Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 4.21.21

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

As the judge pronounced the jury’s verdict Tuesday, declaring that disgraced former Minneapolis police officer Derrick Chauvin murdered George Floyd, the hammer of justice sounded loudly on all three counts he faced.

The video of Chauvin’s neck on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes was damning enough. There was more, though. Throughout the ordeal, the smug, superior expression on Chauvin’s face told volumes about the disregard he had for Floyd’s life.

This wasn’t a routine arrest over Floyd’s passing of a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin’s action that day was racism at its diabolical worst.

It occurs a day after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a so-called anti-riot law designed to crack heads of those who would protest the actions of a rogue cop like Chauvin. The new Florida law is designed to stifle protest by making the actions of a few violent protesters represent the many.

Peaceful bystanders can be caught up in the chaos of a protest that gets out of control. They could spend days in jail waiting for a bail hearing.

Is it any wonder that minorities believe this law, a priority of the Governor, is aimed at them?

Nonetheless, a jury of Chauvin’s peers in Minneapolis heard the evidence. They saw the video and listened to experts who debunked defense theories that sought to excuse the actions of a murderous bad cop.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

That’s the sound of justice.

“Joe Biden to America after George Floyd verdict: ‘We can’t stop here’” via Jonathan Lemire, Zeke Miller and Michael Balsamo of The Associated Press — President Biden said Tuesday the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of Floyd “can be a giant step forward” for the nation in the fight against systemic racism. But he declared that “it’s not enough.” Biden spoke from the White House hours after the verdict alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, with the pair saying the country’s work is far from finished with the verdict. “We can’t stop here,” Biden declared.

“‘An American court did right by an African-American man. For a change’” via Leonard Pitts, Jr. of the Miami Herald — I sat there trying to remember how to breathe. I suspect I had that in common with people, particularly African-American people, all over the country. Didn’t we all hold our breath as we awaited the verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin? Then that verdict was read. The former Minneapolis police officer was found guilty on all three counts in the death of George Floyd and was promptly handcuffed and led off to jail. On television, people shouted and prayed, cranking their fists toward heaven. I just sat there, trying to remember how lungs are supposed to work.

“‘Small victory in a very long battle’: Florida activists react to Derek Chauvin’s guilty verdict” via Samantha Gholar Weires of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — The guilty verdict on all charges in the death of George Floyd sparked relief and a small feeling of victory for activists across Florida. The unanimous decision by the jury is being viewed as a sign of progress by many allies and activists alike around the Sunshine State. Community leaders, organizers and activists all spoke out immediately following the reading of the verdict with their initial thoughts. “We can taste justice in America today,” said Sarasota activist, mother and Black Lives Matter Manasota board member Sarah Parker. She called the verdict a “small victory in a very long battle” for racial and social justice.

—“‘Justice’: Florida political leaders react to Derek Chauvin guilty verdict” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics

—”Orlando leaders react to Derek Chauvin guilty verdict: ‘Justice has prevailed’” via Grace Toohey of the Orlando Sentinel

—”In Palm Beach County, leaders ‘relieved but not celebratory’” via Wayne Washington of The Palm Beach Post

—“’Justice was served’: Polk County leaders react to verdict in George Floyd murder case”

—”‘Justice has been done’: Tallahassee reacts to guilty verdict in murder of Floyd” via TaMaryn Waters of the Tallahassee Democrat

—”‘Guilty!’ Derek Chauvin verdict brings tears, renewed call for justice to Tampa Bay” via Kavitha Surana, Christopher Spata and Kathryn Varn of the Tampa Bay Times

—”Black activists in Tampa Bay relieved by verdict, say more work is needed” via Kerry Sheridan and Steve Newborn of WUSF

Shevrin Jones blasts Anthony Sabatini comments on Chauvin verdict — Sen. Jones, who is Black, suggested Rep. Sabatini is a White supremacist after Sabatini said in a tweet the Chauvin verdict was “mob justice.” As reported by Gary Fineout of POLITICO Florida, Jones tweeted that “White supremacists in 2021 wear suits and sit in the Florida legislature. Yep, I said it.” He later told POLITICO that Sabatini is “out of control” and that he hoped that the House would censure him for his comments. When asked about Jones’ comments, Sabatini said, “Wokeism is a mental disorder, and his disgusting comments demonstrate that.”

Meanwhile … “Columbus Police fatally shoot black teen who called them for help, aunt says” via Blake Montgomery and Chris Bournea of the Daily Beast — A Columbus police officer shot and killed a Black teenage girl on Tuesday afternoon just as a guilty verdict was being handed down in the Chauvin murder case, a family member said. The shooting victim has not been officially identified, but was named as 15-year-old Makiyah Bryant by a relative early Tuesday evening. “She was a good kid. She was loving,” Hazel Bryant, who said the child was her niece, said. “The police are going to lie. I’m so thankful that someone from the family was actually on the scene,” Bryant said.

 — SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@BiancaJoanie: “What a day to be a Floyd,” says Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd.

—@AttorneyCrump: GUILTY! Painfully earned justice has finally arrived for George Floyd’s family. This verdict is a turning point in history and sends a clear message on the need for accountability of law enforcement. Justice for Black America is justice for all of America!

—@DarrickDMcGhee: Someone needs to tell Madam Speaker that there’s a big difference between being murdered and sacrificing your life. Brother George wasn’t trying to be a martyr for justice. Sometimes less is more! Words matter

—@jpbrammer: “thank you for your sacrifice” is not how being murdered works

—@Rob_Bradley: Thank goodness there was a camera.

Tweet, tweet:

Let's just say things got pretty heated between Val Demings and Jim Jordan in today's House Judiciary meeting pic.twitter.com/SaE5gQBB7b

— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) April 20, 2021

—@GrayRohrer: Looks like we’ll get a pretty good teaser for next year’s session ahead of sine die next week: How many new congressional districts Florida will get will be revealed

—@GNewburn: It’s almost as if @JeffreyBrandes isn’t an unprincipled hack seeking short-term political gain at the expense of important American values. What a novel approach to governing!

—@MDixon55: Versions of “that’s a good idea, we should consider it next Session” are among my favorite late-Session shade

— DAYS UNTIL —

NFL Draft begins — 8; Disneyland to open — 9; Orthodox Easter 2021 — 11; Mother’s Day — 18; Florida Chamber Safety Council’s inaugural Southeastern Leadership Conference on Safety, Health and Sustainability — 19; ‘A Quiet Place Part II’ rescheduled premiere — 37; Memorial Day — 40; Florida TaxWatch Spring Meeting and PLA Awards — 43; ‘Loki’ premieres on Disney+ — 51; Father’s Day — 60; F9 premieres in the U.S. — 65; ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ rescheduled premiere — 72; 4th of July — 74; ‘Black Widow’ rescheduled premiere — 78; MLB All-Star Game — 83; new start date for 2021 Olympics — 93; The NBA Draft — 99; ‘Jungle Cruise’ premieres — 101; ‘The Suicide Squad’ premieres — 107; St. Petersburg Primary Election — 125; Disney’s ‘Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings’ premieres — 135; ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ premieres (rescheduled) — 156; ‘Dune’ premieres — 163; MLB regular season ends — 165; ‘No Time to Die’ premieres (rescheduled) — 171; World Series Game 1 — 188; St. Petersburg Municipal Elections — 195; Disney’s ‘Eternals’ premieres — 198; San Diego Comic-Con begins — 219; Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ premieres — 230; ‘Spider-Man Far From Home’ sequel premieres — 237; Super Bowl LVI — 298; ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 338; ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 380; “Black Panther 2” premieres — 443; ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 534; “Captain Marvel 2” premieres — 569.

— DATELINE TALLAHASSEE —

Nikki Fried slams Ron DeSantis for signing online sales tax bill — Agriculture Commissioner Fried released a video Tuesday calling out DeSantis’ decision to sign a bill that would collect online sales tax and use it to refill the unemployment trust fund and slash the commercial rents tax. Fried said the law was a $1 billion tax increase on Floridians. “Last night, Ron DeSantis raised your taxes by over a billion dollars, and he did it right before midnight with no cameras, no one watching,” Fried says in the video. “I’m pissed, and you should be pissed too. Now go tell the other 22 million Floridians across our state that Ron DeSantis just raised our taxes by over a billion dollars.”

Just before midnight, @GovRonDeSantis signed a BILLION dollar tax hike. He doesn’t want anyone, especially Republicans, to know.

So, please, RT this on. pic.twitter.com/SglAjyGyUD

— Nikki Fried (@nikkifried) April 20, 2021

“Florida GOP leaders bash ‘woke’ corporations as they stumble over election, transgender bills” via Gray Rohrer of the Orlando Sentinel — Florida’s top Republicans are bashing corporations that criticized a move to ban transgender athletes from competing in competitions of the gender with which they identify, as well as a Georgia election law that restricts mail voting methods, hinting there’ll be repercussions for any company that tries to boycott the state. But at the same time, the GOP-led Florida Legislature is moving forward with an agenda that aligns with the wishes of powerful Florida companies, which haven’t spoken out against a similar elections bill or the transgender bill. DeSantis signed a bill late Monday night pushed by big business lobbies (SB 50) that uses increased online sales tax collections to cut unemployment taxes for businesses.

—“Controversial election bill heads to the Senate floor despite bipartisan criticism” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics 

—”One GOP lawmaker defects as elections bill heads to Florida Senate” via Forrest Saunders of WPTV

“Bill to bar transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports in Florida hits a wall” via Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times — A national effort from conservative state lawmakers to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports looks to be dead in Florida. Although the Florida House voted to pass its version of the controversial measure last week, Senate lawmakers could not agree on ways to advance the bill. The Senate version of the bill, SB 2012, was set to be heard in a committee Tuesday — the last scheduled day of Senate committee meetings. But the measure’s hearing was temporarily postponed, meaning it will likely never make it to the Senate floor for a vote. To become law, identical transgender athlete bills would have to pass the House and Senate and then be signed by DeSantis.

“Senate eyes social media crackdown” via The News Service of Florida — The Florida Senate is scheduled Thursday to consider a bill that would crack down on social-media companies, while the House version awaits action. The Senate proposal (SB 7072), spearheaded by Estero Republican Sen. Ray Rodrigues, is on a list of bills slated to be heard on the Senate floor. The proposal was approved Monday by the Senate Appropriations Committee in a 10-9 vote. The Senate bill would bar social-media companies from removing political candidates from the companies’ platforms. Companies that violate the prohibition could face fines of $100,000 a day for statewide candidates and $10,000 a day for other candidates. The proposal would also require companies to publish standards about blocking users and applying the standards consistently.

“House rejects effort to boost jobless benefits” via The News Service of Florida — The House voted 77-39 to reject a proposed amendment that would have raised maximum unemployment payments by $100 a week. The votes came as the House took up a wide-ranging proposal (HB 1463) that includes upgrading the state’s online unemployment system, which largely crashed last spring after becoming inundated with claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would include starting to move the troubled CONNECT system to a cloud-based service. Rep. Anna Eskamani, an Orlando Democrat, sought to boost the maximum unemployment benefit from $275 a week to $375 a week. On the House floor Tuesday, Rep. Tommy Gregory, a Sarasota Republican, said the “premise” of Eskamani’s amendment was misleading. “There are help wanted signs all over the state,” Gregory said.

“Senate scraps alimony overhaul effort” via Dara Kam of The News Service of Florida — Senate Republican leaders have dropped a perennially controversial effort to overhaul the state’s alimony laws, saying Tuesday they’ll take another stab at a revamp during next year’s Legislative Session. Senate sponsor Joe Gruters yanked the proposal from consideration hours after the House discussed a similar measure (HB 1559) and prepared it for a floor vote. “I know how tough of an issue it is,” Rules Chair Kathleen Passidomo said, encouraging Gruters to work on the bill again next year. “I think it’s smart to start early on and get the stakeholders in the room, and hopefully, we can come to a consensus of all the members.”

— BUDGET NOTES —

“Proposal to help new moms is a sticking point in budget negotiations” via Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times — In March, Speaker Chris Sprowls announced he was backing a plan to extend the amount of time new mothers could be eligible for Medicaid from 60 days to one year. The Palm Harbor Republican won bipartisan praise for the proposal, which he said would help the state fight racial disparities in maternal mortality. But as the House negotiates with the Senate over the state’s near-$100 billion budget, Sprowls’ proposal has turned into one of the main sticking points.

“Major health budget issues remain in limbo” via The News Service of Florida — The fate of more than $42 billion in spending on health and human-services programs remained in limbo after House and Senate budget negotiators were unable to reach an agreement by Monday night. Senate Health and Human Services Appropriations Chairman Aaron Bean said the health and human services budget had been bumped to top House and Senate leaders to be resolved. One of the substantial differences is whether Florida will extend Medicaid benefits for postpartum women for up to a year, a priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls. The House and Senate spending proposals also include vast differences in hospital and nursing-home spending. A conference committee on the health and human-services budget met only once in public, with the Senate extending an initial offer on Saturday.

“House, Senate at odds over higher education cut plan” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — House and Senate conferees are tossing in the towel on higher education budget talks after failing to find common ground. After a brief intermission to review offers during a budget meeting late Monday, Senate budget chief Doug Broxson and House budget chief Rene Plasencia opted to waive the white flag. Broxson characterized their positions as “considerably away.” Among the many loose ends, the budget chiefs largely disagreed on methodology. “Though I do not believe it was the Senate’s intent, your reduction methodology disproportionately impacts low-income students at minority-serving institutions,” Plasencia said during the meeting.

House, Senate bump agriculture spending — Agriculture and environmental budget leaders bumped the remaining disagreements between the two chambers to the House and Senate budget chiefs. As reported by Bruce Ritchie of POLITICO Florida, the biggest differences between the two chambers’ proposals were additional spending on springs restoration and money to build water storage north of Lake Okeechobee. There is also a $12.5 million difference between the chambers on a new citrus industry “recovery” advertising campaign. Also on the bump list is using $50 million from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund to pay for the Lake Okeechobee Watershed Restoration Project.

Senate tax cut undoes José Oliva hospital transparency provision — The Senate tax-cut package would undo one of former House Speaker Oliva’s priorities before it is implemented. As reported by Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida, the Senate bill (SB 58) would get rid of a requirement that hospitals report how much they spend on “net community benefit” services, including how much free or reduced-price health coverage they provide. The requirement passed last year over objections from hospitals and was set to go into effect in 2022.

“Cuban Club may get restoration funding; Jackson House and Italian Club may not” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — The House and Senate have included restoration funding for the historic Tampa Cuban Club in the chambers’ latest budget offers, but, at half the requested amount. Sen. Darryl Rouson and Rep. Susan Valdes, both Tampa Bay Democrats, filed the respective appropriation requests (SF 1699, HB 3473) that ask the Department of Economic Opportunity for $1.2 million to help restore the fourth floor of Tampa’s 1917-era Cuban Club. But, with tighter purse strings this year, both the House and Senate have opted to allocate only $600,000 to the restoration project, half the anticipated cost. According to the funding requests, the state would bear the entirety of the estimated cost, with no other funding source listed for the specified renovations.

—“Madeira Beach groin rehabilitation funding shorted in House budget, stiffed in Senate” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics

— TALLY 2 —

“Teacher ‘paycheck protection’ bill at risk of being held back a year” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Legislation to prohibit teachers unions from deducting dues without teachers’ expressed consent looks like it won’t graduate with the rest of the class this year. Senate Rules Committee Chair Passidomo announced Tuesday during a committee meeting that the Senate version of that bill (SB 1014) would be postponed. With 10 days remaining in the Session, that measure looks likely dead. The measure would require teachers to reaffirm each year that they aren’t required to be union members. Ocala Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley, the bill’s sponsor, has called it a “paycheck protection” bill. However, Democrats have disparaged the measure, calling it unnecessary because teachers can already opt out.

“House set to expand school vouchers” via Ryan Dailey of The News Service of Florida — The Florida House is poised to pass a proposal that would greatly expand eligibility for the state’s school-voucher programs, as opponents argue the expansion would shrink funding for public schools. The House on Tuesday took up the proposal (HB 7045), positioning it for a vote on Wednesday. The measure, in part, would consolidate the Gardiner and McKay scholarship programs, which serve students with special needs, with the Family Empowerment Scholarship program, which serves a broader population of low- to middle-income families. It also would remove a requirement that students receiving vouchers be previously enrolled in public schools. That would open up eligibility to home-schooled students, for instance, to receive vouchers.

“Sex ed bills teed up in Senate, House” via News Service of Florida — The Senate is scheduled Thursday to consider a proposal aimed at notifying parents about their right to “opt-out” of sex-education instruction for their children after the Rules Committee approved the measure an 11-3 vote Tuesday. Under the proposal (SB 410), school districts would be required to notify parents of their right to make written requests to exempt students from sex-education lessons. Notices would have to be posted on districts’ websites, and the districts would be required to publish any sex-education curricula. School boards would have to approve sex-education instruction annually under the bill. The bill is scheduled to be heard during a Thursday floor session, while the full House is slated Thursday to consider the House version.

“Data privacy bill ready for House vote” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — The House is set to vote on a bill supporters say would protect Floridians’ data privacy online. That measure (HB 969), a priority of Ron DeSantis, would give consumers the right to control how their personal data is shared and sold. That data helps businesses know more about individual consumers and help make things like targeted ads possible. Rep. Fiona McFarland, the bill’s sponsor, said internet users and businesses are in a “tug of war” over who owns that data.

“Bob Rommel considering attorney fees, cash value roofing policies for House insurance reform” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — An insurance reform bill temporarily postponed in the House will return to the Commerce Committee on Friday. Rep. Rommel, the bill’s sponsor, hopes by that point to bring it closer to Senate legislation already passed. The big differences, addressing roofing policies and attorney fees, generated the most debate in the upper chamber. Still, Rommel sees reason to address the issues before putting the bill (HB 305) in front of a final House committee. “All the stakeholders, including some plaintiffs’ attorneys, realize there are abusive practices,” Rommel said.

“Time runs out on vacation rentals fight” via Dara Kam of The News Service of Florida — A legislative fight over further restricting local governments’ ability to regulate vacation rental properties appears to have withered after a key Senate committee ran out of time Tuesday before taking up the issue. With time running out on the 2021 Legislative Session, Senate Rules Chair Passidomo announced Tuesday that the Senate proposal (SB 522) would be postponed. The committee is not slated to meet again before the Session ends April 30. Listing bills her committee would not consider at the end of Tuesday’s meeting, Passidomo noted she “would love to hear” the vacation-rentals bill “since I worked all Session on it.”

Senate bill would bring solar to agricultural areas — A Senate (SB 896) bill was amended Tuesday to prohibit local governments from preventing solar installations on agricultural land, Bruce Ritchie of POLITICO Florida reports. It has faced pushback from environmental groups because it would preempt an Alachua County vote to not allow Duke Energy to build a 650-acre solar installation near Archer. “I’m sorry, but the decisions you make here affect real people,” said Michelle Rutledge, an opponent of the solar project who broke down in tears. “My community is a historically African American community. It takes so much for minority and marginalized communities to even obtain property. And decisions like this take away our ability to pass wealth on to our future generations to acquire an equitable society.”

“Gas station preemption bill ready for House vote” via Haley Brown of Florida Politics — A bill to preempt energy regulations was watered down in committee meetings, but it still faced questions from Democrats on the House floor during a second reading Tuesday. The bill (HB 839) is now ready for a vote by the full House. At this point, the bill would shield gas stations and their related infrastructure from being outlawed by local governments that want to encourage clean energy. An earlier version of the bill received pushback in committee meetings when the preemption was broader and included provisions that would prevent local governments from prohibiting natural gas fracking, as well as nullify solar-promoting ordinances and eliminate county authority over pipelines along roadways.

— TALLY 3 —

“Bill allowing guns at churches with schools triggers debate, but heads to Senate floor anyway” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — A bill that would allow Floridians with concealed weapons permits to carry a gun in religious institutions, even if there is a school on the property, is on to the Senate floor. The Senate Rules Committee heard the House version of the bill (HB 259), which passed the chamber in a 76-37 vote near the end of March. Republican Sen. Gruters, who sponsored the Senate version of the bill (SB 498), presented it to the committee, which voted 10-6 to send it to the Senate Floor on a party-line vote. The bill would allow the religious institution to determine whether to ban guns. Facilities could even permit guns only during certain hours, potentially when classes aren’t in session.

“Gun preemption bill cleared for Senate floor” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Legislation to stop cities and counties from creating unwritten gun policies is on its way to the Senate floor. By a party-line vote, the Senate Rules Committee approved Estero Republican Sen. Ray Rodrigues‘ bill (SB 1884) to clarify that the state’s preemption over local firearm and ammunition laws applies to unwritten rules. State law expressly prohibits a local government from creating an “ordinance, regulation, measure, directive, rule, enactment, order or policy” relating to guns that is more restrictive than state law. The broad list was intended to show it includes unwritten policies, but some courts have sided with cities and counties on unwritten rules. In particular, Republicans believe local governments have gotten away with ending their unwritten policies when facing lawsuits.

“Watered-down bill banning local preference contracts heads to Senate floor” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — A bill to weaken cities’ ability to filter nonlocal businesses from city contracts is ready for consideration before the full Senate. The Senate Rules Committee voted 8-4 to send Jason Brodeur‘s bill (SB 1076) to the Senate floor. “The theme of this Session has been that, if COVID has taught us anything, it’s that geography doesn’t mean as much as it used to, and we’re finding better ways to do things at a less costly rate,” Brodeur said. With an amendment accepted during the Tuesday meeting, the bill falls in line with Rep. Nick DiCeglie‘s measure (HB 53), which advanced to the House floor Monday. The amendment clarifies the bill only applies to contracts worth $1 million or more.

“College president search records exemption draws public criticism during final Senate committee” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — A proposal that would provide a public records exemption for information about applicants seeking a state university or college presidential position advanced through its final Senate committee Tuesday. St. Petersburg Republican Sen. Jeff Brandes sponsored the bill (SB 220). He presented it to the Senate Rules Committee, where it passed 7-4 along party lines. The bill would create a public records exemption for information about applicants, though information about finalists for the posts would be available. “The simple truth is, this is actually going to really help the universities grow and have a much more diverse applicant (pool) of top talent from around the country,” Brandes said. “There’s a reason this bill comes back year after year.”

“Exemption could shield lottery winners” via News Service of Florida — A bill (HB 1395) sponsored by Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Tracie Davis would create a public-records exemption for the names of people who win lottery prizes of $250,000 or more. The exemption would last for 90 days, with the clock running from the time prizes are claimed. Currently, the names, cities of residence, games won, amounts won, and the state lottery agency regularly release details about where tickets were purchased as part of its marketing strategy. The odds on Davis’ bill coming up a winner, however, remain low. With less than two weeks left in the Legislative Session, the Senate version has cleared just one of three assigned committees.

—”Abandoned African American cemetery bill ready for House vote” via Haley Brown of Florida Politics

—“Telephone solicitation bill heads to Senate floor” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

—”Mental health commission proposal up for vote in House” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics 

—“‘Purple Alert’ ready for House vote” via Haley Brown of Florida Politics 

“‘Why it wasn’t heard the world will never know’: Criminal justice reform bills gain little traction in Tallahassee” via Asher Wildman of Spectrum News — Justice Reform in Florida often centers around over-incarceration and racial disparities. But there are also disparities in support systems for victims of crime. Several lawmakers in Tallahassee made it one of their top priorities to help maintain human dignity while improving mental health and strengthening rehabilitation. However, some criminal justice reform is not gaining traction. Senate Bill 1838, proposed by Sen. Shevrin Jones, a Miami Gardens Democrat, would protect employees who voluntarily leave work from losing their re-employment benefits.

— LOBBY REGS —

New and renewed lobbying registrations:

Brian Ballard, Katherine San Pedro, Abigail Vail, Stephanie Zauder, Ballard Partners: Crown Castle, Intuit

Miguel Diaz de la Portilla, Gunster Yoakley & Stewart: SEIU Local 1991, Transport Workers Union of America local 291

Christopher Moya, Dean Mead: Geographic Solutions

— LEG. SKED —

The Senate holds a floor Session to consider several bills, including SB 90, from Ethics and Elections Chair Baxley, to change the state’s vote-by-mail system. Also on the agenda is SB 48 from Sen. Manny Diaz Jr. to revamp school-vouchers programs and HB 529 from Rep. Randy Fine to require moments of silence in public schools, 10 a.m., Senate Chamber.

The House will hold a floor session, 10 a.m., House Chamber.

The Senate Special Order Calendar Group meets to set the calendar for bills to be heard on the Senate floor, 15 minutes after the floor Session, Room 301, Senate Office Building.

— 2022 —

“Fried predicts DeSantis will bail on second term for White House bid” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — Fried suggested DeSantis may not actually be interested in serving the full four years should voters reelect him in November. “He’s looking at 2024,” Fried told Duval County Democrats during a meeting Monday evening. “If you think that he’s spending one day in his second administration, you are wrong. He is trying to use the people of our state for his own political power and future,” Fried added. “If he’s running for President, he will have to declare, you know, right before or right after the November election. Which means the first two years, he’s campaigning all over the country. And his last two years, he’s going to be President. So who gets duped? The people of the state of Florida.”

Tweet, tweet:

🚨BIG: Commissioner @NikkiFried (on our April @VYDems meeting) just now strongly suggests that as Governor, she will refuse to sign ANY bill (including even a budget) until recreational marijuana legislation is put on her desk. #FlaPol

— Travis Henville (@Trav4FL) April 21, 2021

“Bobby DuBose running for Congress, shaking up race to succeed Alcee Hastings” via Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — State Rep. DuBose of Fort Lauderdale is announcing on Tuesday his candidacy to succeed the late Congressman Alcee Hastings. The entry of DuBose — the fourth currently elected official to declare his candidacy — shakes up the race. Serving his fourth term in the Legislature, he’s ineligible to run for reelection in 2022 because of term limits. That had led to speculation that he’d run for Congress — or the County Commission seat of another congressional candidate, Dale Holness, or the state Senate seat of another candidate, Perry Thurston. His political base is northwest Fort Lauderdale, which he served on the City Commission and the state House. The territory overlaps with Thurston and Holness.

“Port of Palm Beach Commissioner Katherine Waldron files to replace Matt Willhite in HD 86” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Katherine Waldron, who serves on the Port of Palm Beach Commission, has become the first Democrat filed in the race to replace Rep. Matt Willhite. Willhite, a Democrat, announced earlier this month that he would not seek a fourth consecutive term representing House District 86. Instead, Willhite is planning to mount a 2022 run for Palm Beach County Commission. That leaves an opening in HD 86. Republican candidate Susan Kufdakis Rivera filed for the seat in January before Willhite announcing he would not seek another term. In 2020, Waldron secured her second term on the Port of Palm Beach Commission, representing Group 2. Waldron has worked in sales and business for decades, founding multiple companies.

— STATEWIDE —

“Activists work to educate public after DeSantis signed controversial anti-protest bill into law” via Amy Viteri of Local 10 — Activist groups are trying to spread the word about a controversial new anti-protest bill that DeSantis just signed into law. They believe that new discriminates against people of color and denies them their First Amendment rights. “We’re wasting a whole bunch of time, even money, our tax dollars, to criminalize people who want to hold our government accountable when they do harm to citizens,” said Valencia Gunder, co-founder of The Black Collective. Gunder helped organize several groups going door to door in Liberty City Tuesday afternoon. The objective was to let people know this law is already in effect. Gunder said the law attempts to frighten people out of exercising their First Amendment rights and silence those protesting injustice.

“DeSantis embraces YouTube alternative as conservatives battle Big Tech” via Brooke Singman of Fox News — As conservatives battle Big Tech, claiming censorship of right-leaning ideas and posts on platforms, DeSantis is taking his messaging to a new platform — Rumble — a Toronto-based video-sharing platform that launched in 2013 with the focus of helping “small and independent video creators” grow their footprint and their audience. DeSantis posted his first video to the platform on April 15, titled “Gov. DeSantis Fights Back Against Big Tech Censorship.” DeSantis, this week, started posting more regularly on the platform, including videos of his remarks after signing anti-riot legislation in Florida. DeSantis’ use of Rumble comes after YouTube, earlier this month, removed a video featuring DeSantis and a roundtable panel of medical officials in Florida.

To watch the Rumble video, click on the image below:

“Regulators scale back Citizens rate hikes” via Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida — Regulators scaled back rate increases sought by Citizens Property Insurance, dealing a blow to leaders of the state-backed insurer who argue it needs to charge more for coverage. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation released details Tuesday of rate increases that will take effect Aug. 1, including decisions that reduced amounts sought by Citizens. For example, Citizens requested an average 6.2% increase for homeowners’ multi-peril policies, but regulators approved a 3.2% increase. Regulators also rejected a series of moves that Citizens proposed to boost rates. Perhaps the most far-reaching decision involved a proposal by Citizens to charge actuarially sound rates for new customers — a move that would have effectively led to many new customers paying more than current customers.

— CORONA FLORIDA —

“Florida reports 62 coronavirus resident deaths, 5,645 new cases” via Richard Tribou of the Orlando Sentinel — Florida’s resident death toll from coronavirus rose to 34,533 with the addition of 62 more reported fatalities on Tuesday while also adding 5,645 more positive COVID-19 cases to bring the total to 2,178,783. Deaths and cases continue to hover in the same range day-to-day, with between 4,000-7,000 infections reported per day in the last week, slightly less at 43,869 new cases total than the 44,052 cases the week previous. Resident deaths have ranged from 32 to 92 reported the last seven days, a cumulative total of 413, which is higher than the 340 reported the previous week.

— CORONA LOCAL —

“3 mass vaccination sites to close in Palm Beach County” via Jane Musgrave of The Palm Beach Post — With interest in getting a coronavirus vaccine waning, Palm Beach County health officials are planning to close its three mass vaccination sites by the end of May and take the shots on the road. While officials expected demand to increase this month when state residents as young as 16 became eligible to get vaccinated, instead it has tanked, Darcy Davis, CEO of the county’s health care district, told County Commissioners. Vaccination centers at the South Florida Fairgrounds, the South County Civic Center, and the Burns Road Community Center are operating at 50% capacity this week because no one signed up for more than 10,000 of the roughly 16,000 available appointments, she said.

“Northwest Florida domestic violence victims seeking help in aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic” — via Sierra Rains of the Northwest Florida Daily News — Last year, many victims of domestic violence fell silent as they became isolated from the outside world. All the while, the number of people in dangerous and abusive situations continued to rise. Now, as more victims finally have a “chance to breathe,” Shelter House, the state-certified domestic and sexual violence center for Okaloosa and Walton Counties, is seeing a continual increase in the number of people seeking help. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office saw a nearly 25% increase in domestic violence-related crimes in 2020. Shelter House Executive Director Rosalyn Wik said many more domestic violence situations likely went unreported because victims were forced to quarantine with their abusers.

“One year into the pandemic, Orlando artists use their craft to heal” via Patrick Connolly of the Orlando Sentinel — Painter Janas Smith Durkee reflects on the personalities of the deceased as her careful brush strokes immortalize on canvas the images of departed loved ones struck down by COVID-19. The portraits she paints of those who died from the coronavirus started as submissions by family and friends and came with vivid stories about the lives and personalities of the deceased. “I have conversations with these people,” Durkee said, referring to the people whose portraits she’s painted. “Conversations really heal people,” she continued. “You’re asking them questions about their loved one, and they have the opportunity to express not just the grief of losing them but the joy of who they were.”

— CORONA NATION —

“Is herd immunity to COVID-19 possible? Experts increasingly say no.” via Elizabeth Weise of USA Today — For almost a year, Americans have been looking forward to herd immunity, when enough people are protected through vaccination or past infection to stop the spread of COVID-19. Once there, public officials have said, masks won’t be necessary and hugging and handshakes can return. But even as more than half of adult Americans have received at least one dose of vaccine and many others are protected by recent infections, health experts are moving away from the idea of reaching some magic number. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, doesn’t want to talk about herd immunity anymore. What Fauci doesn’t explicitly state, but others do, is that with about a quarter of Americans saying they might not want to be immunized, herd immunity is simply not an attainable goal. 

“COVID-19 vaccinations study highlights how shots curb spread” via John Lauerman of Bloomberg — COVID-19 infection and death rates in Israel — the world’s most vaccinated country — are falling roughly in line with the order in which various age groups gained eligibility to get their shots, according to a study showing the campaign’s impact. While all Israelis endured a nationwide lockdown and rules on social distancing, the age-tiered declines seen in the study suggest vaccines play a major role in blunting the impact of the pandemic. About 55% of Israelis are now vaccinated, giving it a unique standing among researchers as governments globally seek signs their vaccine campaigns are working. In the U.S., with about 32% of people fully immunized, early data suggests similar trends may be seen.

“‘I’m still a zero’: Vaccine-resistant Republicans warn that their skepticism is worsening” via Dan Diamond of The Washington Post — Stop talking about the possibility of coronavirus booster shots. Don’t bully people who are vaccine holdouts. And if you’re trying to win over skeptics, show us anyone besides Fauci. That’s what a focus group of vaccine-hesitant Donald Trump voters urged politicians and pollsters during the weekend, as public health officials work to understand potential roadblocks in the campaign to inoculate Americans against the coronavirus. Among the most pressing questions are why so many GOP voters remain opposed to the shots and whether the recent decision to pause Johnson & Johnson vaccinations was a factor. More than 40% of Republicans have consistently told pollsters they’re not planning to be vaccinated, a group that could threaten efforts to tamp down the virus’s spread, public health officials fear.

“No-prescription, rapid COVID-19 home tests to be sold at CVS, Walgreens and Walmart beginning this week” via Ken Alltucker of USA Today — Consumers will be able to buy rapid coronavirus tests without a prescription this week at three national chain retailers, an expansion that comes as the nation’s vaccination effort accelerates and states relax distancing requirements and mask mandates. Abbott Laboratories’ BinaxNOW coronavirus self-test kits will be shipped to CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens and Walmart locations, and also will be sold online. The two-test kit, which last month received FDA emergency-use authorization for serial screening, will cost $23.99, the company said. Another rapid test made by Australia-based Ellume will be sold at CVS stores in Rhode Island and Massachusetts for $38.99. It also can be purchased online or at most CVS stores in other states by the end of May.

“Johnson & Johnson suffers another setback as FDA tells Maryland vaccine maker to suspend production” via Christopher Rowland of The Washington Post — Emergent BioSolutions has shut down new manufacturing of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine at its Baltimore plant at the request of the FDA after an inspection of the troubled facility last week, Emergent said Monday. The halt in production is another setback for Johnson & Johnson as it attempts to meet its promise to deliver nearly 100 million doses of vaccine to the U.S. government by the end of May. Emergent’s brief statement Monday said the FDA began a new inspection of its Bayview facility on April 12. It said it was striving to make unspecified improvements “to meet the high standards we have set for ourselves and to restore confidence in our quality systems and manufacturing processes.”

“How Pfizer became the status vax” via Heather Schwedel of Slate — Last week, on a phone call with Tom Cox, a former representative in the Kansas state Legislature who now works in government relations, I told him I was soon to get my first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. “Welcome to the ruling class,” he replied. Cox had also gotten the Pfizer shot, and with it, he has lately developed — facetiously, he swears — a sense of Pfizer superiority. Cox is likely not the first Pfizerphile you’ve heard sing his vaccine brand’s praises. Pro-Pfizer sentiment is all over TikTok, where you can find skits of bros bonding over their shared Pfizer status, or one creator declaring that the name itself “Sounds rich. Decadent. Luxury!”

— CORONA ECONOMICS — 

“As COVID-19 relief money floods in, pandemic-battered cities see a chance to transform” via Griff Witte of The Washington Post — It wasn’t long ago that the future looked bleak for Birmingham. The pandemic had blown a $63 million hole in the Alabama city’s finances, and the costs were piling up: furloughed workers, slashed salaries, cuts to programs as varied as the arts and the zoo. On the day last fall that the city council passed its red-ink-streaked budget, angry librarians protested outside. But the atmosphere abruptly changed this month when the city’s Democratic congresswoman came to town bearing an outsized $148 million check. The symbolic banknote, bearing President Joe Biden’s signature, reflects the city’s allotment of federal coronavirus relief funds. It also represents, said Democratic Mayor Randall Woodfin, an opportunity to fix Birmingham’s biggest problems.

“How restaurants in Florida have dealt with COVID-19 amid few regulations” via South Florida Caribbean News — Florida has had some of the fewest COVID-19 restrictions in the entire country of the United States. While this affording Floridians a lot of freedom during this time, it leads to unnecessary risk and some conundrums for businesses such as bars and restaurants. It has made it difficult to manage restaurant guest expectations during COVID-19. Restaurants have been forced to follow their own rules and regulations when it comes to virus protocol. This has led to varying results.

— MORE CORONA —

“The pandemic will be more deadly this year” via David Fickling of Bloomberg — COVID-19 is going to kill more people in 2021 than it did last year. If you want to see why, look at what’s happening in India. Cases have been surging in the country of 1.37 billion people. On Sunday alone, 261,500 new infections were recorded. That’s as bad as the U.S. during all but the worst five days of the pandemic in December and early January. Case counts are rising far more quickly, too. Average infection numbers over the past seven days ran nearly three times the level of two weeks ago, a pace of growth that the U.S. last saw in the early days of the outbreak a year ago.

“This is the most dangerous moment to be unvaccinated” via Robert M. Wachter in The Washington Post — If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is straightforward. We know that fully vaccinated people are greatly protected against infection and serious illness and are far less likely to transmit COVID-19 to others. The vaccines truly are a miracle. But here’s the bad news: Life has become even riskier for unvaccinated people, particularly those who have never had COVID-19. (People with prior infections fall into a middle category, since they are at least partly protected but still require vaccination to increase the level and durability of immunity.) The reasons that the unvaccinated are at higher risk are biological, behavioral and political.

“State Department to designate most countries with ‘do not travel’ advisory” via Hannah Sampson of The Washington Post — The State Department said it would start updating its travel advisories to drastically increase the number of countries that get the “Level 4: Do Not Travel” designation. The department said roughly 80% of countries worldwide would soon be marked at the highest warning level. As of Monday afternoon, about 16% of countries had that label. “This alignment better reflects the current, unpredictable, and ever-evolving threat posed by COVID-19,” the department said in an email. “We continue to strongly recommend U.S. citizens reconsider all travel abroad and postpone their trips if possible.”

“E.U. calls for J&J COVID-19 vaccine warning on blood clots, but says benefits outweigh risks” via Thomas M. Burton and Eric Sylvers of The Wall Street Journal — Europe’s health agency said a warning should be added to the product information of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine that unusual blood clots are a very rare possible side effect, but said the benefits of taking the shot outweigh the risks, even as the number of clotting cases rose slightly. In the U.S., the number of cases of blood-clot disorders linked to the vaccine has increased to nine, up from the six initially reported, according to a senior U.S. health official. The European Medicines Agency said it had looked at data from the U.S. in making its assessment. The nine U.S. cases, including one death, are being investigated, the official said. Use of the J&J vaccine has been temporarily suspended on the recommendation of the FDA and CDC.

“France is introducing a digital COVID-19 document for travel to its overseas territories.” via Aurelien Breeden of The New York Times — France is introducing one of Europe’s first COVID-19 vaccine passport initiatives, the authorities said this week, as countries across the continent seek to facilitate travel by the summer. At first, the initiative will be for domestic flights to Corsica and then on longer ones to France’s overseas territories, the government said in a statement on Monday. The ultimate goal is to make the digital certificates applicable to travel to other countries. Starting this week, people in France can get a digitally certified record of coronavirus test results, either by downloading and printing a certificate or adding it to a smartphone app that the authorities have used for contact tracing. It will be expanded to include proof of vaccination starting on April 29.

“‘Irregular menstrual cycle’ isn’t listed as a COVID-19 vaccine side effect — but many report it” via Nicole Karlis of Salon — When Dr. Katharine Lee got her COVID-19 vaccine, she noticed her next period was a little “different.” Lee, a postdoctoral scholar in the public health sciences division at Washington University in St. Louis, was curious if anyone else experienced an irregular period after getting inoculated. She reached out to a few friends and colleagues, some of whom had also noticed something was a little off too. It turned out she wasn’t alone: many said they’d had the same experience. So why wasn’t this being reported as a side effect?

“Ted Nugent has caught COVID-19 after calling it ‘not a real pandemic’” via Will Richards of NME — Nugent has contracted COVID-19, a virus he previously called “not a real pandemic.” The controversial right-wing singer has attracted criticism for his views on the ongoing pandemic over the last year. Now, in a Facebook Live stream posted yesterday (April 19), Nugent announced that he has tested positive for the virus. “Everybody told me that I should not announce this,” he said. Last month, Nugent attracted more criticism after claiming that the official reported death toll from coronavirus is significantly higher than actual deaths. Nugent also previously said that he would refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.

— PRESIDENTIAL —

“‘The wheels fell off’: How Joe Biden’s misgivings on border surge upended plan on refugees” via Tyler Pager, Sean Sullivan and Seung Min Kim of The Washington Post — President Biden overruled his top foreign policy and national security aides, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, when he kept in place the Trump administration’s record low cap on the number of refugees admitted to the United States, a decision that was reversed after a public outcry. Biden harbored concerns about what the sharp increase in migrants at the southern border meant for the government’s capacity to handle an influx of refugees from elsewhere. In the end, the president’s own misgivings fueled the decision more than anything else.

“White House closes in on ‘families plan’ spending proposal centered on child care, pre-K, paid leave” via Jeff Stein and Tyler Pager of The Washington Post — White House officials are closing in on a large spending plan centered on child care, paid family leave and other domestic priorities, according to two people aware of internal discussions. The package could amount to at least $1 trillion of new spending and tax credits, though details remain fluid. The American Families Plan, the second part of the administration’s Build Back Better agenda, is expected to be unveiled ahead of Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress on April 28, the people said. It follows the approximately $2 trillion jobs and infrastructure plan that the White House introduced this month, which is just beginning to be debated by Congress.

“Rift between GOP, corporate America creates opening for Joe Biden’s tax plan” via Jeff Stein and Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post — The morning that President Biden introduced his jobs and infrastructure plan, senior White House officials briefed Goldman Sachs CEO David M. Solomon, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and four other chief executives of the country’s biggest banks about the measure. White House officials in a 24-hour period also briefed powerful business groups such as the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable about the proposal, while also planning outreach to thousands of small businesses. White House senior adviser Cedric L. Richmond and White House National Economic Council Director Brian Deese were among the administration’s emissaries for the legislation.

“Biden’s big agenda relies on a shrunken, strained agency: The IRS” via Richard Rubin of The Wall Street Journal — If Biden is to implement his ambitious economic agenda, he will have to rely on a beleaguered arm of the government: the Internal Revenue Service. The U.S. tax agency, shrunken after a decade of budget cuts, is sending $1,400 payments to most Americans, the third such logistical challenge in a year. More challenges await. Biden administration and congressional Democrats are considering tax increases on companies and top earners that would require significant implementation and enforcement. They also hope to collect hundreds of billions of dollars by expanding the IRS and beefing up audits. Getting all that done likely will require a transformation of the U.S. tax agency. It lost a net 15% of its employees between 2010 and 2020.

— EPILOGUE TRUMP — 

“Donald Trump’s former aides say he whiffed on vaccination legacy” via Joanne Kenen and Meridith McGraw of POLITICO — With more than half of adults in the country receiving at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, Trump supporters remain stubbornly resistant to vaccination, and it’s sparking a new round of questions over what role, if any, the former President could play to move those efforts along. Trump’s unwillingness to pitch his voters on getting the jab has become the source of frustration for former aides, who lament the political benefits that would have come had he done so. “If he spent the last 90 days being the voice — and taking credit because he deserved to for the vaccine — and helping as many Americans get vaccinated as he could, he would be remembered for that,” said a former senior administration official.

“DHS watchdog declined to pursue investigations into Secret Service during Trump administration, documents show” via Carol Leonnig of The Washington Post — The chief federal watchdog for the Secret Service blocked investigations proposed by career staff last year to scrutinize the agency’s handling of the Floyd protests in Lafayette Square and the spread of the coronavirus in its ranks, according to documents and people with knowledge of his decisions. Both matters involved decisions by then-President Trump that may have affected actions by the agency. Joseph Cuffari, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, rejected his staff’s recommendation to investigate what role the Secret Service played in the forcible clearing of protesters from Lafayette Square on June 1.

“Liz Cheney on Trump going to GOP retreat in Florida: ‘I haven’t invited him’” via Scott Wong of The Hill — GOP Conference Chair Cheney offered a dry remark when asked if Donald Trump would make an appearance at House Republicans’ policy retreat in Florida next week: “I haven’t invited him.” The quip elicited laughter from reporters and highlighted the ongoing tensions between the former president and the highest-ranking GOP woman in Congress, who was one of 10 Republicans who voted to impeach Trump for his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Trump said he would “soon” endorse a pro-Trump primary challenger to “Crazy Liz Cheney.”

“‘It’s almost like insanity’: GOP base continues to lash out over Trump’s defeat” via David Siders of POLITICO — Nowhere has the post-Trump era been more painful for the Republican Party than in Georgia, where Trump loyalists’ war on Republican elected officials is still raging, at great cost. After the presidential election, lost by Republicans in Georgia for the first time since 1992, the party crumpled in the January Senate runoffs. In the Atlanta suburbs, once a citadel of conservatism, Republicans were blown out. Yet if that was cause for any introspection, it was not readily apparent as Republicans gathered at county conventions in recent days to chart their course for the midterm elections and the next presidential race in 2024.

— CRISIS —

“How a feud between two Tea Party leaders helped lay the groundwork for The Capitol insurrection” via Stephanie Mencimer of Mother Jones — Amy Kremer and Jenny Beth Martin became known as the “founding mothers” of the Tea Party movement back in 2009. The tea party movement focused Kremer’s anger. An early adopter of social media, she recognized the potential of harnessing the hundreds of disparate Tea Party groups under a single organization, which she dubbed Tea Party Patriots (TPP). She created a website and social network accounts to connect Tea Party members across the country. In June 2009, she and Martin officially incorporated Tea Party Patriots as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit. But six months into the movement’s life, the two women split up, and this was before a bitter legal dispute — over tactics and money and salacious rumors — that lasted for years.

“Post-riot effort to tackle extremism in the military largely overlooks veterans” via Paul Sonne, Alex Horton and Julie Tate of The Washington Post — The Defense Department is focusing on how to weed out possible extremists from the active-duty ranks in the wake of the Capitol riot, with a recent, military-wide “stand down” for troops to discuss the issue ahead of policy decisions on the matter by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. But the arrest data from the riot shows that allegedly criminal participation in the insurrection on Jan. 6 was far more prevalent among veterans than active-duty forces, a more difficult problem for the U.S. government to address. Of the nearly 380 individuals federally charged in connection with the riot, at least 44 are current or former members of the U.S. armed forces.

“Hundreds of social media posts suggest Capitol rioters planned attack — but feds aren’t using them as evidence” via Jennifer Adams of the Daily Beast — The Jan. 6 insurrectionists posted all over social media about their plans to storm the U.S. Capitol in advance, but the FBI has yet to use any of the messages as evidence. Investigators have repeatedly said they found no valid evidence of a plot to invade the Capitol before the attack, but a new report shows that hundreds of pro-Trump extremists posted their plans on social media before the day of the attack. “We will storm the government buildings, kill cops, kill security guards, kill federal employees and agents, and demand a recount,” one 4chan post reads. A comment on a different forum reads, “Bring handcuffs and zip ties to D.C..”

“Judge jails two Proud Boys leaders pending trial tied to Jan. 6 Capitol riot” via Spencer S. Hsu of The Washington Post — A federal judge on Monday jailed two Proud Boys leaders pending trial in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, handing a victory to U.S. prosecutors in a closely watched conspiracy case accusing the pair of planning to disrupt Congress and leading as many as 60 others to impede police that day. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly of Washington acknowledged that online organizers Ethan Nordean, 30, of Seattle and Joseph Randall Biggs, 37, of Ormond Beach, “lacked most of the usual markers of dangerousness” relied on by judges to detain other Jan. 6 defendants, saying that neither was armed, assaulted police or had a criminal record.

“‘Anglo-Saxon is what you say when ‘whites only’ is too inclusive” via Adam Serwer of The Atlantic — The 2020 election showed that the Republican Party could embrace conservative positions, even on immigration, and still appeal to Latino voters. But the ideological predilections of Anglo-Saxonism definitionally exclude that part of the Republican base, sending a clear message that they and other voters of color are unwelcome in the Party and threatening those electoral gains. They replace a message of restriction, or even law and order, with one rooted in racial purity. Kevin McCarthy’s forceful condemnation of that message is one small example of how a more diverse base of voters can work as a check against bigotry within a political party.

— D.C. MATTERS —

“George W. Bush: Today’s GOP is ‘isolationist’ and ‘nativist’” via Quint Forgey of POLITICO — Bush described the modern-day GOP as “isolationist, protectionist, and to a certain extent, nativist” in an interview Tuesday that was packed with implicit criticism of the most recent Republican president. “It’s not exactly my vision” for the party, Bush told NBC’s “Today” show in a rare live TV appearance. “But, you know, I’m just an old guy they put out to pasture.” Still, Bush remained hopeful that a more moderate Republican could succeed in the party’s 2024 presidential primary. “I think if the emphasis is integrity and decency and trying to work to get problems solved, I think the person has a shot,” he said.

“Rick Scott warns ‘woke corporate leaders’ of ‘massive backlash’” via Julia Manchester of The Hill — “You will rue the day when it hits you. That day is November 8, 2022. That is the day Republicans will take back the Senate and the House. It will be a day of reckoning,” Scott wrote for Fox Business in an op-ed framed as a letter to “Woke Corporate America.” Scott, who leads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, went on to warn that companies’ donations to candidates would not help them. “There will be no number of well-connected lobbyists you can hire to save you. There will be no amount of donations you can make that will save you. There will be nowhere for you to hide,” he wrote.

“Marco Rubio targets House Sodexo contract over voting rights support” via Katherine Tully-McManus of Roll Call — Rubio might be out for a bicameral food fight. The Florida Republican called on House leaders to reconsider their contract with food services vendor Sodexo because the company signed on to a statement opposing restrictive new voting laws being proposed or enacted in states across the country. Rubio wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy, outlining an array of allegations of labor suppression and racial discrimination against Sodexo and questioning the House’s contract with the international corporation.

Rubio co-sponsors Growing Climate Solutions Act — Rubio has signed on to co-sponsor a bipartisan bill to remove barriers for farmers and foresters interested in participating in carbon markets. The bill, known as the Growing Climate Solutions Act, has support from over 60 leading agricultural and environmental organizations. The Growing Climate Solutions Act, which has been proposed before, would create a certification program at the USDA to help solve technical entry barriers preventing farmers and foresters from being rewarded for climate-smart practices. These issues — including access to reliable information about markets and access to qualified technical assistance providers and credit protocol verifiers — have limited both landowner participation and the adoption of practices that help reduce the costs of developing carbon credits.

“Matt Gaetz sparked William Barr to drop the F-bomb in a legal spat over Florida voting” via Betsy Woodruff Swan and Daniel Lippman of POLITICO — More than a year after he was sworn in, and as Biden was locking up the Democratic nomination, as U.S. Attorney Larry Keefe looked to open a wide-ranging probe into voter fraud in Florida, according to two people familiar with the matter. Gaetz told Trump about Keefe’s reasoning justifying the investigation, and Trump told White House counsel Pat Cipollone to tell Attorney General Barr that Trump believed Keefe’s legal theory had merit. Barr was incensed and told Keefe, “If I ever hear of you talking to Gaetz or any other Congressman again about business before the Department, I am going to f****** fire your ass.”

“New docs show Gaetz campaign in full damage control mode” via Roger Sollenberger of The Daily Beast — the Florida Republican’s latest campaign finance report reflects a public relations scramble that began even before he acknowledged being the focus of a federal investigation. The filingshows that Gaetz has incurred unprecedented fundraising   during a typically quiet period. In that time, Gaetz dropped six figures on a direct mail blitz, shelling out more for fundraising services than he did in all of 2020. Gaetz also paid $5,000 in “strategic consulting” fees to notorious political operative Roger Stone, and he gave money to a number of GOP Florida state lawmakers that he’s never supported before.

“‘Did I strike a nerve?’: House police reform hearing erupts into Val Demings, Jim Jordan shouting match” via Dartunorro Clark of NBC News — A shouting match erupted at Tuesday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing on a hate crimes bill  Demings was criticizing an amendment introduced by Republicans that would prevent defunding of police departments, even though the bill it was seeking to amend doesn’t include a provision to take funds away from law enforcement. Called the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, the legislation seeks to provide incentives for reporting hate crimes, boost funding to state-run hate crime hotlines and increase penalties for people convicted under current hate crime statutes. Demings said the amendment was “completely irrelevant.”

 

— LOCAL NOTES —

“Hillsborough Republicans break from county party to launch alternative political committee” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics — Several high-profile Hillsborough County Republicans are launching an alternative wing of the county party to boost performance at the polls that has struggled over the past three election cycles. GOP activist Hung Mai, Hillsborough County GOP Committeewoman April Schiff, and Florida GOP Executive Committee member Nancy Watkins are the founding members of the Hillsborough Leadership Council and its “Bridge the Gap!” Initiative to register voters, according to internal documents obtained by Florida Politics. According to the most recent voter registration book closing numbers, the Hillsborough County GOP is currently at a significant voter registration disadvantage, with Democrats holding a more than 71,000 voter advantage countywide. Recent election cycles have emphasized that advantage.

“Hillsborough County commissioner to hold town hall for community around lead smelter” via Rebecca Woolington, Corey G. Johnson and Eli Murray of the Tampa Bay Times — Commissioner Gwen Myers is holding a town hall Wednesday evening at Kenly Park to provide information about lead exposure to the community around Gopher Resource, an east Tampa lead smelter. The meeting will include information about possible health effects from lead exposure and gauge whether there is interest for health officials to conduct blood-lead testing among children who live near Gopher, Myers said. The commissioner said she hopes residents of neighborhoods around the plant, located at 6505 E. Jewel Ave., along with workers and their family members will attend. The meeting was prompted by a two-part series in the Tampa Bay Times that outlined a pattern of dangerous working conditions inside the factory.

First in Sunburn — Michelle Oyola McGovern launches campaign for Palm Beach County Commission — McGovern on Tuesday announced she would run for the District 6 seat on the Palm Beach County Commission. McGovern, a Democrat, is a former state director to former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. “I am running because I love this district, I know it well, and I believe that my experience in community advocacy, understanding of policy issues, and record of getting things done, makes me the right choice for County Commission District 6,” she said. The District 6 seat is open next year because current Commissioner Melissa McKinlay is term-limited. McKinlay and more than a dozen other current and former elected officials endorsed McGovern when she launched her campaign. Democratic Rep. Matt Willhite also entered the District 6 race on Tuesday.

—“David Silvers, Emily Slosberg back Matt Willhite for Palm Beach County Commission” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics 

“After fish kill, Miami-Dade commission passes fertilizer ban for summer rainy season” via Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald — A new Miami-Dade law bans applying fertilizer on lawns and plants during the yearly rainy season as the county joins Miami and other municipalities across the state in targeting a source of runoff pollution linked to algae blooms and fish kills. The legislation passed on a 12-1 vote Tuesday by Miami-Dade commissioners. It’s the first set of Miami-Dade regulations targeting water runoff after an August fish kill on Biscayne Bay raised alarms and sparked promises of action by elected leaders. The legislation by Commissioner Eileen Higgins exempts farms, nurseries and golf courses, meaning some of the largest sources of fertilizer pollution won’t see rules change. All fruit and vegetable gardens are exempt as well.

“Sheriff Greg Tony on Derek Chauvin verdict: It’s a reminder that officers aren’t above the law” via Eileen Kelley of the South Florida Sun Sentinel — A jury’s decision to find a former officer guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd brings renewed hope of “continued positive change, social justice and equitable judicial outcomes,” Broward Sheriff Tony said. Former Minneapolis officer Chauvin was found guilty of second-degree murder in Floyd’s death — an outcome that “doesn’t come as a surprise” for “the majority of law enforcement officials in this country,” Tony said in a statement. “Chauvin’s conviction is a reminder to all who wear a badge that we are not above the laws which we swore to protect.”

“South Florida doctor went home while his patient, a new mother, bled to death, state says” via David J. Neal of the Miami Herald — A Palm Beach County doctor lost his medical license earlier this month after his third Florida discipline issue, this one involving a new mother who bled to death after a difficult delivery in 2017. Dr. Berto Lopez, administrative hearing judge Robert Cohen said, erred in several ways, most prominently going home while the new mother remained in critical condition at West Palm Beach’s Good Samaritan Hospital. “…[Lopez] leaving the hospital at a time when he believe everything to be under control and the time had come for him to go home, clean up and go to sleep for the night was where his failure to complete his care for his patient, led, ultimately, to her untimely death,” Cohen wrote.

“Sarasota County Commission looks to redistrict again and repeal voter-approved initiative” via Timothy Fanning of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — Emboldened by the last time it tinkered with county commissioner district boundaries, Sarasota County elected leaders are now citing a new schedule for updated U.S. Census Bureau estimates for considering whether they should take two bold actions in the coming months — steps that could have a huge impact on voting and political representation in the county.  County commissioners on Tuesday agreed to ask a special review panel to look at and potentially move to repeal the new single-member-districts method of electing commissioners.

“Seminole commissioners to meet privately to discuss River Cross settlement offer” via Martin E. Comas of the Orlando Sentinel — Seminole commissioners plan to meet behind closed doors on Wednesday to talk about a proposal pitched by Chris Dorworth, the developer of the highly controversial River Cross project, that would settle a pair of lawsuits he has against the county if the 669-acre property is carved out of Seminole’s rural boundary. Dorworth and his River Cross Land Co. would then submit new development plans to the county for the old pastureland tucked between the Econlockhatchee River and County Road 419 just north of the Orange County line. Or the land could be annexed into neighboring Oviedo after it is removed from Seminole’s rural boundary, where development is restricted to at least one home per five acres.

“Michelle Salzman urges DeSantis to blacklist Skanska until bridge repaired, community ‘whole’” via Emma Kennedy of the Pensacola News Journal — Rep. Salzman will meet with DeSantis this week, urging him to blacklist Skanska from any future state projects until the construction giant has made the region “whole” after Hurricane Sally. The Pensacola and Gulf Breeze communities have been disconnected since September when loose Skanska barges significantly damaged the Pensacola Bay Bridge, knocking out a portion of the bridge and rendering it impassable. Salzman said it’s been frustrating to see every entity — the community, local representatives, the Florida Department of Transportation — doing everything they can to make the situation work without any remediation effort from Skanska.

“Nope! Bay County voters soundly reject proposed tax hike for teachers’ salaries” via Tony Mixon of the Panama City News Herald — Bay District School’s Superintendent Bill Husfelt put the ball in the residents of Bay County’s court to raise salaries for teachers and support staffs with a property tax hike. Voters gave a resounding no. In a lopsided decision, voters decided they did not want to increase taxes with the additional one mill by voting 74.77% against the proposal. Even with 21 other counties having this same additional millage, the voters made their voices heard loudly in the Tuesday election.

— TOP OPINION —

“Chauvin’s conviction is the exception that proves the rule” via David A. Graham of The Atlantic — The speedy result, announced in a Minneapolis courtroom this afternoon, is a sign of how unusual the case is. The verdict is a victory for justice and a relief to people, politicians, and police in Minnesota and beyond, who had braced for unrest if Chauvin had been found not guilty. But the trial also demonstrates why the courts will remain a challenging venue to reform law enforcement in the United States. Assuming the guilty verdict stands, Chauvin’s conviction is an important instance of accountability, and will come as a relief to the millions of people outraged by Floyd’s death, but it doesn’t make for much of a model. Police leaders don’t usually feel such a need to make an example of an officer, and they don’t typically testify so bluntly against a former officer. There isn’t always video evidence so clear and compelling.

— OPINIONS —

“What the trial said about Floyd’s America” via the Tampa Bay Times editorial board — Long before the jury found Chauvin guilty Tuesday, millions of Americans had already rendered their verdicts on the culpability of the former Minneapolis police officer for the death of Floyd, on the inability of the world’s foremost democracy to safeguard its Black citizens from those sworn to protect them, and on the larger failures of a social order that is riven by race, inequality and remorselessness. In that sense, Chauvin’s guilty verdict is as much an outlier as a deserving dose of justice and reason for hope. It doesn’t even the score, or bring Floyd back, or wipe the memory of teenagers who witnessed a police officer drain the life from the 46-year-old Black man on May 25.

“Minneapolis jury knew exactly what Derek Chauvin did to George Floyd” via the Miami Herald editorial board — Murdered. We can finally use that word. Justifiably. Unequivocally. Chauvin didn’t snuff the life out of Floyd that day in Minneapolis. He didn’t kneel on Floyd’s neck until the man stopped breathing. He didn’t simply “kill” Floyd. From the start, it wasn’t one of America’s usual white-cop-murders-unarmed-Black-man scenarios. Actually, they’re all unique, except that, in all of them, a Black person ends up dead. Floyd’s long, agonizing death was videotaped, though that’s never a guarantee that an officer accused of excessive force will be convicted.

“Will Florida’s anti-riot law change police posture? There’s a wide range of opinion” via David Ovalle of the Miami Herald — Like most major U.S. cities, Miami was the scene of weeks of protests last summer after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked a national reckoning over race and law-enforcement treatment of minorities. There were sporadic clashes, one night of looting, dozens of arrests and plenty of tension, but Miami-Dade County was largely spared the widespread unrest that hit other states. But while local police departments were credited for avoiding the escalation of tensions, civil-rights activists worry Ron DeSantis’ controversial “anti-riot” law could spur officers to take a more heavy-handed approach during future gatherings. In addition to enhancing criminal penalties for crimes committed during protests that turn violent.

“Pandering to the base: Florida protects Confederate holidays, makes felons of protesters” via the Orlando Sentinel editorial board — Florida remains one of a handful of Southern states that still has a separate, state-sanctioned legal holiday for the soldiers who fought to secede from the union to preserve the institution of slavery. Here’s what Florida does not have: An official holiday that commemorates the end of slavery. Sen. Randolph Bracy of Ocoee is trying to change that with a bill to designate June 19 as Juneteenth Day, a legal holiday in Florida. But a companion bill in the House of Representatives has gone nowhere. To summarize: The Florida Legislature wants to keep holidays that honor those who fought to continue slavery, but doesn’t want to create a legal holiday marking the end of slavery.

“Anti-protest bill is about public safety? What a riot.” via Randy Schultz for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — DeSantis and the Republicans who supported HB 1 contend that they are targeting all violent protests, including the attempted insurrection on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol. In fact, DeSantis proposed this last September. As we saw on Jan. 6, and as the FBI confirms, those radical, far-right groups threaten law and order — not to mention democracy — much more than George Floyd protesters. Even the staff analysis of HB 1 acknowledges that “many protests” last year remained peaceful. In 2005, when Florida passed the “stand your ground” law, supporters could not cite one instance of wrongful prosecution for self-defense. Yet, the NRA called the law essential to public safety and dismissed critics who warned of unintended consequences. The critics were right.

“We paid for public records on Publix vaccine deal. Florida still won’t release them” via Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel — DeSantis has been telling any Fox News host who will listen that “60 Minutes” wasn’t interested in telling the full story behind how Publix got the exclusive vaccination deal back in January. Well, I’ll tell you one news organization that has been trying to get the full story: The Orlando Sentinel. We’ve been trying for three months now. We’ve asked for contracts and public records. We even paid to get them after DeSantis staffers demanded a check before handing over the records. It’s been eight weeks since the state received our check. We still haven’t received the records.

“Lawmakers are being misled about insurance lawsuits, expert contends” via Trevor Fraser of the Orlando Sentinel — Office of Insurance Regulation Commissioner David Altmaier sent a letter to a House committee saying that Florida homeowners are responsible for 76% of property insurance lawsuits in the country. But Birny Birnbaum of the Center for Economic Justice said Altmaier’s letter did not paint a complete picture of the situation. Specifically, Birnbaum takes issue with the presentation as something happening across the insurance industry in Florida. He points to data from the same set that Altmaier used showing at least 22 insurance companies in the state with no litigation and fewer than a third of insurers with more than 30% of claims becoming lawsuits. “If this were an industrywide problem, you would expect to see every company experiencing litigation,” Birnbaum said.

“A better idea: Earlier dates pitched to fill Alcee Hastings’ seat” via Steve Bousquet of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Elections officials in Palm Beach and Broward counties say voters should elect a new member of Congress sooner rather than later. They are pitching different dates for a special election to fill the seat vacated by the death of Hastings. Supervisors Wendy Link in Palm Beach and Joe Scott in Broward have suggested that DeSantis call the primary for Tuesday, Sept. 14, with the general election on Nov. 9. Link proposed those dates in an email Friday to the head of the state Division of Elections, Maria Matthews. “People would like it to be earlier,” Link told the Sun-Sentinel.

“Dan Daley: Out-of-state push to end Standardbred racing is a losing proposition for thousands of Floridians” via Florida Politics — Standardbred racing, in which the horses race at a specific gait, pulling a small two-wheeled, chariot-like cart, has been a part of Florida’s horse industry for more than a half-century. Unfortunately, House Bill 7055 would change Florida’s gambling law to end live harness racing in Florida forever. The legislation, in part, being pushed by a Nevada gaming company, would allow casinos to operate card games without running jai alai matches, quarter horse races, or harness races but still allows thoroughbred racing. This separation of live events and games is known as “decoupling.” This legislation, if passed, would upend Standardbred racing families by taking away their entire way of life. This legislation is the final nail in the coffin.

— ON TODAY’S SUNRISE —

The House will vote on a bill to overhaul the unemployment system. It changes the system but does nothing about the stingy benefits.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— The House could also vote on a bill to merge voucher programs, allowing students to attend private schools on the public dime. Opponents of the bill say what’s missing is accountability.

— The Senate’s version of election reform clears the Rules Committee and is headed for the floor.

— Two of the most controversial bills of the Legislative Session were removed from the agenda by their sponsors. First was the ban on transgender athletes.

— And a few hours later, in the same committee, the alimony reform bill was temporarily postponed by Sen. Gruters.

— Technically, the bills are NOT dead; there are procedural maneuvers that could bring them back. Nothing is really over until the Session is done.

— In Washington, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz reintroduced a bill requiring background checks to buy bullets. Jamie’s Law is named in honor of one of the teenagers killed during the Parkland massacre.

— And finally, a Florida Man threatened to burn down a woman’s home because she wouldn’t let him move in after his grandmother kicked him out.

To listen, click on the image below:

— ALOE —

“Apple launches redesigned iMac desktop with colors, custom chip” via Mark Gurman of Bloomberg — Apple rolled out the first redesign of its flagship desktop iMac computer in almost a decade, showcasing its latest machine with in-house designed chips instead of those made by Intel. The technology giant showed off the new iMacs, which come in a new 24-inch screen size, up from 21.5-inches on the previous entry-level model, Tuesday at its product event. The new iMacs are far thinner than their predecessors and have slimmer edges. They also come in seven different colors, have a 1080p camera, better speakers and improved microphones for video conferencing. The new iMac starts at $1,299 compared with $1,099 for the previous model with Intel chips. The company didn’t announce upgrades to the larger and more powerful iMac models.

“Meet the creator of the pickle pizza, the talk of the Florida State Fair” via Sharon Kennedy Wynne of the Tampa Bay Times — The pickle pizza at the Florida State Fair is getting buzz — some of it good, some of it not so good. The creator is Tonio Viscusi, an Albany, New York-based vendor who travels the country working fairs and festivals as Angela’s Pizza. He says the pickle pizza wasn’t his idea. It came from customer demand as word spread of putting pickles on pizzas. “I’ll say we didn’t invent it, but we perfected it,” Viscusi said. He found a way to marry this uncommon pair with a white garlic sauce base, figuring a traditional red sauce would conflict with the vinegary pickles. Then there’s some gooey mozzarella cheese and crunchy dill pickle chips, like the kind you find on hamburgers. When it comes out of the oven, it gets a generous drizzle of Ranch dressing and a dusting of dill seasoning.

“Miami Beach pays falcon handler to keep aggressive birds from attacking more people” via Martin Vassolo of the Miami Herald — Boat-tailed grackles nesting in the palm trees above the sidewalk on Arthur Godfrey Road have in recent weeks been diving at the heads of passersby, including a woman pushing a baby carriage. Large signs between Royal Palm and Sheridan Avenues — where most of the recent attacks have been reported — warn of the birds’ “aggressive behavior.” The grackles are a federally protected migratory bird species, and the city is legally prohibited from moving or destroying their active nests. So, to ward off the territorial birds, City Hall has enlisted the services of a falcon handler and hung string up with silver tinsel to keep the birds up in their palm trees and away from their targets below.

— HAPPY BIRTHDAY —

Best wishes to our friend, Rachel Davis Cone, managing partner of The Southern Group, Lloyd Dunkelberger, Jake Farmer, Director of Government Affairs at Florida Retail Federation, Hessy Fernandez, Director of Issues Management and Crisis Communications at the University of Florida, Andrew Hall, Kelly Schmidt, and professional poker player Erik Suskey.

___

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