Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
The coronavirus pandemic hit Florida’s economy hard and it could come out the other end looking a bit different.
Next week the Florida Chamber of Commerce will provide an in-depth analysis of where the state economy stands, how various job sectors are faring in the recovery thus far, and the economic outlook for the year ahead.
The cornerstone of the 2021 Economic Outlook & Jobs Solution Summit will be the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Official 2021 Outlook, produced by Jerry Parrish, Ph.D., the Chamber’s chief economist, but the event will also feature other prominent economists as well as state agency heads, industry leaders and elected officials.
The event, slated for Jan. 28 at 1 p.m., will kick off with an address from Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson, followed by CFO Jimmy Patronis, who will give an overview of Florida’s budget and a 2021 outlook. Mark Vitner, the senior economist at Wells Fargo, will speak on the national and global economies and bring an outside perspective on Florida’s economy.
New Department of Economic Opportunity Director Dane Eagle will moderate a panel discussion titled “Diversifying and Growing Florida’s Economy Panel.” It features Enterprise Florida President & CEO Jamal Sowell, Florida Power & Light Company senior director of economic development Crystal Stiles and Florida Department of Revenue Executive Director Jim Zingale.
The back half of the summit will see Florida Realtors economist Brad O’Connor brief viewers on Florida’s real estate market while PNC Capital Advisors VP John Coates will examine recovery progress for the state’s major trading partners.
Registration information and a full agenda 2021 Economic Outlook & Jobs Solution Summit are available on the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s website.
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 1,571,840 FL residents (+11,825 since Tuesday)
— 29,171 Non-FL residents (+89 since Tuesday)
Origin:
— 13,163 Travel related
— 587,554 Contact with a confirmed case
— 17,824 Both
— 953,299 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 68,932 in FL
Deaths:
— 24,965 in FL
Evening Reads
“‘Democracy has prevailed’: Joe Biden inaugurated 46th President of the United States” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Here’s what Biden plans to do on his first day as President” via Jane Norman of the Florida Phoenix
“Biden’s first-day executive orders to include mask mandate, blocking Keystone Pipeline” via Alex Leary of The Wall Street Journal
“4 takeaways from Biden’s inaugural address” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post
“‘Dreaming bigger’: Biden plan to revamp immigration revives old hopes in South Florida” via Jacqueline Charles and Monique O. Madan of the Miami Herald
“Kamala D. Harris makes history. What will she do with it?” via Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post
“Capitol Police officer who diverted mob from Senate escorts Harris” via POLITICO
“Harris may be a first, but she won’t be a last” via Stephanie Hayes of the Tampa Bay Times
“With passion and fashion, Lady Gaga delivers powerful anthem” via Jocelyn Noveck of The Associated Press
“Biden to ask Surgeon General Adams to resign” via Dan Adams of The Washington Post
“Exhale, Florida. Biden’s COVID-19 and immigration policies are good for us” via Fabiola Santiago of the Miami Herald
“Democrats gaining Senate control as new members take oath” via Lisa Mascaro of The Associated Press
“Advice to Team Biden: Delete your Twitter accounts” via Kenneth Baer of Washington Monthly
“The final two months of Donald Trump’s presidency were the most important ones” via Perry Bacon of FiveThirtyEight.com
“‘Like a ghost’ in the White House: The last days of the Trump presidency” via Anita Kumar of POLITICO
“Trump shields Venezuelans from deportation just before leaving office” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
“Trump’s last-minute pardons include Florida health care executives, rappers and more” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Pardon for former Google engineer who stole trade secrets” via The Associated Press
“‘A total failure’: The Proud Boys now mock Trump” via Sheera Frenkel of The New York Times
“How Trump will be remembered after four tumultuous years as President” via Michael Collins and David Jackson of USA TODAY
“As Biden took office, some QAnon believers tried to rejigger their theories to accommodate a transfer of power.” via Kevin Roose of The New York Times
“Trump’s pardons full of Florida scammers, rappers and well-connected” via Steve Contorno of the Tampa Bay Times
“Marco Rubio invokes Richard Nixon, floats Donald Trump pardon” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Swamp Thing” via David Frum of The Atlantic
“Former President Trump now at ‘home’ in Palm Beach County” via Anthony Man, Skyler Swisher, Eileen Kelley and Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“A smattering of protesters gather at Florida Capitol on inauguration day” via Mario Ariza and Gray Rohrer of the Orlando Sentinel
“Senate panel to consider amendment eliminating Constitution Revision Commission” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“Anthony Sabatini to sponsor legislation to rename US-27 as ‘President Donald J. Trump Highway’” via 10 Tampa Bay
“Disney World isn’t selling new annual passes, and expert warns they might not come back until 2022” via Gabrielle Russon of the Orlando Sentinel
Quote of the Day
“This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge. And unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail. We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we’ve acted together.” — President Joe Biden, in his inaugural address.
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