Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
President Joe Biden dissed Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott during a stop in Tampa this afternoon, but Scott is firing back with a weeklong ad buy “exposing his lies.”
Biden’s attacks on Scott stem from the Senator’s “12-point plan to rescue America,” which was met with a tepid reception among Republicans and is routine mockery by Democrats.
Specifically, the President has zeroed in on a provision in Scott’s plan that would put all federal programs up for review and reauthorization every five years. Biden and other Democrats say that would spell doom for entitlement programs Social Security and Medicare.
Scott’s response: Biden did it first.
In a news release announcing the ad buy, the freshman Senator called attention to legislation Biden pushed during his first term in the mid-1970s. Biden’s 1975 proposal, like Scott’s, would have limited spending authorizations for federal programs to four years, after which Congress would need to vote on its renewal.
Like Scott’s proposal, Biden’s did not explicitly mention Social Security or Medicare. However, experts who have reviewed the draft legislation pitched by the then 32-year-old Biden say it would have applied to those programs.
But the ad doesn’t touch on that issue, and instead features Scott in his trademark U.S. Navy cap claiming that Biden “cheated on his taxes, and got away with it.” It also mentions recent funding for 87,000 new IRS employees and claims that the President cut $280 billion from Medicare.
The latter claim is a documented falsehood about a Democratic vote that did not cut benefits but allowed for negotiation with pharmaceutical companies.
To watch the ad, please click on the image below:
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A federal grand jury has indicted a Tallahassee man suspected of committing six armed robberies over a weeklong span in mid-November.
Keshawn Jarmarlin Robinson, 21, is accused of robbing a Subway, the Tobacco Outlet, a Dollar General store, an Advanced Auto Parts store, a Firehouse Subs and the Lemon Pepper restaurant. All six robberies were in Tallahassee and the spree took place Nov. 15-22, 2022.
Robinson was indicted on 13 counts in all — six counts of Hobbs Act Robbery, six counts of brandishing a gun during the commission of a crime, and one count of being a felon in possession of a gun. Hobbs Act Robbery is robbery committed “by wrongful use of force or fear.”
If convicted, Robinson faces 20 years in prison for each robbery charge; 7 years to life in prison for each charge of brandishing a firearm; and up to 15 years in prison for possessing a gun as a felon. Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric K. Mountin has been assigned to prosecute the case.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, the indictment resulted from an investigation conducted by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tallahassee Police Department.
ATF and TPD were collaborating as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a U.S. Department of Justice program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and gun violence.
As part of its PSN strategy, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is encouraging everyone to lock their car doors, particularly at night. Burglaries from unlocked cars are a significant source of guns for criminals in the Northern District of Florida.
Evening Reads
—”The two questions that will decide Ron DeSantis’ likely 2024 bid” via Philip Bump of The Washington Post
—”Mulling 2024, DeSantis is on Chris Sununu’s mind” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—“DeSantis is totally ignorant of why New College is so special” via Malcolm Jones of The Daily Beast
—”Biden targets top Florida Republicans DeSantis, Scott over health care in Tampa stop” via John Wagner and Mariana Alfaro of The Washington Post
—“Florida House passes bill to change Disney World’s government” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics
—“Sports board removes menstrual questions for Florida athletes after scathing criticism” via Sommer Brugal of the Miami Herald
—“Bill to hike caps on government liability advances in House” via Gray Rohrer of Florida Politics
—“Florida judges arbitrarily denied minors’ requests for abortions last year, report finds” via Caroline Catherman of the Orlando Sentinel
—”Bill helping exonerated prisoners get paid clears first committee in years” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
—”Florida claims about AP African American studies are false, College Board says” via Jeffrey S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times
—”Legislation might help save endangered Black cemetery” via Anne Geggis of Florida Politics
—”Bill giving Floridians a leg up on state park reservations moving through House” via Wes Wolfe of Florida Politics
—”Ex-UCF professor fought to keep her job after moonlighting accusations at another school” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics
—“FSU, FAMU students march against DeSantis’ move to dismantle diversity programs” via Tarah Jean of the Tallahassee Democrat
—”Burt Bacharach, master pop composer, dead at 94” via David Browne of Rolling Stone
Quote of the Day
“I know that for a lot of Republicans on the Hill their dream is to cut Social Security and Medicare. Well, let me say this. If that’s your dream, I’m your nightmare.”
—President Joe Biden, criticizing U.S. Sen. Rick Scott’s proposal to review all federal programs every five years.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
