Peter Schorsch
In a state where Democrats suffered a shellacking last week, it’s easy to make assumptions about the 2022 election cycle.
But this being Florida, it’s wise never to assume anything.
There was much speculation about what the results of the 2020 presidential election would mean for Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reelection prospects. As the thinking went, removing President Donald Trump from office might have been the best thing for him, even if he was one of Trump’s most ardent supporters.
After all, two years is a long time; voters could easily forget DeSantis’ allegiance to Trump’s botched COVID-19 strategies.
Then again, don’t assume his reelection will now be a breeze.
COVID-19 is still raging, with new cases increasing almost daily. A vaccine is on the way, but it’s not here yet. Once one is ready, it could take months to be readily available to all. That leaves a lot of time for voters to continue having the pandemic top of mind while they consider future political decisions.
Let’s also not assume voters will forget the DeSantis-Trump bromance. After the major networks called the election for now-President-elect Joe Biden, DeSantis was quick to hop on the Trump train yet again, sowing doubt in the nation’s most fundamental democratic process and furthering the President’s unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
Voters may carry the memory of a Governor who willingly went along with baseless claims that certain votes should not be counted or his complacency in shattering historic norms about graciously accepting defeat and committing to a peaceful transfer of power.
And on that gubernatorial note, let’s not assume Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried will be the ordained establishment challenger to DeSantis.
Sure, Fried is flirting with a run. Yes, as Florida’s top Democrat, she’s the obvious choice. Maybe even the best one.
But as Democrats lost up and down the ballot last week, her appetite for such a race might not be so ravenous. Democrats not only didn’t ride the anticipated 2020 “blue wave,” they all but drowned under the crush of what instead was a red wave, with Republicans securing five additional seats in the House and two (!!) incumbent Democrats losing congressional seats.
Fried might very well sit it out in favor of keeping her Cabinet position.
Florida Politics has also learned she’s under consideration for a position in the Biden administration, a possibility that would surely be enticing against the prospect of a difficult gubernatorial bid.
Then there’s U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
Don’t assume he runs for reelection (I know, I know). He’s all but declared he’ll run for re-election. But if Rubio changed his mind, would it really be a surprise?
Agree with his politics or not, there is little doubt Rubio has been a committed Senator. If he holds any hope for a 2024 presidential bid, Rubio may not want to tackle it while shouldering the burden of being Senator at the same time. No doubt the scars of 2016 are still there; a fresh, focused and dedicated second attempt might seem a better prospect than one complicated by the burdens of being in D.C. .
Voters should also not assume U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist is done with his statewide ambitions. After losing to then-Gov. Rick Scott in 2014, Crist emerged as a new Democrat facing an onslaught of criticism as an opportunist jumping from Republican to independent and then to Democrat.
By 2022, he’ll have eight years under his belt, six of them with a legislative record. He may very well see a path to redemption after failing to deliver victory to a party anxious to rid themselves of a Scott administration. This time, he could relieve Rubio of his duties as a U.S. Senator.
Look at the redistricting process, too; make no assumptions here.
At first glance, redistricting looks appealing to the GOP. With successes on the ballot this year, they will control the process. But with so many red districts, they’re also forced to draw maps that could pit conservative versus conservative.
And who’s to say it even happens by 2022?
The U.S. Census, thanks to COVID-19, is a hot mess. A President Biden could order a Census restart, which would further delay the redistricting process that is based on the decennial count.
The point is (and we have one) — this is Florida. Nothing is ever certain, as voters saw yet again this year when actual race outcomes defied polling and expectations.
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🥳 — Congrats to this standout veteran: Agriculture Commissioner Fried named Sergeant Robert Timmons, vice president of the Veteran Garden Project as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Veteran of the Month for November. Timmons is a U.S. Army veteran who dedicated seven years to military service. Timmons earned four separate Army Commendation Medals and a Combat Action Badge during his Army service.
— CFO Jimmy Patronis honors veterans: “As we celebrate Veterans Day, we honor the brave men and women who have courageously fought to defend our freedom and who have selflessly served to protect our country. It is because of these heroes that we live in the greatest country in the world. With more than 1.5 million veterans that call our state home, I’m proud that Florida is recognized as one of the most military and veteran-friendly states in the nation.”
📰 — How 2020 played out, with visuals: How did Biden lose? Just as important, how did Trump lose? What role did those suburban voters we heard so much about actually play? What about racial demographics. The Washington Post lays out all the shifts in voting patterns from 2016 to 2020 with a series of graphics and other visuals that tell voters and strategists alike what happened to deny 45 a second term.
— Karaoke for a great cause: Thursday, Nov. 19, is #GiveMiamiDay. To mark the occasion, Ron Book, who serves as chair of Lauren’s Kids, the nonprofit founded by his daughter, Sen. Lauren Book, will be singing for donations — $500 will get you a single karaoke song of your choice sung by Book live on Zoom. For $100, Book, one of the state’s leading lobbyists, will serenade you and other donors. For information and donations, visit the Lauren’s Kids website.
— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —
—@USMC: 245 Years of Honor, Courage and Commitment. Today, we remember the service and sacrifice of all Marines, and honor the legacy passed down through generations.
Tweet, tweet:
Please join me at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 for the National Veterans Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony will be streamed on VA’s Facebook page at https://t.co/k6Xq94JQEr and also at https://t.co/W7K7Ccq6Xl. pic.twitter.com/eSEvZ6mxKO
— Secretary Robert Wilkie (@SecWilkie) November 10, 2020
— @GovRonDeSantis: Ahead of Veterans Day, I am pleased to highlight state resources available for veteran-owned businesses. Resources from @FLDEO, @FloridaDMS, @FloridaDBPR, @MyFDOT, @EnterpriseFL and @FLSecofState connect Veterans with opportunities for growth. More here: bit.ly/36nGFkz
— @SenRickScott: Improving access to mental health care services for veterans is an important part of combating the veterans suicide crisis. On this #VeteransDay, if you’ve lost a veteran loved one to suicide, please consider participating in a study with @AWPartnership.
— @JimmyPatronis: Happy 245th birthday to the U.S. Marine Corps! Today we honor their courage and commitment to defending our nation and our freedoms. Thank you for your service, @USMC!
— @MarioDB: I’m proud of the two businesses in #FL25 that were recognized with the 2020 #HIREVets Medallion Award! A sincere “thank you” to all 675 recipients for employing our nation’s veterans.
Tweet, tweet:
We have the utmost respect for those who serve our country. From #VeteransDay this year & every day going forward, @SecBernhardt has granted Gold Star Families & military veterans free access to the treasured public lands that they fought hard to protect https://t.co/4vNT6CIwhh pic.twitter.com/hGpEtHvjKj
— US Department of the Interior (@Interior) November 10, 2020
Tweet, tweet:
A memorial honoring Gold Star Families was unveiled at Tampa’s MacDill Park, Nov. 7. World War II Medal of Honor recipient Hershel "Woody" Williams & @FLVetsAffairs Deputy Executive Director “Hammer” Hartsell participated, honoring Gold Star Families. Never forget! #FLVets🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/2798xQ7Z3k
— Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs (@FLVetsAffairs) November 10, 2020
— @FloridaDBPR: Thank you, veterans!
—@JakeTapper: An organized attempt by former Dem officials to blackball from employment anyone who worked for the US government during the Trump administration seems the exact opposite of the calls for unity and healing we’ve heard from President-elect Biden.
—@MDixon55: With the simple act of saving Senate Republicans $63m in a key midterm Senate race in a super expensive state, you too can rise from Senate’s most junior member to chair of the @NRSC in one cycle
— DAYS UNTIL —
FITCon Policy Conference begins — 1; The Masters begins — 1; NBA draft — 7; Pixar’s “Soul” premieres — 9; College basketball season slated to begin — 14; Atlantic hurricane season ends — 19; Florida Automated Vehicles Summit — 21; the Electoral College votes — 33; “Death on the Nile” premieres — 36; NBA 2020-21 opening night — 41; “Wonder Woman 1984” rescheduled premiere — 44; Greyhound racing ends in Florida — 50; the 2021 Inauguration — 70; Super Bowl LV in Tampa — 88; “A Quiet Place Part II” rescheduled premiere — 99; “Black Widow” rescheduled premiere — 113; “No Time to Die” premieres (rescheduled) — 142; “Top Gun: Maverick” rescheduled premiere — 233; Disney’s “Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” premieres — 240; new start date for 2021 Olympics — 254; “Jungle Cruise” premieres — 262; St. Petersburg Primary Election — 296; St. Petersburg Municipal Elections — 356; Disney’s “Eternals” premieres — 359; “Spider-Man Far From Home” sequel premieres — 362; Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” premieres — 394; “Thor: Love and Thunder” premieres — 458; “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” premieres — 511; “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” sequel premieres — 692.
— THANK YOU, PATRIOTS —
For Veterans Day, the Florida-based nonprofit K9s For Warriors is partnering with clothing and accessory retailer Vineyard Vines, which will donate 20% of the proceeds from its Veterans Day T-shirt line to the organization, the nation’s largest provider of service dogs for veterans and members of the military who are disabled.
Founded in 2011, K9s For Warriors works to prevent veteran suicide and helps return service members to an independent, dignified life. Since then, the group rescued more than 1,000 shelter dogs, which are then trained and paired with veterans as “Service Dogs for Warriors” for those with military service-connected Post-Traumatic Stress, Traumatic Brain Injury and/or Military Sexual Trauma.
K9s For Warriors ensures costs are covered, allowing veterans with service-related TBI, PTSD, or MST to obtain help without charges, which can be as high as $25,000.
In 2020, Leadership Florida recognized K9s For Warriors with the Florida Impact Award, which honors a business or nonprofit organization that has “created a specific project or body of work whose impact is currently transforming the future of its region or beyond.”
To shop for a Veterans Day T-shirt — and donate to a worthy cause — visit Vineyard Vines.
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Attorney General Ashley Moody kicks off Patriot Protection Week campaign — November is National Veterans and Military Families Month, and Attorney General Moody is using Veterans Day to launch the week to recognize consumer protection resources available for service members, veterans and their families. Throughout the next few days, Moody will remind service members and families about benefits and offering tips about military-related scams on Twitter. For more information on the Patriot Protection Week campaign and learn about the scams that target service members, click here, or search Twitter for #ProtectOurPatriotsOAG. “I believe we have a duty to protect the more than 1.5 million veterans and service members who call Florida home from scammers aiming to exploit their courage and service,” Moody said.
Military veterans continue spirit of service through FPL careers — Employees of Florida Power & Light Company worked tirelessly to restore outages after Tropical Storm Eta. For them, the spirit of service runs deep — but for a special few, it’s a natural extension of their time in the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans form more than 11% of FPL’s workforce, and on Veterans Day, FPL recognizes these heroes who continue to serve. Nick Sardina of Miami is an FPL production lead and was awarded a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with a distinguished “V” for valor for his combat work in Iraq. Joe Suarez of Jupiter is FPL’s senior director of fleet services. He earned the Coast Guard Achievement Medal during his service for a daring rescue of a sinking tugboat on the Delaware River. John Kopplin from Palm Beach County is a lead project manager at FPL and a 15-year Navy veteran and helicopter pilot. He was airborne as the first Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired in the Iraq War.
— SALUTE OUR SOLDIERS —
The Florida Housing Finance Corporation is highlighting the “Salute Our Soldiers” Military Loan Program launched earlier this year designed to help the state’s growing population of veteran and active-duty military personnel in securing permanent housing. The Salute Our Soldiers program offers several options for down payment and closing cost assistance (DPA), as well as low-interest rate first mortgage loans. Some of the DPA products offered are even forgivable after five years.
“Florida Housing remains committed to supporting those who have served our country,” said Trey Price, Executive Director of Florida Housing. “We hope that this program will continue to improve the lives of veterans and the communities in which they live by assisting Florida’s large military population in finding a place to put down roots in our great state.”
Florida Housing unveiled this veteran-focused initiative on March 2, with an initial $8 million in funds to help military members throughout the state. Over the following weeks, participating veterans were able to buy homes with low-interest rates. To date, more than 250 individuals used the Salute Our Soldiers program to buy a new home, and it is expected that the program will ultimately help more than 1,000 military families.
For more information on Florida Housing and the Salute Our Soldiers program, visit floridahousing.org.
To watch a video about the Salute Our Soldiers program, click on the image below:
— PRESIDENTIAL —
“As an ex-President, Donald Trump could disclose the secrets he learned while in office, current and former officials fear” via Shane Harris of The Washington Post — As President, Trump selectively revealed highly classified information to attack his adversaries, gain political advantage and to impress or intimidate foreign governments, in some cases jeopardizing U.S. intelligence capabilities. As an ex-President, there’s every reason to worry he will do the same, thus posing a unique national security dilemma for the Biden administration, current and former officials and analysts said. All Presidents exit the office with valuable national secrets in their heads, including the procedures for launching nuclear weapons, intelligence-gathering capabilities and the development of new and advanced weapon systems.
“Most Republican lawsuits challenging election results in battleground states haven’t gone far” via Kevin McCoy, Donovan Slack and Dennis Wagner of USA Today — Even before Democrat Biden was projected to be the winner of the presidential election, Trump‘s campaign and Republican allies started pursuing lawsuits over voting and ballot counting. Cases filed in five key states alleged ballots had errors because voters were required to use Sharpies, observers didn’t have enough access to monitor ballot counting, and that late-arriving mail ballots were improperly mixed with legal votes. Judges have dismissed most cases quickly, often for lack of evidence.
“The biggest hole in the GOP’s voter fraud case” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post — Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany made their voter fraud case at a news conference Monday. Two places were constantly on the tips of their tongues: Philadelphia and Detroit. Philadelphia was mentioned 11 times, with McEnany holding it up as a key example of GOP poll watchers not being given sufficient access, an assertion that has been rejected by a judge. The presentation matched Trump’s focus on these cities, with the combined message being clear: This alleged fraud was concentrated in heavily Democratic urban areas. The reality of what tipped the election, though, is far different. The biggest swings, in fact, were not in urban areas but decidedly in suburban ones.
“The Times called officials in every state: No evidence of voter fraud” via The New York Times — Election officials in dozens of states representing both political parties said that there was no evidence that fraud or other irregularities played a role in the outcome of the Presidential race, amounting to a forceful rebuke of President Donald Trump’s portrait of a fraudulent election. Over the last several days, the President, members of his administration, Congressional Republicans and right wing allies have put forth the false claim that the election was stolen from Trump and have refused to accept results that showed Joseph R. Biden Jr. as the winner.
“Postal worker recanted allegations of ballot tampering, officials say” via Shawn Boburg and Jacob Bogage of The Washington Post — A Pennsylvania postal worker whose claims have been cited by top Republicans as potential evidence of widespread voting irregularities admitted to U.S. Postal Service investigators he fabricated the allegations, according to three officials briefed on the investigation and a statement from a House congressional committee. Richard Hopkins’s claim that a postmaster in Erie, Penn., instructed postal workers to backdate ballots mailed after Election Day was cited by Sen. Lindsey Graham in a letter to the Justice Department calling for a federal investigation.
“As states press forward with vote counts, Donald Trump advisers privately express pessimism about heading off Joe Biden’s win” via The Washington Post — Six states where President Trump has threatened to challenge his defeat continued their march toward declaring certified election results in the coming weeks, as his advisers privately acknowledged that President-elect Biden’s official victory is less a question of “if” than “when.” Trump began the day tweeting about “BALLOT COUNTING ABUSE” as he and his allies touted unproven claims that fraud had tainted the election in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
“Pressure mounts on federal agency to affirm Biden victory” via Alex Thompson of POLITICO — Former Republican White House officials and veterans of past presidential transition are calling for the government to begin the formal transfer of power from Trump to Biden. “While there will be legal disputes requiring adjudication, the outcome is sufficiently clear that the transition process must now begin,” the nonpartisan Center for Presidential Transition wrote in a letter exclusively obtained by POLITICO. “We urge the Trump administration to immediately begin the postelection transition process and the Biden team to take full advantage of the resources available under the Presidential Transition Act,” they wrote.
“Kamala Harris: A vote for Biden was a vote for health care as a right” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris made pitches for health care coverage Tuesday that appeared directed at the Supreme Court, with Harris arguing Americans voted for Biden because they consider coverage a right. The two briefed journalists Tuesday about their assessment of the cases made in the Supreme Court Tuesday, as outgoing Trump‘s administration joined with attorneys general from several states in aiming to have the Affordable Care Act declared unconstitutional. At The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden and Harris made their case to Americans about the need to continue the kinds of coverage assured Americans under the Affordable Care Act.
“‘What’s the downside for humoring him?’: A GOP official’s unintentionally revealing quote about the Trump era” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post — Speaking about Trump’s and his legal team’s myriad and baseless claims of massive voter fraud, an anonymous senior Republican official offered a rhetorical shrug. “What is the downside for humoring him for this little bit of time? No one seriously thinks the results will change,” the official said. “He went golfing this weekend. It’s not like he’s plotting how to prevent Biden from taking power on Jan. 20. He’s tweeting about filing some lawsuits, those lawsuits will fail, then he’ll tweet some more about how the election was stolen, and then he’ll leave.” Indeed, what’s a little undermining of democracy between friends?
“Trump starts raising money for a new ‘Save America’ PAC to fund his future activities.” via Shane Goldmacher, Maggie Haberman and Rachel Shorey of The New York Times — Trump is directing money raised through his campaign’s breathless requests to “defend the election” into a new political action committee before his recount fund, a move that allows him greater flexibility to bankroll his future political endeavors. The new group, called Save America, is a federal fundraising vehicle known as a leadership PAC that has donation limits of $5,000 per donor per year. It will be used to underwrite Trump’s post-presidential activities, tapping into the vast reservoir of small donors that made him a dominant fundraiser, for a time, in 2020.
“Mike Pence cancels Florida vacation” via Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post — Vice President Pence is no longer going to Florida on vacation as planned this week, administration officials say. Pence is instead staying back in Washington as the President seeks to overturn results in a number of states with unproven allegations of widespread voter fraud, officials say. Pence argued to Senators Tuesday they should stick with the President and gave a presentation on legal actions the team planned to file in many states. But Pence has been largely out of the limelight and did not attend a news conference that he was invited to attend in Philadelphia last week to allege fraud. The invitation by some of the President’s outside advisers was declined by Marc Short, the Vice President’s chief of staff, who believed it would be inappropriate for him to attend.
“Vern Buchanan, no stranger to challenged elections, defends Trump’s reluctance to concede” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Buchanan on Tuesday said Trump retains the right to challenge election results. That’s especially notable from an elected official whose own arrival in Congress came after spirited challenges to his 2006 victory. “Trump has every right to legally challenge the vote in jurisdictions where irregularities have been reported, just as Al Gore did in 2000 when he refused to concede to George Bush until 37 days after the election,” Buchanan tweeted. The tweet, of course, referenced the 2000 Florida recount. That year, the presidential election hinged on Florida’s electoral votes. Buchanan with his tweet shared a picture of the Nov. 8 edition of the Evening Standard in London indicating Bush won the election, and a later edition indicating Gore would seek a recount.
“Inside the Lincoln Project’s new campaign targeting Trump’s law firm” via Greg Sargent of The Washington Post — Trump is trying to steal the election, but he couldn’t get far if it weren’t for his enablers. There’s Attorney General William P. Barr, who has granted prosecutors approval to pursue fake voter fraud cases to make them appear real. There’s Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is lending validity to Trump’s big lie that the outcome remains unknown. And then there’s Jones Day, the big law firm that is representing Trump as his campaign prepares to unleash a legal war designed to overturn the election results. The firm’s role is drawing new scrutiny, and it’s making lawyers at the firm mighty uncomfortable.
“Why GOP superlawyer Ben Ginsberg is bucking his party and blasting Trump’s baseless election claims” via Michael Kranish of The Washington Post — In “Recount,” the made-for-television film version of the 2000 presidential election standoff that gripped the nation, Republican superlawyer Ben Ginsberg is portrayed as a bare-knuckled brawler with a jaded view of his adversaries. While Ginsberg doesn’t recall uttering those exact words in real life, he has made plenty of enemies among Democrats for his tactics over the years. Today, with tension rising over the results of a presidential election, Ginsberg is once again on the front lines but playing an unfamiliar role: Democratic ally.
— TRANSITION —
“An early look at who might be in Biden’s inner circle in the White House” via Mike Memoli, Carol E. Lee and Kristen Welker of NBC News — Biden is focused on building the team that will enter the White House with him on Inauguration Day, his “Day One staff,” as he looks to fill several thousand jobs in his administration, according to multiple people familiar with the process. Biden plans to announce these positions likely later this week. Longtime Biden adviser Ron Klain is among those leading the effort to fill these roughly 200 positions in the White House and at some key government agencies, these people said. Once that’s complete, they said Biden will turn to building out his Cabinet.
“Biden’s DOJ must determine whether Trump should be prosecuted” via David Yaffe-Bellany and Billy House of MSN — Biden won the presidency promising to bring Americans together. But now his administration is sure to come under pressure from some Democrats to risk exacerbating divisions by investigating and prosecuting Trump. Although Biden has said that prosecuting a former President would be a “very unusual thing and probably not very good for democracy,” he also vowed in an NPR interview in August that he wouldn’t “interfere with the Justice Department’s judgment of whether or not they think they should pursue the prosecution of anyone that they think has violated the law.”
“Biden may have trouble unearthing Trump’s national security secrets” via Natasha Bertrand of POLITICO — From tearing up documents and hiding transcripts of calls with foreign leaders to using encrypted messaging apps and personal email accounts for government business, the Trump White House’s skirting of records preservation rules could limit the incoming Biden administration’s visibility into highly sensitive foreign policy and national security secrets. The mysteries have swirled over the past four years: What was really said during Trump’s many phone calls and one-on-one meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin? What has Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner discussed with Saudi Arabia’s Prince Mohammed bin Salman on WhatsApp?
“Former Homeland Security heads plead for ‘peaceful transfer of power’” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — In a joint statement, a bipartisan group of former Secretaries of Homeland Security urges Trump to commit to a “peaceful transfer of power,” a “complicated” transition to President-elect Biden‘s administration that must “start now.” Tom Ridge and Michael Chertoff, Republican George W. Bush White House appointees, signed off on the letter. So too did Barack Obama lieutenants Janet Napolitano and Jeh C. Johnson. They take rhetorical care not to invalidate the President’s right to question election results, though they clearly don’t see much merit. Nonetheless, the President is undaunted, tweeting Tuesday that “we will win” the election challenges looming in the days and weeks ahead.
— 2020 —
“The Republican Party pumped millions into Facebook ads aimed at voter turnout in key battleground states in the week before the election” via Ben Gilbert of Business Insider — In the run up to the 2020 presidential election, Facebook instituted new advertising policies aimed at political campaigns. One new rule was specifically intended to protect Facebook from moderation issues: No new political ads would be accepted in the seven days leading up to the Nov. 3 election. Instead of being potentially swamped at the last minute by political ads that required scrutiny before publishing, Facebook gave itself a buffer — but that didn’t stop existing political ad campaigns from boosting their signal and recalibrating their targeting all the way up to Election Day.
“With a Republican Senate up for grabs, Marco Rubio and Rick Scott head to Georgia” via Alex Daugherty of the Miami Herald — Florida’s two Republican U.S. senators are getting involved in the high-stakes Georgia Senate runoff elections, where a GOP victory could elevate Scott and Rubio’s profiles — and their potential long-term presidential aspirations. Rubio will attend a “Save Our Majority” rally with GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler in suburban Atlanta on Wednesday, the first joint appearance of the two Georgia Republican Senate candidates since the Nov. 3 election ended with neither incumbent winning a majority. Perdue will face Democrat Jon Ossoff and Loeffler will try to beat Democrat Raphael Warnock in the Jan. 5 runoffs.
“Leon County politicos, others in Florida mobilize for Georgia U.S. Senate runoff races” via James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat — On Monday, Polk County Republican state committeeman Ed Shoemaker publicly called for Florida Republicans to get involved in the Georgia Senate races. “I am told by reliable sources that the Demoncrats will be pouring up to 1 billion dollars into each of those races to steal the Senate!” Shoemaker wrote in a statement published by the Polk County GOP. The race has also attracted the attention of Florida’s two Republican Senators, looking to elevate their status within the party and fuel their potential presidential campaigns. On the other side, the Never Trump Republicans who created the super PAC Lincoln Project plan to support efforts to boost the Democratic candidates.
“Citing no evidence, Georgia’s U.S. Senators demand elections head resign” via Mark Niesse and Greg Bluestein of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution — Georgia’s two U.S. senators called on the state’s top elections official, a fellow Republican, to resign Monday in a shocking attempt to appease Trump and his supporters ahead of Jan. 5 runoffs for likely control of the U.S. Senate. U.S. Sens. Loeffler and Perdue provided no evidence to back up claims of unspecified “failures” with the November election that was overseen by Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who said flatly that he’s not stepping down: “It’s not going to happen.”
“Leon County Canvassing Board to certify 2020 election Saturday; candidates can recycle signs” via Karl Etters of the Tallahassee Democrat — Come Saturday, the 2020 election will be over. At least it will be in Leon County. The local Canvassing Board is set to certify the election results and submit them to the Florida Department of State, said Supervisor of Elections Mark Earley in a news release. An audit will follow — in which every vote on every ballot in every race will be checked for accuracy. The panel will certify the ballots of an all-time high of total voters — 164,199 — cast during the 2020 General election. The 75.5% of the electorate voting came in under the high water mark in 2008 when 85% of the county cast ballots.
“Florida Democrats say the party must change” via Joshua Ceballos of the Miami New Times — After getting trounced in this year’s election, Florida Democrats agree: They need to change. “We have got to get our shit together,” says Democratic state Sen. Annette Taddeo. Last week, Trump won Florida and its 29 electoral votes. Biden won Miami-Dade County by a far smaller margin than Hillary Clinton did in 2016, an outcome some politicos attribute to the strides Trump has made in Hispanic communities. Two House Democrats in South Florida, Reps. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell and Donna Shalala, lost their seats to Republican newcomers to national politics. After Election Day, a number of Florida Democrats took to Twitter to share their frustration.
— 2022 —
“Florida’s 2022 elections are already shaping up. Here’s who is (and may be) running” via David Smiley of the Miami Herald — Within minutes of TV networks and media outlets calling the 2020 presidential election Saturday for Democratic nominee Biden, a group of Democratic consultants in South Florida released an online video taking aim at a new target not named Trump: U.S. Sen. Rubio. The “Retire Rubio” ad was the opening salvo in Florida’s 2022 elections. Two years from now, Rubio and Republican Florida Gov. DeSantis will both likely be on the ballot, along with Republican incumbents for the statewide positions of Attorney General and Chief Financial Officer. And already, a new crop of Democrats are pondering runs for statewide office, despite a challenging climate.
To watch the ad, click on the image below:
“Rick Scott to lead Senate campaign arm in 2022” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Florida will be an electoral battleground in 2022, with a full complement of statewide races including one for the U.S. Senate. However, the Senator who is not on the ballot next cycle will be leading Republican efforts on even a bigger stage. U.S. Sen. Scott will head up the National Republican Senatorial Committee in what is a big year for Republicans, with 21 seats up in the upper chamber. Scott will have his first test in the coming weeks, with a doubleheader Senate runoff in Georgia that will determine which party controls the Senate in Biden‘s Washington D.C. Scott vowed that Republicans are “going to win Georgia.”
“Florida Democrats discuss party changes for 2022 election” via Joshua Ceballos of the Miami New Times — After getting trounced in this year’s election, Florida Democrats agree: They need to change. “We have got to get our s*** together,” says Democratic Sen. Annette Taddeo. After Election Day, a number of Florida Democrats took to Twitter to share their frustration, including state Rep. Shevrin Jones and state Sen. Pizzo. One of the main problems the party has had, according to Pizzo, is assuming what voters need rather than actually asking them. He says Democrats have lacked boots on the ground to listen to voters and find out what’s important to them. Compared to Republicans, Pizzo says, Democrats have not been as present in South Florida during the off-years between election cycles.
— CORONA FLORIDA —
“Surge in hospitalizations indicates coronavirus resurgence” via Jane Musgrave of The Palm Beach Post — For the first time since early September, more than 3,000 people in Florida were hospitalized on Tuesday for treatment of COVID-19, a clear sign that the deadly disease is making a comeback in the Sunshine State. While DeSantis has downplayed the significance of other indicators, such as rising cases, the positivity rate or even deaths, he has continually said that the number of people hospitalized is a good way to gauge the state of the pandemic. The 3,025 patients who were being treated statewide on Tuesday is a nearly 30% increase since two weeks ago. It is also the highest number of people who have required hospitalization since Sept. 9, according to the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.
“Republican lawmakers in Florida say mask mandate not likely, despite Biden push” via Lara Greenberg of Fox 35 Orlando — Biden has been talking about mask mandates since one of his town hall events in September. FOX 35 spoke with two Republican lawmakers who say those mandates probably won’t fly in Florida. For months, Biden’s message has been about unity, including unity when it comes to wearing masks to stop the spread of coronavirus. But, some Floridian lawmakers say not really. “Reaching out is one thing, but reaching out and demanding that you do something that you didn’t choose to do and that you don’t have to do is not bipartisanship,” said state Rep. Randy Fine.
“Pasco school superintendent seeing ‘worrisome’ spike in COVID-19 cases” via Megan Gannon of WFLA — Pasco County schools superintendent Kurt Browning gave an update on the district’s response to the pandemic Monday, and said that schools and the community were seeing “worrisome increases in COVID-19 cases.” Browning said the district had been reviewing the number of cases and trends and that schools were “headed into a challenging time that could force us to make some difficult decisions.” So far this school year, the district has reported 323 cases among students and 131 among employees, which have impacted more than 6,000 students and more than 500 employees.
“Key West leaders were thinking about a curfew. They’re not thinking about it anymore” via Gwen Filosa of FLKeysNews — Key West’s mayor on Tuesday withdrew her proposal for a curfew on the island after business owners and workers called it an unfair burden that would further hurt the local economy. Mayor Teri Johnston scratched the proposal after listening to more than two hours of public comment urging city commissioners to drop the curfew idea. “Isolating restaurants and bars as the problem of COVID is enormously unfair,” said Michael Halpern, who owns the Southernmost House hotel. “COVID does not respect the time clock. COVID does respect masks. COVID does respect social distancing.” The proposed curfew would have closed restaurants, bars and all foodservice businesses from midnight to 6 a.m. and prohibited alcohol sales from midnight to 7 a.m.
— CORONA NATION —
“U.S. surpasses 1 million virus cases in November” via Mike Stobbe of The Associated Press — The U.S. has surpassed 1 million new confirmed coronavirus cases in just the first 10 days of November, with more than 100,000 infections each day becoming the norm in a surge that shows no signs of slowing. The 1 million milestone came as governors across the nation are making increasingly desperate pleas with the public to take the fight against the virus more seriously. The Wisconsin Governor planned to take the unusual step of delivering a live address to the state Tuesday, urging unity and cooperation to fight COVID-19. Minnesota’s Governor ordered bars and restaurants to close at 10 p.m., and Iowa’s Governor said she will require masks at indoor gatherings of 25 or more people, inching toward more stringent measures after months of holding out.
“COVID-19 roars back in U.S. cities after months as a rural problem” via Jonathan Levin of Bloomberg — Starting in late August, COVID-19 was essentially a rural problem. Now, after months of relative respite, it’s back in America’s cities, where dense populations spread the virus at alarming speeds. U.S. metropolitan areas are averaging a record 27.8 daily coronavirus cases per 100,000 people, according to CDC data. Although rural areas are still worse on a per capita basis, it’s clear that cities have been swept up in the pandemic again. The surge has expanded from highly rural states in the Midwest and Rocky Mountain West to areas with bigger populations and more urban living. That has meant rising cases in and around Denver, Detroit and Chicago.
“Pfizer’s early data shows vaccine is more than 90% effective” via Katie Thomas, David Gelles and Carl Zimmer of The New York Times — Drugmaker Pfizer announced that early analysis of its coronavirus vaccine trial suggested the vaccine was robustly effective in preventing COVID-19, a promising development as the world has waited anxiously for any positive news about a pandemic that has killed more than 1.2 million people. Pfizer, which developed the vaccine with the German drugmaker BioNTech, released only sparse details from its clinical trial, based on the first formal review of the data by an outside panel of experts. The company said that the analysis found that the vaccine was more than 90% effective in preventing the disease among trial volunteers who had no evidence of prior coronavirus infection.
— CORONA ECONOMICS —
“Travel industry feels pinch of cruise shutdown due to coronavirus” via Courtney Holland of WUSF — The coronavirus continues to impact Florida’s tourism industry, now forcing cruise lines to shut down their U.S. offerings for the remainder of the year. Large ports in Florida, such as Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and Port Tampa Bay, will not be used for cruises until 2021. This decision was made Nov. 3 by members of the Cruise Lines International Association in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus on ships. According to Janice Sinardi, owner of Cruise Planners Travel Agency in Temple Terrace, the initial shutdown of cruises in March affected 80 percent of her business this year.
— MORE CORONA —
“Most recovered COVID-19 patients left with heart damage, study shows” via Katherine Fung of Newsweek — A new study published Monday in the JAMA Cardiology Journal found that 78% of recovered COVID-19 patients had permanent heart damage. The study from the University Hospital Frankfurt examined the cardiovascular MRIs of 100 people who had recovered from the coronavirus. The heart images showed that almost 80% of recovered COVID-19 patients had structural changes to their hearts. Sixty percent of patients had ongoing myocardial (heart muscle) inflammation even after recovery. The majority of the patients were not hospitalized and recovered at home, with symptoms ranging from none to moderate.
“Most people don’t plan to resume travel regime even after virus” via Ragini Saxena of Bloomberg — The realization that most business can be conducted virtually teamed with a confusing array of testing and quarantine restrictions means many people don’t plan to resume their regular travel routines even once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided, a study found. As many as 83% of passengers globally are reluctant to fall back into their old travel habits and 31% will travel less often by air, the survey of some 10,000 frequent flyers conducted by the London-based firm and released Tuesday showed. Fear of infection means only just over one-quarter of people in the Asia-Pacific region say they feel confident enough to fly again within six months.
“How to tell your family you’re not coming home for the holidays” via Rachel Miller of Vice — The holidays tend to make people emotional, as does admitting that your kid is growing up and developing a life of their own. As such, these conversations can be super fraught. Feeling confident in your decision is, I think, one of the most important aspects of communicating news someone else doesn’t want to hear. In general, it’s kind and courteous to let someone know as early as possible that you won’t be attending an event they’re expecting you at, and your family deserves that same respect. Try to resist the urge to talk them out of feeling upset. The tone of this conversation should match how your family talks about holidays in general.
— STATEWIDE —
“Ron DeSantis pushes expansion of ‘Stand Your Ground’ law as part of ‘anti-mob’ crackdown” via Ana Ceballos and David Ovalle of the Miami Herald — DeSantis has drafted “anti-mob” legislation that would expand Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law — a move that critics say will allow armed citizens to shoot suspected looters or anyone engaged in “criminal mischief” that disrupts a business. Lawyers say it’s just one of the many troubling aspects of the draft bill being pushed by the Republican Governor in response to police-brutality protests that erupted across Florida and the United States this summer. The draft legislation put specifics behind DeSantis’ pledge in September to crack down on “violent and disorderly assemblies” after he pointed to “reports of unrest” in other parts of the country after the high-profile death of George Floyd, a Black man killed by a white Minneapolis police officer.
“DeSantis’ latest hire for data team: Uber-driving, COVID-conspiracy sports blogger” via Nicholas Nehemas, Ben Conarck and Kirby Wilson of the Miami Herald — When DeSantis needed to hire a data analyst, his staff picked a little-known Ohio sports blogger and Uber driver whose only relevant experience is spreading harmful conspiracy theories about COVID-19 on the internet. In his own words, Kyle Lamb of Columbus, Ohio, has few qualifications for the job at the state’s Office of Policy and Budget, which pays $40,000 per year. Plucked from the obscurity of the blogosphere, Lamb, 40, broadcasts his lack of scientific training in his theories about the pandemic, all of which have been impeached by scientific evidence. “I have no qualms about being a ‘sports guy’ moonlighting as a COVID-19 analyst,” Lamb wrote on his podcast website.
“Florida gas prices hit five-month low amid coronavirus surge concerns” via Malena Carollo of the Tampa Bay Times — Florida gas prices hit a five-month low this week. According to AAA, the Auto Club Group, state gas prices averaged $2 Monday, down 4 cents over the week and 17 cents since last month. Tampa Bay prices were even lower at $1.93 per gallon on average, down 6 cents from last week and 25 cents from last month. The bay area had the third-lowest gas prices in the state Monday. “Demand concerns related to surging cases of COVID-19 continue to weigh on the global fuel market, leading to lower prices at the pump,” said Mark Jenkins, AAA spokesman.
“Regulators poised to consider Duke solar expansion” via Jim Saunders of The News Service of Florida — State regulators will take up a Duke Energy Florida proposal that would add 10 solar plants in the coming years. But the proposal has drawn opposition because of the way it is structured and financed. Duke’s proposal, dubbed the Clean Energy Connection Program, would involve some customers voluntarily paying more upfront on their bills to help finance the projects and then receiving future bill credits. The utility argues that the program would benefit all of its customers because the solar projects would ultimately reduce the need to build costly natural-gas plants and would help reduce carbon emissions. But critics contend that the program will have costs and financial risks for the vast majority of Duke customers who will not participate.
“International Paper’s environmental guidelines challenged in court by Perdido Bay resident” via Kevin Robinson of the Pensacola News Journal — A judge is weighing a Perdido Bay resident’s concerns that the new environmental standards proposed for International Paper’s mill in Cantonment are not enough to stop pollution. Jackie Lane, a retired marine biologist, filed an administrative challenge to a state “consent order” outlining what steps IP is expected to take to reduce chronic toxicity and other concerns associated with mill wastewater known as effluent. Lane contends that IP’s effluent never has been in full compliance with the Department of Environmental Protection standards. She argues that despite ongoing compliance issues, DEP has issued a new consent order that essentially acts as a temporary permit and “allows International Paper to pollute and kill life in Perdido Bay for two more years.”
— D.C. MATTERS —
“Supreme Court appears likely to save most of the Affordable Care Act” via Sam Baker of Axios — Most of the Affordable Care Act appeared likely to survive Tuesday as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over the law’s individual mandate. Two members of the court’s conservative majority suggested they’re unlikely to throw out the entire health care law, as Republican attorneys general and the Trump administration have urged. Their votes would be enough to save it. The Trump administration and a group of red states, led by Texas, say the ACA’s individual mandate became unconstitutional in 2017, when Congress zeroed out the penalty for not carrying insurance. Their more dramatic argument is that the court should throw out the rest of the ACA along with what remains of the mandate.
“George Stephanopoulos’ rep lobbies for him to become next host of ‘Jeopardy!’” via Tony Maglio and Sharon Waxman of The Wrap — Following Alex Trebek’s death on Sunday at age 80, Stephanopoulos’ rep is lobbying for the ABC News anchor to become the next host of the hit game show “Jeopardy!,” a highly placed person with knowledge of the situation told TheWrap. Stephanopoulos’s agent Alan Berger did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment, but a knowledgeable individual close to the “Good Morning America” co-host denied that he was “actively” pursuing the role.
— LOCAL NOTES —
“Flooded schools remain closed after Tropical Storm Eta” via Brooke Baitinger of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Twenty-three schools in Broward County remained closed Tuesday because of heavy flooding. Among them were West Broward High School in Pembroke Pines, where the campus and surrounding area were flooded, and Western High School in Davie, which had severe flooding and no power or air conditioning. A number of other schools had flooding inside the building or so much water outside that the school was inaccessible, the school district said. All South Florida schools closed Monday as Tropical Storm Eta dumped historic amounts of rain across the area. Both Broward and Palm Beach County districts said that schools would return to normal operations Tuesday, but that was not possible in many places.
“Live ordnance with active fuse uncovered by Tropical Storm Eta in south Indian River County” via Corey Arwood of TCPalm — A beachgoer called 911 to report finding what looked like the “tip of a rocket” uncovered by rough surf from Tropical Storm Eta Monday. A Patrick Air Force Base explosives disposal team confirmed the 3-foot long object was a live ordnance with an active fuse, likely leftover from World War II, according to Indian River County Fire Rescue officials. Battalion Chief Roger Dion said the device was located about 60 yards north of the Ocean Ridge Circle neighborhood and required the evacuation of about six homes.
“Climate change blamed for fall’s super floods in South Florida” via Mario Ariza of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Tropical Storm Eta’s record-breaking deluge may be part of a pattern of more intense rains and higher tides that have turned late fall in South Florida into a season of super floods. A new study from climate researchers at the University of Miami adds to the evidence that humans — and their greenhouse gas emissions — are largely to blame. The study looked at the relationship between sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean and rainfall in South Florida. It argues that greenhouse gas emissions from humans are the likely source of the hotter seawater and the more intense rains.
“Suspended Delray city manager sues to delay termination hearing” via Mike Diamond of The Palm Beach Post — Suspended City Manager George Gretsas has filed a lawsuit calling for an emergency order to postpone his Nov. 20 termination hearing, claiming the city has failed to provide him with public records he needs to defend himself. The lawsuit also asks that Mayor Shelly Petrolia be barred from participating in the hearing, alleging she has “demonstrated clear bias” against Gretsas. Gretsas’ lawyer, Stuart Kaplan of Palm Beach Gardens, said he expects a judge to set a hearing date by the end of the week so the issue can be resolved before Nov. 20.
“Waste Pro files lawsuit to stop Adams Sanitation from operating in Santa Rosa County” via Annie Blanks of the Pensacola News Journal — Waste Pro of Florida has filed a lawsuit in Santa Rosa County against Adams Sanitation seeking damages of more than $30,000 and asking for an immediate cessation of operations in the county. Waste Pro’s lawsuit alleges that Adams is unlawfully signing up customers for its trash services and telling them not to pay Waste Pro if they get a bill next year. Waste Pro filed the lawsuit in circuit court on Nov. 2 and followed up with a motion for a temporary injunction on Nov. 9. The sanitation company said in court filings that it has sole authority to operate trash pickup services in all of unincorporated Santa Rosa County beginning Jan. 1, 2021.
“Pensacola Coast Guard Cutter Decisive offloads $20 million of drugs in South Florida“ via the Pensacola News Journal — The Pensacola-based Coast Guard Cutter Decisive offloaded more than $20 million worth of cocaine and marijuana in southern Florida during a recent drug patrol. The cutter deployed in late September on a 40-day patrol of the Eastern Pacific Ocean and returned to its home port in Pensacola on Nov. 3, according to a news release from the Coast Guard. While on patrol, the crew interdicted two go-fast vessels and a low-profile vessel carrying a total of about 900 pounds of cocaine and 2,735 pounds of marijuana. The drugs have an estimated street value of $20.3 million.
“It’s official: School board fires principal who made remarks about Holocaust — for the second time” via Lois K. Solomon of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — William Latson, the disgraced former principal whose comments about the Holocaust caused an international uproar, was officially fired on Tuesday by the Palm Beach County School Board. The board last week had agreed to terminate his employment, for the second time, but issued a final order on Tuesday that rejected several rulings by a state administrative judge who recommended Latson’s reinstatement. The board voted unanimously without comment. Latson, who had been principal at Spanish River High School in Boca Raton, can appeal the ruling to the 4th District Court of Appeal. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
“Tyndall installing four-legged robots for security, a first for Department of Defense” via Tony Mixon of Northwest Florida Daily News — Tyndall Air Force Base is living up to its motto as “Base of the Future,” with the integration of state-of-the-art, four-legged robots for security use. Ghost Robotics held a demonstration Tuesday morning next to Maxwell Flag Park to show a few dozen airmen and civilians how the robots work. The almost 100-pound robots, which look somewhat like dogs, can be controlled with a remote but will operate autonomously around the base as security. The 325th Security Forces Squadron will be the first unit in the Department of Defense to use the technology for enhanced security patrolling. They will test the capabilities of the robots as the precursor for the Air Force as a whole.
“Fate of Sarasota’s ‘Unconditional Surrender’ statue may be decided on Monday” via Timothy Fanning of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — The fate of that 26-foot tall smooching sailor sculpture on the Sarasota bayfront may soon be decided. Sarasota city commissioners on Monday will discuss where to move the iconic “Unconditional Surrender” sculpture and for how long. The sculpture, which has loomed over Sarasota’s bayfront for a decade, has to be moved to make room for a new roundabout on U.S. 41 and Gulfstream Avenue. However, it doesn’t appear likely that the sculpture — beloved by tourists and bemoaned by some art enthusiasts — will be evicted from the bayfront any time soon.
— TOP OPINION —
“Rick Scott: ‘Protecting and serving the families of our nation.’” via Florida Politics — As a member of the Armed Services Committee, I’m continuing the fight to ensure that Florida remains a national leader for military and defense and that our veterans, military members and their families are provided the support they need to keep the nation safe and to succeed even after their service. We passed the Military Widow’s Tax Elimination Act and also passed a pay raise for our military members and several bills to ensure veterans get the health care they deserve. I’m working to make sure our veterans can get a great education, find jobs and open their own business. To our veterans — thank you for your service to our great nation. I applaud your bravery and courage.
— OPINIONS —
“The next wave” via Julia Ioffe of The Washington Post — Biden did his best to show us how an American President could and should handle the coronavirus pandemic. He always wore a mask and called the act of wearing one “patriotic.” Biden even rolled out a plan for fighting the coronavirus, vowing to expand testing and production of personal protective equipment, rejoin the World Health Organization, reconstitute the White House pandemic task force, and institute a national mask mandate. For one thing, Trump has two and a half more months in office, which he can use to dismiss and minimize the epidemic. By the time he’s gone, according to one projection, another 170,000 Americans could be dead of COVID-19.
“Good vaccine news kicks off a perilous two months” via Bloomberg Opinion editorial board — Monday brought the most promising news so far in the pharmaceutical fight against COVID-19: A candidate vaccine has prevented more than 90% of symptomatic infections among people who received it in a large clinical trial. By the end of this month, Pfizer and BioNTech are expected to have enough data to apply for emergency use of the vaccine, even as crucial further data are yet to arrive. With luck, it appears that 25 million people could be vaccinated by the end of the year, and during 2021, some 650 million more. Also auspicious for America’s chances against the pandemic is the outcome of the election. President-elect Biden is already taking the COVID-19 challenge far more seriously than the current President ever has.
“DeSantis plays with dynamite by suggesting popular vote be thrown out” via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel editorial board — Trump lost the election, but he won Florida. Whether you like the result or not, DeSantis and his bully pulpit get a good deal of credit for it. By helping deliver the state’s 29 electoral votes, DeSantis repaid a huge debt to Trump, whose tweeted support for DeSantis basically propelled the then-obscure congressman into the governor’s office two years ago by a tiny margin of victory. Now DeSantis, without proof, has gone over the edge by refusing to recognize Biden as the President-elect and promoting the baseless claim that Democrats stole the election from Trump. No other governor in America is rattling the public’s faith in democracy so shamelessly when people are desperate for Biden’s stable, sane leadership.
“Florida becomes a paragon of smooth elections” via the Tampa Bay Times editorial board — Florida has shaken its reputation for bungling elections. In fact, the state has become an example of how to do it right. Smart policies and lots of practice with tight elections allow our supervisors of elections to count votes quickly. As does the state’s embrace of mail-in voting. Tabulating nearly all the votes in hours instead of days helps people maintain faith in the elections process. That should be reason enough to follow Florida’s lead. We’re looking at you Nevada, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Florida’s current success came the hard way, borne out of the 2000 elections debacle, which made “hanging chad” a household phrase and kept the country on edge for weeks about who would be the next President.
— ON TODAY’S SUNRISE —
Just a reminder: The state government is closed in honor of Veterans Day.
Also, on today’s Sunrise:
— Speaking of veterans, Florida lawmakers have done everything they can in recent years to try to make this the most veteran-friendly state in the country and help people who leave the service make the transition to the civilian workforce.
— Florida needs those veterans because there’s a shortage of skilled labor in the Sunshine State.
— Mark Wilson and the Florida Chamber of Commerce have an ambitious goal of creating one-and-a-half million new jobs by the end of the decade … but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, they actually need to create about 2 million jobs to make up for the ones that disappeared.
— As for COVID, the state reported more than 4,000 new cases Tuesday, with 69 additional fatalities. That makes the positivity rate the highest it’s been since the beginning of August.
— The Miami Herald has one hell of a story about the Governor’s latest hire to analyze COVID-19 data … a sports blogger and Uber driver from Ohio whose only relevant experience is spreading conspiracy theories online about COVID-19. Sounds like a perfect match.
— Sen. Scott has been selected to lead the National Republican Senatorial Committee. His first test will be in Georgia where there are two runoffs and control of the U.S. Senate is up for grabs.
— And finally, a Florida Woman was caught masturbating by a dumpster … and she’s a repeat offender.
To listen, click here.
— ALOE —
“Apple debuts first Macs with homegrown processors” via Ina Fried of Axios — Apple debuted the first Macs with chips the company designed in-house, introducing updated versions of the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini that use its new M1 processor. The move away from Intel processors could reduce costs for Apple and give the company more flexibility in design, but also adds short-term uncertainty as well as extra work for developers. The new MacBook Pro can deliver 17 hours of wireless web browsing and 20 hours of video playback, Apple said. The battery on the new MacBook Air can power 15 hours of Web browsing, 18 hours of video playback and last twice as long when doing video conferencing.
“A snow park in Florida? There’s one opening in Pasco next weekend.” via Shannon Kennedy Wynne of the Tampa Bay Times — Floridians sliding down a snow-covered hill or making snowmen in a chilly play area? That’s about to become reality. A Dade City property that had been the site of haunted houses for Scream-A-Geddon has been turned into a snow park that will open Nov. 20. Snowcat Ridge features a 60-foot snow-covered tubing hill. The centerpiece of the park will give riders two hours to slide using tough rubber slides. They will return to the top via two automated conveyors known as Magic Carpet Lifts. There’s also an indoor snow space called Arctic Igloo, which has a small bunny hill for kids and a place to make snow angels or a snowman.
“Winter Park resident embarking on cross-country bike journey benefiting local dog rescue” via Kathleen Christiansen of the Orlando Sentinel — Last year, Winter Park resident Frank Carter trekked the Appalachian Trail to celebrate his 60th birthday, summitting Mount Katahdin with his trail family. This year, a friend of Carter suggested they bike across Florida. But after conquering the Appalachian Trail, biking across the Sunshine State did not seem a big enough feat. So about two months ago, Carter began to make plans for his Bike Across America 2020, on which he will embark Nov. 20. The journey will be about a 3,000-mile ride from San Diego to New Smyrna Beach. But another motivating force, like his last journey, is this adventure will raise funds for the Golden Retriever Rescue of Mid-Florida.
“Trump books will continue after Trump leaves office” via Hillel Italie of The Associated Press — One of publishing’s most thriving genres of the past four years, books about Trump, is not going to end when he leaves office. In 2021 and beyond, look for waves of releases about the Trump administration and about the President’s loss to Democratic candidate Biden. Works already planned include the anti-Trump “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response,” by former Obamacare head Andy Slavitt. There’s a campaign book from New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns. And former Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale is reportedly working on a memoir.
— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —
Celebrating today are Pinellas Commissioner Pat Gerard, Florida connoisseur Craig Pittman and TaMaryn Waters of the Tallahassee Democrat.
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Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, A.G. Gancarski, Renzo Downey and Drew Wilson.
