Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
The Electoral College voted, the desperate lawsuits have been tossed, and many influential Republicans have started to accept publicly that Joe Biden is the President-elect.
But Gov. Ron DeSantis. Weeks after the election results were clear, the Governor is still unable to acknowledge that Biden won.
“It’s not for me to do,” DeSantis said Tuesday, a day after electors officially affirmed Biden’s win and shortly after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged it on the Senate floor.
His refusal came alongside an unsolicited comparison between his and other Republicans’ intractability and the supposed intractability of Democrats following Donald Trump’s 2016 win.
“Here’s what I would say: Obviously, we did our thing in Florida, the college voted, what’s going to happen is going to happen,” he said.
“But I can tell you I think a lot of the frustration for folks that supported the President was we were four years with people not accepting him. I mean, Hillary, the last week of the election, was saying Putin stole it.”
Despite the overall result, DeSantis said he’s “really proud of what we did in Florida.”
“As a Republican, I obviously want Republicans to get elected, but I could tell you, how transparent it was, how efficient it was. The results in any of these races, no one would have been able to say anything about it because of the way it was conducted,” he said.
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 1,124,742 FL residents (+9,296 since Monday)
— 19,052 Non-FL residents (+115 since Monday)
Origin:
— 10,193 Travel related
— 430,563 Contact with a confirmed case
— 12,717 Both
— 671,269 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 58,612 in FL
Deaths:
— 20,365 in FL
Evening Reads
“After Electoral College backs Joe Biden, Donald Trump continues falsely insisting he won: ‘This Fake Election can no longer stand’” via Tim Elfrink of The Washington Post
“Mitch McConnell congratulates Biden as President-elect” via The Associated Press
“Anthony Fauci: Biden and Trump should get COVID-19 vaccine” via Quint Fogery of POLITICO
“FDA staff endorses emergency use of Moderna’s COVID vaccine in a critical step toward approval” via Berkley Lovelace of CNBC
“The false choice between the economy and containing the virus” via Philip Bump of The Washington Post
“The Electoral College vote was blissfully bureaucratic and boring” via Robin Givhan of The Washington Post
“Inside the right-wing media bubble, where the myth of a Trump win lives on” via Jeremy W. Peters of The New York Times
“‘It’s not for me to do’: Ron DeSantis won’t call Biden ‘President-elect’” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“Governor, Cabinet turn to state government veteran to run important administrative law agency” via Michael Moline of the Florida Phoenix
“Florida’s ‘Grim Reaper’ lashes out at Gov. DeSantis’ attempt to sanction him over COVID-19 lawsuit” via Steven Lemongello of the Orlando Sentinel
“‘My son is fighting for his life’: Doctors, Mayors plead to Gov. DeSantis for mask mandate” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Jimmy Patronis to FEMA: Utility workers need COVID-19 vaccine before hurricane season” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics
“Citizens Insurance urged to raise rates to discourage homeowners from switching” via Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“59,000 Floridians file for pandemic-related jobless help in past week” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics
“Major boondoggle? National public-interest group rips FL’s toll-road plans; state says, too soon to judge” via Laura Cassels of the Florida Phoenix
Quote of the Day
“As of this morning, our country has officially a President-elect and a Vice President-elect. So, today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.” — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, acknowledging Biden won the election.
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