Peter Schorsch
Good Sunday morning.
Are you a tad hungover from too much milk punch before Gasparilla? Or are you just depressed from the news that Tom Brady is (possibly) retiring? Or are you staying under the covers this morning because it’s so cold outside?
Whatever your situation, we’ve got this edition of Brunch for you and a pitcher of bloody marys (splash a little soy sauce, a pinch of Wasabi powder, and a couple of dots of Sriracha in your mix for a delicious, Asian-inspired bloody) if you’re in the neighborhood.
Thank you to contributors Phil Ammann, Jason Delgado, Joe Henderson, Ryan Nicol, and Drew Wilson for helping produce this edition, as well as Rochelle Koff, who provides the content for the food section at the bottom.
Here’s what we’re serving up for Brunch …
— I’m out of pirate jokes —
SPOTTED at Gasparilla, Tampa’s signature pirate celebration: VISIT Florida CEO Dana Young, Rep. Jackie Toledo, former Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Tracy Mayernick, Stephanie Smith at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club; Buzzing around Mayor Castor’s tent on Bayshore Blvd, were Sen. Joe Gruters and his wife Sydney, Rep. Andrew Learned, as well as Hillsborough Property Appraiser Bob Henriquez, Danny Alvarez, Ashley Bauman, Veronica Cintron and Preston Rudie, Stephanie and Reggie Cardozo, Harry Cohen, Jessica Costello, Ana Cruz, Justin Day, Nick Glover, Todd Josko, Lori and Lee Killinger, Laura Lenhart, Bemetra Liggins, Merritt and Rick Lindstrom, Adam Smith, Nicole Washington, Tim Wagner, Doyle Walsh, Lucy, and J.D. White, Marley Wilkes.
More SPOTTED: U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, Sen. Janet Cruz, County Commissioner Kim Oberman; Rhea Law on USF’s float; Anthony Pedicini on Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister’s float.
Not SPOTTED: Sen. Darryl Rouson; parade organizers had his car prepped with a driver and beads, but, apparently, he didn’t show.
— Casey visits Nemours —
First Lady Casey DeSantis visited Nemours Children’s Hospital this week and highlighted Florida’s efforts to invest in cancer research.
— Brass Tax: Gov. Ron DeSantis is doubling down on cancer research with his Freedom First budget. He wants lawmakers to invest an additional 60%, raising the total to $100 million.
— The details: The money will advance cancer research at three institutes — Moffitt Cancer Center, University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and University of Florida Health Cancer Center.
— Recognition: Casey also presented the First Lady’s Medal for Courage, Commitment, and Service to Child Life Specialist Joli Craver. She “supports pediatric patients and their parents as they undergo cancer treatment by encouraging play, learning, and self-expression,” explained the Governor’s Office in a news release.
— Democrats post crooked numbers —
In a blazing return for the annual Florida Professional Firefighters King of the Hill Softball Game, Democrats triumphed 14-2 over Republicans, beating the Majority for the first time in recent memory. Some claimed it had been a dozen years of Republican domination. Others, since the turn of the millennium. Regardless, the stage was set for an epic return before family, friends and Florida’s firefighters.
— A fiery first: Republicans went ahead early when Rep. John Snyder poked a single in the top of the first to score Rep. Cord Byrd from second. Rep. Fred Hawkins scored the final out of the inning in a bench-clearing collision at home plate with the Democrats’ catcher, Sen. Tina Polsky.
— A tie game: Democrats responded in the bottom of the second, when Rep. Mike Gottlieb drove in the tying run and Rep. Dan Daley hit a go-ahead single. Republicans immediately responded in the top of the third, when Byrd tied the game by scoring Rep. Vance Alpoupis from third.
— The reliever: After two innings of pitching, Rep. Joe Harding was relieved by Sen. Ed Hooper, a former firefighter. But Hooper couldn’t bring the heat, as Democrats scored 10 in the third. To add insult to injury, two scored on a fielding error on the mound by Hooper.
— Fear the Beard: Backed by clean fielding, House Minority Leader Evan Jenne shut out the Republicans for the remainder of the game, pitching the complete seven-inning game. Democrats tacked on a couple of insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, including one off a Little League home run from Rep. Mike Grieco.
It was “our finest moment,” proclaimed Democratic Sen. and Coach Victor Torres. On the Senate floor the following morning, Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo declared Hooper’s pitching the game’s MVP.
— The silence broken —
As a top member of Senate leadership, Senate President-designate Kathleen Passidomo usually lets her fellow Republicans debate on the Senate floor. That changed Thursday when she stood to speak for the first time this Session on a matter the future leader of the chamber said she felt very strongly about.
— Groundhog Day: Every year since Passidomo joined the Legislature in 2010, lawmakers have passed a preemption bill to crack down on what some say are ordinances impeding local business and personal freedoms. Republicans this year hatched a plan they hope means they won’t have to hear another doggone preemption bill ever again and end complaints from those in the minority.
— “The perfect concept”: The plan is simple. Before passing new ordinances, have local governments draft reports exploring the proposal’s possible fiscal impact on business. And create ways for businesses to settle the score in the courts without having to hire lobbyists to beg lawmakers to intervene. It’s what Passidomo called “the perfect concept.”
— The family business: Passidomo said local governments should handle their own affairs, and the pair of bills (SB 280 & SB 620) enables them to do that right. “Hopefully, it will get us out of the preemption business and get it back where it does belong.”
Passidomo will be a great Senate President, said the bills’ sponsor, Sen. Travis Hutson. “She’s not going to want to hear any more preemption bills,” he said. “When we are gone, hopefully, the younger members understand that these bills are to keep the fights at the local level.”
— Professor Thrasher —
John Thrasher came back to a Florida Senate committee meeting this week for the first time in seven years — not as a lawmaker, not as FSU president, but as a professor.
— Good morning, professor: Thrasher returned to Florida State this spring semester to co-teach the graduate-level “Translational Criminology and Politics” alongside College of Criminology & Criminal Justice Dean Thomas Blomberg. In short, the class explores how criminal justice policy becomes law.
— I’m just a bill: Thrasher had invited Senate Criminal Justice Committee Chair Pizzo to speak to the class. But because it’s currently Session, and Pizzo has no free time at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday, Pizzo had a better idea. “Come see how the sausage is made,” he said. “It’s better than me going and pontificating about something or talking about something I want to talk about.”
— Any questions? Students witnessed a full committee agenda of 10 bills, with topics spanning from retail theft to deepfaking sexual content. Pizzo and Vice-Chair Jeff Brandes also stuck around after the meeting to talk with students.
For Thrasher, it was a fun opportunity to go back and see old friends. But for students, perhaps the biggest takeaway from the students and the professors was how little science there is in the decisions and debates for students. It was a lesson, Thrasher said, in the realities of the legislative process.
— Homeowner Bill of Rights —
Republican lawmakers will meet in the Capitol Monday to promote legislation they say will protect Floridians from predatory foreclosures.
— Who: Sen. Ileana Garcia and Rep. Juan Fernandez-Barquin are sponsoring the two companion measures. Garcia and Fernandez-Barquin will appear Monday alongside Laura Wagner, executive director for Floridians for Honest Lending, as well as affected homeowners, to bring attention to the bills.
— What: “Florida has been a leader in homeownership, including having one of the largest shares of veteran and elderly homeowners,” read a release from Wagner’s group promoting Monday’s event. “However, a dramatic rise in lender-placed insurance policies and a rise in harmful and unnecessary foreclosures has put our state at risk of no longer being the paradise for homeowners that we love.” The bill would add protections aimed at keeping Floridians in their homes.
— When: Monday, Jan. 31 at 2 p.m.
— Where: Florida State Capitol, 3rd-floor Rotunda.
— Taddeo RV trip —
Democratic Sen. Annette Taddeo kicked off Saturday a 67 county RV tour of Florida as part of her campaign for governor.
— First Stop: Taddeo launched the tour in Leon County outside of the Governor’s Mansion. Speaking to the press, she vowed to oust DeSantis and visit the reddest of counties.
— The Strategy: “I’m starting at the top of the state for a reason,” Taddeo said. “I really think that there are a lot of areas up here that have been neglected by Democrats.”
— Next Stops: With Session in full swing, Taddeo will traverse Florida on weekends. She visited Leon and Jackson counties Saturday. She’ll tackle Duval, Nassau and St. Johns counties on Sunday.
— Busy week ahead —
— Catholic Day and Heart Day is Wednesday at the Florida Capitol. Though Heart Day is a virtual advocacy event, bishops and parishioners will travel to Tallahassee and meet with lawmakers throughout the day.
— Seaports Day at the Capitol is on Thursday. Port directors, development experts and elected leaders will discuss ways they’re overcoming the nation’s supply chain woes.
— The Florida Juvenile Justice Association Legislative Reception is on the horizon. The event is scheduled for Feb. 2 — Youth Success Day — at 5:30 p.m. inside the Florida Historic Capitol Building.
— Bengals battle the Chiefs —
It’s a good thing everyone had seven days to recover from the pulse-pounding division playoff games last weekend in the National Football League. All four games were decided on the final play, making it the Best Weekend Ever of playoff football. Ah, but the stakes are higher today when four teams enter the final stage of the playoffs, but only two will move on to the Super Bowl.
— Game details: The upstart Cincinnati Bengals travel to Kansas City for the AFC Championship Game, with kickoff set on CBS for 3:05 p.m.
— High-powered offense: We know all about the Chiefs and quarterback Pat Mahomes. They are playing in their fourth consecutive conference title game and hoping to make it to a third straight Super Bowl. Down by three points against Buffalo with only 13 seconds left, Mahomes led Kansas City from its 25-yard line to Buffalo’s 31 in 10 seconds. TEN SECONDS! A 49-yard field goal by Harrison Butker put the game into overtime, and Mahomes took it from there. He led another TD march to put a dagger into the Bills, 42-36. So, the Bengals are doomed, right?
— QB of the future? Not with quarterback Joe Burrow, they’re not. And they did defeat the Chiefs 34-31 in Cincinnati on Jan. 2. After that game, Mahomes told Burrow, “See y’all in the playoffs.” Burrow has changed the trajectory of one of the NFL’s most laughable franchises. The Bengals won the AFC North, then beat Las Vegas for their first playoff win in 31 years. They took out top-seeded Tennessee last weekend despite Burrow taking nine sacks to prove that it was no fluke. With an improved defense and playmakers all over the offense — not to mention some of the coolest uniforms in the league — the Bengals deserve to be here.
— California contest for NFC title —
Oh, yeah, there’s another game. San Francisco’s road warriors head to Los Angeles to face the Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
— Game details: The 49ers have won playoff games at Dallas and top-seeded Green Bay, while the Rams beat Arizona and then eliminated Brady and the Buccaneers 30-27 last Sunday in Tampa. It’s a showdown between a top-flight 49ers’ defense against an explosive Rams offense. The kickoff is at 6:40 p.m. on Fox.
— Will the favorite struggle? The Rams are 3.5-point favorites but have lost six consecutive games to the 49ers, including twice this season.
— Defense wins championships: How good is San Francisco’s defense? It held Aaron Rodgers and the explosive Packers offense to 10 points last weekend. As the Bucs learned, the Rams have plenty of offensive weapons too. Hall of Famer John Lynch, a key member of Tampa Bay’s secondary for many years, is San Francisco’s general manager. Do you think that has anything to do with the 49ers developing a monster defense?
— Brunching out —
The Bark is best known as a vegetarian and vegan restaurant, but you don’t have to be either to savor the top-notch cuisine at this funky cafe, bar and event space.
— Backstory: Owners Susie Petty and David Green met when they were musicians in the same band, called Low Life. Years later, they worked together at the co-op Bread and Roses Kitchen, with a vegetarian cafe run by Petty. When Green wanted to open a bar/music venue, and Petty wanted to launch a restaurant, they joined forces. Local chef Cody Cook has helped take Bark cuisine to a new level.
— Setting: The restaurant, in the All Saints District, has a fun, charming interior with colorful murals and a laid-back atmosphere. You order at the counter, and they bring your meal to the table. Students flock here, but all ages will feel welcome.
— The menu: Dishes start as vegan, with cheese and egg options. Brunch features tempting choices such as the delectable Sweet Breaky, an open-faced biscuit with herb goat cheese, a sweet jam, arugula, two fried eggs and scallions. “The Egg in the Hole” sandwich brings one fried egg cooked in the wheat toast and another inside the sandwich, with avocado slices, arugula, tomatoes, veggie sausage and cheddar. The lineup includes biscuits and gravy, a blue plate special, and a potato hash bowl. The bread is a bonus because it’s all homemade.
— Beverages: Complement brunch with coffee, bloody marys or mimosas. Aside from its full bar selection, the Bark also offers a handful of $5-a-pint cocktails.
— Entertainment: Events include karaoke, drag shows, bands and a comedy night. Entertainment starts after 9 p.m.
— Details: The Bark, 507 All Saints St.; 850-900-5936. Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday and Sunday, closed Monday. Brunch is available from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
