Staff Reports
Good Sunday morning, and welcome to Brunch, Florida Politics’ pop-up email running through the end of the 2021 Legislative Session. Lawmakers concluded their first full week of Session, and bills are already clearing the House at breakneck speed.
Here are a few items on our radar this morning:
🍪 — What’s a Sunday brunch without Girl Scout Cookies? It is hard to believe, but Girl Scout Cookie season is almost over — but not quite yet! Today, Sunday, March 14, is the final day to grab some of your favorite treats and help Girl Scouts be their best. Please, place your last-minute order now by visiting Ella’s personalized Digital Cookie site. Thanks for your support!
💸 — Where’s that sweet stimulus cash?: President Joe Biden signed the latest COVID-19 relief bill a day early on Thursday. That means qualifying Americans could have already received their $1,400 checks this weekend. Not there yet? Don’t fret. Funds will be deposited into bank accounts if the IRS has that info, and checks will go out over the next several weeks.
🤣 — Raunchy comedy meets COVID-19: South Park aired its hourlong vaccination special Thursday and it’s now available to stream on Comedy Central’s website with a valid cable subscription. If you missed it, be forewarned, it’s as dirty as it is hilarious. And if you have any Q-anon tendencies, maybe skip it … unless you like being mocked mercilessly.
😌 — American mood reaches pandemic + high: The percentage of Americans who say they are thriving rose to 54% in February, the highest it’s been in 16 months, according to a Gallup poll. That’s up from a low of 48% in December. At the lowest points during the pandemic, Americans’ outlook was lower, by far, than even at the lowest points during the Great Recession.
🤦🏻♀️ — But there’s still a long way to go: The nation faces the biggest period of economic boom since the Reagan years, as Bloomberg reports. That’s good news for the nation as a whole, but not necessarily for all Americans. The economic recovery is expected to be felt unevenly, with some benefiting greatly while others, likely those most negatively affected by the economic crisis, barely feel any gains.
— TallyMadness 2021 —
It’s madness — TallyMadness! The 2021 Legislative Session: Cracking down on protesters; sidestepping voter-approved minimum wage increases; making it harder to propose constitutional amendments; guns in churches. Who cares?
— Trivial matters: While every Legislative Session may be about the tangential and the trivial, but that’s exactly what drives the state capital.
— The return! TallyMadness is the annual online voting competition to determine the “best” lobbyist in Florida.
— ‘March Madness,’ but better: Political aficionados in the capital and beyond can vote on a series of bracketed matchups pitting Florida’s top lobbyists against each other.
— Something new for 2021: Just like last year, we’re mixing things up. This year we want to crown the top in-house lobbyist in #FlaPol. In-house lobbyists are those individuals who lobby on behalf of his or her own employer. Think John Holley of FP&L, Mark Kaplan at the University of Florida, or Stephanie Smith of Anthem. Contract lobbyists, such as Nick Iarossi, will be taking the year off.
— Naming names: Florida Politics is still accepting nominations for who should make the big dance. From there, a select committee will then seed the lobbyists. Voters will select each matchup winner, with first-round voting beginning this weekend and lasting through the final days of Session.
Let the Madness begin: If you would like to nominate an in-house lobbyist or would like to serve on the selection committee, please email me at [email protected].
— Volusia COVID-19 vaccines —
A new pop-up vaccine site is open in Volusia County through Monday. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the opening of that site Friday.
— Where to go: Doses will be doled out at Crane Lakes in Port Orange. Individuals must be aged 65 or older to get a shot at the site.
— Hours of operation: After serving residents Friday and Saturday, the location will be open Sunday from noon through 7 p.m. Monday will be the final day of service. The site is open Monday from 9 a.m. through 4:30 p.m.
State officials aim to provide 4,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which reaches its full immunity capability with just one shot.
— Des Moines adores DeSantis? —
For political junkies, it’s never too soon to start talking Iowa. Victory Insights, a polling firm with ties to Florida, conducted a survey of Hawkeye state Republicans and likely caucusgoers, and it shows good news for Gov. DeSantis.
— Trump trumps all: If President-turned-Mar-a-Lago-retiree Donald Trump runs, he remains the prohibitive favorite as the choice of 61% of likely caucusgoers.
— Heir base: But drop Trump, and nearly a quarter of his support goes to DeSantis, lifting the Governor from sixth place to first among caucus die-hards.
— Front-runner: Among all Republicans, former Vice President Mike Pence leads DeSantis, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also in play.
— Bottom Line: Models of complex caucus voting show DeSantis’ position growing. Based on everything, pollsters give DeSantis a 57% chance of winning on a second alignment.
— Grading GOP COVID-19 response —
DeSantis and fellow Republican governors have touted their hands-off approach to the COVID-19 pandemic. But a new study shows that by summer and fall of 2020, Republican-led states were worse off in general than those with Democratic governors.
— The details: The study was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. It analyzed data from the pandemic’s start through Dec. 2020.
— Solid start: When the pandemic began last March, states with GOP governors had “lower COVID-19 incidence rates” than Democratic states. That lasted from March through early June, according to the research.
— Changing trends: From June through early December, Republican-led states then had higher COVID-19 incidence rates. From July 4 through mid-December, those states also had higher death rates due to the coronavirus. From May 30 through the end of the study, states with GOP governors had higher test positivity rates. Those states had lower testing rates from Sept. 30 onward.
— Nonsense narrative? Republicans such as DeSantis have argued fewer social distancing and safety measures led to better results amid the outbreak.
The Conclusion: “Gubernatorial party affiliation may drive policy decisions that impact COVID-19 infections and deaths across the U.S. Future policy decisions should be guided by public health considerations rather than political ideology.”
— Gaetz knocks Nocco —
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz took a swing — or really a political swipe — at a Florida law enforcement officer, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco.
— Minority Report: Criticism of Nocco started last year after details emerged of a controversial ‘intelligence program’ used by the Sheriff. He had deputies monitoring those at high likelihood of committing crimes based on past records and other issues.
— Gaetz lets loose: A lawsuit detailing allegations prompted Gaetz to take to Twitter to call for the Sheriff’s suspension from office.
— Tweet, tweet: “I don’t care that this is being done by a GOP Sheriff. It’s awful to harass citizens because you think they may commit crimes, hoping to ‘make their lives miserable.’ Gov. Ron DeSantis has the authority to remove Chris Nocco and should consider doing so.”
— Glass half empty —
Reported fraud regarding homeowner and auto glass insurance fraud is up in Florida in recent years. But according to a new state report, the number of fraud cases presented to prosecutors is not rising at a similar pace.
— Background: The report comes from the state’s Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability (OPPAGA). It shows a rise in insurance fraud from Fiscal Year 2014-15 to Fiscal Year 2019-20, but not a concomitant rise in prosecutions.
— Takeaway: The OPPAGA report found that the lag in cases referred to prosecutors is due to a few factors. First, the original fraud reports can lack the quality and detail needed to pursue a prosecution successfully. Second, the Florida agency tasked with sorting through those fraud reports is understaffed.
— Recommendations: OPPAGA’s review recommends “eliminating one-way and contingency risk/fee multiplier fee provisions, restricting the assignment of benefits guidelines for auto glass claims, reducing the time allowed for submitting hurricane/windstorm homeowner claims, revising statutory requirements for insurance company fraud reporting, providing for SIU auditing, and modifying the Anti-Fraud Reward Program.”
Those proposed solutions would both reduce the incentive for fraud and help improve data quality for referrals where fraud exists, according to the report. Staff increases at the Florida Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services, which investigates those original reports, could also help.
— Senate Rules —
Disagreements over the interpretation of a new pandemic-accommodating Senate rule raise concerns for Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer.
— Senate Rule 2.10(2): Rules Committee Chair Kathleen Passidomo on Thursday invoked a new rule allowing committees to meet after 6 p.m. if approved by the Senate President. The committee had a packed agenda, and she wanted to give the two rooms of people requesting to testify their due chance.
— Farmer raises his pitchfork: Farmer protested. He said he was told the rule was to get around potential quorum problems due to the pandemic. Senate President Wilton Simpson assured him it was a “break glass in case of emergency” rule.
— My house, my rules: “I’m the Rules Chair. I’m the one who worked on that rule,” Passidomo said sternly. Lawmakers wanted to give constituents a chance to speak without traveling for a rescheduled bill hearing in the middle of a pandemic.
— Conflicting goals: But for all the talk of letting constituents speak their mind and the extra allotted time, Passidomo still limited testimony to one minute per person. Farmer called that another inconsistency from Republicans.
After the meeting, Passidomo assured Farmer that she didn’t intend to threaten to ram through an agenda. Passidomo and Farmer, who plan to raise the issue with Simpson, will continue talking over the rule.
— Beware the Squirrel King —
A House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Subcommittee turned into a PSA about the public menace known as the Squirrel King.
— Rodent racketeering: Concern first arose when Rep. Jenna Persons-Mulicka, a Fort Myers Republican, presented her very first bill (HB 783), which would allow prosecution of wildlife theft rings under RICO laws.
— Roach razzing: Rep. Spencer Roach, chair of Lee County’s delegation, didn’t miss the opportunity and began to quiz his colleague on the international flying squirrel smuggling operation and whether the kingpin of said syndicate faced justice.
— This is all real: Persons-Mulicka did her best amid the legislative hazing but reminded that the legislation addresses a genuine issue. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did try and prosecute a group that kidnapped 3,600 Florida flying squirrels to sell as pets in Asia.
Crown the King: The bill advanced, but the search continued. Rep. Toby Overdorf, a Palm City Republican, later took to social media and shared a rendering on social media of the alleged outlaw squirrel.
Great job by @jenna_persons carrying forward HB783 through Criminal Justice – @MyFWC laid down the gauntlet and going after the #SquirrelKing – thanks @SpencerRoachFL for capturing the attached mugshot of the “alleged” perpetrator pic.twitter.com/EAIYeiVr87
— Rep Toby Overdorf (@TobyOverdorf) March 11, 2021
Fishy farm bailout?
The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) is taking aim at an appropriations request from Rep. Brad Drake, which asks for $1.8 million to assist a sturgeon farm in Jackson County.
— Caviar anyone? Bascom Farms, aka Sturgeon Aquafarms, helps grow beluga sturgeon to produce caviar. The farm is licensed and authorized for the practice by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services.
— Drake request: Drake is asking for $1.8 million to cover harm to the farm from Hurricane Michael. Around $1.1 million would go to partially replenishing the farm’s fish and broodstock. The remaining $700,000 would be for repairing infrastructure due to the storm.
— Vetoed: Drake put in the same request last year, but DeSantis used his veto pen to ax it from the final budget. The ARFF opposes the treatment of sturgeon — grown to produce eggs used for caviar — and the group wants to see the request killed again.
— “Ridiculous”: “It was wrong last year to use the public’s money to support a for-profit caviar producer, and it’s especially wrong now in the midst of a pandemic,” said ARFF Campaigns Coordinator Nick Atwood. “We urge Rep. Drake to withdraw this ridiculous appropriation.”
— Massive mural —
Kristin Jacobs will be honored with a new 2,000-square foot mural at iPrep Academy in Miami. Work on that mural begins this week to celebrate the anniversary of the passage of the Kristin Jacobs Ocean Conservation Act.
— Wild thing: Artist Kelly Quinn, aka Kelly of the Wild, will work on the mural set to be unveiled in early April.
— Shark Allies: The nonprofit group Shark Allies is behind a fundraiser to help fund the artwork as well as their efforts to protect sharks in the wild. The 2020 law honoring Jacobs banned the import and export of shark fins in Florida.
— Honoring her legacy: Jacobs passed away after a lengthy cancer battle just weeks after the Legislature approved that bill. “This mural is much more than a fun painting on a wall, it is a teaching tool, a symbol of collaboration, and most importantly, it’s a celebration of our dear friend Kristin Jacobs,” reads a GoFundMe page for the mural.
But that’s not all. Shark Allies is working on an accompanying curriculum to help encourage students to become interested in the environment. That will include “an interactive website with a map of the mural and touchpoints to corresponding species, providing a knowledge base of Florida’s most beloved wildlife under the sea, and how to further the mission, to anyone that walks by or wishes to visit the mural digitally.”
— Persian New Year —
Rep. Anna Eskamani will host a virtual celebration Monday of the Persian New Year (also known as the Iranian New Year), which mirrors the Spring Equinox each year.
— Nowruz Mobarak! The virtual event will be streamed on Eskamani’s Facebook page on Monday from 6-7 p.m. Those looking to RSVP for a Zoom link can do so here.
— Celebrating her heritage: Eskamani is the first Iranian American to become an elected official in Florida, making her an obvious choice to help lead this year’s celebration. “[Rep. Eskamani] has a deep pride for her cultural roots, raised by two Iranian parents who moved to the U.S. in pursuit of the American dream,” reads a release from her office on Monday’s event.
Eskamani is also a rumored contender for the 2022 Democratic gubernatorial race. Monday’s virtual gathering will be co-hosted by the Iranian American Community Center of Central Florida as well.
— Kidney transplant needed —
Lobbyist Missy Timmins is searching for a kidney donor after a bout with COVID-19 made an already-existing kidney condition even worse. But beyond her own search, Timmins is also trying to raise awareness for organ donations.
— Her condition: In her early 20s, Timmins was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease (PKD). In 2016 she was told she would need a transplant, and the search began. One year later, Timmins began dialysis, which she now uses seven days a week for nine hours per day.
— Transplant struggles: Timmins, blood type O, said three recent donations have fallen through due to health issues and other hurdles. And her family suffers from PKD as well, shutting another door. “Everyone in my family has it, my mother and my brothers, so no one in my family is eligible to be a donor,” Timmins told Florida Politics.
— COVID-19 complications: A recent battle with COVID-19 made it imperative to find a kidney sooner. “It basically took out what residual kidney function I had left,” Timmins said of the disease.
— Raising awareness. “Hopefully, I can take this personal experience and make it better for others as well,” Timmins added. “Please consider being an organ donor and checking that box on your driver’s license, and talk to your loved one about it. If it’s something you really want, please let them know it’s your wish.”
Timmins runs Timmins Consulting and represents clients in various industries such as marinas, pest control and others. She’s also a former legislative aide to Jack Latvala. Those looking to help Timmins can call 850-832-9464.
— Instagram of the weekend —
— Brunching out —
La Florida Coffee & Wine, which had its grand opening on March 8, is a downtown oasis in the former Starbucks on Kleman Plaza. With a bright, breezy interior and outdoor tables, it works as a meeting place or a relaxing spot to linger over a soothing cup of coffee in the a.m. or after work with a glass of wine.
— When and where: The spot is open from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday; 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; and 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturday. The extended hours midweek are for those working late during Session. It’s located at 300 W. Pensacola St. in Kleman Plaza and offers takeout and in-person dining services.
— Who’s in charge: Owner Jean Uthmeier runs the place alongside her sister-in-law, Julia Swanson. Swanson serves as the cafe manager.
— On the menu: In addition to breakfast and lunch options, La Florida Coffee & Wine also offers a baked goods section. Uthmeier has been a home baker for years, so she’s sharing family favorites like her pound cakes, muffins and cookies.
— Drink up: Beer, cocktails and wine are also available. “We want to highlight the local wines of small businesses,” Uthmeier said.
“I want it to be a place that really cultivates the community, whether it’s people working in government, going to school or living downtown.”
