACC, home to FSU, released statements suggesting seasons could continue but expressing caution conditions may change that in the coming weeks.

Deloitte secures $135-million contract — Despite withering criticism over an unemployment system unprepared for this year’s spike in claims, Deloitte Consulting was awarded a Medicaid data contract worth $135 million. While DeSantis expressed displeasure at Deloitte landing the bid, he said he’s prohibited by law from forcing a change in decision. The consulting firm landed the contract through a competitive bidding process. An Inspector General investigation continues into the failures of the CONNECT website administering unemployment claims. Critics of the unemployment system, including DeSantis, have suggested it was designed to fail under pressure as a way of limiting unemployment claims paid out, artificially controlling costs, and producing more attractive employment data.

Coronavirus numbers

Positive cases:

— 557,337 FL residents (+44,916 since Aug. 31)

— 5,948 Non-FL residents (+294 since Aug. 31)

Origin:

— 4,201 Travel related

— 171,089 Contact with a confirmed case

— 4,341 Both

— 377,706 Under investigation

Hospitalizations:

— 33,155 in FL

Deaths:

— 9,276 in FL

Say thanks

Florida’s top cop called on residents this week to thank and support law enforcement officers amid a nationwide rise in line-of-duty deaths.

“As Florida’s Attorney General and the wife of a law enforcement officer, the increase in line-of-duty deaths is both heartbreaking and infuriating,” Ashley Moody said in a news release.

“We have seen law enforcement officers on the front lines of this pandemic contract COVID-19 and die. We have also seen deliberate, brutal attacks on officers across the country and even right here in Florida. I am urging Floridians to do whatever they can to make the jobs of our law enforcement officers a little safer — even if they have pulled you over for speeding, thank them for what they do, because without them chaos, disorder and harm to the innocent would result.”

Moody’s reaction comes as the 2020 death toll among law enforcement officials surpasses that of 2019. According to Officer Down Memorial Page, 157 law enforcement officers have lost their lives this year while only 147 did in all of 2019. Of those, nine Florida officers have died in the line of duty this year, also surpassing the number of officers lost in the state last year. 

In Florida, at least six law enforcement officers have died after contracting COVID-19 and two others were murdered.

Making moves

In a move reminiscent of Rick Scott‘s Florida business boosterism, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has implored ride-sharing giant Uber to move its HQ to the Sunshine State to “escape burdensome regulations.”

Uber, currently in a legal battle with California over how it classifies the employment status of its drivers, heard from Patronis this week, who plied the San Francisco-based company with business-friendly appeals.

“I was excited to talk with ride-share giant Uber and hear directly from their team on the benefits of doing business in Florida and issues related to grueling ride-share regulations currently plaguing them in California,” Patronis said.

“It’s appalling how this innovative company is being treated by California regulators as a possible shutdown would irreparably harm the amazing people who rely on its rides operations as a vital mode of transportation and those that use it to generate income for themselves and their families during this unprecedented pandemic.”

Patronis also spoke with Uber reps about the health and safety steps the ride-share company has taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, such as purchasing and distributing PPE to drivers, but making the case for relocation was the driving force.

“By moving their headquarters to the Sunshine State, Uber can take full advantage of our business-friendly regulations that allow this innovative company to survive and thrive. At the end of the day, I’m convinced there is no better place to live, work, raise a family, and run a business than right here in Florida.”

Free isn’t free

This week, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried told federal regulators unfair trade policies are harming Florida’s farmers.

Fried testified at a pair of virtual hearings held by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

“With a $137 billion economic impact, agriculture is Florida’s second-largest industry and first during times of economic downturns like we are currently experiencing due to COVID-19,” Fried said. “For 25 years, NAFTA allowed domestic markets to be flooded with cheap produce from Mexico that has devastated Florida seasonal crop growers’ bottom line and ability to compete — and unfortunately, the USMCA failed to provide a remedy.”

Fried inveighed against so-called “free trade” deals that increase global competition with Florida’s embattled agricultural and citrus industry, telling trade representatives: 

“When faced with the data, the harm being caused by these trade practices cannot be denied — I implore the Administration to see these figures not only as numbers on a chart but as an attack on Americans’ livelihoods.

“I’m thankful that the Administration provided the opportunity to hear directly from the farmers, families, and communities that are suffering due to unfair trade practices. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stands ready to assist our federal and industry partners as we move toward long-overdue solutions.”.

Veteran of the month

Fried announced Staff Sergeant Dustin Grooms this week as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Veteran of the Month.

“It’s a privilege to recognize Staff Sergeant Dustin Grooms for his service to our nation and dedication to Florida agriculture,” Fried said. “The leadership and skills which Staff Sergeant Grooms has acquired through years of military service have helped him bring innovative, successful practices to his farm in Plant City.

“We are proud of Staff Sergeant Grooms’ service and his contributions to our agriculture community — I’m pleased to name him as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ August Veteran of the Month.”

Grooms served eight years with the U.S. Army as a Motor Transport Specialist. His service includes two deployments to Kosovo, where he participated in peacekeeping and contraband interdiction missions. He also served in the U.S. Army Reserve as a drill sergeant in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.

After completing his service, Grooms pursued farming full-time in Plant City, where his family has operated Fancy Farms Inc. since 1974. Grooms now manages Fancy Farms as a fourth-generation farmer.

He has expanded the family business to include strawberries, blackberries, pickles, okra, peas, peppers and squash. 

Instagram of the week

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Florida State University Football Coach Mike Norvell, left, walks off the indoor practice field with @flgovrondesantis, right, after a news conference on resuming collegiate sports at FSU in Tallahassee. #FlaPol

A post shared by Florida Politics (@fla_pol) on Aug 13, 2020 at 10:30am PDT

Exam by cam

The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation has announced it is rolling out online testing options for certain professional licenses in the wake of COVID-19. 

Barbers, cosmetologists, auctioneers, and asbestos contractors are among the professionals that can now take proctored online tests to become certified in their field. Prospective online test takers can learn more about the new DBPR initiative, in partnership with Pearson VUE.

“With these online examination options, we will help more licensure candidates move forward with scheduling examinations and completing the licensure process, regardless of recent seating and spacing limitations that have been necessary to maintain safe testing environments,” said DBPR Secretary Halsey Beshears, a former state lawmaker.

“These options are more than just a new choice of format — the capacity and convenience enabled through online testing will give hardworking Floridians the opportunity to get started in their occupations sooner, by a matter of months in some cases.”

To take advantage of the new testing options, candidates only need a computer, webcam, mic, and solid internet connection.

Great outdoors

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection applauded this week the recent signing of the Great American Outdoors Act.

The legislation, signed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 4, will provide $900 million a year toward the Land and Water Conservation Fund to help U.S. national parks with overdue repairs and maintenance.

“This landmark legislation is a conservation victory for our sportsmen and women who are so passionate about the outdoors,” said FWC Commissioner Rodney Barreto. “Access to hunting, fishing and outdoor opportunities will ensure this legacy continues for future generations to enjoy.”

The funding is also expected to benefit Florida park and wildlife refuges. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida is home to 29 parks and wildlife refuges.

“Florida is renowned for its environment and recreational opportunities,” said DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein. “We pride ourselves on having one of the largest land acquisition programs in the nation, which ensures both conservation and public access to our iconic natural resources now and for future generations.

“DEP is excited to work with our federal partners to continue this effort and we look forward to supporting further improvements to this important program.”

Both the House and Senate supported the legislation overwhelmingly.

Any volunteers?

The Florida State Park Foundation is working with the Florida Park Service to fill over 150 special volunteer positions.

A variety of volunteer positions are available across the state. Volunteer opportunities can range from administrative assistants and tractor operators to museum docents, campground hosts, and exotic plant technicians.

“Volunteering is a great way of giving back to the community and volunteering in a Florida state park helps support and maintain the acknowledged best state park system in the nation,” said Florida State Park Foundation CEO Julia Gill Woodward. 

The Foundation added that maintaining Florida’s 175 parks and trails is a tall task and volunteers are always needed.

In total, they oversee state parks and trails that span roughly 800,000 acres and include hundreds of historic buildings.

“With so many fabulous parks and so much property to maintain, there is always work to be done and a pressing need for volunteers with special skills,” said Florida State Parks Foundation President Gil Ziffer.

Those interested in volunteer opportunities can apply online. 

The Florida State Parks Foundation was founded in 1993 as Friends of Florida State Parks and renamed in 2018.

Its mission is to support and help sustain the Florida Park Service. 

LBC’s Harris nod

The Florida Legislative Black Caucus recognized U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris’ selection to former Vice President Joe Biden‘s ticket as a historical moment for the nation.

Harris will be the first Black woman to be the vice presidential nominee to a major political party during the Democratic National Convention next week.

“Because of our shared constituencies and communities, the significance of her elevation to Vice President is so much more inspiring,” they added.

Harris graduated from Howard University, a Historically Black College and University in Washington, D.C. She was also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, one of the Divine Nine.

“Vice President Nominee Sen. Harris understands the important role of HBCUs in educating all students and the civic connections cultural organizations provide to lift up the issues of health disparities, child welfare, social justice, and many other issues impacting people of color,” the caucus wrote.

The California Senator also made firsts in her current role and as the state’s Attorney General.

“Her nomination as Vice President of this country is an inspiration to African Americans, people of color, and women of all ages, race and party affiliation,” caucus members wrote.

Sen. Bobby Powell is the Caucus chair while Rep. Kamia Brown is vice-chair.

Top Mayor

Palatka Mayor Terrill Hill was elected this week as President of the Florida League of Mayors.

“Society is experiencing significant changes right now, and mayors are leading their communities through it,” Hill said. “We’re the faces and the voices of our communities and our leadership will be instrumental in bringing our communities together in order to move ahead. Florida’s mayors have long benefited from working together on issues of importance, and I’m grateful to lead this association and its members as we continue doing exactly that.”

Hill has served as Mayor of Palatka since 2015 and spent four terms on the Florida League of Mayors Board of Directors. When not serving as Mayor, Hill is a practicing attorney at his own law firm.

Among his accomplishments, Hill is an inducted member of the Putnam County Black History Hall of Fame and was recognized by the National Bar Association as one of the top 40 lawyers under 40.

“Our mayors are facing unprecedented challenges these days,” said Florida League of Mayors Executive Director Scott Dudley. “Fortunately, President Hill is ready to provide the leadership necessary to navigate these challenges.”

Hill will replace outgoing President Kevin Ruane, who serves as Mayor of Sanibel. He will serve a one-year term.

 24-hour testing turnaround

DeSantis and state health officials have placed an emphasis on the need to run diagnostic COVID-19 tests in a timely manner. Revelations this week that one private lab had not reported data to the state for 46 days reignited the attention placed on testing turnaround.

But Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare are partnering for a temporary testing facility to provide results within 24 hours.

The state’s contracts with private facilities have shot for 48 hours, but DeSantis admitted early on that results could take more days to process. But as some tests have taken more than a week to return to the testees, a 24-hour turnaround is impressive.

“The ability to do this testing and quickly get results could be the difference in the ability to open things back up,” said FSU Vice President for Research Gary Ostrander.

Longer wait times mean the results of those tests are less effective. With a long wait time, people may be quarantining unnecessarily long, or asymptomatic individuals may unwittingly be spreading the virus. Individuals may also contract the virus in the days between the test and result and have a false sense of security.

But the TMH-FSU Rapid Response Laboratory hopes to quickly identify and trace COVID-19 carriers in Tallahassee and the university, processing up to 1,000 samples per day.

“As a leading research university, FSU brings resources to the table that will allow us at TMH to overcome supply limitations and provide for accurate and timely COVID-19 testing on a much larger scale,” said Mark O’Bryant, president and CEO of TMH.

Quick testing has implications for the FSU fall sports schedule, which will go on. And with students returning to campus, quick testing will prevent more students from getting ill as contact tracers can begin working quickly to track an outbreak.

Virtual Leadership Academy 

Like so many other programs and curricula this year, a City of Tallahassee program designed to cultivate and train neighborhood advocates is switching to online-only. 

With the health and safety of participants in mind, the 2020 Neighborhood Leadership Academy will be completely virtual during the 10-week course produced by the City’s Division of Neighborhood Affairs.

Using a video communication platform, programming will include webinar-style presentations and interactive discussions on a wide variety of topics related to City services and programs including public safety, parks and recreation, sustainability, traffic management, planning, permitting and much more.

The city said the “dynamic” course will allow class participants will engage with staff and learn about various aspects of city operations — from future development plans at the airport to youth education and empowerment programs such as TEMPO.

Sessions will occur every Tuesday evening from 6-7:30 p.m., with the first session taking place on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Applications are currently being accepted. Citizens interested in participating can submit a request online at Talgov.com/NLA. Registration is limited and will close by Aug. 31.

Finding the link

Florida State University public administration professor James Wright II has published a study that elucidates controversial links between racial identity and police interactions in Minneapolis, ground zero for the nation’s ongoing conversation and social protest movement surrounding law enforcement. 

Wright’s research focuses on publicly available information on police stops and layers them with detailed, longitudinal and latitudinal information required to plot the stops block by block within the city.

“We were looking at police stops in Minneapolis not knowing it would be the hotbed it has become,” Wright said. “We were glad that we had data available.” 

Wright and his co-authors Dongfang Gaozhao, a public administration doctoral candidate at FSU, and Meagan A. Snow, the Geospatial Data Visualization Librarian for the Geography & Map Division of the Library of Congress, found that majority African American areas have more vehicle or person searches than other parts of the city.

Wright said quantifying, identifying and putting these findings to use in the form of meaningful policing reform is the next challenge.

“The first way for us to move past discrimination and any sort of bias is to acknowledge and quantify the problem if we can,” he said. “In this case, we can identify and quantify the extent that bias exists, then we can go to communities, understanding and facilitating how we can do better as public servants.”

The final frontier

Florida A&M University scored a notable get this week when it was announced Office of Technology Transfer and Export Control staffer David Teek will coproduce a new documentary about famed NASA recruiter and actor Nichelle Nichols. 

Nichols, who played “Uhura” in a groundbreaking role on Star Trek, was instrumental to NASA’s efforts to recruit women and minority astronauts in the 1970s and 80s. The new documentary “Woman in Motion,” will profile her and detail her efforts to help NASA diversify their talent pool. 

Teek grew up on Florida’s Space Coast, a big fan of Star Trek and the United States’ space program. He will serve as a producer on the STEM-oriented documentary set to drop in 2021.

“The importance of this film is that it shows how one person can make a difference by committing themselves to making positive change,” Teek said. “Nichols was able to leverage her television celebrity to influence change at NASA and to open the door for a wider array of people.”

The film will also feature commentary from Star Trek actors, civil rights activists, astronauts, and scientists, including Neil deGrasse Tyson, George Takei, Pharrell Williams, Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton, Vivica A. Fox, Walter Koenig, Rod Roddenberry and Benjamin Crump. Shout! Studios acquired all North American rights to feature the documentary.

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