Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava on Tuesday announced her pick in the Democratic Primary for Governor: Sen. Annette Taddeo.
Levine Cava made the endorsement alongside Taddeo at a news conference in downtown Miami.
“We need fresh leadership (at) the top of state government,” Levine Cava said, describing herself as a “proud Democrat” who hopes to see less state interference in local matters.
“Unfortunately, we’ve continuously seen, coming from Tallahassee, a complete undermining of local control — a complete silencing of our local leaders and government mandates that are threatening the very freedoms we enjoy as Americans. We must reverse course, and this begins with electing a new Governor in 2022.”
While Levine Cava did not elaborate on which instances of state overreach she was referring to, her administration and other local governmental bodies have repeatedly butted heads with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration.
Taddeo similarly called for less quarreling and more collaboration between the state and local governments.
“We should not have the state taking away our resources and decisions being made in Tallahassee when they should be made here,” she said. “We need a Governor, more importantly, that understands that working together is how we move our state forward, that every community needs the support from the Governor but not the encroachment of the Government.”
Taddeo is competing with U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist and Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried for the chance to go head-to-head with Republican DeSantis in November. Taddeo entered the race months after the competition but managed to tally up several endorsements, including nods from U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala and state Sen. Victor Torres.
However, she does trail in the money race with about $617,000 on hand at the end of November. Meanwhile, Crist has passed the $5 million mark in overall fundraising while Fried has about $3.4 million banked.
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Crist will hold a news conference Wednesday to unveil his policy plans for elder Floridians if he is elected Governor in the fall.
The St. Petersburg Democrat will be joined by the newly formed “Seniors For Crist” grassroots coalition, former elected officials, and leaders in the disability, health care, and retiree community to announce the plan.
The campaign said the “Crist Action Plan for Florida Seniors” already has endorsements from the chair of the Democratic Disabilities Caucus and the president of AFSCME Florida Retirees; both will deliver remarks at the event.
The news conference will be held virtually at 10 a.m. Crist’s Facebook page will livestream the event.
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Top Republicans in the House and Senate will be in Wesley Chapel on Wednesday to help Rep. Randy Maggard raise cash for his re-election bid.
An event invitation shows a host committee that’s two-dozen names long, with House Speaker Chris Sprowls, Senate President Wilton Simpson, Rep. Ardian Zika, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, and former House Speaker Will Weatherford all on the list.
The event will be at Grillsmith-Wesley Chapel, 2000 Piazza Ave., from 5:30 p.m. — 7:30 p.m. Those interested in attending can RSVP with Mike Moore by phone at 813-777-6171 or email at [email protected].
Maggard has represented Pasco County’s House District 38 since 2019 when he won a special election to replace now-Sen. Danny Burgess. He was re-elected to a full term in November 2020 with 59% of the vote.
As of Nov. 30, he had raised about $43,000 for his 2022 campaign and had $26,000 in the bank. His lone opponent, Democrat Brian Staver, has raised less than $2,000 and has spent most of it.
Evening Reads
“‘No pictures, no pictures’: The enduring images from Jan. 6” via The Washington Post
“The Capitol Police and the scars of Jan. 6” via Susan Dominus and Luke Broadwater of The New York Times
“Workers quit jobs at a record level in November” via Bryan Mena of The Wall Street Journal
“‘Why am I being handcuffed?’: Protesters derail Ron DeSantis return to omicron overwhelmed Jacksonville” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Private colleges pivot to remote learning but Florida public universities won’t go virtual despite COVID-19” via Issac Morgan of the Florida Phoenix
“America’s favorite flimsy pretext for limiting free speech” via Jeff Kosseff of The Atlantic
“Marjorie Taylor Greene and Big Tech’s never-ending censorship loop” via Shirin Ghaffary of Vox
“Harnessing TikTok, U.S. Senate candidate Ken Russell crosses $1M” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
“Cigarette sculptures highlight Joe Gruters’ push to snuff out beach smoking” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
“Florida’s grad rate rises with test rules waived again” via Leslie Postal of the Orlando Sentinel
“Leave if you’re ‘woke,’ say fliers left on New Yorkers’ cars in Palm Beach” via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Quote of the Day
“The hypocrisy of Gov. DeSantis’ ‘Free State of Florida’ was on full display today in Jacksonville. It’s only free if you agree with him, and you can only attend his events if you are a cheerleader for his political ambitions. You’re free to catch the virus in Florida, but don’t you dare question the Governor’s policies.” — House Democratic Leader-Designate Ramon Alexander, after a protester was arrested at the Governor’s news conference in Jacksonville.
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One comment
Alex
January 4, 2022 at 5:47 pm
“Workers quit jobs at a record level in November”
Good.
Americans are fed up with shitty jobs at shitty pay with shit for benefits to be what used to be called middle class, while the 10% are the only Americans with financial security, and continue to rake in even more of the former middle class’s wealth.
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