Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
The Republican Party of Florida has fleshed out the schedule for the upcoming Sunshine Summit and Victory Dinner.
In a news release, RPOF said the event will include speaker slots for many of the top elected Republicans in the state, including Gov. Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis, Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Attorney General Ashley Moody, Senate President-designate Kathleen Passidomo and House Speaker-designate Paul Renner.
The agenda also includes a slew of conservative media personalities, such as Mark Levin, Karol Markowicz, Dave Rubin, Lisa Boothe, Clay Travis, Mollie Hemingway, Eliana Johnson and Stephen Moore, among others.
RPOF previously announced that the event will feature debates for Republican Primary candidates running in Florida’s 4th, 7th, 13th and 15th Congressional Districts.
The 2022 Sunshine Summit will be held July 22-23 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Prospective attendees may register online, with ticket packages starting at the $100-per-person level.
___
Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried’s gubernatorial campaign is highlighting critical moments and figures in women’s rights in a new statewide ad.
The video features clips of marchers, suffragists, women’s rights icons such as Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, as well as notable women politicians such as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
The images run up to the present day, with scenes from protests spurred by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
The ad’s backing track is “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and Fried reiterated the theme of the late 1980s hit in a news release announcing the ad.
“This is the most important message we’ve ever released,” Fried said. “I am standing on the shoulders of all these trailblazing women — and so is every other woman and ally fighting for women’s rights. We won’t back down. We won’t back down. We won’t back down.”
Her campaign also noted that the ex-wife of the late Gainesville-born musician, Jane Benyo Petty, has endorsed Fried in the Democratic Primary for Governor.
Benyo Petty’s endorsement, offered up on Twitter two weeks ago, was succinct: “We need a good woman Governor who cares.”
To watch the ad, click on the image below:
Evening Reads
—“White House focuses on Gov. Ron DeSantis — but struggles with Florida” via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida
—“Vice President DeSantis? Donald Trump isn’t ruling it out” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—“Ketanji Brown Jackson sworn in as first Black woman, 116th justice on U.S. Supreme Court” via Alex Roarty of the Miami Herald
—“Black Florida law students see Supreme Court Justice Jackson as an ‘inspiration’” via Lauren Peace of the Tampa Bay Times
—“Judge to block Florida’s 15-week abortion ban, says it violates state Constitution’s privacy language” via Michael Moline of the Florida Phoenix
—“Doctor ousted from Florida children’s health board over vaccine views” via Christine Jordan Sexton of Florida Politics
—“Gov. DeSantis to recommend Ray Rodrigues to lead State University System” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—“The Supreme Court hands Joe Biden the smallest possible victory in its ‘Remain in Mexico’ case” via Ian Millhiser of Vox
—“Biden, chiding court, endorses ending filibuster to codify abortion rights” via Michael D. Shear and Jim Tankersley of The New York Times
—“Candidate with a felony can’t volunteer in Broward schools. But he’s running for office to help run them.” via Scott Travis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
—“Think U.S. gas prices are high? Here’s how far $40 goes around the world.” via Alexa Juliana Ard, Ruby Mellen, Steven Rich and Júlia Ledur of The Washington Post
—“All eyes on airlines as July Fourth holiday weekend nears” via David Koenig of The Associated Press
—“For Orlando Museum of Art, a future full of questions” via Matthew J. Palm of the Orlando Sentinel
Quote of the Day
“Today is an important victory for freedom across the Sunshine State and Florida’s constitutional right to privacy. The reproductive freedoms of Florida’s women stood strong in the face of Gov. DeSantis’s ongoing attempts to strip away their right to make decisions over their bodies.”
— U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, on the court ruling blocking Florida’s 15-week abortion ban.
Bill Day’s Latest
Breakthrough Insights
