Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Turning the page on the Donald Trump era, U.S. Senator Rick Scott conveyed an aspirational upbeat positivity in a new video introducing himself as chairman of the Senate campaign wing.
The imperatively titled “We must win” runs just a little over two minutes, and sees an upbeat Scott in his familiar NAVY cap, focused on the future rather than the exiting administration.
“I’ve just now taken over as the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The fact that my fellow Senators chose me to be the NRSC Chair proves one thing for sure. They obviously don’t like me much, because I now have to figure out how to raise roughly a gazillion dollars,” he says.
The video comes as liberal groups denounce Scott remaining on as NRSC chair in the wake of his vote against certification of the presidential election results.
A spokesperson told Florida Politics that “Democrat groups in Washington are scared of Rick Scott taking over the NRSC.”
“No, Senator Scott will not be resigning. He looks forward to working for the next two years to take back the Senate majority from the radical Democrats who are trying to fundamentally change America,” he added.
Still, Monday saw more companies announce they would be pausing donations to Republicans who voted against certification, raising concerns among Republicans that Scott will not be able to raise the money needed to retake the chamber.
To watch the video, click on the image below:
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The Florida Capitol will be lit up blue tonight to raise human trafficking awareness, Attorney General Ashley Moody said.
January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and Monday is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Blue is the international color for human trafficking awareness and is traditionally worn on this day as part of the Blue Campaign — an initiative dedicated to raising awareness about the illicit enterprise.
“As Attorney General, I am committed to ending human trafficking in Florida. This is a momentous goal, and we need as much help from Floridians on this mission as possible. To shine a light on these atrocious crimes and encourage public support, tonight we are lighting Florida’s Historic Capitol blue — the international color of human trafficking awareness,” Moody said.
“Illuminating the Capitol blue is a way to not only bring awareness to this unthinkable act of evil, but to show our unwavering support to the countless victims and survivors of trafficking. I hope human trafficking survivors and victims see the Capitol tonight and know I will continue to do everything within my power to pursue these heinous crimes.”
Ellyn Bogdanoff, a former Senator and the Chair of the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking, said, “As we recognize National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, it is important to remember that everyone plays a role in ending this horrific crime. Take a training. Learn the signs. Learn where to report suspected exploitation. Together, we can eliminate human trafficking in the State of Florida.”
Moody’s direction to light the Capitol blue comes a week after she reminded Floridians of steps they can take to help curb human trafficking in Florida, which has seen an uptick as the COVID-19 pandemic pushed trafficking rings online.
For more information about how to spot and report human trafficking, visit YouCanStopHT.com. To report suspected human trafficking, contact local law enforcement, or call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888.
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 1,461,958 FL residents (+11,338 since Sunday)
— 26,628 Non-FL residents (+238 since Sunday)
Origin:
— 12,164 Travel related
— 544,803 Contact with a confirmed case
— 16,174 Both
— 888,817 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 65,796 in FL
Deaths:
— 23,424 in FL
Evening Reads
“Who is running the federal government?” via David Graham of The Atlantic
“Yes, it was a coup. Here’s why.” via Fiona Hill of POLITICO
“House has the votes to impeach Donald Trump for inciting Capitol riots” via Kyle Cheney, Sarah Ferris and Heather Caygle of POLITICO
“Impeach him! Invoke the 25th! Whatever — just get Trump the hell out of there!” via Carl Hiassen of The Miami Herald
“DC Attorney General reportedly looking at charging Trump for inciting Capitol riots” via Joe DePaolo of Mediate
“Outgoing Capitol Police chief: House, Senate security officials hamstrung efforts to call in National Guard” via , , and of The Washington Post
“A theater of propaganda: The Capitol, cameras and selfies” via Jack Coyle of The Associated Press
“Florida’s Hall of Shame: The 13 Sunshine State seditionists” via the Sun-Sentinel editorial board
“Entitled followers of the new Lost Cause showed their face during Capitol attack” via Diane Roberts of The Florida Phoenix
“Facebook freezing political spending after Capitol attack” via Axios
“Washington Monument closed over threats to disrupt Biden inauguration” via Ursula Perano of Axios
“FBI warns of potential boogaloo violence during Jan. 17 rallies” via Caitlin Dickson of Yahoo News
“Trump allies warn him not to run in 2024” via Anita Kumar of POLITICO
“Coronavirus vaccine has arrived, but frustrated Americans are struggling to sign up” via Brittany Shammas and Lori Rozsa of The Washington Post
“Florida’s botched COVID vaccine rollout signals need for better pandemic response” via The Palm Beach Post editorial board
“A Florida county manager on the challenges of the vaccine rollout: ‘The truth is, nobody told us what to be ready for’” via Eli Saslow of The Washington Post
“Judge to consider property seized from Rebekah Jones” via Jim Saunders of The News Service of Florida
Quote of the Day
“They want to disguise the fact that this bill will suppress the voices of communities of color and appease a fearful base who are more interested in protecting Confederate monuments than in the safety and freedom of people who look like my sons and me.” — House Democratic Co-Leader Bobby DuBose, on the anti-protest bill.
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