Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 9.10.20

With the arrival of September, the rhythm of life in Florida turns to thoughts of helmets, shoulder pads, and touchdown passes. Given everything, it’s not necessary to ask if most people are ready for some football.

They’re ready for anything that resembles life as we knew it before the pandemic struck, and a slice of the old normal arrives Thursday night.

That’s when the National Football League season kicks off with a must-watch matchup between the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans. For three-plus hours, in the comfort of living rooms throughout Florida, the only face masks we need to worry about are those attached to football helmets.

Downer alert: You still need to wear a face-covering if you plan to watch in a public setting. Deal with it.

If past is prologue, TV ratings for NFL games may set records.

Ratings for the NFL Draft in April were 35 percent higher than in 2019. More than 55 million people tuned in for at least part of the three-day draft-a-palooza. Image what those numbers will be for actual games.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars play this Sunday. Limited in-person seating is available at the stadiums in Miami and Jacksonville, but the Bucs and New Orleans Saints will play to an empty Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Don’t forget the colleges.

Miami, Florida State, and South Florida start their seasons over the next three days, while other state schools crank it up later this month.

High school football also is underway throughout the state.

Social distancing and other COVID-19 precautions will be in place in all situations, including on the sidelines. We’re used to that by now, and if that’s what it takes to get a slice of something familiar back in our lives, bring it on.

“Texans-Chiefs set to kick off NFL season unlike any other” via Dave Skretta of The Associated Press — It has been a mere eight months since Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City from a 24-0 hole to beat Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans in the divisional round of the playoffs, a brutally efficient comeback that ultimately propelled the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title in 50 years. A whole lot has changed, though. The coronavirus pandemic effectively canceled the entire NFL offseason along with all four preseason games. That means their rematch at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night will be the first game for anybody since February. It also means the crowd at what is historically one of the toughest road venues in the league will be limited to about 17,000 fans.

“What to watch for in an abnormally normal 2020 NFL season” via Neil Paine of FiveThirtyEight — Ready or not, the NFL will kick off its 2020 schedule Thursday with the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans. It comes against a backdrop of pandemic and protest that will no doubt affect the season beyond the league simply emptying the stands and conceding a few words of support. We admittedly don’t know what 2020 will hold for the NFL as it confronts its many off-field challenges — but we do have some ideas about how its teams will perform on the field. We’ve reloaded our NFL prediction model with the latest roster moves ahead of Thursday’s game and simulated the schedule 100,000 times to generate projected records and playoff odds for each team.

“How COVID-19 upended typical offseason training routines” via Kaelen Jones of The Ringer — Deshaun Watson could win an MVP this season. Odell Beckham Jr. could reclaim All-Pro status. CeeDee Lamb could win Offensive Rookie of the Year. There is no shortage of storylines and possibilities entering the NFL season. But if any of these examples are to come to fruition, the work to put them in motion will have begun far earlier than Thursday, when the 2020 season kicks off. This season, many NFL players underwent unique offseason training routines to navigate around the coronavirus pandemic that impacted all aspects of the sport this summer. Perhaps more than ever, players relied on their personal trainers and sports performance specialists to maintain shape and rehabilitate.

“The sounds of silent NFL stadiums” via Nora Princiotti of The Ringer — The person in charge of what you hear when you watch a football broadcast is called an audio mixer. It’s an apt title since the sounds from the stadium that come into people’s living rooms are like the ingredients of a recipe: They’re collected in raw form from the field, the sidelines, and the stands; measured out, and mixed together. The final product delivered to viewers represents what they’d hear if they were at the game themselves, but it’s not an exact replica. A good audio mixer can make viewers feel like they’re close to the action by letting them clearly hear the quarterback’s clap that breaks the huddle or audible calls at the line of scrimmage.

“Bye-bye Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders, NFL boots them and mascots from field sidelines” via CBS DFW — The NFL is not allowing cheerleaders and mascots on the field during the 2020 football season. During the coronavirus pandemic, teams are being allowed to set their own policies when it comes to fan attendance. But according to NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero, the protocols for the NFL and NFL Players Association have been changed and the updated rules have been sent to the clubs. In addition to cheerleaders and mascots, sideline sports and news reporters, and pregame reporters will also not be allowed on the field level during games. “There is no game day entertainment personnel allowed on the field this season. However, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will be permitted to perform on the end zone touchdown decks during the game,” said Charlotte Jones Anderson.

“Gamblers factoring virus into their football bets this fall” via Wayne Parry of The Associated Press — There’s a new factor in play for gamblers looking to bet on football this fall: In addition to point spreads, home-field advantage (or this year, the lack thereof) and the weather, bettors are taking the coronavirus into account before plunking down their cash. In a year in which the pandemic has upended every major sport, the arrival of NFL and college football brings unique challenges. In stadiums without fans, does a home-field advantage even exist? And if not, is it worth laying three points for? Will the lack of a preseason benefit offenses or defenses — or could both be equally rusty in the early going? Does that make overs or unders the smart play?

“Now that the NFL supports Colin Kaepernick’s fight, what’s next?” via Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press — Four years later, the NFL admitted it was wrong and said it now supports Kaepernick in his fight against racial injustice, encouraging players to take a stand — or a knee — for the cause. What happens next? The league’s 101st season kicks off Thursday night, when the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans. NFL end zones will be inscribed this season with two slogans: “It Takes All Of Us” on one side, “End Racism” on the other. As part of its social justice awareness initiatives, the NFL also will allow similar visuals on helmets and caps. Players will be permitted to wear decals on the back of helmets, or patches on team caps.

“CBS Sports chairman says NFL ad sales matching 2019 pace; Social justice issues to get airtime but balance is the goal” via Dade Hayes of Deadline — With the start of an NFL season like no other just days away, Sean McManus said advertising sales are on pace with the 2019 season, with a sizable chunk of Super Bowl inventory sold out. On a Zoom call with the media lasting an hour and a half, McManus acknowledged that broadcasts will bear the marks of the two major themes of 2020: social justice issues and COVID-19. The network’s goal will be to strike a balance between acknowledging Black Lives Matter and other political and social flashpoints and serving fans looking only for game action. “We’re not going to keep our heads in the sand,” McManus said.

“Yes, Dan Snyder could actually lose ownership of his team” via Luke Mullins of Washingtonian — During the two decades that Snyder has owned Washington’s NFL team, local sports fans have grown accustomed to chaos, controversy, and disappointment. But the events of this summer have made clear that this once-proud franchise is even more dysfunctional than we imagined. In July, the team relented to years of pressure and announced it would change its name. Days later, The Washington Post published a report in which 15 women alleged that they were sexually harassed while working for the team. When the Post made the team aware of its findings, three employees who were accused of improper behavior left the club. The team hired an attorney to conduct an investigation into the organization.

“UF study eyes health effects for retired NFL players” via The News Service of Florida — Nearly half of former National Football League players who used opioids in 2010 continue to use them today, and nearly 60% experience moderate to severe depressive symptoms, a University of Florida study shows. Published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence, the study examined the long-term effects of opioid use in retired NFL players. The study is based on phone interviews with 90 former NFL athletes who had participated in a 2010 study — also conducted by the university’s College of Public Health and Health Professions — on opioid use. For the new study, researchers asked players to answer questions about their former careers, body aches and pains, mental health and levels of substance use.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@MiamiCurt: Bob Woodward managed to do what Bob Mueller did not do: Get [Donald] Trump to talk, at length, although not under oath. Still, on tape and no denying what was said. As a reporter, I once again take my hat off to Woodward.

—@JazzShaw: So to be clear, Bob Woodward supposedly had a Trump quote from Feb 7 saying he knew the virus was airborne and deadly. But it couldn’t be released until his book came out in … September, 8 wks before the election. OK then.

—@Poynter: We will never know how America’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic might have been different if Woodward revealed in February that President Trump considered the virus to be deadly and that he underplayed his concerns so as not to alarm the public.

—@RexChapman: The dude who was tweet-screaming “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” didn’t want us to panic, y’all.

—@SenTomCotton: Disney is addicted to Chinese cash and will do just about anything to please the Communist Party. Disney even thanked the CCP thugs who are locking up people in concentration camps. This is evil behavior from a once-great American company.

—@MDixon55: Politically this boils down to @GovRonDeSantis and Broward Democrats vs @votegeraldine and the conservative Florida Supreme Court The messaging tightrope you need to walk to imply @votegeraldine (identified only as dem rep) doesn’t want a Black woman on top court is something

Tweet, tweet:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1303797159230402560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

— DAYS UNTIL —

Apple announces new iPhone — 5; Walmart Amazon Prime competitor, Walmart+, will launch nationwide — 6; Rescheduled date for the French Open — 11; First presidential debate in Indiana — 19; “Wonder Woman 1984” premieres — 22; Preakness Stakes rescheduled — 23; Ashley Moody’s 2020 Human Trafficking Summit — 26; First vice presidential debate at the University of Utah — 27; NBA season ends (last possible date) — 33; Second presidential debate scheduled in Miami — 35; NBA draft — 36; Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” premieres — 36; NBA free agency — 38; Florida Chamber’s Future of Florida Forum — 40; Third presidential debate at Belmont — 42; 2020 General Election — 54; “Black Widow” premieres — 57; NBA 2020-21 training camp — 62; The Masters begins — 63; College basketball season slated to begin — 70; “No Time to Die” premieres — 72; Pixar’s “Soul” premieres — 72; NBA 2020-21 opening night — 83; Florida Automated Vehicles Summit — 83; Super Bowl LV in Tampa — 150; “A Quiet Place Part II” rescheduled premiere — 163; “Top Gun: Maverick” rescheduled premiere — 295; New start date for 2021 Olympics — 316; “Jungle Cruise” premieres — 324; “Spider-Man Far From Home” sequel premieres — 424; “Thor: Love and Thunder” premieres — 520; “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” premieres — 562; “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” sequel premieres — 754.

— OUR POLL —

If today were Election Day, Joe Biden would have at least 29 electoral votes in the bag.

That’s according to a new survey conducted by St. Pete Polls, which found 50% of likely Florida voters would back Biden in the presidential race compared to 47% who said they would vote to give Trump four more years in the White House.

Less than 2% of voters remain undecided, the poll found, and about 2% will vote for a third-party candidate.

It’s a narrow but distinct lead for Biden, falling just outside the pollster’s 1.9% margin of error.

Conducted on Sept. 7 and 8, the poll represents the outfit’s first post-political conventions results and the first released after Labor Day.

The poll also asked voters how they planned to cast their votes, finding 42% planned to send their ballot in through the mail. About 32% said they planned to vote early in-person, while 27% said they would head to the polls on Election Day.

That’s a slight shift from July when the same pollster found more than 49% of voters planning to vote by mail, while under 27% anticipated early voting and just around 24% planned to vote at precincts.

However Florida voters plan to vote, they appear determined to do so. More than 96% of the likely voters said they are “absolutely certain” they will vote in the election, and another nearly 3% are “very likely” to do so.

— THE MODELS —

To get a reasonable idea of how the presidential race is playing out, state polling is the way to go — particularly in battleground states like Florida. These outlets offer a poll of polls, gauging how Trump or Biden are doing in select areas, then averaging the polls to get a general idea of who leads who nationwide. Sunburn will be updating these forecasts as they come in:

CNN poll of polls: As of Sept. 2, the CNN average gives Biden a 51% chance of winning, with Trump at 43%.

FiveThirtyEight.com: “We’re moving away from the convention period of the race and into the thick of the election. However, the overall race hasn’t changed all that much. Biden has a 74 in 100 chance of winning compared to Trump who has a 26 in 100 shot, those odds have been consistent. Even though the top-line numbers haven’t changed all that much, that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been some movement at the state level. It’s not super easy to find patterns where Biden is gaining or losing ground — still a lot of noise at this point — but it does seem as if, on the whole, there’s been mostly good news for Biden. Except for Florida, which is where Trump has closed the gap the most. FiveThirtyEight also ranked individual states by the likelihood of delivering a decisive vote for the winning candidate in the Electoral College: Pennsylvania leads with 29.5%, while Florida comes in second with 15.8%. Other states include Wisconsin (8.9%) Minnesota (7.2%), Michigan (6.1%), Arizona (6.1%) and North Carolina (5.6%).”

PredictIt: The PredictIt trading market has Biden in the lead, at $0.59 a share, with Trump priced at $0.44.

Real Clear Politics: In polling top battleground states, the RCP average gives Biden a 49.9% likelihood of winning, with Trump getting 43%. Every poll used in the RCP model has Biden up from anywhere between 2 and 15 points.

— PRESIDENTIAL —

“Bob Woodward book: Donald Trump says he knew coronavirus was ‘deadly’ and worse than the flu while intentionally misleading Americans” via Robert Costa and Philip Rucker of The Washington Post — Trump’s head popped up during his top-secret intelligence briefing in the Oval Office on Jan. 28 when the discussion turned to the coronavirus outbreak in China. “This will be the biggest national security threat you face in your presidency,” national security adviser Robert C. O’Brien told Trump, according to a new book by Washington Post associate editor Woodward. “This is going to be the roughest thing you face.” Matthew Pottinger, the deputy national security adviser, agreed. He told the President that after reaching contacts in China, it was evident that the world faced a health emergency on par with the flu pandemic of 1918, which killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide. Ten days later, Trump called Woodward and revealed that he thought the situation was far more dire than what he had been saying publicly.

“Campaign of contrasts: Trump’s raucous crowds’ vs. Joe Biden’s distanced gatherings” via Josh Dawsey, Michael Scherer and Annie Linskey of The Washington Post — When the announcer at Trump‘s recent rally here urged a packed airplane hangar of supporters to don their masks, a cacophonous round of boos erupted, followed by defiance. No matter that the attendees’ chairs were inches apart, their temperatures had not been taken and masks were required by the state. Biden, meanwhile, has barely left his home without a mask for months, and he makes a point of keeping voters at a distance from himself and one another. Events at drive-in theaters have been kept under 50 to respect state guidelines. This contrast continued Tuesday, when Trump flew to Florida and North Carolina, addressing crowds in both places, while Biden’s camp announced by 9:30 a.m. that he would make no public appearances all day.

“Biden campaign outraised Trump by over $150 million in August” via Fadel Allassan of Axios — The Trump campaign and its joint fundraising committees with the Republican National Committee raised over $210 million in August, they announced Wednesday. Biden and the Democratic National Committee raised $364.5 million in the same period, dwarfing Trump’s total fundraising haul by over $150 million. It is believed to be the most ever raised by a presidential candidate in a single month. “Democrats pulled out all the stops in an attempt to boost Joe Biden’s campaign this month,” the Trump campaign and the RNC said in a statement. “In addition to the announcement of their vice presidential nominee and DNC Convention which historically brings an influx of cash, Democrats relied heavily on Hollywood celebrities and gimmicks to raise their numbers.”

“‘Nobody likes her’: Trump tries his likability standard for female politicians on Kamala Harris” via Eugene Scott of The Washington Post — It is not surprising that Trump does not believe that Harris would make a better Vice President than Mike Pence. But Trump’s criticism of Harris, the first woman of color to receive a major party’s nomination for vice president, took a turn Tuesday when he called the prospect of her as a future president “an insult” to the United States. “People don’t like her. Nobody likes her. She could never be the first woman president. She could never be. That would be an insult to our country,” Trump said Tuesday at a campaign rally in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The President didn’t say why it would be insulting for Harris to occupy the Oval Office, a position she is not actually running for, although Biden said it was key that his VP pick be ready for the top job on “Day One.” But in the president’s attacks on Harris last month, he used several unflattering adjectives to describe the woman hoping to become Vice President.

“Come on down to Miami, Joe Biden, and look Cuban Americans in the eye” via Fabiola Santiago of the Miami Herald — It was a fitting, unexpected — and safe — gesture from a Catholic presidential candidate educated by nuns in parochial schools. Not to mention, from a former U.S. vice president and senator who met for 45 minutes with Pope John Paul II in pivotal 1980 and discussed, among other topics, the spread of communism in Latin America. But Democratic candidate Biden will have to do more than send a message to Cuban-American voters on the feast day of Our Lady of Charity calling for freedom, respect for human rights and democracy in Cuba. “Jill and I pray that the love and compassion that ‘Cachita’ inspires will fill the hearts of her believers around the world,” Biden said Tuesday in a statement.

“Harris to campaign in Miami today” via Antonio Fins of the Palm Beach Post — The Biden-Harris campaign said Monday the Vice Presidential nominee will campaign in Miami today. It will be Harris’ first in-person appearance in Florida since becoming the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee last month. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, will accompany her. Emhoff kicked off a “Believers for Biden” series of virtual events on Aug. 28 with Jewish leaders. Florida is a key state in the election with its 29 electoral votes up for grabs on Nov. 3. On Tuesday, Trump campaigned in Jupiter. He used the event to tout the administration’s environmental record. Jill Biden, the former Vice President’s wife, held a virtual town hall with faculty and students at Pasco-Hernando State College outside of Tampa last week.

“Mike Pence to attend event hosted by QAnon backers” via Brian Slodysko and Michael Kunzelman of The Associated Press — Pence and top officials from Trump’s campaign are slated to attend a Montana fundraiser next week hosted by a couple who have expressed support for the QAnon conspiracy theory, according to an event invitation and a review of social media postings. The hosts of the fundraiser, Caryn and Michael Borland, have shared QAnon memes and retweeted posts from QAnon accounts, their social media activity shows. The baseless conspiracy theory posits that Trump is fighting entrenched enemies in the government and also involves satanism and child sex trafficking.

“Eric Trump visits Bay County, says Florida is crucial to father’s reelection” via Nathan Cobb of the Panama City News Herald — For Eric Trump, the third child of Trump, Florida “means everything to the White House.” This was among the messages he delivered Wednesday at a rally held in the convention center of the Boardwalk Beach Hotel, located in the unincorporated portion of Bay County. There, with “Make America Great Again” memorabilia in hand, more than 100 supporters gathered to hear Eric Trump campaign for his father’s reelection. The vast majority were unmasked despite ongoing concerns about the spread of the COVID-19 virus. “(Former Vice President Biden has) been a politician for 47 years, a guy who never once signed the front of a check,” Eric Trump said during the rally.

“Barbara Lagoa, Carlos Muniz make President’s shortlist for future U.S. Supreme Court slots” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — On Wednesday, Trump floated two Florida justices as potential additions to the U.S. Supreme Court. Both Lagoa and Muñiz, respectively a former and a current member of the Florida Supreme Court-appointed by DeSantis, were among a list of 20 names introduced by the President to media at the White House. The President envisions as many as four Supreme Court openings being available in the next term, and it’s a sign of the national reputation of both that they were shortlisted along with Sens. Tom Cotton and Ted Cruz. It’s also emblematic of the Governor’s strong position with the President that two of his appointees made the list.

Assignment editors — Florida Trump Victory will host a Law and Order Roundtable featuring Lt. Gov. Jeanette Núñez, Sen. Manny Diaz, Jr.; Ace Cisneros, Manager Lou’s Police Distributors; retired police officers William Morales, Gilbert Morales and Albert Sanchez, 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, 7815 W. 4th Ave, Hialeah. Email Kailey Cotter [email protected] with your name and outlet to confirm your attendance.

— AD WATCH —

“America First Action PAC drops $12.7M on Florida ad criticizing Joe Biden tax plan” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — America First Action super-PAC is dropping $12.7 million on a wave of new ads in Florida in hopes of swaying the swing state in favor of Trump’s reelection. The conservative PAC backing Trump is targeting swing states with a new digital and cable ad, “Guess What.” The ad will be broadcast through Election Day in Orlando and West Palm media markets. The new ad, “Guess What,” attacks Biden — alleging that his tax package will hurt the middle class, calling it a plan that would “decimate the potential for economic gains and make it impossible for Florida families and workers to recover in the wake of the coronavirus.” The ad leads with a hit on economic loss from coronavirus, with a man, referred to in the ad as Dan, saying “This has been one of the toughest years of my life.”

To watch the ad, click on the image below:

 

“Tampa-focused Democratic ad drills Trump for dissing soldiers” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Democrats are making a big-dollar bet in the Tampa market that Trump‘s reported comments about soldiers will haunt him with military-minded voters in November. On Wednesday, the DNC War Room rolled out a 60-second spot that, as a media release put it, “blasts Trump for his long record of disparaging comments about America’s service members.” The ad, entitled “Sacrifice,” is billed as a six-figure media buy and will be in rotation in the Tampa market, targeting the MacDill Air Force Base area. With shots of battlefield action and a military cemetery, the ad’s stentorian voice-over slams the President for refusing to go to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery near Paris in 2018, with the Atlantic reporting that Trump allegedly called fallen soldiers “losers” and “suckers.”

“Trump flags in Wellington raise questions about campaign signs” via Kristina Webb of The Palm Beach Post — Political flags at a busy Wellington intersection have prompted questions this week of what is allowed when it comes to campaign signs. The Village received several concerned emails from residents last week after flags supporting Trump’s reelection campaign were posted on the southwest corner of Forest Hill Boulevard and State Road 7, in front of the Mall at Wellington Green. A photo circulating on social media shows that nine flags were affixed to four makeshift flagpoles, which then were attached to a guardrail and a street sign. Royal Palm Beach resident Brandon Mozley took the photo of the flags about 5:45 p.m. on Sept. 1. 

— 2020 — 

“Secretive group pushing Florida constitutional amendment raised money linked to big businesses” via Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel — A secretive nonprofit financing a proposed constitutional amendment that would make it far harder to amend the state constitution in the future has raised money from a group linked to a lobbying organization for Florida Power & Light, U.S. Sugar Corp. and other big businesses. The nonprofit, known as “Keep Our Constitution Clean Inc.,” has spent more than $9 million on a campaign to pass Amendment Four on the 2020 ballot — which, if approved by voters, would require all future amendments to go through two statewide referendums.

“Kat Cammack kicks off CD 3 General Election campaign tonight” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — Republican Cammack is gearing up for the General Election in Florida’s 3rd Congressional District. On Thursday, her campaign will hold a kickoff event at Rustic Oaks Ranch, 27317 78th Ave. in High Springs. It runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The event is one of the first for Cammack since her convincing victory in the Republican primary for CD 3. The guest list features several prominent Republicans, including a pair of her primary opponents — former Gainesville City Commissioner Todd Chase and Ryan Chamberlin, an author and speaker. Also attending are Sens. Dennis Baxley and Keith Perry as well as Rep. Chuck Clemons, all of whom represent a slice of the sprawling congressional district.

“Alan Grayson gives Michael Waltz a fundraising motive” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — The Democrat running against Waltz in Florida’s 6th Congressional District, Orlando lawyer Clint Curtis, falls into the less-than-scary category. Curtis isn’t raising much money. He isn’t spending much money. There’s little record of his getting out and about much in the district, which spans from eastern Lake County through Volusia County to the coast, then up the coast through St. Johns County. Though Curtis gives occasional media interviews, those can, in the words of Orlando Sentinel editorial editor Mike Lafferty, “go down a rabbit hole.” The last time Curtis made broadly-reported news was about a year ago when he said a judge had slapped him with a gag order, effectively shutting down his campaign strategy of highlighting his own whistleblower lawsuits. Yet last month, in the August 18 CD 6 primary, Curtis managed to knock off another Democrat who was showing at least a little bit of campaign and fundraising prowess, university instructor Richard Thripp of Daytona Beach.

Tweet, tweet:

Out with a new digital ad is @GoodforFlorida – challenging Rep. Buchanan in CD 16 https://t.co/OBvUoI5YRj

— Gary Fineout (@fineout) September 9, 2020

“Debbie Mucarsel-Powell accepts debate invites, awaits response from Carlos Giménez” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Mucarsel-Powell says she accepted three separate invitations to debate Giménez as the two battle in Florida’s 26th Congressional District. Those debates, if finalized, would give the candidates a chance to debate in both English and Spanish. Mucarsel-Powell is agreeing to appear in three separate debates hosted by CBS Miami, Telemundo 51 and Radio Actualidad. “South Floridians are facing challenges we’ve never faced before, from an economic recession to a pandemic that is still not under control. While we may disagree on many issues, I am sure we can agree that the voters deserve to hear where we each stand, in English and in Spanish,” Mucarsel-Powell said Wednesday.

“In Miami’s tightest U.S. House race, Giménez, Mucarsel-Powell differ sharply on policy” via Alex Daugherty of the Miami Herald — When Miami-Dade Mayor Giménez walked inside the Homestead Detention Center last year during the height of the national controversy over the Trump administration’s family separation policy on immigration, he made a point of speaking to the children alone and in Spanish. “What I found in that shelter — there was nothing going on there that would make me feel ashamed to be an American,” Giménez, a Republican who is now running for the House of Representatives, said in a recent interview. Rep. Mucarsel-Powell, Giménez’s opponent in the November election, had a very different experience. “I visited the Homestead Detention Center multiple times, and each time it broke my heart,” said Mucarsel-Powell, a Democrat.

Assignment editors — The Florida Alliance for Retired Americans will unveil “Safe & Easy: Vote-By-Mail in Florida” a new public service announcement targeting senior voters as well as a briefing on voting by mail in Florida, 11 a.m. Eastern time, in-person at Leon County Supervisor of Elections Office, 2990 Apalachee Parkway, Tallahassee and online.

“New book names second Florida county with election system hacked by Russia in 2016” via Alex Daugherty of the Miami Herald — A forthcoming book names St. Lucie County as one of two Florida counties whose election systems were hacked by the Russians during the 2016 election. CNN obtained an advance copy of reporter Woodward’s new book “Rage,” which will be released on September 15. The book said the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency have classified evidence that Russians placed malware in the election registration systems of at least two Florida counties. Previous reports named Washington County as one of the two counties, but St. Lucie County hasn’t been identified as the second until now. According to CNN, the book says that “Russians had placed malware in the election registration systems of at least two Florida counties, St. Lucie and Washington.” There’s no evidence that the malware was activated or that voter registration information was altered, according to CNN’s account of the book.

— LEG. CAMPAIGNS —

“RSLC confident ‘Blue Wave’ won’t flip Florida House, Senate” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — On Wednesday, Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) President Austin Chambers and Senior Adviser Ward Baker gave their views of a pivotal 2020 election for state legislatures. At issue: redistricting, the next big hurdle after the 2020 election in Florida and elsewhere. Despite the favorable map, outside spending will drive action, Chambers noted, requiring a concerted RSLC push so that the party can control the House and the Senate both, as they do now. Thus far, they’ve spent nearly $1 million on the House and the Senate in Florida in the last 18 months, and “significantly more” will be spent to “match the money coming in from outside the state on the Democrats’ side,” Chambers said.

“NPA candidates with Republican connections are on ballot in tight House and Senate races. Are they alternatives or spoilers?” via Annie Martin and Ryan Gillespie of the Orlando Sentinel — A cluster of Central Florida elections that could help tilt the balance of power in the state Capitol have drawn mysterious independent candidates who have barely campaigned beyond paying the filing fee to get their names on the ballot. The presence of the candidates who are unaffiliated with either major political party in the high-stakes races has prompted Republicans and Democrats to accuse each other of planting stooges to siphon votes away from their opponents. The major parties, which are likely to spend millions of dollars on the four races this fall, deny they have anything to do with recruiting NPA candidates. Two of the candidates themselves also brushed off the idea that anyone put them up to add their names to the ballot in an effort to split votes among Republicans and Democrats and, possibly, affect the outcome of the election.

“Eric Holder endorses Patrick Henry’s return to HD 26” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — Henry picked up an endorsement from Holder in his campaign to retake Volusia County’s House District 26. Holder’s endorsement came alongside a nod from the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a group chaired by Holder that aims to get Democrats in office so they have more sway when legislative districts are redrawn for the 2022 elections. “I am honored to have the endorsement of Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. and the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC) in my campaign to return to Tallahassee as State Representative for District 26. In 2010, Floridians overwhelmingly spoke out by passing Amendments 5 and 6 — sending a clear message to legislators that districts should be drawn in a fair and impartial manner,” Henry said.

— DOWN BALLOT — 

“Daniella Levine Cava holds small lead over Steve Bovo, Jr. in 2020 race for Miami-Dade Mayor, poll says” via Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald — Levine Cava leads Bovo by seven points in the poll by Bendixen & Amandi for the Miami Herald, 39% to 32%. That leaves 29% undecided in a race where about 40% of voters said they held no opinion of either candidate in the contest to succeed term-limited Giménez in November. While the mayoral race is nonpartisan, the contest features two candidates who have touted their party support: Levine Cava as a Democrat and Bovo as a Republican.

“Levine Cava announces COVID-19 recovery plan” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Levine Cava is releasing a new plan to help the county rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan comes as a new survey from the Miami Herald puts her 7 points ahead of her rival, Bovo. Levine Cava’s RECOVER plan has seven steps: reopen, expand, community partnership, opportunity, vertical integration of county resources, entrepreneurship and jobs, and reinvest. “The best way to tackle and solve the issues Miami-Dade faces is through collaboration and partnerships with our public and private sectors,” said former Democratic Rep. Patrick Murphy, a Levine Cava backer.

“Jacksonville activists demand Duval elections supervisor expand mail-voting options” via Andrew Pantazi of The Florida Times-Union — Civil rights activists picketed outside the Duval County elections office downtown Tuesday in protest of Elections Supervisor Mike Hogan‘s refusal so far to expand mail-voting options for the November election. The groups said they wanted Hogan to mail every voter a mail-ballot application, to install drop boxes to collect mail ballots, and to ensure Edward Waters College and the University of North Florida had early-voting sites, as they did in 2018. Rev. R.L. Gundy, the pastor of Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church, said activists tried to meet with Hogan to demand changes for two years but Hogan has been unwilling to meet with them.

— CORONA FLORIDA —

“Ron DeSantis’ COVID-19 response rating slips in new poll” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Support for DeSantis’ pandemic response slipped slightly over the last half month, pushing his approval further underwater. That’s according to the latest CNBC and Change Research battleground state poll, which saw the Governor’s approval rating on the issue fall one point to 48% in the last two weeks. A month ago, his approval reached its lowest mark a second time since pollsters first posed the question, bottoming out at 42% amid his push for schools to reopen. Later in the month, his COVID-19 response approval bounced back to 49% with 51% expressing unfavorable views. Now 52% of likely voters in Florida disapprove of the Governor’s response, a gain of one point.

“Coronavirus cases spike among school-age children in Florida, while state orders some counties to keep data hidden” via Lori Rozsa and Valerie Strauss of The Washington Post — A month into the forced reopening of Florida’s schools, dozens of classrooms — along with some entire schools — have been temporarily shuttered because of coronavirus outbreaks, and infections among school-age children have jumped 34%. But parents in many parts of the state don’t know if outbreaks of the virus are related to their own schools because the state ordered some counties to keep health data secret. Department of Health spokesman Alberto Moscoso said in an email last week that “the Department is currently working to determine the best and most accurate manner in which to report information regarding cases of COVID — 19 associated with schools and daycares.” He said the information will be available “in the coming days or weeks.”

“COVID-19 takes toll on people with disabilities” via The News Service of Florida — Fifty-four people served by the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities have died of COVID-19, according to a report. In all, 1,196 Agency for Persons with Disabilities beneficiaries have tested positive for the virus, with 803 having recovered. The agency report also shows that 353 workers at group homes or private institutions that care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have tested positive for the virus, and six of those workers have died. Additionally, 49 employees of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities have tested positive for the virus, including eight who work at the Sunland Center state institution in Marianna and 16 who work at the Tacachale state institution in Gainesville.

“Jerry Demings will comply but questions DeSantis’ request for coronavirus orders, penalties” via Stephen Hudak and Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel — “I hope that the governor’s intent is not to further diminish the authority of local governments,” Orange County Mayor Demings said during an afternoon briefing. “We have to have the ability to react and respond to the pandemic in real-time based upon what we’re seeing here in our unique locations.” Meanwhile, critical health data in Orange County appears to be trending in the right direction with the positivity rate over the past 14 days falling under the 5% threshold which some health experts have suggested means the virus is under control here.

“Christopher Benjamin’s late wife caught COVID-19 while in the hospital for late-stage cancer” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Rep.-elect Benjamin said his wife, before her death, contracted COVID-19 in the hospital while being treated for breast cancer. Carleen Aneesa Nelson-Benjamin died Sept. 6. She had been fighting stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, after first being diagnosed in 2017. Benjamin stressed his wife held the breast cancer treatment center at Memorial Regional in high regard, which is why she had appointments there. He has not been given an explanation to date as to how an outbreak occurred on the floor. As Benjamin prepares for a new stage of life as a public servant, he must do so now as a single father of four. His children range in age from 7 to 20.

“Off the road since March, Miami-Dade’s scooter business awaits a COVID reprieve” via Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald — In a Little Haiti warehouse, a good chunk of Miami’s once-bustling scooter fleet sits in the dark, its pink wheels collecting dust. Diego Perelmuter’s job is to tend to the hundreds of scooters Lyft dumped here on March 18, when Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez used emergency powers to order a halt to all bike and scooter rentals as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19. It was the fifth of 83 emergency orders Gimenez would sign over six months, making scooter rentals one of the first industries to close in Miami-Dade. Unlike restaurants, malls, massage studios, barbershops, hotels, gyms, casinos and tattoo parlors, scooter rentals remain banned in Miami-Dade. The scooter industry has been pressing Gimenez’s administration to lift one of the country’s only COVID-related bans on the shared devices.

“Disabled veteran died of COVID-19 in Seminole jail. He was in for drug possession, parole violation” via Grace Toohey of the Orlando Sentinel — Disabled Army veteran Lawrence Carter had been in the Seminole County jail almost nine months waiting for a resolution in his drug possession case when he became the first person to die after contracting COVID-19 during the facility’s coronavirus outbreak. His fiancee, who was Carter’s emergency contact and power of attorney, said she found out he died when she went to the bank last week to pick up some paperwork. The bank had been notified of his death. She had not. “I had no idea,” Christine Deleo said. “The jail never called me or said anything.” Loved ones said Carter posed no risk to the public, but he remained in the jail for months because the new drug possession case, if prosecuted, could have violated his parole conditions from a prior case.

“Hungry late at night? Florida Keys leaders lift limit on restaurant hours, alcohol sales” via Gwen Filosa of the Miami Herald — Florida Keys restaurants can resume regular business hours this week after operating under a nightly curfew since July 24. A restriction that prohibited overnight alcohol sales also has expired. “We’ve got to let our businesses get back to normal,” said Monroe County Commissioner Michelle Coldiron, of Marathon, before a 3-2 vote did away with the limited operating hours. Restaurants no longer have to close at midnight and allowed to reopen at 5 a.m. An earlier curfew imposed for lobster miniseason shut down restaurants at 11 p.m. Alcohol sales at stores also had been banned from midnight to 7 a.m. The restrictions were imposed before lobster miniseason, which was the last Wednesday and Thursday of July, as Monroe County leaders expected large crowds to gather during the coronavirus pandemic.

“Where did all the tourists go? Over the holiday weekend, they were back in the Keys” via David Goodhue and Gwen Filosa of the Miami Herald — Business leaders in the Florida Keys report Labor Day weekend gave a much-needed boost in tourist dollars to the island chain suffering from its busy winter season being cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike many tourist hot spots whose make-it-or-break-it time is summer, hotels, restaurants, charter fishing captains and dive shop operators in the Keys rely on winter visitors to get them through the rest of the year. But the pandemic dealt a blow to the island chain’s economy that will likely be felt for years. Hotels were ordered shut in mid-March. And by the end of the month, Monroe County erected checkpoints at the Keys two entry points to keep tourists away in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus through the archipelago.

“Lobbyist who attended Florida House Republican’s fundraiser tests positive for COVID-19” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Rep. Jason Shoaf is calling attendees to his Labor Day weekend fundraiser after a lobbyist in attendance tested positive for COVID-19. The event, billed as “Rep. Shoaf Port St. Joe Weekend,” saw attendees board scalloping boats, enjoy a family dinner at Shoaf’s home and explore Port St. Joe. All throughout, the first-term Representative said they took precautions to prevent the spread of the novel disease.“ Know that, when we were fortunate to host a number of folks in my district over the holiday weekend, we took every effort to keep them safe and well,” he said. So far, everyone that has taken a rapid test has returned negative, the Representative said.

— BACK TO SCHOOL? —

“Union says judges should step aside from schools case” via Jim Saunders of The News Service of Florida — The Florida Education Association and other plaintiffs challenging a state order to reopen schools requested that two appellate judges step aside from the case because DeSantis could consider them for an appointment to the Florida Supreme Court. Attorneys for the plaintiffs filed a motion requesting that 1st District Court of Appeal Judges Lori Rowe and Timothy Osterhaus disqualify themselves from the closely watched legal fight over a July 6 state order requiring schools to reopen classrooms in August amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Broward County Public Schools aims for October reopening” via Amanda Batchelor and Christina Vazquez of WPLG — Broward County Public Schools are hoping to reopen to in-person learning sometime in October, as long as the downward trend in COVID-19 cases in the county continues, Superintendent Robert Runcie said Tuesday. “If the current trends continue and we can maintain that and continue on the path to improvement, we will be able to open schools in a phased approach as early as sometime in October,” Runcie said. Runcie said the school district will be holding a workshop Sept. 22 to discuss the strategy of their reopening plan, and whether to reopen with a hybrid or full-time on-site structure.

“Dept. of Education approves Duval Schools plan to phase in in-person learning” via Emily Bloch of The Florida Times-Union — Only sixth-graders in Duval County Public Schools will return to in-person classes five days a week on Monday. Wednesday evening, the school district announced its waiver to stagger the return of in-person schooling by grade level was approved by the Florida Department of Education. That means that on Monday, sixth graders will begin to attend in-person daily, while other middle and high school grades continue to alternate. This shift does not impact elementary school students, whose in-person schedule was already daily, or full-time virtual students. Under the old plan, all students were expected to shift to five-days-per-week starting Monday. Under the new plan, the transitions are staggered by grade level with all in-person learning is scheduled to resume daily by Sept. 28. 

“Reopening schools, K-12 platform. Public comments dominate Miami School Board meeting.” via Colleen Wright of the Miami Herald — The Miami-Dade County School Board began Wednesday’s meeting with a special intention. Board Chair Perla Tabares Hantman asked to keep those teachers and students going through the “challenges” of virtual learning in mind. The board then jumped right to it. Four board members walked in six proposals seeking to get to the bottom of the fourth-largest school district’s disastrous debut of its first week of virtual school. The board members want to know how its new online platform, My School Online by K-12, was procured, if the school district could terminate the platform, how the district’s cybersecurity suffered more than two dozen cyberattacks, and have a clearer reopening plan going forward.

“Miami-Dade School Board votes to cut ties with K12 online learning platform” via Colleen Wright of the Miami Herald — The Board voted unanimously to stop using My School Online, the district’s controversial new online learning platform many say is at the center of the failed start of school. The board voted to sever ties just before 2 a.m. Thursday, 13 hours after the meeting began. Teachers can begin using other platforms immediately. The debate and vote stretched into the middle of the night because the School Board had to finish public comment on Vice Chair Steve Gallon’s catch-all proposal to get to the bottom of what went wrong.

“New Pinellas County Schools COVID-19 quarantine guidelines mean even less transparency” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics — The Pinellas County Schools district is reporting at least 56 classroom quarantines, but parents, and even some teachers, don’t really know what that means. Last month, the district launched a website providing daily data on COVID-19 cases among students and staff at its schools. The website provides the name of the school affected, the number of students and staff who tested positive, and whether a classroom, bus, or, in one case, a high school football team, had to quarantine. The district does not provide an exact number of quarantines. On Tuesday, the district announced it was changing the way it determines the requirements for quarantines. “The Department of Health has begun a more surgical selection process for determining which students need to quarantine, based on information provided by the district,” the district wrote in an update to press Tuesday.

“More than 800 quarantined after COVID cases at Central Florida schools” via Leslie Postal of the Orlando Sentinel — More than 800 students and staff in Central Florida public schools faced quarantine in the last week because of exposure to the coronavirus, according to updated COVID-19 data reported by local school districts Tuesday. Nearly 400 of the quarantine cases were from Osceola County after positive tests were reported at about a dozen schools, the school district’s weekly COVID report showed. Almost all of those in quarantine were students. Contact tracing led health officials to conclude that 99 teenagers from Tohokepaliga High School needed to be quarantined because they’d been exposed to two students who tested positive, said Dana Schafer, a district spokeswoman, in an email.

Assignment editors — A group of Florida physicians concerned about the rise in COVID-19 cases in schools, severity in children will hold a virtual news conference at 1 p.m. Eastern time. Participants include Dr. Bernard Ashby, Miami cardiologist and Florida State Lead for the Committee to Protect Medicare; Dr. Vincent Roddy, Miami emergency physician; Dr. Ankush Bansal, Palm Beach Gardens internal medicine hospitalist and Dr. Frederick Southwick, Gainesville infectious disease specialist. Zoom call, RSVP to Annika Doner at [email protected] for the link.

— CORONA NATION —

“How Trump squandered February, despite knowing the risk posed by the coronavirus” via Philip Bump of The Washington Post — It was a rare moment in which Trump appears to have understood the threat posed by the coronavirus that emerged in China last year. “You just breathe the air, and that’s how it’s passed,” he told Woodward in a phone call. “And so that’s a very tricky one. That’s a very delicate one. It’s also more deadly than even your strenuous flu.” The virus, Trump said, was “deadly stuff.” That call was Feb. 7, more than two weeks after the United States had confirmed its first infection in someone who had traveled to China. Three days later, Trump held a rally at an indoor arena in New Hampshire. It has been obvious since April that the month of February represented a lost opportunity for addressing the threat of the virus. What wasn’t known, though, was that even as he repeatedly played down the threat, Trump privately understood the risk. Even as he tried to maintain a business-as-usual presidency, he knew that the virus was transmissible by air and often deadly.

“The emotionally challenging next phase of the pandemic” via Juliette Kayyem of The Atlantic — A weary friend of mine, another working mom, recently texted to say she couldn’t decide which aspect of daily life during the coronavirus pandemic was worse: “the insanity or the monotony.” Either way, the misery will not end when 2020 does. The new year will inherit many of the same problems that have become so grindingly familiar in 2020. The C.D.C. got some Americans’ hopes up with its recent instruction that states should be ready to distribute a coronavirus vaccine in the next couple of months. Trump is desperate to convince the public that a vaccine to COVID-19 will arrive by a politically convenient deadline: “maybe even before November 1,” he said Friday, or “sometime in the month of October.”

“NIH: Halted vaccine study shows ‘no compromises’ on safety” via The Associated Press — AstraZeneca’s suspension of final testing of its potential COVID-19 vaccine while it investigates a volunteer’s illness shows there will be “no compromises” on safety in developing the shots, the chief of the National Institutes of Health told Congress on Wednesday. “This ought to be reassuring,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins said before a Senate committee. “When we say we are going to focus first on safety and make no compromises, here is Exhibit A of how that is happening in practice.” Late Tuesday, AstraZeneca announced its final-stage studies are on temporary hold while the company looks into whether a test subject’s illness is a side effect of the shot or a coincidence. The company gave no details on the illness, but Collins said it involved a “spinal problem.” Behind-the-scenes monitors known as the “data and safety monitoring board” in Britain paused vaccinations while alerting its safety counterparts in the U.S., said Dr. Moncef Slaoui of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s vaccine development program.

— CORONA ECONOMICS — 

“Financial pain from coronavirus pandemic ‘much, much worse’ than expected” via Joe Neel of NPR — In America’s four largest cities, at least half of people say they have experienced the loss of a job or a reduction in wages or work hours in their household since the start of the coronavirus outbreak. That’s the finding of a new poll. Many of these problems are concentrated among Black and Latino households in the four cities, according to the poll, which gathered responses from July 1 through Aug 3. Houston had an especially high proportion of Latino households (77%) and Black households (81%) reporting serious financial problems. But the other three cities in our survey have had high rates as well: 73% of Latinos in New York City tell us their household experienced serious financial problems since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, along with 71% of Latinos in Los Angeles and 63% in Chicago.

“A vaccine could slow down job growth” via Karl W. Smith of Bloomberg — Falling cases of the coronavirus imply that the U.S. economy could improve over the next month or two as lockdowns ease and Americans resume their normal lives. There is, however, an unexpected short-term risk: that a vaccine will be ready by November. To be absolutely clear, over the medium and long term a vaccine will be a godsend for economic growth. Even if it weren’t, a lower death rate is well worth a few more quarters of higher unemployment. Nonetheless, there is a possibility that the introduction of a vaccine could actually lead to a sharp if temporary deceleration in job growth.

“Copycat websites, newly minted companies, double-dippers cashed in on PPP loans” via Ben Wieder and Meghan Bobrowsky of the Miami Herald — A suspicious online university whose curriculum appears to be cut and pasted from a European school, two companies with nearly identical websites and two others with practically no internet presence — all five of these businesses are connected to the same Texas man. And all five received Paycheck Protection Program loans for a total of at least $3.65 million. But should they have? These companies are among more than 75 businesses that received loans of at least $150,000 from the coronavirus small business relief program but don’t appear to have existed before this spring or to have met other eligibility criteria for the program, which was administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Collectively, the questionable loans, which are publicly reported as a range of values rather than a specific amount, totaled somewhere between $20 million and $50 million.

— MORE CORONA — 

“How the coronavirus attacks the brain” via Apoorva Mandavilli of The New York Times — The coronavirus targets the lungs foremost, but also the kidneys, liver and blood vessels. Still, about half of patients report neurological symptoms, including headaches, confusion and delirium, suggesting the virus may also attack the brain. A new study offers the first clear evidence that, in some people, the coronavirus invades brain cells, hijacking them to make copies of itself. The virus also seems to suck up all of the oxygen nearby, starving neighboring cells to death. It’s unclear how the virus gets to the brain or how often it sets off this trail of destruction. Infection of the brain is likely to be rare, but some people may be susceptible because of their genetic backgrounds, high viral load or other reasons.

“It’s not easy to get a coronavirus test for a child” via Sarah Kliff and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times — As child care centers and schools reopen, parents are encountering another coronavirus testing bottleneck: Few sites will test children. Even in large cities with dozens of test sites, parents are driving long distances and calling multiple centers to track down one accepting children. The age policies at testing sites reflect a range of concerns, including differences in health insurance, medical privacy rules, holes in test approval, and fears of squirmy or shrieking children. The limited testing hampers schools’ ability to quickly isolate and trace coronavirus cases among students. It could also create a new burden on working parents, with some schools and child care centers requiring symptomatic children to test negative for coronavirus before rejoining class.

“An Olympic gold medalist said she was ‘brave’ for not wearing a mask. It was not well-received.” via Des Bieler of The Washington Post — Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings apologized Monday for leaving some people “upset” by an Instagram post in which she described going shopping without a face mask, saying she was advocating for individual freedom amid the novel coronavirus pandemic. She wrote that she believes “we have to stay mindful of the FACT that our freedoms have slowly been taken from us with our consent.” On Sunday, Walsh Jennings wrote on her Instagram account that she recently “went shopping without a mask on,” as part of “a little exercise in being brave.”

“Apple design teams develop special face masks for employees” via Mark Gurman of Bloomberg — Apple Inc. has developed masks that the company is beginning to distribute to corporate and retail employees to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Apple Face Mask is the first created in-house by the Cupertino, California-technology giant for its staff. The other, called ClearMask, was sourced elsewhere. Apple previously made a different face shield for medical workers and distributed millions of other masks across the health care sector. Apple told staff that the Face Mask was developed by the Engineering and Industrial Design teams, the same groups that work on devices such as the iPhone and iPad. It is made up of three layers to filter incoming and outgoing particles. It can be washed and reused as many as five times, the company told employees.

— SMOLDERING — 

“New Florida law targets outdated race restrictive covenants” via TaMaryn Waters of the Tallahassee Democrat — A new Florida law tears away the red tape associated with the removal of outdated and racist language embedded in certain real estate documents. Gov. DeSantis signed the law (SB 374) last Friday after a yearlong effort that began in Tallahassee and gained legislative traction, although some say it’s the “first step” in addressing a convoluted process. The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Darryl Rouson of St. Petersburg, “extinguishes discriminatory restrictions from certain real estate documents, such as deeds,” according to the online summary. Last summer, Tallahassee criminal defense attorney Anabelle Dias exposed a racially charged but unenforceable section of a seven-page covenant for a home she’d planned to purchase in Betton Hills.

“Tallahassee police warned demonstrators they could get hurt in protest over use of force” via Jeff Burlew and Tori Lynn Schneider of the Tallahassee Democrat — Tallahassee police warned protesters who gathered at the Capitol to rally against excessive force that they could be hurt themselves if they didn’t disperse. Newly released arrest reports shed additional light on the dramatic response by the Tallahassee Police Department and other agencies during Saturday’s demonstrations. Fourteen protesters were arrested during the unpermitted event, most on misdemeanor charges including unlawful assembly. Another person was cited, TPD said. And while some cheered the crackdown on protesters, others continued to harshly criticize it. On Wednesday, groups including the NAACP and the National Organization for Women joined with several former and current elected officials to condemn the response by TPD, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies.

“In the face of Confederate flags, New Port Richey’s Black Lives Matter activists march on” via Ray Roa of Creative Loafing — In the last few weeks, Pasco County’s Black Lives Matter marches have seen increased attention from the media (and police, who’ve issued amplified sound citations). However, photos and video show peaceful protests — officials with New Port Richey Police Department told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay there’s been zero property damage — and demonstrators are being met with pro-police groups as well as hate groups like the Proud Boys. Last week saw more direct threats of violence. In response, on Wednesday, New Port Richey Police Department’s Deputy Chief Lauren Letona told CL that NPR PD “does not condone acts of violence and take threats very seriously.”

“At USF, 23 research projects will focus on racism and disparities” via Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times — The University of South Florida on Wednesday announced the funding of 23 research projects that will focus on systemic inequality, disparities and other issues of race, an effort that began as a response to local and national protests this summer. About 90 faculty members across eight colleges and all three USF campuses will be involved, with the projects covering a range of topics. One research group will investigate how skin color and facial features can play a role in police violence and racial disparities. Another will study the postpartum health of mothers in Rwanda, while another will examine ways that recruitment of high school athletes can limit their economic and social mobility.

— FRIED MOVES — 

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced a series of policy changes Wednesday aimed at making the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services a more racially inclusive and equitable state agency.

Topping the list is a rewrite of use of force, de-escalation, and excessive force intervention rules for the department’s law enforcement office. Among the new rules is a ban on lateral vascular neck restraint, a potentially deadly type of chokehold common in law enforcement.

“Like so many, I watched in horror at the deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and too many other Black Americans. As a former public defender, I share the deep frustration of the Black community at the senseless, continued murder of Black people, and the failure of leaders in positions of power to make impactful changes,” Fried said. “These improvements to our department’s policies are our first step on the road toward greater inclusion and equity in service to people of color and all our fellow Floridians.”

Updates to the department’s discrimination protections are coming as well, including adding gender identity as a protected class and allowing for third-party witnesses to file discrimination complaints.

“Members of the Black Caucus have worked for decades to build equity in our state and our government,” said Sen. Bobby Powell, Chair of the Florida Legislative Black Caucus. “We appreciate that Commissioner Fried, as an elected Cabinet member, is acknowledging this fight, making it a priority, and taking action to make an impact.”

Fried proclaims September as ‘Hunger Action Month’ — Fried issued a proclamation Wednesday declaring September as Hunger Action Month and urged Floridians to do their part in fighting food insecurity. “A lack of access to reliable, healthy nutrition can cause poor health outcomes, can hold back our children’s development and can force people to make difficult decisions between food and other necessary expenses, like health care,” Fried said. An estimated 3 million Floridians struggle with chronic hunger, and the issue has only been exacerbated by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fried and FDACS encouraged Floridians to donate to or safely volunteer with their local food bank if they are able.

— CHAMBER’S BIG REVEAL —

The Florida Chamber Foundation’s Business Alliance for Early Learning is making a big reveal this morning.

During a 10 a.m. Zoom conference, the alliance will launch America’s first interactive tool for improving third grade reading scores.

The tool will take third grade reading scores for every public school in Florida and map it against childhood poverty rates. The output will serve as a guide to identify school-level performance gaps so resources can be prioritized to address them head-on.

“Over the next decade the Florida Chamber wants to cut poverty in half and ensure 100% of our third graders are reading at grade level,” Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said.

“This first in the nation tool that we are unveiling will help parents, business leaders and policymakers identify Florida’s equity gaps in poverty and education and will help unite the business community to create an opportunity for all Florida children regardless of ZIP code, race, gender or any other factor.”

The Zoom conference will include a primer on third grade reading score data, an overview and demonstration of the new tool, and a question-and-answer session with key stakeholders.

— D.C. MATTERS — 

“Senior DHS official alleges in whistleblower complaint that he was told to stop providing intelligence analysis on threat of Russian interference” via Shane Harris and Nick Miroff of The Wall Street Journal — A senior Department of Homeland Security official alleges that he was told to stop providing intelligence analysis on the threat of Russian interference in the 2020 election, in part because it “made the President look bad,” an instruction he believed would jeopardize national security. The official, Brian Murphy, who until recently was in charge of intelligence and analysis at DHS, said in a whistleblower complaint that on two occasions he was told to stand down on reporting about the Russian threat. On July 8, Murphy said, acting Homeland Security secretary Chad Wolf told him that an “intelligence notification” regarding Russian disinformation efforts should be “held” because it was unflattering to Trump, who has long derided the Kremlin’s interference as a “hoax” that was concocted by his opponents to delegitimize his victory in 2016.

“U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler defends water, air regulation changes” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — President Barack Obama was obsessed with addressing climate change to the detriment of other environmental protections while Trump‘s administration is focused more on practical, local protections, U.S. EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler said Monday. In an interview with Florida Politics, Wheeler, who has been an administrator or acting administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency since July 2018, contended that many of the environmental gains claimed by the Obama administration did not or could not ever materialize because they were either impossible or essentially illegal. Wheeler gave the interview the day after Trump came to Jupiter to announce a 10-year extension to the federal ban on offshore drilling along Florida’s shoreline. The EPA has little to do with offshore drilling. Still, Trump’s speech was in large part an appeal to environmentally concerned Floridians.

— STATEWIDE —

“DeSantis vigorously defends pick for Supreme Court” via Brendan Farrington of The Associated Press — DeSantis sternly criticized a Black Democratic lawmaker for challenging his pick of a Jamaican-American woman for the Supreme Court, saying Wednesday that if the representative wins her case, there will be no Black justices on the high court. State Rep. Geraldine Thompson is challenging the selection of Judge Renatha Francis because she did not meet the constitutional requirement of being a Florida Bar member for at least 10 years. DeSantis knew that when she was appointed in May but said Francis would not take her oath to sit on the Supreme Court until Sept. 24, when she’ll meet the requirement. “The problem I have in this case, is this particular representative has been somebody that’s been very vocal about wanting to have a Black justice on the Florida Supreme Court. Well, guess what? The petition she has filed right now would block a Black Justice,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Broward County.

“UWF agrees to repay $2.4 million withdrawn from online learning program” via Kevin Robinson of the Pensacola News Journal — The University of West Florida has agreed to repay nearly $2.4 million that state officials say was improperly collected from a statewide online learning program. For roughly six years, UWF managed the Complete Florida Plus Program, a suite of adult learning and library services used at school across Florida. UWF was entitled to a 5% administrative fee for running the program. The university collected only a portion of the fees in the early years of the program, but between 2017 and 2019 went back and collected $2.39 million in fees it had deferred in previous years.

— LOCAL NOTES —

“Bob Woodward IDs Florida county targeted by Russians, a claim countered by local officials” via Gary Fineout of Politico — A new book by the veteran journalist contends Russian hackers successfully penetrated the voter files of St. Lucie County in 2016, a claim election officials in the county previously denied. The identity of two counties accessed by Russians during the last presidential election has been a mystery since special counsel Robert Mueller disclosed in 2019 that Russian hackers had penetrated voting registration systems in the battleground state. Politico last year identified Washington County in the Florida Panhandle as one of the two counties.

“Vern Buchanan urges Sarasota officials to keep kissing sailor on Bayfront” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — The fate of a kitschy kissing sailor statue has long divided Sarasota’s high-minded cultural crowd and the patriotic veteran set. Now Buchanan has weighed in on the matter. He wants Seward Johnson’s Unconditional Surrender statue to remain at its current location on U.S. 41 near Downtown. He wrote a letter to Sarasota City Commissioners on House letterhead defending the monument. “The ‘Unconditional Surrender’ statue is extremely meaningful to Sarasota’s veteran community and honors their sacrifice for our country,” Buchanan wrote. “This statue commemorates a significant moment in our nation’s history that we shouldn’t erase from the Sarasota Bayfront.” The sculpture recreates a sailor at the end of World War II kissing a woman he grabbed in Times Square upon news Japan had surrendered. It’s a moment famously captured in the Alfred Eisenstaedt photograph V-J Day in Times Square and featured in Life Magazine in 1945.

“JEA spent $238,000 to prepare for Republican National Convention. It likely won’t be reimbursed.” via Christopher Hong of The Florida Times-Union — JEA spent $238,000 preparing for the Republican National Convention and will likely not be reimbursed, adding more money to the city’s tab to host the event that never happened. The city-owned utility’s expenses continue to undermine statements made by Mayor Lenny Curry and his aides, who aggressively courted the event and said local taxpayers wouldn’t pay anything to host it. City Council auditors last week revealed the city could likely absorb $154,000 in overtime pay and consulting fees related to the event. That brings the total of RNC-related costs to $392,000. JEA will likely absorb its costs, as the city never received a federal grant that was supposed to cover JEA and City Hall’s expenses, said JEA spokeswoman Gerri Boyce.

“Jacksonville plans $5 million buyout for flood-prone Ken Knight Drive homes” via David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union — When the buyout program launches for Ken Knight Drive in northwest Jacksonville, it will join the South Shores neighborhood where the city in 2019 set aside $4.5 million for purchasing and demolishing 17 homes south of downtown near the St. Johns River. Legislation pending before the Council will add another $5.45 million for up to 22 more homes in South Shores. For the South Shores program, the federal government will pay 75% of the cost and the city will put up the local match. The buyouts along Ken Knight Road will use $5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant money awarded to Jacksonville by the state Department of Economic Opportunity.

“Milton City Councilwoman Heather Hathaway abruptly resigns Tuesday night” via Annie Blanks of the Pensacola News Journal — Milton City Councilwoman Hathaway abruptly resigned at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting, saying she had sold her house in Ward 1 and no longer lived in the appropriate city district. Hathaway, who was first appointed to the seat in November 2017 after Ashley Lay resigned for family reasons, informed the council of her resignation at the start of the meeting. “I was going to let everyone know that we actually closed on our house this past Friday, and I was actually going to announce it tonight since it was the next council meeting,” she said. “But I will be resigning from my seat.”

“The real estate market is booming in South Florida. Here are tips for buyers and sellers looking to jump in” via Amber Randall of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — South Florida’s housing market is booming through the COVID-19 pandemic as homebuyers flock from cities in the north with a new ability to do their jobs remotely from anywhere. While it’s sellers who have the advantage right now — demand is high but supply is limited — there are opportunities for buyers to benefit, as well and local real estate agents are weighing in on how to best take advantage. A new report shows that Florida has become a popular destination for homebuyers from areas like New York, Chicago and Boston. Even rentals of single-family homes are up in South Florida, as some families opt for a safer option until the market stabilizes. Chuck Luciano with South Florida Luxury Advisors in Boca Raton said he hasn’t seen anything like it in the 21 years he has been in the industry.

This Miami-Dade city had a ban on ‘saggy pants.’ The law will be repealed” via Aaron Leibowitz of the Miami Herald — It was one of South Florida’s most unusual, constitutionally questionable laws: a ban on the wearing of “saggy pants” at city buildings and parks throughout Opa-locka, later expanded to include all public spaces. Now, after 13 years, the law will soon be no more. The Opa-locka City Commission voted Wednesday, 4-1, to repeal both the original 2007 legislation and a 2013 ordinance that said women, not just men, could receive civil citations for wearing pants that exposed their undergarments.

“Universal’s debt to ride maker could play a role in paralyzed tourist’s lawsuit, attorney says” via Gabrielle Russon of the Orlando Sentinel — Universal Orlando owes the ride manufacturer that built many of the waterslides at Volcano Bay more than $1 million, which could play a role in a lawsuit involving a New York tourist who broke his neck at the park last year, the tourist’s attorney said at a court hearing Wednesday. James Bowen sued Universal after he was paralyzed riding Punga Racers, a slide with a troubled history of people getting hurt since Volcano Bay opened in May 2017, court records show. Lawyers for Bowen and Universal presented their cases virtually Wednesday in front of Orange Circuit Judge Kevin Weiss. The judge did not issue a written ruling about whether Bowen can seek punitive damages in the lawsuit that has revealed a deeper look into theme park safety rarely disclosed to the public.

“Do Pasco Sheriff’s Office surveillance tactics go over the line?” via Joe Henderson of Florida Politics — You live in Pasco County and have one or two run-ins with the Sheriff’s Office on your record. Maybe it wasn’t a major crime, but that doesn’t matter. It’s late, and you’re headed to bed, when … BAM! BAM! Someone is pounding on the door, and without looking, you know who it is because they’ve been there many times before. Pasco County deputies are just checking to see what you’re doing. They know where you live and want you to remember that. They are always watching. This sounds like an Orwellian nightmare. According to a scalding Tampa Bay Times investigative report, though, it’s a reality for those caught in the net of the Intelligence-Led Policing program incorporated by Sheriff Chris Nocco. It’s designed to identify people likely to commit a crime.

— TOP OPINION —

“There is no good explanation for Trump’s coronavirus comments to Woodward” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post — Trump has made a monthslong series of often bizarre comments about the coronavirus from frequently downplaying it and saying it would just go away, to hyperbolically pitching unproven treatments for it, to ridiculing masks and then briefly embracing them before ridiculing them again, to repeatedly floating potential death tolls that would be surpassed in very short order. The question, as it often is with Trump, is whether the President truly believes his own hype and is just that disconnected from the reality of the situation, or whether he’s just saying stuff to get through a news cycle. A new book from Woodward suggests that it’s very much the latter. Woodward spoke with Trump frequently for the book, titled “Rage,” including early in the coronavirus outbreak. While Trump spent almost the entirety of January, February and early March consistently downplaying the threat, he expressed much more serious concerns in his conversations with Woodward.

— OPINIONS —

“A Trump comeback?” via The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board — With eight weeks before Election Day, the state of the 2020 campaign is clear: Trump is trailing Biden, who has succeeded so far in making the race a referendum on the incumbent. If Trump is going to stage a comeback, and not become only the fourth incumbent in a century to be denied a second term, he will have to make the race about policy differences and Biden’s indulgence to the Democratic left. If the race comes down to a character contest, Trump will lose.

“Republicans have insufficient evidence to call elections ‘rigged’ and ‘fraudulent’” via Benjamin Ginsberg for The Washington Post — Legions of Republican lawyers have searched in vain over four decades for fraudulent double voting. At long last, they have a blatant example of a major politician urging his supporters to illegally vote twice. The only hitch is that the candidate is Trump. On Wednesday in North Carolina, he urged supporters to double vote, casting ballots at the polls even if they already mailed in absentee ballots. A tweet claiming he meant only for people to check that their ballots had been received and counted sounded fine — until Trump renewed his original push on Thursday evening in Pennsylvania and again Friday at a tele-rally.

“Go ahead, vote two times. Trump says it’s OK. So what if it’s illegal?” via Carl Hiaasen of the Miami Herald — Even though voting twice in the same election is illegal, Trump last week urged North Carolina residents to vote by mail and also in person. He said it was a good way to test the security of the balloting system. It’s also a good way to create a nightmare for local election officials, seeding the kind of chaos that Trump wants in order to challenge the voting results on Nov. 3. Declared he: “So if you have an absentee ballot … you send it in, but I’d check it, follow it and go vote.” Doing what the President says is actually a felony in North Carolina and many other states.

“Trump is a champion for Florida’s environment” via Randy Fine for Florida Today — The President’s list of accomplishments was extraordinary. First, his administration has prioritized Everglades restoration by committing over $250 million dollars in the 2021 budget. In January 2019, Trump provided $100 million to research and mitigate against toxic algae like the “red tide.” Trump passed legislation to improve water infrastructure across the nation, but specifically to create a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee. This infrastructure would help combat dangerous algae blooms in the lake thus making it safer for the community.

“Clean energy is key to Florida’s economic revival” via Eddie Fernandez of Florida Politics — The COVID-19 pandemic presents our nation with a public health crisis only rivaled by the ensuing economic crisis. Our policymakers’ initial response tactically focused on preserving jobs, limiting layoffs, and ensuring employers have the necessary cash flow to weather the current storm. Further relief should strategically broaden the scope, from recovery to revival. For long term economic recovery and sustained future economic growth, policymakers should look to industries with strategic potential and strong multiplier effect, among these is clean energy. Thankfully, the Florida Congressional delegation, and specifically Sen. Marco Rubio, have played a lead role in the federal response. This spring, Rubio crafted one of the most expansive federal programs in U.S. history to keep small businesses, the backbone of our economy, running. The Paycheck Protection Program kept shuttered businesses afloat and allowed employers to keep their workers on the payroll during these challenging times.

— TODAY’S SUNRISE —

Florida’s Department of Health is reporting an uptick in the number of COVID-19 fatalities. The daily death reports had been trending down over the past week, but the state reported 202 more fatalities.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Gov. DeSantis was in Broward Wednesday, one of the counties hardest hit by the virus. But he never mentioned COVID-19. DeSantis was there to try to whip up support for his Supreme Court nominee who doesn’t meet the technical requirements to hold the job.

— Sunrise takes a deep dive into the legal and public relations battle between the Governor and Rep. Thompson.

— More backlash for the President in the aftermath of a scathing report in The Atlantic that says he referred to soldiers who died in action as “losers and suckers.” Some Florida veterans say Trump is unfit to be commander in chief because he doesn’t understand the concepts of empathy or sacrifice.

— A new book from Woodward could solve one of the mysteries of the 2016 election: which Florida counties Russians hacked. We already knew about Washington County; Woodward says the other was Saint Lucie.

— And checking-in with a nearly naked Florida Man accused of stealing from a neighbor’s mailbox.

To listen, click on the image below:

— INSTAGRAM OF THE DAY —

 

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Proud to welcome Eric Trump to the Panhandle today. Thank you for putting our heroes first and meeting with Panama City Beach’s amazing first responders.

A post shared by Jimmy Patronis (@jpatronis) on Sep 9, 2020 at 10:49am PDT

— ALOE —

“Bring on the sand: The ‘Dune’ trailer is worth the hype” via Miles Surrey of The Ringer — There’s a lot going against Denis Villeneuve’s big-screen adaptation of Dune. For one, Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi novel might be an unadaptable text — so sprawling and dense that even the inscrutable legend David Lynch couldn’t make sense of it. Can Villeneuve do any better, and pull in the kind of audience that would justify what appears to be such a pricey ordeal from Warner Bros.? (Herbert’s material isn’t exactly as approachable as Star Wars, although Paul Atreides might loathe sand more than Anakin Skywalker.) There’s also the fact that Villeneuve’s Dune is slated to arrive in December, at a time when moviegoers might (quite understandably) still be hesitant to return to theaters in droves amid a pandemic.

To watch the trailer, click on the image below:

 

— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —

Best wishes to the incredibly talented Katie Ballard.

___

Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, A.G. Gancarski, Renzo Downey and Drew Wilson.