Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 3.23.21

Most Floridians say education savings accounts should be available to all parents and the vast majority say students should have access to education options tailored to their needs, a new poll found.

The poll, commissioned by Americans for Prosperity-Florida and yes. every kid., found 54% of Florida voters think ESAs should be available to all parents, which is only slightly below the 56% who said they would back ESAs if they were limited to parents who have low incomes or children with unique abilities.

Support for universal ESAs was strongest among Floridians with a child in public school (68%), followed by voters 35 to 64 years old. There was little partisan divide, with 52% of Democrats and 55% of Republicans in favor.

After telling voters some of the common critiques of ESAs, support only dipped by a few points.

AFP-FL and yes. every kid. said the results showed ESAs are “durable” even though “special interests have tried to tarnish, diminish, and belittle education freedom in Florida.”

The poll also asked voters if they believed every child deserved access to education options that would allow them “to realize their full potential” and whether they thought all children deserved access to a “publicly funded education.” More than eight out of 10 agreed with the first question, while 95% said “Yes” to the second.

Opinions on how the state would go about providing more education options were more varied.

Just under two in five favored giving students more flexibility within the traditional public school system, while 31% favored a system where the government funds a child’s education but places few restrictions on how that child and their family use the money.

Again, party affiliation had little bearing — 70% of registered Democrats and 73% of Republicans embraced one of those two visions.

In other notes:

🦠🏻 — Coronavirus thanks Gov. DeSantis: Calm down, it’s satire. But like most satire, it’s hilarious. Andy Borowitz, in his satirical column in The New Yorker, poked fun at Florida’s Governor, noting the novel coronavirus offered him an “exuberant endorsement” for “making me feel so welcome at Spring Break.” The facetious write-up comes after South Florida officials were forced to all but shut down Miami Beach as hoards of partygoers wreaked havoc on the city, bucking even some semblance of COVID-19 precaution. Read with a sense of humor here.

— Mark your calendar; a big report is coming: The Tampa Bay Times is releasing on Wednesday a massive investigation into the state’s only lead smelter, located in East Tampa. A teaser on the investigation highlights elevated lead levels that one-third of all respirators assigned to workers are unable to filter. It also teases the grave consequences, ending with a photo of a former worker who died at age 56 from complications doctors believe were the result of consistent lead exposure.

🏻‍♀️ — Making Florida HERstory: The Tallahassee Democrat is spotlighting Women’s History Month with a feature on the record number of women serving in the Florida Legislature — 40 in the House and 15 in the Senate — including women in leadership roles, such as Senate including Rules Chair Kathleen Passidomo, Republican Leader Debbie Mayfield, and Appropriations chair Kelli Stargel. Women weren’t elected to the House until 1928 and not to the Senate for another 34 years after that. Read more here.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

Tweet, tweet:

At a FEMA COVID vaccination site in Jacksonville, the @VP receives a tour run staffed by active duty @USNavy and meets a high school English teacher receiving her second vaccine today — and that’s Mayor Lenny Curry offering to take their photo pic.twitter.com/rKhaYyJvCp

— Peter Velz (@PeterVelz46) March 22, 2021

—@SContorno: Nothing against Buc-ees, but we keep hearing that Florida is a beacon for businesses because of its low taxes/lax regs and yet Florida’s Governor is attending the ribbon opening for a convenience store. When are the Fortune 100 companies moving here? When does a big HQ open?

—@divasocials: I think they thought that Bright Futures demographic was something other than what is it. They stepped on their supporter’s toes.

—@LMower3: We’re not even halfway through Florida’s Legislative Session and the Senate’s pandemic committee has already stopped meeting.

Tweet, tweet:

I see a lot of kids in-need that are going to have one heck of an Easter due to the efforts of #FlaPol coming together to help them 🐰🐣

Great leadership @macyharperfla! https://t.co/bilAQctFKa

— Christian Minor (@chris_minor10) March 22, 2021

—@Carlos_Frias: Why is Miami so packed? I just met two Brooklyn tourists who paid $46 for a RT ticket to Miami. New York is closed and sad, so they decided to get out of town for the week. Ya tu sabes.

—@ValCrowder: Career Update: This week, I’ll start producing and hosting the afternoon drive time state/local newscasts for public radio listeners in @WFSUNews coverage area. I’m very grateful for this opportunity. It’s a dream come true!

— DAYS UNTIL —

2021 Florida Virtual Hemp Conference — 4; 2021 Florida Derby — 4; ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ premieres — 8; California theme parks begin to reopen — 9; MLB Opening Day — 9; Easter — 12; RNC spring donor summit — 17; 2021 WWE WrestleMania 37 begins — 18; Disneyland to open — 38; ‘Black Widow’ rescheduled premiere — 45; Mother’s Day — 47; Florida Chamber Safety Council’s inaugural Southeastern Leadership Conference on Safety, Health and Sustainability — 48; ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ rescheduled premiere — 66; Memorial Day — 69; Father’s Day — 89; ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ rescheduled premiere — 101; 4th of July — 103; Disney’s ‘Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings’ premieres — 110; MLB All-Star Game in Atlanta — 112; new start date for 2021 Olympics — 122; ‘Jungle Cruise’ premieres — 130; St. Petersburg Primary Election — 154; ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ premieres (rescheduled) — 185; ‘Dune’ premieres — 192; MLB regular season ends — 194; ‘No Time to Die’ premieres (rescheduled) — 200; World Series Game 1 — 217; St. Petersburg Municipal Elections — 224; Disney’s ‘Eternals’ premieres — 227; Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ premieres — 262; ‘Spider-Man Far From Home’ sequel premieres — 269; ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 367; ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 409; ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 563.

— DATELINE TALLAHASSEE —

“Gov. Ron DeSantis proposes $75 million in initiatives to boost Florida workforce” via Eric Rogers of Florida Today — DeSantis announced a proposal for $75 million in career training initiatives to boost vocational education throughout the state. The programs would help fast-track high school students and adults with or without a high school degree into high-paying skilled-labor jobs in growth industries like technology and manufacturing, DeSantis said. Funding would come from pots of money allocated over the last year through the various federal coronavirus relief bills, including $15 million designated for K-12 education relief and $25 million from the Governor’s emergency education response fund, he said. These “Get There Faster” initiatives would provide an alternative to the traditional four-year college career path for many students, DeSantis said.

“House Republicans’ election law updates clear first hurdle” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — The House Public Integrity and Elections Committee has approved its draft of a bill to build on Florida’s election laws after what Republicans called a successful 2020 cycle. The bill, carried by Rep. Blaise Ingoglia, touches on ballot security, accessibility and voting transparency. The panel approved the measure by an 11-6 party-line vote on Monday. That comes despite Republicans, including DeSantis, touting Florida’s 2020 election cycle as one of the smoothest and most secure in recent history. Ingoglia helped spearhead the state’s original dropbox law. Democrats say the bill creates hurdles for voters, but Ingoglia said it would keep elections offices from writing their own rules for monitoring drop boxes and handling ballots.

“Online tax plan moving forward amid stimulus” via the News Service of Florida — A windfall of federal stimulus money won’t slow a deal between state House and Senate leaders that includes requiring out-of-state online retailers to collect sales taxes on purchases made by Floridians. Senate President Wilton Simpson said the proposal to use currently uncollected online sales tax money to replenish the state’s unemployment compensation trust fund is going forward. The surge in demand for jobless benefits during the coronavirus pandemic caused Florida businesses to face an increase in unemployment taxes that took effect in January, with additional increases expected in the coming years unless some other source of money is used to replenish the unemployment system trust fund.

“Senate committee recommends Dane Eagle confirmation as DEO director” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — The Senate Commerce and Tourism Committee recommended Eagle be confirmed as Director of the Department of Economic Opportunity by the full Senate. The positive vote came after a cordial hearing Monday and after Eagle has served in the capacity for months. During the hearing, Eagle said the agency has continued to move forward after challenges during the pandemic. Most notably among those for the DEO was the failure of the state unemployment system to handle a massive wave of claims last year, something that led to previous DEO Director Ken Lawson’s resignation. Eagle was House Republican Majority Leader when the pandemic reached Florida.

“Is ‘cancel culture’ real on Florida college campuses?” via Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times — A controversial bill that has alarmed university faculty leaders passed through the House on Thursday, 77-42, and its counterpart moved favorably through the Senate Appropriations Committee. HB 233, introduced by Republican Rep. Spencer Roach of Fort Myers, and SB 264, introduced by Republican Sen. Ray Rodrigues of Estero, seek to “protect intellectual freedoms” and “the expression of diverse viewpoints” at state colleges and universities. In House committee discussions, proponents of the bills expressed fears of “cancel culture” — the idea of facing backlash for expressing unpopular beliefs. They said they believed a pervasive intolerance of uncomfortable ideas exists on college campuses across the country. Roach said students and faculty members often censor themselves out of fear of repercussions.

“‘Remove Ron’ committee launches DeSantis radio hit blasting ‘Vaccine Auction’” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics — A political committee opposing DeSantis’ 2022 reelection campaign is launching a new radio ad attacking DeSantis for what the ad describes as a pay-for-play scheme with COVID-19 vaccinations. The Remove Ron committee’s one-minute radio spot, entitled “Vaccine Auction,” spotlights pop-up vaccination sites in two wealthy Florida communities that have been criticized for prioritizing DeSantis donors over others eligible to receive the vaccine. “Welcome to Florida’s vaccine auction, sponsored by Ron DeSantis,” the ad opens. “Now, here are the ground rules: only political supporters and fancy, rich campaign donors to DeSantis are eligible to bid.”

Tweet, tweet:

People would be better off donating to a local charity that actually does good in the community than giving any money to Daniel Uhlfelder to burn on his sick and disturbing obsession with fame and @GovRonDeSantis https://t.co/GjYR7IaTIn

— Nick Primrose (@NickPrimrose) March 22, 2021

— TALLY 2 —

“Bill to curb Chinese influence heads to final House panel” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — A DeSantis-backed bill that would require groups to disclose funding from China and other adversarial countries when seeking large grants from Florida now heads to its final committee. The House Education and Employment Committee voted unanimously to advance that measure (HB 7017), carried in the House by Vero Beach Republican Rep. Erin Grall, to its penultimate committee stop. Besides China, the list of flagged countries includes Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela. The legislation would force state agencies, local governments and colleges and universities to disclose donations and grants from those countries worth $50,000 or more.

“‘A slap in the face’: Legislation rejecting hypothetical Joe Biden gun control measures clears committee” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — Legislation that seeks to formally reject Biden’s efforts on gun control cleared its first committee Monday on a party-line vote. Sponsored by Republican Sen. Travis Hutson, the Senate Memorial (SM 1630) was met with a heated back-and-forth between the bill’s sponsor and Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats. The legislation voices the Legislature’s stance against Biden’s gun control proposals, calling the measures “unconstitutional.” The memorial goes on to communicate the Legislature’s intent to use “all lawful means necessary to resist and overturn any federal gun-control measures that violate the right of Floridians to keep and bear arms.”

“Internet data privacy proposal loads in the Senate” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Legislation to protect internet users’ data passed its first Senate panel Monday. The measure (SB 1734), carried by Fleming Island Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradley, would give consumers the right to control how their personal online data is shared and sold. That data helps businesses know more about individual consumers and helps make things like targeted ads possible. The Internet’s landscape has shifted rapidly, according to Bradley, who called the internet today a one-way street of intimate information. Companies achieve financial success by selling someone else’s data without their consent, she told the Senate Commerce Committee.

“Josie Tomkow broadband bill clears first committee, but not without concerns” via Haley Brown of Florida Politics — When Rep. Tomkow presented her bill seeking to encourage broadband companies to expand in underserved areas, it got a thumbs-up, but not without questions. The bill stipulates that any disputes over the new pole attachments like rates, terms, and conditions between broadband providers and local utilities would be adjudicated in circuit court. “I am concerned with the idea that a government-owned pole that works perfectly fine for the purpose they want to use it for, if someone else wants to use it, they have to eat the costs of doing it. It simply doesn’t seem fair,” Rep. Randy Fine said. “I also don’t think the local government should be able to rip off the cable companies either.”

“House committee clears bill overhauling workforce programs and services” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — The House Appropriations Committee advanced a bill (HB 1507) on Monday that would overhaul Florida’s Workforce Development System. Republican Rep. Clay Yarborough’s proposal contains a slew of provisions that aim to put a “better focus on the job seeker.” Among them, the bill seeks to broaden access to job placement services, create job training program assessments and harmonize various agencies and programs. The bill would also authorize the Governor to seek federal waivers to exercise greater spending flexibility regarding the state’s implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). “If we truly want to improve every Floridian’s opportunity to achieve self-sufficiency, we must take a systemwide approach,” Yarborough said.

“Bill creating penalties for unauthorized DNA analysis heads to final Senate panel” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Legislation to create criminal penalties for handling another person’s DNA data without their consent is nearing its final stages in the Senate. The Senate Commerce Committee on Monday gave its unanimous approval to Estero Sen. Ray Rodrigues‘ measure (SB 1140), building off a new Florida law expanding protections against those who could potentially use people’s genetic information. The proposal would make submitting another person’s DNA sample for DNA analysis or conducting the analysis a third-degree felony. Disclosing another person’s DNA analysis to a third party would also be a third-degree felony. Collecting or retaining another person’s DNA sample with the intent to perform a DNA analysis would be a first-degree misdemeanor.

“Vacation rentals bill postponed” via The News Service of Florida — The House Ways & Means Committee was slated to take up the controversial proposal (HB 219), but Chairman Bobby Payne announced the postponement without further explanation. The House bill would prevent local ordinances or regulations requiring licensure or inspections of vacation rental properties. Regulation of vacation rentals would be allowed if such regulation also would apply to all residential properties — a concept that local governments have fought. The postponement came after the Senate Appropriations Committee on March 11 watered down the Senate version (SB 522), including stripping out a provision that would have blocked local governments’ ability to license and inspect the properties.

— TALLY 3 —

“Senate committee delays vote on alimony reform bill after public testimony” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — A seemingly perpetual bill seeking to revamp Florida’s alimony laws made its first appearance in its return to the Legislature this year. Sarasota Republican Sen. Joe Gruters sponsored this year’s bill (SB 1922), which was initially scheduled to be voted on Monday in the Senate Judiciary Committee, but when the committee ran out of time, the bill was delayed until next week. The legislation, which has been proposed for the past several years, would eliminate permanent alimony and would set the presumption of child custody time-sharing at 50-50. If passed, Florida would join 44 other states that have enacted reform laws to ban perpetual alimony. 

“Bill would let victims track rape kit processing” via Brendan Farrington of The Associated Press — A Florida rape victim whose sexual assault test kit went untested for more than 30 years told her powerful story before the House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee unanimously approved a bill Monday that would require a tracking system for the kits. Gail Gardner was raped in 1988 by an intruder in her home while her youngest son was in the room. She reported the crime and DNA evidence was taken during an exam. But the kit wasn’t processed until 2019. Last November, she learned her attacker was linked to the sexual assaults of 15 other women. The attacker is serving two life sentences, but Gardner said she lived in terror for decades, not knowing where he was.

“Business groups eye rules for next crisis” via Jim Turner of News Service of Florida — Lobbying groups for small businesses, restaurants, hotels and retailers expressed a need to senators Monday for statewide rules for the next health crisis, with a focus on mask mandates. Officials with the National Federation of Independent Business-Florida, the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association, and the Florida Retail Federation told members of the Senate Select Committee on Pandemic Preparedness and Response that a wide range of city and county regulations has been among the biggest issues they have faced since the pandemic began slightly more than a year ago. Florida Retail Federation President & CEO Scott Shalley said his group was monitoring 164 different county and city mask ordinances, of which a number, specifically one imposed in St. Petersburg, were “fairly draconian.”

“Committee likes, industry hates, tourist tax bill to address climate change” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — A bill offering local governments the power to use tourist development taxes to address sea level rise floated through a House committee Monday despite steadfast opposition from the tourism industry. “The tourism industry, the only way they would support this bill is if it were dead. Let’s be honest,” HB 1429 sponsor Republican Rep. Bryan Avila of Miami Springs told the House Ways and Means Committee Monday. “So they will constantly advocate that this is not the right course of action. But in reality, this might turn out to be their saving grace.” Avila’s bill would give local governments the power to use money raised through the tourist development tax or the convention development tax for flooding mitigation and improvements.

“Bill broadening police drone use clears first committee” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — A House bill that would allow police to use drones more broadly cleared its first committee stop Monday. The House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee advanced the bill (HB 1049) unanimously. Republican Rep. Mike Giallombardo of Cape Coral is the bill sponsor. Currently, state law permits law enforcement to use drones under limited circumstances. Use is restricted to search warrants, prisoner escapes, and when preventing an “imminent loss of life,” according to Florida statute. State law also limits police usage to countering terrorist attacks. The proposal, however, would broaden usage to include traffic management, evidence collection and crowd monitoring of groups of 50 or more.

— TALLY 4 —

“Attorney warns COVID-19 liability protection legislation could backfire, hurting businesses” via Karen Murphy of The Capitolist — Angela de Cespedes, with Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr of Miami, says the COVID-19 liability protection bills could provide a road map for personal injury and wrongful death attorneys to successfully prosecute these claims. De Cespedes explained that the current legislation allows for the defendant to have too much out-of-pocket cost upfront before the person filing the suit has to provide any proof that the defendant caused the plaintiff’s pandemic-related death or hospitalization. She said proving that is almost impossible, but the defendant would potentially spend tens of thousands of dollars just to get to that point. She said defendants would most likely decide to settle, rather than go through all the upfront expenditures.

“Voting rights advocates decry Republican-sponsored ‘voter suppression’” via Haley Brown of Florida Politics — Voting rights advocates banded together Monday to criticize Senate and House Republican-sponsored election bills. Earlier in the day, the House Public Integrity and Elections Committee approved a proposal sponsored by Rep. Blaise Ingoglia to rewrite certain state election rules. Democrats decried the effort, labeling the additional hurdles to voter registration and enhanced security measures at ballot drop boxes as voter suppression. But Republicans, who praised a successful 2020 election, say the changes are necessary to get ahead of merely the possibility of voter fraud.

“You might not lose your full roof replacement insurance after all” via Ron Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Homeowners worried they’ll have to foot most of the cost to replace their roofs if they get damaged should be able to relax for at least another year — unless they need to find a new insurer. The sponsor of a House bill removed a proposal to free insurers from having to pay the full cost to replace roofs damaged by windstorms, fire, fallen trees or other calamities. A Senate version with the proposal, meanwhile, is likely headed to the full Senate. Chances are dimming that the proposal will survive any compromise bill that clears the full House and Senate, said Paul Handerhan, president of the Federal Association for Insurance Reform, a consumer-focused watchdog group based in Fort Lauderdale.

Florida TaxWatch urges caution on tourism tax uses — Florida TaxWatch warned members of the House Ways and Means Committee that expanding the ways tourist development taxes can be used is a “slippery slope.” The comments were in reference to a bill (HB 1429) that would allow local governments to use TDT collections to address sea-level rise. FTW president and CEO Dominic Calabro said that it is a “legitimate” use of public money, “but core government functions with wide-ranging benefits lend themselves more to general government revenue than designated tourism dollars. It is akin to raiding state trust funds to balance other parts of the budget.” … “It would be wise to ‘not eat our tourism seed corn’ by diverting tourist development taxes to even more uses.”

“Florida TaxWatch gets behind bill promoting swimming education for kids” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Florida TaxWatch is backing legislation to promote awareness and resources to make sure children know how to swim. HB 1119 requires schools to ask whether an incoming student has completed a water safety course. If not, the school must offer information on free or low-cost swimming lessons available in their region. The Senate version (SB 358) requires incoming students to submit a certification showing they’ve completed a water safety course, though parents can opt-out. “We need to make sure that every child in this state can swim, and this is a great way to do it that’s not a burden on government but is a benefit to the people of Florida,” FTW Chairman George LeMieux said.

Environmental groups appeal to DeSantis to block seaport preemption — Two dozen environmental groups signed a letter Monday urging DeSantis to help stop legislation that would overturn three referendums Key West voters approved in November to limit the size of cruise ships at their port in order to protect the coral reef and its ecosystem. The groups said the legislation (SB 426/HB 267) would “implement an overbroad and unnecessary statewide preemption in response to a single community’s recent referenda.” The groups said the preemption could damage the reef, which has been designated a State Area of Critical Concern. Groups signing the letter include 1000 Friends of Florida, Florida Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club and numerous local environmental organizations.

Optometry scope-of-practice expansion teed up for first House committee — The House Professions & Public Health Subcommittee will take up a bill that would allow optometrists to perform some surgeries and prescribe medications when it meets Tuesday at 12:45 p.m. HB 631, sponsored by Rep. Alex Rizo, is vociferously opposed by ophthalmologists, who argue that optometrists — who are not medical doctors — lack the qualifications to safely perform surgeries or prescribe medications. Optometrists, meanwhile, claim the bill would boost health care access for Floridians seeking eye care. The companion bill, SB 876 by Sen. Manny Diaz Jr., has already passed one committee and awaits a hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“Insurance reform supporters warn of rising rates coming like speeding train” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Insurance industry advocates launched a new ad campaign urging support for legislation aimed at cutting court costs for providers. Floridians for Lawsuit Reform released the 30-second “Rate Train” video that says higher premiums will hit homeowners unless the Legislature acts. “Skyrocketing insurance bills. Without real reform, they’re coming fast,” a narrator states as a train steamrolls toward a dark tunnel. The industry association backs legislation sponsored by Sen. Jim Boyd, a Bradenton Republican, that would effectively eliminate multiplier fees for attorneys and allow insurers to offer policies covering the depreciated cost of roofs older than 10 years old.

To watch the ad, click on the image below:

— LOBBY REGS —

New and renewed lobbying registrations:

Rhonda Grant, Grant Consulting Group: MOPEC

James Hines: Internet Association

Laura Lenhart, GrayRobinson: Alliance for Safety and Justice

Ryan Matthews, Peebles Smith & Matthews: Florida Stormwater Association

Joshua Truitt: Stetson University

Jason Steele, Smith & Associates: Mangata

John David White, Catalyst Consulting Group: Medical Outcomes Research Analytics

— LEG. SKED —

The Senate Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee meets to consider SB 138, from Sen. Jeff Brandes, to bolster the use of electric vehicles, 8:30 a.m., Room 110, Senate Office Building.

The House Civil Justice and Property Rights Subcommittee meets to consider HB 1559, from Reps. Anthony Rodriguez and Alex Andrade, to reform the state’s alimony laws, ending “permanent alimony,” 9:15 a.m., Room 404, House Office Building.

The House Secondary Education and Career Development Subcommittee will consider a proposal HB 1031, also from Rodriguez, to make changes in charter-school laws, 9:15 a.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building.

The House Insurance and Banking Subcommittee meets to consider HB 305, from Rep. Bob Rommel, to make changes to property-insurance laws, 9:30 a.m., Room 212, Knott Building.

The Senate Education Appropriations Subcommittee will consider a proposal SB 86, from Sen. Dennis Baxley, to reduce Bright Futures scholarships for students who pursue degrees that would not lead to jobs, 10:30 a.m., Room 412, Knott Building.

The Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee meets to consider SB 1132, from Sen. Aaron Bean, to allow nursing homes to use apprenticeship programs for personal care attendants in an effort to meet minimum staffing requirements, 12:30 p.m., Room 37, Senate Office Building. 

The Senate Criminal Justice Committee will consider a proposal SB 1826, from Diaz, to expand the scope of human trafficking offenses and set up privileged communications between human trafficking victims and advocates, 12:30 p.m., Room 110, Senate Office Building.

The Senate Education Committee meets to consider SB 582, from Sen. Ray Rodrigues, to clarify parental rights on issues such as education and health care, 12:30 p.m., Room 412, Knott Building.

The House Early Learning and Elementary Education Subcommittee meets to consider HB 849, from Rep. Susan Valdes, to codify illnesses to be included in school attendance policies, 12:45 p.m., Reed Hall, House Office Building.

The House Local Administration and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee meets to consider HB 919, from Rep. Tomkow, to preempt local governments from restricting the types of fuel that utilities can use, 12:45 p.m., Room 212, Knott Building.

The House Professions and Public Health Subcommittee meets to consider HB 631, from Rep. Alex Rizo, to expand the scope of practice for optometrists on treatment issues such as administering and prescribing drugs, 12:45 p.m., Room 306, House Office Building.

The Senate Military and Veterans Affairs, Space and Domestic Security Committee meets to consider SB 1892, also from Diaz, to create an “emergency preparedness and response fund” within the Governor’s office, 3:30 p.m., Room 37, Senate Office Building.

The Senate Regulated Industries Committee meets to consider SB 284, from Sen. Keith Perry, to preempt local governments from regulating building-design elements on homes, 3:30 p.m., Room 412, Knott Building. 

The House Children, Families and Seniors Subcommittee meets to consider HB 689, from Rep. David Borrero, to create criminal penalties for maliciously releasing information about the locations of domestic violence centers, 4 p.m., Morris Hall, House Office Building.

The House Environment, Agriculture and Flooding Subcommittee meets to consider HB 539, from Reps. Cord Byrd and Rick Roth, which expand the definition of renewable energy to include “renewable natural gas.” Tuesday, 4 p.m., Room 404, House Office Building.

 Assignment editors — House Speaker Chris Sprowls, joined by Rep. Coleen Burton and other legislators, will hold a news conference for an announcement about maternal health care, 11:45 a.m. portico outside of the House Building.

Assignment editors — Sen. Randolph Bracy and Jasmine Burney-Clark of Equal Ground will hold a news conference to announce a partnership with Orange County community and faith-based organizations to distribute the Pfizer vaccine, 3 p.m. Zoom link here.

— TALLY MADNESS —

The madness continues — TallyMadness!

Competition is well underway for Round 2 of TallyMadness, where 32 in-house lobbyists face off in a March Madness-style competition to decide the “best” lobbyist in Florida.

With more than 37,000 votes already cast (so far), there are a handful of tight races, which proves every vote counts.

Cast your ballots here, and make your voice heard — it could be a buzzer-beater!

Among the closest races are:

— Adam Babington of Disney World versus Jake Farmer with the Florida Retail Federation; only six points separate the two.

— Another six points separate Albie Kaminsky with Spectrum Communications and Janet Owen of UCF.

— The match between the Florida Trucking Association’s Alix Miller and Allison Kinney with HCA Healthcare also has a nine-point spread.

— A really tight race is Justin Thames of the Florida Institute of CPAs and Leticia Adams, who reps Walt Disney World. Just two points separate them.

— One more tight contest is a battle of schools: only a few votes could decide Chris Cantens of FIU and Mary Ann Hooks of UF.

Who gets to the Sweet 16? Only you can decide. Take your shot today — TallyMadness Round 2 voting ends Thursday night.

— STATEWIDE —

“‘I know my way around rest stops’: DeSantis welcomes, praises latest Buc-ee’s location” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — DeSantis on Monday traveled to Daytona Beach to attend the grand opening of the latest gas station chain to break ground in Florida. Flanked by executives, an army of elected officials and a larger-than-life inflatable beaver, DeSantis described Buc-ee’s, the Texas-based chain, as the “Shangri-La” of gas stations. “As somebody who used to drive 95 up and down this congressional district and driven all over the state, I know my way around rest stops and service stations,” DeSantis said. The 120-pump gas station marks the second Buc-ee’s location in Florida. The chain prides itself on running the cleanest restrooms in America. “These bathrooms are the cleanest bathrooms you’ve ever seen in your life,” DeSantis said. “It’s like a five-star restaurant in there.”

—”The ‘Shangri-La’ of gas stations? Um … OK” via Joe Henderson of Florida Politics

“DeSantis, Richard Corcoran eye virus relief money for vo-tech initiative” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — The proposal to spend $75 million on so-called “Get There Faster” initiatives, with money from COVID-19 relief funds doled out during the Donald Trump administration, would earmark two-thirds of the money for high school students and the remainder for adult learners, some without GED certificates. The $50 million for current students would come from the CARES Act-funded Elementary and Secondary School Relief Fund, money already being proposed to fund a $116 million revamp of civics education in the state. The money would help defray tutoring, transportation, and other soft costs that can be deal-breakers. The $25 million for postsecondary education would come from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund.

“Pandemic gives Florida ‘golden opportunity’ to re-imagine senior care, advocate says” via Bailey LeFever of the Tampa Bay Times — The pandemic has forced a conversation about the state’s aging population and the best way to care for seniors. The pandemic created new problems, said Jeff Johnson, state director for AARP Florida, but also exacerbated existing ones — inadequate staff training and management in care facilities and a shortage of community services for those who remain at home. Over the next five years, Johnson hopes the state Legislature will fund more home- and community-based care, and add new types of long-term care to the mix. “We need the Legislature to step up and show the creativity and courage of developing a new vision,” he said. “And they didn’t do that this year, at least not so far.”

“Data: Florida’s texting-while-driving law rarely enforced” via Christopher Cann of Fresh Take Florida — With a flourish, DeSantis signed a new law in 2019 making texting while driving a primary traffic offense in Florida, with a $30 fine for a first offense that routinely climbs to over $100. “It’ll make our roads safer,” DeSantis said. But the new law against texting is rarely enforced, according to official state figures. Florida also has failed its requirements under the law to track comprehensively how many drivers are ticketed statewide — and whether police are targeting minorities. Those in charge of writing tickets also complained that the young law has too many loopholes.

“Hurricane season is approaching. What are FDOT, Skanska doing to prevent a Sally repeat?” via Emma Kennedy of the Pensacola News Journal — With the 2021 hurricane season approaching without an operational bridge between Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, questions have turned to how Skanska will handle their equipment if another storm swirls in the Gulf. Skanska did have a hurricane plan in place during Sally, but lawyers working on behalf of impacted businesses and homeowners in the area have filed documents showing the company did not follow that plan. An FDOT official sent an email to Skanska officials as the hurricane was hitting that accused Skanska of failing to secure its barges. However, it does not appear there will be any additional levels of oversight as the 2021 hurricane season draws near.

“UF Summer B and Fall 2021 semesters will have more in-person classes” via Manny Rea of The Alligator — UF will return to a nearly normal Summer B and Fall 2021 course offering, but mandatory COVID-19 testing and masking are still up in the air. More than 70% of course credits will be in person in the fall, which is similar to pre-pandemic offerings, UF Provost and Senior Vice President Joe Glover said at the March 18 UF Board of Trustees meeting. The university based its plan on recommendations from UF Health epidemiologists. Dr. Michael Lauzardo, the head of UF Health’s Screen, Test & Protect program, also said at the meeting that if masking and vaccine efforts lessen cases in the coming months, his program will recommend full capacity classrooms, no physical distancing and fewer masks for fall.

— CORONA FLORIDA —

“Florida adds 2,862 coronavirus cases, 39 deaths Monday” via Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times — Florida recorded 2,862 coronavirus cases and 30 deaths Monday, bringing the state’s death toll to 33,408. The state has tracked 2,011,211 coronavirus cases over the yearlong pandemic, according to the Florida Department of Health. The weekly case average is up slightly to about 4,511 infections announced per day. The weekly death average dropped to about 64 deaths announced per day. About 53,000 tests were processed Sunday, resulting in a daily positivity rate of 6.69%.

“Kamala Harris visits Florida as fears rise about a new surge in cases” via Katie Rogers of The New York Times — Vice President Harris traveled to Jacksonville, to tour a vaccination center and host an event at a food pantry, two stops designed to promote the Biden administration’s pandemic stimulus package to Americans in a state where officials fear another coronavirus surge. Amid tensions over how best to contain the virus in Florida, Harris toured one of the federally supported vaccination centers, the Gateway Town Center shopping complex, that have administered tens of thousands of shots in recent days.

— “Vice President Harris stops by vaccination site during Jacksonville visit” via Steve Patrick, Kelly Wiley, Brittany Miller and Jim Piggott of News4Jax

“A brief one-on-one interview with Harris” via Nate Monroe of The Florida Times-Union — The White House told me I’d have five minutes to speak to Harris one-on-one after the events. I wanted to know how far Harris would go in criticizing DeSantis, who has kneecapped local officials; elevated fringe characters who believe that masks don’t work; and who believes he — and he alone — has ably navigated Florida through the deadly pandemic. Harris wouldn’t bite: “One of the reasons I’m here and back in Jacksonville … is to remind people of the importance of getting the vaccine when it’s your turn,” she told me when I asked her what she’d tell Floridians who are hearing diametrically opposite things from their Governor and their President. I tried again. “Masks work,” she said.

“Florida ranks 36th for those receiving at least one vaccine shot as cases hold steady” via Mike Stucka of USA Today — Florida reported 31,541 new cases of coronavirus in the week ending Sunday, from 31,813 the week before of the virus that causes COVID-19. Florida ranked 11th among the states where coronavirus was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis. Within Florida, the worst weekly outbreaks on a per-person basis were in Miami-Dade, Broward and Hillsborough counties. The worst increases from the prior week’s pace were in Orange, Hillsborough and Volusia counties. Florida ranked 36th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 23.8% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 24.5%, a USA Today analysis of CDC data shows.

“Federal vaccine sites in Florida to continue administering first doses” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — The four federally-supported vaccination sites in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Miami will still be able to administer first doses of the Pfizer vaccine, the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced Monday. Previously, the state announced the vaccination sites would only be able to administer second dose shots beginning March 24. But, now, the sites will administer 500 first doses per day from March 24 through April 7. The shift came after the state evaluated vaccine supply and determined that previously unused first doses from federal sites could be redistributed to continue administering first dose shots for the allotted time. The vaccines will only be offered at the select sites to eligible populations.

“Charlie Crist blasts DeSantis’ vaccine rollout, proposes ‘Successful Shots’ plan” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — The initiative proposes a system counter to that currently being implemented by DeSantis. Under the Governor’s current plan, an individual is eligible to receive a vaccine if they are 60 years old or older, have a doctor’s note, are a health care worker, or are a schoolteacher, firefighter or law enforcement officer 50 years old or older. The plan brought by Crist seeks to address site underutilization by giving all Floridians the chance to wait in the general line for a vaccine while creating a Fast Pass line so seniors and vulnerable groups get priority access.

“DeSantis loses his grip on Florida’s vaccine plan: White House, rogue counties, overshadowing the Governor” via Michael Moline of the Florida Phoenix — DeSantis was quick to correct the record when asked during a news conference this week about a report that the state had administered COVID vaccines to people as young as 18 during a jazz festival in Orlando over the weekend. “The state has not,” the governor shot back, not waiting for the reporter to finish her question. He reiterated his policy of vaccinating older Floridians in advance of young people unlikely to suffer severe COVID symptoms.

“Some Florida seniors are worried the coronavirus vaccine isn’t free” via Bailey LeFever of the Tampa Bay Times — Florida’s most sought-after ticket this year isn’t for a concert. It’s for a vaccine appointment. But a small percentage of older Floridians are hesitating because they think they have to pay for the shot, according to a recent report. In fact, coronavirus vaccines are available at no cost to Americans. A report released by MedicareAdvantage.com on March 9 found that 34,126 people aged 65 and older in Florida, of the 4.5 million surveyed, said they will decline the vaccine for that reason.

“Is there a secret waitlist at pharmacies for the COVID-19 vaccine? Probably not.” via Elizabeth Djinis of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — Each day, more and more people post photos of their vaccination cards on social media with a beaming smile and an ecstatic message. But many of us who see those photos are left wondering: What risk group do they fall into? And if they aren’t eligible, then how did they get a vaccine? The answer lies in the number of doses in a vial of vaccines. Each contains a certain number of doses that must be used once the seal is broken. If someone doesn’t show up for their vaccine appointment or a store can’t find enough eligible people to vaccinate, unsuspecting customers might come in for a late-night snack and walk out with a vaccine.

— CORONA LOCAL —

“Jerry Demings to DeSantis: Let locals tailor vaccination strategies” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Demings broke with state policy last Thursday when he announced Orange County would go to 40 as a minimum age, compared with 50 for the state. That disagreement on minimum age requirements led to a back-and-forth. DeSantis grumbled that it wasn’t Demings’ decision to make. Demings responded that he’s not sorry. In particular, Demings took issue with DeSantis’ assertion that Orange County’s vaccination rate among seniors wasn’t high enough yet to justify expanding the age pool all the way to 40-year-olds. Who’s fault is that? “At the end of the day, if our numbers are below other counties, it is the result of decisions made somewhere else other than here,” he said.

“As 40 and older can get COVID-19 vaccine in Orange County, 7,000 appointments gobbled up in minutes” via Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel — It took just 13 minutes on Monday for 7,000 vaccine appointments to fill after Orange County opened up shots for people 40 and older, officials said. “That’s good news,” Mayor Demings said. “That speaks to the demand.” He noted the drive-through vaccination site at the Orange County Convention Center had repeatedly fallen far short of its goal of inoculating 3,000 people a day when state eligibility guidelines limited vaccines to people 65 years or older, health workers with direct patient contact, and teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters and paramedics.

“FEMA site at MDC North was moving to second doses only. That’s been postponed” via Michelle Marchante and Ben Conarck of the Miami Herald — Days after announcing the plan to wrap up operations at four Florida mega vaccine sites, state and federal officials on Monday morning reversed course, announcing that the sites in Miami, Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville would continue administering first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The reversal came on the same day Vice President Harris flew to the Jacksonville site, which is jointly operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state of Florida, and commented on DeSantis’ lowering of the minimum age requirement to those 50 and over.

“South Florida records just seven COVID-19 deaths Monday” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — South Florida’s tri-county area may finally be seeing sustainable progress in containing the COVID-19 death toll, as the region recorded just seven deaths Monday. That comes after only five deaths were reported in South Florida in Sunday’s Department of Health COVID-19 report. Monday marks the fourth straight day the region — Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties — has seen 20 or fewer deaths. That’s encouraging progress for the area, which saw a more than four-week stretch earlier this year, with at least 30 deaths reported nearly every day. As of Monday’s report, the average number of daily deaths over the past seven days is down over the prior seven-day span in all three major South Florida counties.

“Omni Healthcare seeks role in distribution of COVID-19 vaccines in Brevard” via Dave Berman of Florida Today — Omni Healthcare CEO Dr. Craig Deligdish says Omni can administer 1,000 vaccines a day, six days a week, at each of three of its locations — Melbourne, Merritt Island and Palm Bay. The Brevard County Commission plans to discuss Omni’s proposal at its meeting Tuesday. In his proposal, Deligdish said Omni would not charge Brevard County to administer vaccines at its locations. Rather, Omni would “seek funding to support vaccine administration from a variety of non-county sources” such as medical insurance, the CARES Act; the American Rescue Plan; and FEMA. Deligdish said Omni will not charge patients without insurance and will not charge patients with insurance any copays or deductibles for the administration of vaccines.

“Santa Rosa reports no COVID-19 deaths last week; new cases in Escambia at 9-month low” via the Pensacola News Journal — For the first time in at least seven months, no new coronavirus-related deaths were verified in Santa Rosa County last week, according to the Florida Department of Health. At the same time, Escambia County last week reported its lowest number of new COVID-19 infections in a single week in more than nine months. Escambia County reported 148 new positive cases from March 15 to 21, according to the state’s daily report issued Monday. That’s the lowest weekly infection rate since early June 2020. Santa Rosa County, meanwhile, reported 132 new infections last week to mark its lowest number of new infections since early October.

“A year into pandemic, an unprecedented number are calling 211 for help in Sarasota-Manatee” via Angie DiMichele of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — Requests logged by Suncoast 211 show unprecedented numbers of people are calling the helpline who are facing economic hardships since the start of the pandemic. The resources available have helped to stave off financial disasters for thousands, many of whom have never needed help before. Catherine Rea, vice president for 211 at Heart of Florida United Way, said the contact center, which covers 14 counties including Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto, received four to five times its normal call volume within the first few months of the pandemic. More than 4,300 people called for help in a single day, Rea said. That happened more than once.

“More than 1 in 3 St. Johns County residents have at least 1 vaccine dose” via Ty Hinton of The St. Augustine Record — More than 1 in 3 St. Johns County residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine, the Florida Department of Health reported Monday. St. Johns County administered 141 COVID-19 vaccinations Sunday, for a total of 79,542 with at least one shot, or 33.8% of residents 16 and older. Among residents receiving at least one shot, the county ranks fifth in the state, behind Sumter (53,213, 44%), Sarasota (152,122, 37%), Charlotte (64,355, 36%) and Indian River (52,469, 35%). With 55,215 residents fully vaccinated, St. Johns County has the second-highest completion percentage in the state with 23.5%, behind Sumter County, which has 28.2%. That total includes those completely vaccinated, either with a single Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the second in a series of two-shot vaccines.

“How to vaccinate homebound seniors? Take the shots to them.” via Roni Caryn Rabin of The New York Times — When public health officials drew up plans for distributing vaccines, priority was given to the roughly five million residents and employees of congregate settings like nursing homes. A vast majority of Americans over 65, however, do not live in nursing homes or assisted living facilities, but in the community, where it’s more challenging to reach them. There is no central registry of the homebound elderly. Geographically dispersed and isolated, they are often difficult to find. There is no system in place for reaching the homebound. In the absence of a centrally coordinated campaign targeting the homebound, local initiatives have sprung up around the country.

— CORONA NATION —

“COVID-19 cases rise across more than half the U.S. as country races to vaccinate” via Will Feuer of CNBC — New cases of COVID-19 are once again on the rise across more than half the United States as officials race to vaccinate additional people before highly contagious variants become prevalent in the country. As of Sunday, the seven-day average of new cases rose by 5% or more in 27 states, according to a CNBC analysis of data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Across the U.S., the nation logged an average of 54,308 new cases per day over the past week, a 1% rise from the prior week after months of rapidly declining case numbers.

“As variants spread and travel increases, the CDC director urged caution to prevent ‘another avoidable surge.’” via Noah Weiland of The New York Times — CDC Director Rochelle Walensky again warned Americans on Monday about the spread of the coronavirus, saying that with increased travel, looser pandemic restrictions and worrisome variants bearing down on the country, another surge could erupt if Americans did not take protection efforts seriously “for just a little bit longer.” Virus variants are making up a bigger share of cases. A fast-spreading variant first located in Britain is now responsible for 9% of cases in New Jersey and 8% of cases in Florida, she said. “We are at a critical point in this pandemic, a fork in the road, where we as a country must decide which path we are going to take. We must act now,” Walensky said.

“Virus variants mean our COVID-19 winter isn’t over. Don’t ease restrictions now.” via Ashish K. Jha of The Washington Post — Vaccination numbers are climbing steadily, and coronavirus cases have been declining. The end of the pandemic is in sight. But the latest national data, which show the case rates have plateaued, indicate that we are not there yet. Over the past week, we have seen about 50,000 new cases reported daily. That’s not far from the height of the surge last summer. Blame it on the variants. Consider what’s happening in Florida, where thousands are celebrating Spring Break without masks or social distancing. Right now, the rate of cases and deaths in Florida is about the same as nationally, and the number of daily infections is holding steady. But the B.1.1.7 variant now represents more than half Florida’s cases.

“AstraZeneca’s U.S. trial shows coronavirus vaccine is 79% effective” via William Booth and Carolyn Y. Johnson of The Washington Post — Oxford University and AstraZeneca reported on Monday that their coronavirus “vaccine for the world” was safe and 79% effective overall, according to data from a long-awaited clinical trial in the United States, alongside other studies in Chile and Peru. The two-shot regimen was completely effective at preventing severe cases of illness. In a news release, the Oxford researchers, who developed the easily transported $4 shot for the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, said their coronavirus vaccine is “safe and highly effective, adding to previous trial data from the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa, as well as real-world impact data from the United Kingdom.”

“Vaccine mystery: Why J&J’s shots aren’t reaching more arms” via Erin Banco and Rachel Roubein of POLITICO — Johnson & Johnson’s single-shot COVID-19 vaccine was supposed to be the catalyst for the country’s return to normal. Instead, it’s sparking confusion and finger-pointing between the states and the Biden administration over why millions of doses are sitting unused. Almost three weeks after the FDA authorized the shots, no one appears to be able to explain why immunizations are lagging. Some states are thought to be intentionally holding back shots, while others say it takes time to inoculate populations like the homebound. What is clear is that around 2.3 million of the 4.3 million doses of the vaccine delivered have actually been administered.

“Drug companies defend vaccine monopolies in face of global outcry” via Christopher Rowland, Emily Rauhala and Miriam Berger of The Washington Post — The drug companies that developed and won authorization for coronavirus vaccines in record time have agreed to sell most of the first doses coming off production lines to the United States, European countries and a few other wealthy nations. But drug companies have rebuffed entreaties to face the emergency by sharing their proprietary technology more freely with companies in developing nations. They cite the rapid development of new vaccines as evidence that the drug industry’s traditional business model, based on exclusive patents and know-how, is working. The companies are lobbying the Biden administration and other members of the World Trade Organization against any erosion of their monopolies on individual coronavirus vaccines that are worth billions of dollars in annual sales.

“Are women making many of the vaccine appointments for the men in their lives?” via Katherine Ellison of The Washington Post — In Berkeley sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild’s 1989 book “Second Shift” by the same name, she detailed how even as women were moving into the labor force, they were still doing much of their workload at home, including the most disagreeable tasks, such as cleaning the toilets. The frantic hunting and pecking for vaccines, with its life-or-death consequences, is also the kind of disagreeable, anxiety-provoking job — distinguished by deadlines, unpredictability and lack of control — that researchers have found is more commonly assigned to, or volunteered for, by women. There may also be other documented gender differences at play. Women of all age groups are more likely than men to see a doctor about their own health concerns, as research consistently has shown.

“In this part of rural Donald Trump country, COVID-19 vaccine is an easy sell — for now” via Laura Vozzella of The Washington Post — “I’ll be the last in line to get it,” Cindy Stidham, a political conservative from the reddest corner of Virginia, told herself as the first two vaccines, developed with uncommon speed, won FDA approval late last year. Yet there she was last week at a clinic at Mountain Empire Community College, in an Appalachian county where Trump won 80% of the vote in November, sweeping her long hair off to one side so her arm could get jabbed. A similar about-face could be unfolding across mountainous far southwestern Virginia, which has some of the highest coronavirus vaccination rates in the state, despite national surveys showing ­rural Republicans are the most reluctant to receive it.

— CORONA ECONOMICS — 

“Biden determined to tax the rich after windfalls from COVID-19 crisis” via Nancy Cook of Bloomberg — Biden’s economic team at the White House is determined to make good on his campaign pledge to raise taxes on the rich, emboldened by mounting data showing how well America’s wealthy did financially during the pandemic. With Republican and business-lobby opposition to the administration’s tax plans stiffening, Democrats need to decide how ambitious to be in trying to revamp the tax code in what’s almost certain to be a go-it-alone bill. Interviews with senior officials show there’s rising confidence at the White House that evidence of widening inequality will translate into broad popular support for a tax-the-wealthy strategy. Biden himself has become convinced of the need, saying last week that those earning over $400,000 can expect to pay more in tax.

“Recast as ‘stimmies,’ federal relief checks drive a stock-buying spree” via Matt Phillips of The New York Times — Abraham Sanchez knew exactly how he wanted to spend his stimulus check. Like millions of Americans, he had begun dabbling in the stock market during the pandemic. So, soon after $1,400 from the federal government landed in his bank account last week, Sanchez, a 28-year-old trumpet player in Sacramento, moved all but $200 of it into his Robinhood online trading account. He then used most of it to buy 80 shares of AMC Entertainment, the struggling movie theater chain. “I was like: ‘You know what? Whatever. I’ll give it a shot,’” he said. When the stock rose last week after AMC announced it was preparing to reopen theaters in California, Sanchez gained $170 on paper.

“Stimulus check access a challenge for some low-income Americans” via Kimberly Surana pf The Tampa Bay Times — The third round of pandemic assistance began hitting bank accounts last week — $1,400 meant to help Americans stay afloat by covering urgent expenses, like food, rent and utilities. But the neediest may face hurdles to access the money. Donna McGrath, the manager for St. Petersburg’s Goodwill Job Connection Center, has met people who missed the first and second rounds of stimulus payments. They fell through the cracks because they don’t have internet at home or a bank account. They’ve moved around or don’t have a fixed home address. They might earn too little to have tax documents on file with the Internal Revenue Service.

“Credit cards slash $99 billion from spending limits during pandemic” via Shahien Nasiripour of Bloomberg — The 14 lenders that dominate U.S. credit cards slashed $99 billion from their customers’ spending limits in 2020, mostly affecting financially troubled households. It’s the equivalent of cutting $2,000 in financing to 50 million people — many of whom lean on cards for emergencies. Capital One Financial Corp., known for its “What’s in your wallet?” slogan, led the way by paring $30 billion from limits by the end of 2020. Larger rivals Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. each saw their totals fall by $19 billion. While the retreat set off flurries of frustrated posts on social media, its scope remained a mystery because numbers aren’t typically disclosed in corporate earnings reports.

“The business case for vaccine passports” via the Bloomberg editorial board — Once people have been vaccinated against COVID-19, they’re safer to dine out, fly on airplanes, attend concerts and movies, work out at the gym, go to the office, cross borders and otherwise move about. How can they demonstrate that they have this protection? By showing a “vaccine passport,” perhaps in the form of a smartphone app. Israel, the U.K., the European Union and other governments are creating such digital documents, as are private organizations. Biden is assessing whether the U.S. should have them. Yet vaccine passports have been met with concerns over privacy and potential inequality. These concerns ought to be addressed, but they shouldn’t veto a useful tool for speeding a post-COVID-19 return to normal life.

— MORE CORONA —

“Some people are developing psychotic symptoms after COVID-19 infections: ‘The most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced in my life’” via Pam Belluck of The New York Times — A phenomenon that doctors are increasingly reporting: psychotic symptoms emerging weeks after coronavirus infection in some people with no previous mental illness. Doctors say such symptoms may be one manifestation of brain-related aftereffects of COVID-19. Along with more common issues like brain fog, memory loss, and neurological problems, “new-onset” psychosis may result from an immune response, vascular issues, or inflammation from the disease process, experts hypothesize. Sporadic cases have occurred with other viruses, and while such extreme symptoms are likely to affect only a small proportion of COVID-19 survivors, cases have emerged worldwide.

“Hugs, at last: Nursing homes easing rules on visitors” via Philip Marcelo, Patty Nieberg and Kimberlee Kruesi of The Associated Press — Nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other kinds of elderly residences battered by COVID-19 are easing restrictions and opening their doors for the first time since the start of the pandemic, leading to joyous reunions around the country after a painful year of isolation, Zoom calls and greetings through windows. The vaccination drive, improved conditions inside nursing homes, and relaxed federal guidelines have paved the way for the reunions. There have been welcome-back parties, birthday celebrations, coffee hours on the patio and more in recent days, giving older Americans and their families a glimpse into what life may look like in a post-vaccine world.

“Some schools have been open for months. Here’s what they learned.” via Sarah Toy and Douglas Belkin of The Wall Street Journal — Parents, cities and teachers in many places continue to wrangle over how to reopen their schools safely. Meanwhile, teachers and administrators whose buildings have been open for many months have come to some hard-earned conclusions about how to make it all work. Some of what they learned is consistent with what many scientists have been touting — that masking, ventilation, distancing and regular testing when possible are effective ways to reduce transmission of COVID-19 in schools. Other once-lauded tactics, such as daily temperature checks and deep cleaning of surfaces, have become lower priorities. They also have learned that teachers, not their students, are likely the primary transmitters of the virus in grade schools.

“The missing students of the pandemic” via Eli Saslow of The Washington Post — It had been a year since the pandemic closed Indio High School and its 2,100 students began to disappear, first from the hallways and then from virtual classes as attendance dropped from 94% down to as low as 70%. The school was like hundreds of others hit hardest by COVID-19 — mostly low-income and mostly Latino, with a vulnerable population that had suffered disproportionately from the virus and its injustices. Half of Indio’s students lived with family members who had gotten sick. A third lacked stable housing. A quarter had begun working full time or caring for younger siblings who were also home from school. At least 350 students were regularly failing to attend class.

“‘I want to be protected’: Nurses still worried about dangerous work conditions, COVID-19 mutations” via Isaac Morgan of the Florida Phoenix — COVID-19 devastated the nation last year and put a strain on health care systems across the country, particularly at hospitals where doctors and nurses worked around the clock to treat patients with a highly contagious virus. Marissa Lee, a registered nurse in Florida, recalls that time during the pandemic, when she and other colleagues faced dire conditions, staff shortages and lack of personal protective equipment. Lee works at Osceola Regional Medical Center in Kissimmee and is a member of the National Nurses United, a union representing registered nurses nationwide. NNU has praised the Biden administration’s national plan to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines and testing.

“DoorDash to provide on-demand delivery of at-home COVID-19 test collection kits” via Ivana Saric of Axios — DoorDash has launched a new initiative to provide same-day on-demand delivery of FDA authorized COVID-19 test collection kits. The initiative could go a long way in helping make at-home COVID-19 testing more accessible, as many Americans prepare to reenter workplaces and schools. DoorDash has partnered with digital health companies Vault Health and EverlyWell for the initiative. Vault Health’s COVID-19 Saliva Test Kit or EverlyWell COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit DTC will be available in “12 DashMart locations across the U.S.,” DoorDash’s convenience store service. These locations include Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis, and Phoenix, and there are plans to expand to other cities later in the year.

“How much weight did we gain during lockdowns? 2 pounds a month, study hints.” via Roni Caryn Rabin of The New York Times — Soon after the pandemic started over a year ago, Americans started joking about the dreaded “quarantine 15,” worried they might gain weight while shut in homes with stockpiles of food, glued to computer screens and binge-watching Netflix. The concern is real, but assessing the problem’s scope has been a challenge. Now a very small study using objective measures — weight measurements from Bluetooth-connected smart scales — suggests that adults under shelter-in-place orders gained more than half a pound every 10 days. That translates to nearly two pounds a month, said Dr. Gregory Marcus, senior author of the research letter. Americans who kept up their lockdown habits could easily have gained 20 pounds over the course of a year, he added.

— PRESIDENTIAL —

“The Biden agenda doesn’t run through Washington” via Ronald Brownstein of The Atlantic — Biden can’t expect a lot of cooperation from Texas. That much has been made clear by state Republicans’ behavior in just the past three months. But the leadership in Harris County, Texas, the third-largest county in the country and home to Houston, responded to Biden’s ascendance with a very different attitude. The county’s chief elected official, Lina Hidalgo — a Democrat, Colombian immigrant, and 30-year-old Stanford graduate — views the Biden administration as something like the arrival of the cavalry. Hidalgo’s enthusiasm about working with Biden illustrates the president’s opportunity to fundamentally rethink the way the federal government pursues its domestic goals. Biden could advance his agenda by channeling his policies through major metros, without relying on states as his principal partners.

“How Biden quietly created a huge social program” via Annie Linskey of The Washington Post — Democratic Sen. Michael F. Bennet of Colorado tapped out the longest text messages he’d ever written one night in January, urging Susan Rice, a top Biden aide and a friend, to include a full-scale anti-child poverty measure in the coronavirus rescue plan to be unveiled within days. Democratic Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro of Connecticut was making the same case to a different senior Biden official, using language that the official later described as “somewhat juicy.” And Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey tried flattery, urging Biden staffers to adopt what he told them would be a “legacy” program earning them a place in history.

“Biden team prepares $3 trillion in new spending for the economy” via Jim Tankersley of The New York Times — Biden’s economic advisers are pulling together a sweeping $3 trillion package to boost the economy, reduce carbon emissions and narrow economic inequality, beginning with a giant infrastructure plan that may be financed in part through tax increases on corporations and the rich. After months of internal debate, Biden’s advisers are expected to present the spending proposal to the president and congressional leaders this week, as well as begin outreach to industry and labor groups. On Monday, Biden’s national climate adviser, Gina McCarthy, discussed his infrastructure plans in a meeting with oil and gas industry executives.

“Biden moves rapidly to shore up Obamacare and erase Trump’s changes” via Tami Luhby of CNN — Biden is wasting no time establishing his vision for the Affordable Care Act and reversing many Trump-era measures aimed at weakening it. In his first two months in office, Biden has taken several steps to bolster the landmark health reform law, which marks its 11th anniversary on Tuesday, and to embed it even more firmly in the nation’s health care system. Former President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak Monday about how the Affordable Care Act has benefited Americans and how the Democrats’ $1.9 trillion relief package, which Biden signed into law earlier this month, has strengthened the law.

“Biden administration releases nearly $1 billion in education funds for Puerto Rico” via Syra Ortiz-Blanes and Alex Roarty of the Miami Herald — The U.S. Department of Education will release nearly $1 billion in federal funds to help Puerto Rico respond to both the pandemic and a series of natural disasters in the Biden administration’s latest move to reset relations with the island, officials said Monday. The U.S. territory will immediately be able to access $912 million in education funds that had previously been held up by grant restrictions imposed by the Trump administration, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said.

“Despite flurry of attention, Jill Biden is not leading family reunification effort” via Anita Kumar and Eugene Daniels of POLITICO — Less than a week after her husband was sworn into office, First Lady Biden told a group of young Latinos during a virtual chat that her new chief of staff “will be working” on an effort to reunify migrant children separated from their families. The remark was followed by a series of headlines proclaiming that Biden herself would monitor or lead a task force to help the families separated under Trump. Some articles even said Biden would reunite the children. First Lady Biden actually has “no formal role” in the effort. Among lawyers and advocates helping the families, her lack of involvement reinforces a broader concern about the slow pace of reunification efforts under Biden.

“Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is confirmed to lead Labor Department” via Eli Rosenberg of The Washington Post — Boston Mayor Walsh was confirmed Monday by the Senate as Secretary of Labor, setting the stage for him to take the reins of an agency that is central to Biden’s worker-friendly agenda. Walsh, 53, a friend of the President’s who was a favored candidate of organized labor groups such as the AFL-CIO, will be the first labor secretary to come from a union background in nearly 50 years. He rose to prominence in Boston through the building-trades unions after dropping out of college early to work in construction. He also served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Walsh’s nomination was relatively uncontroversial. He was approved on a 68-to-29 vote.

“Pro-Biden group won’t disclose donors” via Hans Nichols of Axios — A pro-Biden group, operating with the White House’s blessing, plans to raise unlimited funds as it prepares to promote and protect the president’s agenda from the outside. By not capping anonymous contributions, the group, called Building Back Together, will have an easier time raising money, ahead of its anticipated launch next month to defend Biden’s policies, including his $1.9 trillion relief package. “We will work collaboratively with existing groups who are working toward those same goals,” read a statement from the organization. But allies of Trump didn’t abide by those conventions when they established their groups four years ago and raised unlimited funds from anonymous donors.

“Activists call on Biden to issue a new TPS for Haitians as nation’s turmoil deepens” via Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald — Immigration advocates called on Biden Monday to end deportations to Haiti and offer a new Temporary Protected Status designation for Haiti, a move that would provide immigration protection to thousands of additional migrants already living in the United States from the troubled Caribbean nation. Haiti, they said, is no longer safe enough for them to return. “What’s happening in Haiti right now, it is scary,” said Marleine Bastien, executive director of the Family Action Network Movement. “This is a country under lock. This is unprecedented.” The U.S. provided Temporary Protected Status to Haitians after the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake. The Trump administration tried to end TPS for Haitians and a legal battle continues in federal court.

— EPILOGUE: TRUMP —

“Donald Trump officials hindered at least nine key oversight probes, watchdogs said. Some may finally be released in coming months.” via The Washington Post — Four months after Trump’s defeat, Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis still hasn’t announced whether her investigators found that Trump inappropriately held up federal disaster aid from Puerto Rico, an island reeling from a brutal hurricane. It’s far from the only politically sensitive work by government watchdogs — mandated by Congress to monitor federal agencies for waste, fraud and misconduct — that faced roadblocks or otherwise were dragged out during the Trump era.

Must-read — “Trump, my dad and the rightward shift of Latino men” via Eric Garcia of The Washington Post — Between 2016 and 2020, Trump improved his overall support among Latinos by four points, while Biden’s support declined from Hillary Clinton’s by one point — and in some places, the change was even more significant. In Florida, Biden won Latinos by just five points, a massive swing from Clinton’s 27-point margin in 2016. To many progressives, the trend was a shock — but it was also a wake-up call. For a generation, Democrats have taken comfort in the assumption that long-term demographics were on their side. The growing Latino vote was a linchpin of this thinking. This means that if Latinos are drifting from Democrats, it constitutes an emergency for the party, one that could haunt them in 2022, 2024 and beyond.

“Trump looks to take down Brad Raffensperger in Georgia,” via Alex Isenstadt and Zach Montellaro of POLITICO — Trump is expected to endorse Rep. Jody Hice in a campaign to unseat Georgia’s Secretary of State in next year’s Republican primary, according to three people familiar with Trump’s decision. Trump publicly seethed about Raffensperger after the November election, when the Secretary of State refused to support Trump’s false claims that Georgia’s 16 electoral votes were stolen from him. Top Raffensperger aides had publicly rebuked the president’s conspiracy theories, warning in early December that it would lead to potential violence.

“GOP hopefuls crank up the ‘if-Trump-doesn’t-run’ primary” via David Siders of POLITICO — Mike Pompeo and Rick Scott are headed to Iowa this week and next, followed by Tim Scott in mid-April. Mike Pence plans to visit the early primary state of South Carolina, while DeSantis appears to be conducting a soft launch in his home state of Florida. Jeff Kaufmann, chair of the Iowa Republican Party, said he’s never seen so much interest so early in a presidential election cycle. But what’s truly unique about the Republicans’ pre-presidential primary is the contingent framework that is unfolding around it. It’s a primary — but a wholly conditional one.

“Trump will use ‘his own platform’ to return to social media after Twitter ban” via Martin Pengelly of The Guardian — Trump will soon use “his own platform” to return to social media, an adviser said on Sunday, months after the former President was banned from Twitter for inciting The Capitol riot. Trump has chafed in relative silence at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida since losing his Twitter account and the protections and powers of office. Recently he has released short statements, which many have likened to his tweets of old. Speculation has been rife Trump might seek to create his own TV network in an attempt to pry viewers from Fox News.

“Why Trump would make the most boring social media site ever” via Jack Shafer of POLITICO — Standing up a social media platform is so completely outside of Trump’s areas of business expertise that if he does succeed in launching it, there’s very good reason to expect it will flame out the way his other dilettantish forays into airlines, sports, education and booze did: with losses and lawsuits. When Trump’s Twitter account was revoked in January, he had almost 90 million followers. Surely, some of those will follow him to a new social media site, but even millions following one guy won’t be enough to make the site viable. If you want to follow one guy, signing up for his email service is enough. If too identified with Trump, the new platform would become an anti-social media site and repulse people.

“Trump predicted news ratings would ‘tank if I’m not there.’ He wasn’t wrong.” via Paul Farhi of The Washington Post — Of all Trump’s prophecies and predictions — that Mexico would pay for a border wall, that coronavirus would spontaneously disappear, that he would be easily reelected — at least one wasn’t entirely wrong. “Newspapers, television, all forms of media will tank if I’m not there,” he augured in 2017, “because without me, their ratings are going down the tubes.” Barely two months into the post-Trump era, news outlets are indeed losing much of the audience and readership they gained during his chaotic presidency. In other words, journalism’s Trump bump may be giving way to a slump.

“Facing defamation, Sidney Powell says ‘no reasonable person’ thought her election fraud claims were fact” via Jacqueline Thomsen of Law.com — Attorneys for Powell are asking a federal judge to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against her, claiming that “no reasonable person” thought the pro-Trump lawyer’s statements about the 2020 election results were factual. Dominion Voting Systems in January sued Powell over her statements alleging the voting company helped rig the election against Trump. In a motion to dismiss filed Monday, Powell’s attorneys wrote that a judge must determine whether her statements could be proved and if “reasonable people” would believe they were factual, given the context and other factors surrounding the comments.

— CRISIS —

“Justice Dept. prepares to engage in plea talks with many Capitol riot defendants” via Spencer S. Hsu and Devlin Barrett of The Washington Post — Two months into one of the biggest criminal investigations in U.S. history, prosecutors are preparing to start plea discussions as early as this week with many of the more than 300 suspects charged in the U.S. Capitol riot — even as investigators race to piece together larger conspiracy cases against those suspected of the most serious crimes. The planned plea talks follow efforts by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which is overseeing the prosecutions, to first create a system for efficiently organizing what they expect will be upward of 400 criminal cases. “We hope to start extending plea offers within the next week or so,” said one person familiar with the investigation.

— Harrowing play-by-play of the insurrection: A new New York Times video shows a shocking timeline, juxtaposed with police radio chatter, showing how pro-Trump protesters breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The video, which we warn is hard to watch, shows terrified-looking officers trying desperately to maintain order, and audio highlights the sheer terror as law enforcement leaders realize their forces aren’t enough to stop the onslaught. The worst of the surge came, audio shows, only after Trump concluded his speech.

To watch the video, click on the image below:

Of course, he does — “Roger Stone keeps appearing in Capitol breach investigation court filings” via Spencer S. Hsu, Manuel Roig-Franzia and Devlin Barrett of The Washington Post — Stone’s name and image were invoked by prosecutors and defendants in court filings over the last week, underscoring the increasingly visible presence of Trump’s political confidant in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach investigation. On Wednesday, U.S. prosecutors produced a photograph showing two Florida members of the right-wing Oath Keepers group posing with someone who appears to be Stone at a book signing. The defense attorney for a third charged Oath Keepers co-defendant, Jessica Watkins, wrote Thursday separately that her client was planning only to provide security for Stone in Washington. Although investigators continue to bump into Stone, it remains unclear what that means as prosecutors review what influence Stone, other high-profile right-wing figures or Trump associates had on them.

“The rioter next door: How the Dallas suburbs spawned domestic extremists” via Annie Gowen of The Washington Post — Over the past two decades, Collin County, north of Dallas, more than doubled its population to 1 million, with newcomers drawn by the mild weather, good schools, low taxes and the arrival of several big employers and new corporate headquarters. But this utopia on the Dallas North Tollway has its fissures, which have deepened in the last year, with the debate over pandemic restrictions, the country’s racial reckoning, and divisive 2020 presidential election. Frisco Realtor Hava Johnston said some residents feel the area has become “too diverse.” … “They created this perfect little bubble of the way they wanted things … now we’ve got true diversity, and those Christian nationalists are afraid of losing their power.”

— D.C. MATTERS —

“Eleven years after its signing, the Affordable Care Act is drawing hundreds of thousands of enrollments.” via Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times — Eleven years after Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, the reach of the law is growing, with hundreds of thousands flocking to its marketplace and even deeply conservative states considering its Medicaid expansion. More than 200,000 Americans signed up for health insurance under the law during the first two weeks of an open enrollment period created by Biden, a sign that those who lost insurance during the pandemic remain in desperate need of coverage. And a provision in the President’s $1.9 trillion stimulus law to make Medicaid expansion more fiscally appealing has convinced deep-red Alabama and Wyoming to consider expanding the program.

“Speedy House vs. slower Senate: Dems struggle to balance on Biden agenda” via Marianne Levine and Sarah Ferris of POLITICO — Democrats control all of Washington for the first time in more than a decade, but their ability to quickly enact Biden’s agenda is running into an age-old culture clash between the House and Senate. The problem starts with schedules: House Democrats have sped more than a dozen major bills over to the Senate during less than three months in session, but the upper chamber is preoccupied with confirming Biden’s Cabinet. That’s not to mention the operational constraints that mean Senate Democrats likely will need several days this week to approve a routine extension for a bipartisan pandemic aid program.

“Gus Bilirakis named Florida’s most effective congressional Republican” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — U.S. Rep Bilirakis has ranked Florida’s Most Effective House Republican, according to the Center for Effective Lawmaking’s recently released list of lawmakers in the U.S. House. The independent project issues rankings of lawmakers based on each’s “Legislative Effectiveness Score,” which is calculated using 15 indicators that capture the ability of a lawmaker to advance their agenda. Bilirakis scored +1.713, the highest of any Florida Republican House member. The study also found Bilirakis, who represents areas of north Pinellas and Pasco counties, to be the most effective House member from the Tampa Bay area.

“Bill Nelson’s nomination to head NASA draws both cheers and jeers” via Rachael Joy of Florida Today — Nelson is set to be the next NASA administrator while the agency prepares to send the first woman to the moon. His nomination was greeted by cheers from some who pointed to Nelson’s long career as a champion of the space industry. Others worried that Nelson is too tied to an old NASA culture that was highly skeptical of commercial space companies such as SpaceX. And they point to his role in pushing NASA’s Space Launch System, which is years behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget. Nelson’s allies say the delays and budget problems had nothing to do with him. Still, critics say Nelson is responsible for setting NASA on the path to creating SLS.

“DC’s long-simmering statehood push begins in Congress” via Ashraf Khalil of The Associated Press — Supporters of the District of Columbia’s quest for statehood believe the time is right to bring this long-simmering and racially charged idea to fruition. But Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser’s clashes with Republicans at a House hearing Monday made clear that the issue is far from settled, even with Democrats controlling the presidency and Congress. With a new statehood bill working its way through Congress, outnumbered Republicans are marshaling their defenses — complaining about a cynical Democratic power play, claiming statehood was never the intention of the country’s Founding Fathers and insisting that Congress doesn’t even have the right to grant statehood to D.C.

— 2022 —

“Florida Democrats, with help from Michael Bloomberg, raise $2 million” via Gary Fineout of POLITICO — Buoyed by large donations, Florida Democrats have stabilized their finances and are poised to move ahead with ambitious plans to expand their operations ahead of the 2022 elections. Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz helped raise $2 million in the two months since he took over — enough to let the party wipe out much of its debts. Party officials say that Bloomberg gave $500,000, while Mike Fernandez, who was once a large Republican donor before Trump was elected, kicked in $100,000.

— LOCAL NOTES —

“Miami’s South Beach confronts disastrous Spring Break” via Kelli Kennedy and Cody Jackson of The Associated Press — Florida’s famed South Beach is desperately seeking a new image. With more than 1,000 arrests and nearly 100 gun seizures already during this year’s Spring Break season, officials think it may finally be time to cleanse the hip neighborhood of its lawbreaking, party-all-night vibe. The move comes after years of increasingly stringent measures have failed to stop the city from being overrun with out-of-control parties and anything-goes antics. “We definitely want people to come and have fun,” Miami Beach Commissioner Ricky Arriola said Monday. “It’s a nightlife city … But we can’t tolerate people thinking they can come here and act out a scene from ‘Fast and the Furious,’ speeding down the streets and shooting guns in the air.”

“2 Spring Breakers drugged, raped woman, then partied, cops say. She died in South Beach hotel” via David Ovalle of the Miami Herald — Two North Carolina men visiting South Beach have been arrested and accused of drugging and raping a woman who later died in her hotel room, police say. The men, Evoire Collier and Dorian Taylor are also accused of stealing the woman’s credit cards to spend money on their trip to South Beach. Investigators are trying to determine whether the woman died of an overdose, possibly from a pill the men supplied. The Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office said Monday it is conducting further tests, and no cause of death has been determined. The arrests come as Miami Beach police and city officials have been grappling with the overwhelming Spring Break crowds, instituting an 8 p.m. curfew aimed at cracking down on rowdy revelers on the streets.

“South Beach curfew and causeway closures extended for the rest of Spring Break” via Martin Vassolo of the Miami Herald — Curfews and causeway closures to control unruly Spring Break crowds in South Beach will be extended through April 12, the Miami Beach City Commission unanimously decided Sunday during an emergency meeting. An 8 p.m. curfew in South Beach’s entertainment district and a 10 p.m. shutdown of the eastbound lanes of the MacArthur, Julia Tuttle and Venetian causeways will remain in effect Thursday through Sunday for the remainder of Spring Break. Residents, hotel guests and local business employees are exempt from causeway closures on the MacArthur and Tuttle. The Venetian is resident-only during the causeway shutdown hours, which were initially set at 9 p.m.

“Asian Americans in Central Florida raise hate-crime concerns after spa shooting, increased anti-Chinese sentiment” via Adelaide Chen and Desiree Stennett of the Orlando Sentinel — Though local law enforcement agencies say there has not been a spike in violence against Asian Americans, the data from Stop AAPI Hate show that the vast majority of incidents recorded were verbal attacks, deliberate avoidance and online harassment, actions unlikely to be reported to police. Since the Atlanta attack, Central Florida residents have opened up about harassment that has largely not escalated to physical violence but made them feel less safe in recent months.

“Mayor plans to dissolve Pensacola’s police advisory committee. Will City Council save it?” via Jim Little of the Pensacola News Journal — The Pensacola Citizens Police Advisory Committee is turning to the City Council to continue its existence after Mayor Grover Robinson made it clear that the committee will be dissolved after completing its report of recommendations at the end of the month. Robinson created the committee last year in response to a 2019 grand jury report following the killing of Tymar Crawford by a former Pensacola Police Department officer and public protests after the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. In response, Robinson prioritized creating the 12-member committee, which he charged with completing a report of recommendations to improve the PPD by the end of March 2021. The committee voted 9-1 last week to ask the City Council to keep the committee.

“Prosecutors pursue hate crime charges against Florida doctor” via The Associated Press — Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle announced her office is charging Dr. Jennifer Susan Wright, 58, with felony counts of battery with prejudice, criminal mischief with prejudice and tampering with a victim or witness. Wright is accused of attacking a Hispanic man at a supermarket. While waiting in line at a Hialeah supermarket on Jan. 20, Wright became angered after the victim asked her in Spanish to keep her distance because of COVID-19 guidelines, officials said. Wright ignored him, so he repeated it in English, according to authorities. Once outside, Wright walked up to the man in the parking lot, and he asked her to back up, officials said, adding the doctor then uttered racial and other insults against him.

“Money from arrest goes missing, 3 deputies resign” via The Associated Press — Former Polk County deputies John Raczynski, 24, Jamal Lawson, 29, and Garrett Cook, 26, are facing charges after several hundred dollars seized during an arrest went missing, officials said Monday. The three deputies were involved in the arrest of a woman on drug charges in December. Raczynski was the arresting officer, while Lawson and Cook joined him as backup, officials said. The deputies seized $723, which was suspected to be related to drug sales, according to authorities. Raczynski logged the money in an incident report and probable cause affidavit but never submitted the money into property and evidence.

“Fort Myers roofer Casey Crowther pleads guilty on two counts in fraud case; trial starts” via Michael Braun of the Fort Myers News-Press — Crowther pleaded guilty Monday to two of seven counts of a federal indictment in the fraud case against him. A trial in the federal fraud case against Crowther then began with jury selection before Judge John Steele in U.S. District Court in Fort Myers. The judge had heard from Crowther that he was pleading guilty to counts 5 and 6 of the indictment. Crowther could get up to 30 years in prison during sentencing, to be scheduled later. Federal prosecutor Trent Reichling and defense attorneys Nicole Waid and Brian Dickerson began the trial about 9 a.m.

“Tampa Bay rents keep rising, while in some cities they’re falling. Why?” via Emily L. Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times — The median rent in the Tampa Bay metro area was around $1,375 per month in January 2021, a 6.9% increase compared to the same month last year, according to data from home search site Realtor.com. Of course, rising rents are hardly atypical for an area where that’s been the norm. But in the past pandemic year, some cities have seen their rents move in the opposite direction. The San Francisco and San Jose, California, metro areas both saw double-digit declines. The reason? According to Realtor.com economist George Ratiu, it’s because people are moving away from dense, expensive urban cores, and to more affordable areas like Tampa Bay. That drives rents up in these residents’ new home cities.

“Collier County’s tourism industry still fighting to recover from COVID-19” via Laura Layden of the Naples Daily News — This season is like no other in Southwest Florida. Visitor data for Collier County continues to tell that story. The latest monthly report — for February — shows the tourism industry is still fighting to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Before the pandemic hit last year, the county saw record-breaking visitation in January and February. So comparisons to this year seem particularly painful for hoteliers. Here’s what tourism looked like in Collier this February, when compared to a year ago, according to Tampa-based consultant Research Data Services: 187,400 visitors, down 17%; 227,500 room nights booked, down 20.8%; $263 million in economic impact, down 19.9%; 72.1% occupancy, down 20.2%; $380.68 average daily rate, down 3.9%.

— MORE LOCAL —

“Orange County leaders worry impact-fee legislation could lower revenue here” via Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel — When Orange County leaders try to raise impact fees, they often face backlash from homebuilders and developers. But they now have a new opponent — the Florida Legislature. Two bills before lawmakers in Tallahassee, Florida House Bill 337 and Senate Bill 750, would put new restrictions on the ability of Florida counties and cities to increase the one-time fees intended to offset the impact of new homes and businesses on government services, including schools, roads and public safety. “I believe that it is good governance for growth to pay for itself and one way to do that is through the enactment of impact fees,” Demings said.

“Orlando seeks NASA help to bring flying taxis downtown” via Alex Soderstrom of the Orlando Business Journal — Orlando plans to apply to a NASA program that will give the city input from NASA scientists and experts on how to build an air transportation system to usher people and goods across an urban area. The city council will consider a proposal to request to be part of NASA’s Advanced Air Mobility Research and Demonstration Program. A collaboration with the federal space agency may lead to the future development of an air taxi system in Orlando, something city officials have envisioned in the past. The region is already positioning itself as a leader in air taxis, as Tavistock and German startup Lilium Aviation Inc. will build a 56,000-square-foot vertiport in Orlando’s Lake Nona.

“Miami Mayor Suarez envisions Elon Musk-built mass transit system” via Rob Wile of the Miami Herald — Suarez believes Musk’s Boring Company tunnel-makers could build a new mass transit system in Miami’s urban core, a considerably larger vision than the original Brickell Avenue tunnel Musk initially proposed. Suarez and other local officials Friday visited Musk’s tunnel system under Las Vegas. In a Monday news conference outside city hall, Suarez said the visit helped clarify how exactly the tunnels could be used in Miami. Suarez’s new vision involves a pedestrian transportation system connecting commuters from Brickell to as far north as Little Haiti, with multiple stops between.

“New Panama City Beach City Manager Drew Whitman says he will be man for the people” via Nathan Cobb of the Panama City News Herald — Beach Police Chief Whitman says he doesn’t want the council to show him any favoritism when he takes over as the new city manager. More than a month after former city manager Tony O’Rourke was randomly fired during a city council meeting, Whitman was selected as his replacement out of a pool of more than 90 applicants from across the country. At 52 years old, Whitman described himself as someone who leads by example, likes to surround himself with a team of well-educated people and takes pride in being honest. “I just want to make sure the community knows I (have) an open door and they can come to me with anything they want to talk about,” he said.

“Spring Breakers flock to St. Johns County beaches as uptick in local tourism continues” via Colleen Michele Jones of The St. Augustine Record — With signs of recovery over the past several months, St. Johns County’s tourism industry is prepared for what it is shaping up to be a promising Spring Break season. While St. Augustine has not traditionally been a big destination for the kind of college party scene associated with Panama City or Fort Lauderdale, it still attracts some young people wanting to unwind in a quieter Florida beach town. More than that, though, the city’s Old-World charm, cultural scene and sandy shoreline have made it a popular spot for families with younger kids looking for a short getaway to break up the school year.

— TOP OPINION —

“DeSantis on the pandemic year: Don’t trust the elites” via Ron DeSantis for The Wall Street Journal — The COVID-19 pandemic represented a test of elites in the U.S., from public-health experts to the corporate media. The results have been disappointing. For months we were told to “trust the experts,” but far too often over the past year those who were most influential in our society — in public health, government and media — proved incapable of rising to the moment. Florida cut against the grain of elite opinion and bucked the media narrative. The result is open schools, comparatively low unemployment, and per capita COVID-19 mortality below the national average. We cannot simply undo the harm caused by flawed policies advocated by our elites, but we can resolve that we never let this happen to our country again.

— OPINIONS —

“Biden chooses prosperity over vengeance” via Adam Serwer of The Atlantic — Trump was a punishment. Conservatives saw him that way, and Trump saw himself that way, too. After his upset victory over Clinton in the 2016 election, some conservatives started to respond to any perceived liberal excess with a simple phrase: “This is why Trump won.” If that was a convenient deflection, a way to rationalize Trumpian malice as the left’s responsibility, it was also a concise expression of Trump’s appeal to them. Trump was not a successful President. But as a form of punishment, he was everything conservatives dreamed of. Whereas Trump entered office and immediately sought to use the power of the state to crush the rival party’s constituencies, Biden and the Democratic Party are doing the opposite.

“Bring back public shame about racism and prejudice. It should unite all of us” via Val Demings for USA Today — Today I watch some elected officials wear their racism, sexism and prejudice as a badge of honor. They call Black Lives Matter activists “terrorists” while ignoring social ills in Black communities. They proudly use racial slurs like “Kung flu” and use demeaning language against LGBTQ Americans. They publicly support the White nationalist insurrectionists who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, like Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson. I still care about what our children and grandchildren think. I want them to treat people with dignity and respect regardless of who they are or where they live.

“Amend Florida’s constitution to slow theft of power from cities, counties” via the Orlando Sentinel editorial board — As usual, Florida lawmakers are cooking up lots of new ways this year to seize more power from cities and counties. One bill would prohibit local governments from giving preference to companies that pay decent wages or provide benefits. Another would make it harder for governments to regulate home-based businesses. Another would prohibit signing contracts with Amazon, Facebook, Twitter or Google. Another would handcuff counties trying to pay for growth through impact fees on new development. Another, written by the America Natural Gas Association, would impede local efforts to convert to clean energy sources.

“How education savings accounts support education choice” via redefinED — Education savings accounts (ESAs) empower parents to customize education for their children. Traditional vouchers pay for private school tuition, but education savings accounts are more flexible. The state transfers a portion of a child’s funds from the state education formula to a state-approved nonprofit organization which puts these funds into an account for each child. Parents then apply to this nonprofit for permission to use their child’s ESA funds to buy state-authorized educational services and products. Florida currently has two ESAs: the Gardiner Scholarship for students with special needs, and the Reading Scholarship for public school students in grades 3-5 who struggle with reading.

“John Padget: Part-time enrollment will benefit students, districts” via Florida Politics — COVID-19 has complicated learning for many Florida students and their families. Not only were students forced to learn from home during the spring of 2020 when schools closed and shifted to online classes, but many students did not return to school. A simple solution to increase student access to high-quality learning is to use part-time enrollment in public schools. With a part-time enrollment option, schools accept students for specific classes. This option would enable students to learn some courses from home-school, virtual school or private school, and take advantage of courses offered at public schools. SB 1000 filed by Sen. Dennis Baxley and HB 1607 filed by Rep. Linda Chaney grow this option for students to enroll part-time.

“THC caps is bad medicine for my patients” via Dr. Sasha Noe for Florida Politics — THC cap proponents claim their proposals are based on science and an urgent public health need. Those claims are simply — and objectively — false. You might be saying to yourself, “Who is this lady? I think the Legislature really knows what is best for medical marijuana patients.” I am a Florida physician who currently certifies medical marijuana treatments for my patients. I am also the only known physician in the nation holding a Ph.D. in medical microbiology and immunology with a specialization in molecular and cellular cannabinoid research for over two decades. I don’t say all of that to brag but to establish that, perhaps unlike the folks in the legislature writing these proposals, I know a great deal about medical marijuana.

“ASR Technology is key to restoring Florida’s Everglades” via Denise Palmatier of Okeechobee News — Restoring Florida’s Everglades, Lake Okeechobee and Florida’s delicate coastal estuary systems is a much-needed environmental stewardship effort that will help secure Florida’s water future. Thankfully, Florida has an opportunity right now to champion long-term, sustainable water and environmental policies by expanding on existing Everglades restoration efforts taking place south of Lake Okeechobee, to also include water flows north of Lake Okeechobee. One of the best ways to continue strengthening Everglades restoration efforts is through Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) technology, a process that captures, treats, and stores excess water during the rainy season for later use during periods of drought.

“Matt Willhite: Paving over paradise” for Florida Politics — In 2019, a controversial proposal to develop land near the Mall at Wellington Green came before the Village of Wellington’s Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board. The proposal would have removed nearly 5 acres of preserved wetlands. Nearly two and a half years later, the proposal is back and scheduled on the Wellington council’s agenda. I oppose the plan now, just as I did in 2019. Allowing this development to begin would be to abandon many of the characteristics that have solidified Wellington’s reputation as an environmentally friendly community. Leaving a graveyard of businesses that have faded into the past is not a good look on the Village. The Village Council now has the responsibility to do the right thing.

“George Riley: Energy preemption bills hurt small businesses, shift policymaking to the courts” for Florida Politics — The language of SB 1128 and HB 919 is so overwhelmingly broad that it would create a cascading series of unintended — and undesirable — consequences. This legislation could affect policies ranging from residential zoning designations and the location of industrial pipelines to minimum safety setbacks and the placement of massive solar farms. But absent from the legislation is any clarity about the specifics or conversation about its impact on small businesses. That’s an invitation for one thing: lawsuits. They would invite legal challenges related to any number of current or future policies. Defense of those lawsuits would come out of the pockets of local residents and small businesses, costing millions of dollars that would benefit trial lawyers, but not taxpayers.

“Terence Phillips: Power Florida forward” via Florida Politics — I own one of the 70,000 businesses across Florida that rely on natural gas to power my business. I support SB 1128 by Sen. Travis Hutson and HB 919 by Rep. Tomkow because this legislation will ensure I have the power to support my business in the years to come. Natural gas provides us with a savings of 25% or 30% in monthly recurring charges when compared to other energy sources. What’s more, natural gas appliances are less expensive than electrical appliances, and they’re less expensive to maintain. In more than 20 other cities across the nation, bans on natural gas have already been implemented. I cannot imagine what we would do without natural gas.

“Preserve property tax exemptions for Florida nonprofits” via Ron Christaldi for the Tampa Bay Times — Mote Marine Aquarium, Selby Botanical Gardens and the Florida Studio Theatre are among the nonprofits in Sarasota County that have long been exempt from paying property taxes. Now, Sarasota Property Appraiser Bill Furst wants those revered institutions and other nonprofits to start paying property taxes and potentially face new tax bills ranging anywhere from 3% to 100% of their property value, blowing a big hole in their budgets and jeopardizing their ability to perform their missions. If allowed to stand, this denial of exempt status will have broad implications to the fiscal health and vitality of our key cultural institutions and will have significant impacts on not only our Tampa Bay community but on the entire state.

— ON TODAY’S SUNRISE —

In Tallahassee, the effort to put new limits on voting by mail is front and center. Republicans who support the election bills say it’s all about safety and security — opponents call it voter suppression.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— DeSantis cuts the ceremonial ribbon outside a new Buc-ee’s convenience store in Daytona Beach. Apparently, he is a major fan of their bathrooms.

— The Governor also made a stop in Melbourne, where he pushed back when reporters asked about Publix getting a contract for vaccines after donating $100,000 to his reelection campaign.

— And finally, a Florida Man pulled a gun on a cop who was nice enough to give him a ride home.

To listen, click on the image below:

— ALOE —

“COVID-19 vaccine motivation: Krispy Kreme is giving away free doughnuts for showing vaccination card” via Kelly Tyko of USA Today — Krispy Kreme is providing a sweet incentive to encourage more people to roll up their sleeves for the COVID-19 vaccine: Free doughnuts through the end of 2021. Starting Monday, consumers who show a valid COVID-19 vaccination card at locations nationwide will get a free Original Glazed doughnut, the Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based chain announced. The freebie is valid at all 369 Krispy Kreme shops located in 41 states and available “anytime, any day, every day for the rest of the year,” Dave Skena, Krispy Kreme chief marketing officer, told USA Today. No purchase is necessary.

“Florida gasoline prices: Statewide increases continuing to 2018 levels” via Karl Etters of the Tallahassee Democrat — The steady rise in gas prices in Florida continued last week with costs at the pump topping out more than $2.90 on average. The statewide average rose more than 5 cents last week, according to the AAA-Auto Club South in its weekly state briefing. That’s the highest gasoline prices have been since May 2018. Prices have been on the rise since the start of the year, climbing at least 70 cents since Jan. 1. March has seen the steepest increase with average prices rising 30 cents. Despite sharp increases, there is optimism that prices will begin to drop. Those hopes are linked to tight crude oil supplies globally and anticipation that, as more people become vaccinated, fuel demand will balloon.

“The $99 watch with $20,000 ambitions” via Cole Pennington of Bloomberg — A G-Shock knows nothing of ostentation. It doesn’t care about the distinction of its wearer. It’s remarkably unfussy. There’s something about a G-Shock that goes against the core principles of purist watch obsessives: It works off a small circuit board, it’s made from tech-forward materials, and it was born in 1983, centuries after the era when the first watchmakers started writing the history of the mechanical timepiece. And yet, the G-Shock GA2100 1-A-1 is perhaps the single G-Shock that’s most likely to convert people who don’t generally embrace the line of rugged watches. And it does that all for $99.00.

— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —

Best wishes to Sen. Kelli Stargel, Florida Supreme Court Justice John Couriel, and Jenna Kotas. 

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Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, A.G. Gancarski, Renzo Downey and Drew Wilson.