Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Ed. Note — Sunburn will be taking a short hiatus. But don’t worry, the hottest tip sheet in Florida politics will return on Monday.
___
During the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Transportation, Growth & Infrastructure Solution Summit, House Speaker Chris Sprowls said combating the threat of sea-level rise would be one of his priorities over the next two years.
“Here’s one of the paradoxes of being a Floridian: Our state’s greatest asset is also our greatest liability. Throughout our history, Floridians have flourished in large part because of our state’s natural resources. With our miles of beautiful beaches, gorgeous coastline, and ample sunshine, it is no wonder our state is home to over 21 million people and a destination for folks from around the world.”
But flooding threatens Florida’s prosperity, and sea-level rise has raised the threat it poses “exponentially.” Just 1 foot of sea-level rise would endanger 65,000 homes and 120,000 Floridians.
“Over 20% of homes — the largest single investment for Florida families — have a one in four chance of flooding over the next 30 years,” he said, adding that the “less immediate threats” posed by flooding and storm surge are also troubling.
“Rising water damages homes, disrupts businesses and displaces people, which leads to increases in insurance premiums for all Floridians. Sea-level rise is an emerging threat that we must focus on,” he said. “We cannot afford to simply focus on this month’s jobs numbers or this year’s budget shortfall while ignoring this latent danger facing this state.”
Sprowls said the Latin phrase “semper paratus” — or “always ready” — should be the state’s guiding principle. Unlike hurricanes or other acute natural disasters, the state cannot afford to react to sea-level rise after the fact.
“We need to shift our perspective. We need to be ready,” he said.
Sprowls said the state can do “quite a bit” to address the threat of flooding and sea-level rise by focusing on solutions that work — he pointed to grant funding included in the budget to help coastal communities and counties make progress on their local mitigation efforts.
Sprowls said during his term as House Speaker there will be a focus on finding and funding other efforts to mitigate the threat of sea-level rise, including enhancing natural barriers such as dunes and constructing human-made ones such as sea walls and burms.
“Just as we do with our state’s transportation work plan, we should address this systematically by assessing long-term needs, making sound engineering decisions, and being fiscally disciplined in, when, where and how we spend our taxpayer dollars,” he said.
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 1,065,476 FL residents (+9,411 since Tuesday)
— 17,886 Non-FL residents (+181 since Tuesday)
Origin:
— 9,753 Travel related
— 409,193 Contact with a confirmed case
— 12,006 Both
— 634,524 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 57,210 in FL
Deaths:
— 19,716 in FL
Evening Reads
“Debbie Wasserman Schultz accuses Ron DeSantis of abusing power, calls for investigation into raid on home of fired Florida data scientist” via Athina Morris of WFLA
“YouTube to remove videos claiming mass fraud changed election results” via Cristiano Lima of POLITICO
“’There’s no place for them to go’: ICU beds near capacity across U.S.” via Lauren Leatherby, John Keefe, Lucy Tompkins, Charlie Smart and Matthew Conlen of The New York Times
“Only half in U.S. want shots as vaccine nears” via Lauran Neergaard and Hannah Fingerhut of The Associated Press
“Britain warns people with ‘significant’ allergic reactions not to take Pfizer vaccine” via William Booth and Erin Cunningham of The Washington Post
“What the chaos in hospitals is doing to doctors” via Jordan Kisner of The Atlantic
“Nearly 4,000 new cases of COVID-19 related to FL schools during the week following Thanksgiving break” via Danielle J. Brown of the Florida Phoenix
“Dismissing health concerns, State Department hosts 200 guests for tours, holiday drinks and leftover ‘Be Best’ swag” via John Hudson of The Washington Post
“Mike Pence reveals name changes for Patrick and Cape Canaveral bases, astronauts for Artemis moon shot” via Caroline Glenn and Richard Tribou of the Orlando Sentinel
“Distrust, skepticism, but also relief as Floridians weigh rollout of initial COVID-19 vaccines” via Michael Moline of the Florida Phoenix
“Donald Trump’s challenges to election face end of the legal road” via Brent Kendall and Deanna Paul of The Wall Street Journal
“Defeated, lying, narcissist ex-President Trump will make a perfect ‘Florida man’” via Fabiola Santiago of the Miami Herald
“Bill Posey demands Post Office Inspector General investigation into election fraud accusations” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
“Ashley Moody files brief supporting Texas suit seeking to invalidate election results” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
“What was the real message behind the raid on the COVID whistleblower’s home in Florida?” via Frank Cerabino of the Palm Beach Post
“Moody warns Floridians about COVID-19 vaccine-related scams” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics
“Florida candidates increasingly skip debates, forums. A tactic for the cowardly and unprepared … that sometimes works” via Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel
“Frederica Wilson backs Manny Diaz for FDP chair” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Terrie Rizzo to remain head of Palm Beach Democratic Party after leaving top state job” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
“Florida is ‘uniquely positioned’ to be a global leader in the mobility revolution” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics
“Saving America? Perry Thurston leads Florida Democrats to knock doors in Georgia” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Ione Townsend to officially announce whether she will run for FDP chair” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics
“Snake and eggs for breakfast? Florida may soon encourage you to eat invasive pythons” via Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Quote of the Day
“The integrity and resolution of the 2020 election is of paramount performance. The United States Supreme Court should weigh the legal arguments of the Texas motion and all pending matters so that Americans can be assured the election was fairly reviewed and decided.” — Attorney General Ashley Moody, on joining a Texas lawsuit to invalidate four states’ election results.
Bill Day’s Latest
Breakthrough Insights
