Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
While Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, Florida TaxWatch warns about a possible new front on American soil — or rather, the American web.
Federal lawmakers in recent years have pursued legislation to change “interchange fees” for credit cards. However, changing the laws could eliminate mechanisms that secure American financial data, becoming a target in a Russian cyberattack.
The potential to extend part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act to credit card interchange fees and debit card fees surfaced again late last year in the Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate. The new legislation from Illinois Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin would promise to lower fees on credit cards. However, TaxWatch President and CEO Dominic Calabro told Florida Politics the legislation would allow transactions to be routed through foreign networks.
“Learning from this example, Durbin 2.0 legislation means that millions of transactions on American credit cards would be exposed to the threat of cyberattacks from Russia, China or others,” Calabro said. “If credit card companies are not able to maintain their own sensitive financial information and consumer transaction records, there is a real risk posed to consumers.
TaxWatch had already written Florida Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott to oppose the legislation. The organization says this is just another reason.
“Not only does history show these added regulations won’t reduce consumer prices, there would be an unacceptable level of financial risk along with changes to processing transactions,” Calabro said.
Evening Reads
“Florida criminal defense lawyers: Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson shouldn’t be ‘shamed’ for serving as a public defender” via Diane Rado of the Florida Phoenix
“Joe Biden’s plan for new normal spurs worries about next COVID-19 surge — and who is being left behind” via Lena H. Sun and Yasmeen Abutaleb of The Washington Post
“Gov. Ron DeSantis ‘very receptive’ to Special Session for property insurance fix” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
“Gov. DeSantis confirms he’ll sign off on continued teacher pay raises” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“Appeals court accuses Gov. DeSantis’ legal team of not understanding its own position on HB 1” via Daniel Figueroa IV of Florida Politics
“Normally a master of messaging, DeSantis was outmaneuvered by the three-word catchphrase ‘Don’t Say Gay’” via Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
“As farewell tour continues, Gov. DeSantis and Richard Corcoran offer mutual praise” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics
“NFIB calls on Gov. DeSantis to veto tax bill” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics
“Senate sends financial literacy, tech advisory panel bills to Gov. DeSantis” via Gray Rohrer of Florida Politics
“Miami Beach to declare ‘state of emergency’ and announce crowd control measures” via Charles Rabin and Martin Vassolo of the Miami Herald
“Tampa Bay law enforcement agencies weigh how to classify coronavirus deaths” via Natalie Weber of the Tampa Bay Times
“Crowley oil tanker will take Jacksonville name on voyages into Arctic seas” via David Bauerlein of the Florida Times-Union
Quote of the Day
“Teachers should be able to eat steak dinners. And even in a foodie world, even if it’s vegan steak, we should be able to buy that.”
— Renaissance Charter School at Wellington Principal Christopher Glenton, on teacher salary increases.
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