Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
House Speaker Chris Sprowls on Wednesday said he would prioritize legislation to shield businesses from COVID-19 liability lawsuits in the upcoming 2021 Legislative Session.
“Florida businesses and organizations that do the right thing should not fear being drowned by massive litigation costs,” he said. “We are fast-tracking this COVID-19 liability protection bill to ensure that there is no potential for unscrupulous litigation to threaten Florida’s economic recovery. Ours is the most aggressive liability protection bill in the nation.”
Rep. Lawrence McClure is carrying the House liability protection bill, HB 7, which is slated to go before the Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee on Jan. 13, the first day of the House’s first interim committee week before Session begins in March.
The Senate is also prioritizing liability protections, and Senate President Wilton Simpson reaffirmed that commitment this afternoon.
“Businesses across Florida have suffered greatly over the last several months and are doing the best they can to safely reopen during a period of extreme uncertainty,” he said. “When a business makes a good-faith effort to adhere to safety guidelines, our laws should provide strong protections.”
Sen. Jeff Brandes filed the Senate bill Wednesday. He said the bill would “aid in separating the serious and meritorious claims brought against a Florida business from the claims that are unfair or inappropriate as our state continues to fully reopen and recover.”
Both chambers plan to address liability protections for health care providers and long-term care facilities with separate legislation. The House will hold its first workshop on health care liability protections on Jan. 14 during a meeting of the Health and Human Services Committee.
The legislative announcements were met with praise from Florida’s business community.
“Florida has the fifth-worst legal climate in America and the last thing we need are a tsunami of frivolous COVID lawsuits as we seek to relaunch Florida’s economy. It’s important to provide Florida businesses, who are doing the right thing by their customers and employees, the assurance that they can continue doing their part to relaunch Florida’s economy without fear of facing frivolous lawsuits,” Florida Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Mark Wilson said.
“It is encouraging these bills are being considered at the first opportunity in the 2021 Session. We look forward to working with Sen. Brandes, Rep. McClure and legislative leadership to ensure these bills move through the process and ultimately to the Governor’s desk in the strongest form possible.”
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 1,385,040 FL residents (+17,262 since Tuesday)
— 24,866 Non-FL residents (+521 since Tuesday)
Origin:
— 11,543 Travel related
— 519,450 Contact with a confirmed case
— 14,886 Both
— 839,161 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 64,321 in FL
Deaths:
— 22,647 in FL
Evening Reads
“Donald Trump supporters storm U.S. Capitol, lawmakers evacuated” via Lisa Mascaro and Mary Clarke Jalonick of The Associated Press
“Washington in final convulsions of Trump era” via Peter Baker of The New York Times
“Impeach Trump again” via Yoni Applebaum of The Atlantic
“’Words of a President matter’: Calls grow for social media platforms to silence Trump as rioters storm U.S. Capitol” via Morgan Hines and Mike Snider of USA Today
“Capitol in lockdown after rioters storm Congress” via Linsay Wise of The Wall Street Journal
“Pro-Trump demonstrators swarm capitals across U.S.” via The Associated Press
“Scenes from the chaos at the Capitol” via The Washington Post
“Trump supporters mob U.S. Capitol, delaying certification of Joe Biden’s election” via Laura Olson and Ariana Figueroa of the Florida Phoenix
“Trump set to be first president since 1932 to lose reelection, the House and the Senate” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post
“Ted Cruz’s electoral vote speech will live in infamy” via Philip Bump of The Washington Post
“Amid violent protests in U.S. Capitol, Cruz pleads for cash” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics
“History will judge the complicit” via Anne Applebaum of The Atlantic
“‘I’m going to be in your backyard’: Trump sons threaten primaries for GOP lawmakers” via Quint Forgey of POLITICO
“Trump tells mob to ‘go home now’ after it stormed U.S. Capitol” via Axios
“What Trump said in rally speech to spark U.S. Capitol storming” via Anthony Fins of the Palm Beach Post
“Biden condemns riots at Capitol, calls on Trump to demand end to siege” via CNBC
“National Guardsmen pour into D.C. after Capitol overrun by pro-Trump rioters” via POLITICO
“Florida’s Republican leaders denounce protesters’ siege on Capitol Hill” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“Charlie Crist calls for Trump’s removal from office as unrest continues in D.C.” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics
“Florida Delegation universally condemns violence in Capitol” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
“‘Explosions of bullsh*t’: Trump leans on Mike Pence to throw out election … to no avail” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Trump backers rally in Miami as Congress meets to certify Biden’s win before Capitol siege” via Lautaro Grinspan of the Miami Herald
“How Democrats won Georgia’s 2 Senate runoffs” via Brian Slodysko of The Associated Press
“If Trump were trying to lose Georgia, he couldn’t have done a better job” via Mark A. Thiessen of The Washington Post
“Biden to tap Merrick Garland for Attorney General” via POLITICO
“Democrats clinch slim majority in Senate as Jon Ossoff is projected to beat David Perdue” via CNBC
“How Raphael Warnock fused Old and New South to win Georgia” via Maya King and Teresa Wiltz of POLITICO
“Marco Rubio bristles at ‘Mr. Bible Boy’ jibe” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Amid vaccine rollout, Florida’s COVID-19 numbers continue to deteriorate” via Naseem Miller of the Orlando Sentinel
“Wealthy donors received vaccines through Florida nursing home” via The Washington Post
Quote of the Day
“The 25th Amendment allows for the removal of a President. It’s time to remove the President.” — U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, as pro-Donald Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol.
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