Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Over the past several weeks, people posing as government employees have been knocking on doors and asking voters questions, such as who they voted for last year.
The trend has emerged in Florida, too. In Seminole County, the Supervisor of Elections has received reports of right-wing groups using fake county badges as they approached voters in their homes. And in Pasco County, Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley confirmed that his office is not sending employees door-to-door.
Corley said last month that the spate of imposters is making a case for exempting voter information from the public record, a longtime goal of Florida Supervisors of Elections.
The Florida Democratic Party on Monday condemned the practice, noting that it is a third-degree felony to impersonate a government official. It also called on the Republican Party of Florida to denounce the tactic and for the state to launch an investigation into the people and groups behind it.
“Acts like this are a threat to our democracy and our electoral system. It shows that Republican-aligned groups will stop at nothing to undermine our democratic institutions and destroy the faith Floridians have in our elections,” FDP spokesman José Parra said.
“This type of action from the same groups that brought an insurrection to the U.S. Capitol as we were peacefully transferring power on Jan. 6 should not be surprising, but it is still shocking. We call for criminal investigations into these actions. If the Republican Party of Florida supports democracy, they should denounce this type of behavior coming from their supporters.”
Evening Reads
“House Democratic leader expects nasty Session with election, redistricting on agenda” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“Democratic lawmakers look to create gender-neutral ID markers, repeal trans sports ban” via Daniel Figueroa IV of Florida Politics
“‘We’re all old guys, not much time left:’ Lawmakers race to compensate Dozier abuse victims” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics
“The prospect of a speedy real estate deal compounds some Surfside families’ grief” via Lori Rozsa of The Washington Post
“Senators set ground rules for in-house redistricting efforts” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
“The decision that could doom Democrats for a decade” via Russell Berman of The Atlantic
“Colin Powell, who shaped U.S. national security, dies at 84” via Eric Schmitt of The New York Times
“Joe Biden made a promise to end discrimination against Puerto Ricans. He’s about to break it.” via Neil Weare of Slate
“Police in Florida: A few are not exactly ‘dedicated and open-minded’ public servants” via Diane Roberts of the Florida Phoenix
“‘She’s not going to be denied’: Ron DeSantis inspired by First Lady’s cancer fight” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“She’s running: Annette Taddeo officially enters Florida Governor race” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics
“How Mitch McConnell accidentally created an unregulated THC market” via Lester Black of FiveThirtyEight
“Parkland families reach $25 million settlement with school district” via Scott Travis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“Miami school says vaccinated students must stay home for 30 days to protect others, citing discredited info” via Jaclyn Peiser of The Washington Post
Quote of the Day
“There’s going to be folks that want to throw red meat out, irrespective of party, and show that they are the most Republican Republican and the most Democratic Democrat. That is what these Sessions have really devolved into over the last decade or so.” — House Democratic Co-Leader Evan Jenne, on the 2022 Legislative Session.
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