Peter Schorsch
Good morning and welcome back to “Brunch,” a pop-up email about the 2023 Legislative Session of the Florida Legislature, as well as other essential information about Florida politics.
We’re in L.A. for Ella’s Spring Break and the Academy Awards. My pick for Best Picture, and I spent the last week re-watching the nominees, is “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” It’s one part “The Matrix,” one part “Groundhog Day,” one part “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” one part, well, it’s so many parts; that’s the point. It’s just a dazzling film that will be impacting Hollywood for years to come, even if it doesn’t win the Oscar. By the way, here’s everything you need to know about the Academy Awards, including an explanation of why the red carpet won’t be red.
I’m making my first in-person appearance in a couple of years on “The Usual Suspects,” airing at 11:30 a.m. on WCTV in Tallahassee. You can watch a livestream by clicking here.
Be sure to check out this week’s picks for the Winner and Loser of the Week in Florida politics (please click here.)
Happy birthday, belatedly, to our friend Janet Scherberger, former Communications VP at Tampa International Airport and former Tampa Bay Times reporter. Celebrating today are former U.S. Rep. Val Demings, journalist Steve Bousquet, and Beth Labasky.
Now, enjoy Brunch!
— Spring forward —
That’s right, it’s time (once again) to set the clocks an hour ahead today for daylight saving time (DST). But didn’t the Legislature stop the time switches, like, years ago? Well, Congress is still working on it.
— Senate action: U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio managed to actually get a Senate OK for permanent DST last year, but that seemed to sneak through a sleepy Senate by way of unanimous consent. It never moved in the House.
— Rise again: Rubio has filed the Sunshine Protection Act again. He holds to his long-standing argument: “Changing time twice a year is stupid.” Let’s see if time-change-loving U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas gets caught snoozing again.
— Clock companion: This year, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, the Republican Co-Chair for Florida’s congressional delegation, will sponsor the House bill.
— Home rule: Buchanan says Florida has already made its feelings known. “Florida lawmakers have already voted to make daylight saving time permanent in my home state and Congress should pass the Sunshine Protection Act to move Florida and the rest of the country to year-round daylight saving time.”
— Still raising —
Ron DeSantis can’t run for a third straight term as Governor, but his political committee keeps hauling in the dough. It’s like donors think he’s not done campaigning quite yet.
— Open for business: Friends of Ron DeSantis, a state committee first opened in early 2018, continues to bring in big checks. The committee reported more than $9.98 million in February alone.
— Peak conditions: That’s actually one of the biggest hauls in a single period ever reported by the committee — which is saying something. By comparison, DeSantis raised $11.66 million in October, the month preceding the general election.
— Cash on hand: The bottom line, the FORD committee closed the month with almost $82.44 million in cash on hand. You can buy a lot of tickets at the Iowa State Fair.
— Hawkeye state —
Speaking of DeSantis, he did find his way this week to the state that traditionally hosts America’s first presidential caucuses. Campaigning alongside Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, he laid out what sure seemed like a message for 2024.
— Mandate schmandate: He recalled advice after his narrow 2018 win to govern passively. “I rejected that advice. My view was I may have received 50% of the vote, but I earned 100% of the executive power, and I intend to use that,” he said.
— Nope to woke: He also took a shot at his favorite boogeyman, leftist wokeism. Per the Des Moines Register: “There’s certain little enclaves in our country that may be popular. But it’s not popular with the vast majority of people. And I think it showed.”
— Punching up: He also took a swing at both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, slamming both their approaches to the pandemic. “We refused to let our state descend into some sort of Faucian dystopia,” he said, reported NBC News.
— Hospital food —
Medical education in the Capital City got a big boost this week when Florida State University and Tallahassee Memorial Hospital designated land for an academic health center. Some big names attended the unveiling.
— Simpson success: Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson was Senate President when the Legislature approved $125 million for the project. “The work of the Transformation Committee needs to be bold, forward-thinking and innovative,” he said. “That is what it will take for the dream to become a reality.”
— FSU boss: University President Richard McCullough said the new plan would bring unparalleled care to campus. “Universities don’t get opportunities like this every day,” he said.
Hospital hierarchy: TMH President and CEO Mark O’Bryant said talent recruitment may be the greatest plus. “Establishing this academic health center in partnership with FSU will create a vibrancy within our medical community that will enhance our ability to recruit highly skilled physicians and medical professionals to our region,” he said.
FSU Health will be an academic health center that will make a difference in people’s lives. We will deliver unparalleled clinical care with our partners at @TMHFORLIFE, conduct impactful research, and provide outstanding medical education. @WiltonSimpson https://t.co/MO0KvevezO pic.twitter.com/bOTA6hGwTg
— FSU President Richard McCullough (@PresMcCullough) March 9, 2023
— New College Appeal —
Since a major shake-up in leadership at New College of Florida, donors to the school’s foundation have balked. Now, Interim President Richard Corcoran issued an email urging donors to stay tuned — and keep giving.
— Fleeing the scene: The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported Friday that donors may cancel $29 million in support for the liberal arts university.
— Continued support: Corcoran urged donors not to jump ship now. “I understand that the past few months have likely led to your support of New College being in flux. I also understand that in order to continue to support New College through philanthropic giving, you must feel a connection to our success.
— Chicago principles: The new prez reiterated his support for principles adopted by the University of Chicago in 2014 for “free and open inquiry.” He wants that at New College.
— Defined curriculum: At the same time, he hinted some academic structure may be on the way. “New College needs to have a defined curriculum … not so broad as to be meaningless.”
— Not extinct: But he suggested something many lawmakers hinted at during the tumult. The option for New College wasn’t the status quo. “New College is no longer under threat of extinction by the state.”
— Session data —
What are the top issues facing Florida? That depends on who you ask. But if you want to know what everyday Floridians are talking about around the water cooler, the team at Moore can tell you. The PR agency tracked the Top 5 issues in the state according to social media impressions from the first interim committee week through the last. Here’s the final Top 5:
— Education reform has been the consistent No. 1, earning 3.9 million impressions during the December committee week and climbing up to 4.2 million impressions in the final committee week. It has a good shot of holding on through Session, considering universal school choice is one of leadership’s top priorities this year.
— Permitless carry didn’t chart three months ago but finished the race in second place — a distant second, but still. According to Moore, the topic earned about 756,000 impressions during the last committee week. Expect that number to climb as lawmakers debate (and likely pass) a so-called “constitutional carry” bill.
— Transgender health care was only slightly behind, logging 750,000 impressions. It was another no-show on the initial list, but similar to permitless carry, the Legislature is likely to pass controversial — and consequential — legislation limiting gender-affirming care in the Sunshine State this Session.
— Reedy Creek (RIP) held the No. 4 spot on both lists. Lawmakers have already replaced the special district governing Disney property with the new Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, and while the DeSantis v. Disney saga will likely stick around in the news for a while, the final ranking is likely due to the Governor recently announcing his board picks.
— Reproductive rights rounded out the list at No. 5 with 270,000 impressions. It’s a three-spot slip from the first committee week, when it scored just over twice as many impressions. This is always a hot topic, even more so post-Dobbs, but it’s hard to compete with some of the other heavy-hitter issues teed up for Session.
— Save the dates —
Session is now two weeks in. Bad news first: March-to-May Sessions fall in the holiday drought. The good news: That means you have plenty of empty boxes to fill in your calendar app of choice. Without further ado, these are the big dates in the legislative wonk world:
— April 15: This is the first weed-out day for House bills. Once the clock strikes midnight, no bills can be retained for reconsideration in committee.
— April 22: From Day 47 on, the Senate immediately certifies all bills. The House does the same unless otherwise directed by the Speaker, and “all measures acted on by the House shall be transmitted to the Senate without delay.”
— April 25: 50th day of Session is an important one. From then on, no Senate committees can meet other than the Rules Committee. For some, that’s a sigh of relief. For others, a surefire signal their bill isn’t getting heard.
— May 1: There’s another culling on Day 56, after which no bills on second reading may be taken up or considered by the House.
— May 4: The final nail in the coffin for many bills comes on Day 59. From then on, the House may only consider returning messages, conference reports, and concurrent resolutions.
— May 5: Day 60 is everyone’s favorite. If all goes smoothly, this is the day lawmakers will drop the hankie, ending Session Sine Die. For those who skipped Classics, it’s Latin “indefinitely” or “without day.” It’s also Floridian for “I’m outta here.” This assumes Session ends on time, of course.
— Here comes the judge —
An amendment is already planned for the bill banning gender-affirming care for minors, SB 254 sponsor and Jacksonville Republican Sen. Clay Yarborough announced late Friday afternoon. It allows the intervention of state courts when parents are split on support for such treatments for their child.
— No California love: Yarbrough noted in his announcement the change comes as a reaction to a new California law that bars its courts from, according to Reuters, “participating in another state’s attempt to take custody away from parents for providing gender-affirming care to their child.”
— What it does: The bill alters the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act to open up jurisdiction of the state courts to “enter, modify or stay a child custody determination” relating to a child in Florida undergoing sex-reassignment medications or procedures.
— Sponsor says: “If one parent is attempting to authorize drastic, life-altering gender dysphoria therapies and surgeries that would forever change the life of a young child, and would be illegal under other provisions of this bill, then by all means the other parent should have the ability to have a court review the custody agreement,” Yarborough said in his announcement.
— Walking on broken glass —
Never mind the lawsuits bill. Insurance leaders actually say their top priority this Session is ending assignment of benefits on shattered glass claims. This week, bipartisan legislation to do that will be moving in both chambers.
— House party: First-term Rep. Griff Griffitts, a Panama City Beach Republican, will present HB 541 to the House Insurance & Banking Subcommittee agenda at 11:30 a.m.
— Senate hearing: Meanwhile, Sen. Linda Stewart, an Orlando Democrat, will carry the bill in the upper chamber, presenting it to Senate banking and Insurance at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
— Glass man: The Florida Independent Glass Association, rep’d by Johnson & Stewart Government Strategies, will be one of the business voices in favor of the bills. Frequent opponents from the Florida Justice Association are also expected to weigh in.
No incentives: Insurance leaders want to see the Legislature put a stop to trying to entice customers to assign their benefits away in exchange for gift cards and rebates.
— Book giveaway —
The Florida Education Association, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers are joining together for the Great Florida Read-In, which includes approximately 25,000 books available for free for kids who attend.
— Bookmark it: The event will run Tuesday from 3-7 p.m. in front of the FEA building at 213 S. Adams St. in Tallahassee. Free parking will be at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, and transportation to the event will be provided.
— War of words: The event comes as state lawmakers have pushed for more control of school libraries and reading lists. The FEA alluded to the controversy in an email announcing the event, saying, “The Great Florida Read-In is intended to highlight the value of giving our children the freedom to learn, and to celebrate diverse books and open minds.”
— Free reads: The books are available at no cost for kids from pre-kindergarten through high school. Some authors will also be on hand to offer autographs, and free snacks will also be available.
— The new class —
The Legislature is welcoming an inaugural group of legislative interns to the Capitol.
— Garnet and gold: The Florida State University Legislative Internship Program hopes to formalize the internship process, allowing students to join a structured program to get experience in The Process. “Our students now will have even more hands-on opportunities to learn how politics and policy are intertwined in the legislative process by working with legislators and policymakers in the Governor’s Office, the House or Senate, state agencies and other legislative offices,” said President Richard McCullough. “This is a tremendous opportunity for students that could launch a career in politics or public service and open doors they may have never imagined.”
— First class: The inaugural class has 29 members. Eighteen students applied directly, while the remaining 11 came from the new Applied Politics and Policy Learning Experience program, launched by Brad Kile and Amanda Driscoll of the Department of Political Science.
— The process: More than 100 students applied in the fall. The interns then went through a multi-day boot camp to get training on the legislative process.
—Twitter data —
194 will enter; two will win. That’s the gist of Ozean’s inaugural “@” Award, which ranks the “Twitter Power” of Florida’s elected officials.
— The rankings are split across four categories: state Representatives, state Senators, the Governor and Cabinet, and members of the Congressional delegation.
— The rules are simple. Starting March 5 and running through May 7 or Sine Die, whichever is later, Ozean’s algorithm assigns a tailored weighting to variables including tweets, retweets replies, follower count, following count and effective reach. The leaderboard will be updated weekly on Friday.
— The preseason No. 1s, based on baseline data collected Feb. 20 through March 3: Orlando Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani, West Park Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones, Gov. Ron DeSantis and CD 1 Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz.
— The ‘@’ Award will go to the top-ranked state Representative and Senator when the hankie drops. The only thing executive branch and Congressional delegation competitors can win are bragging rights.
— A caveat from Ozean’s Ben Torpey: “We understand there is a risk in studying Twitter with the current environment and changes with the platform, but we want to attempt to better understand how elected officials are using Twitter. We hope the Power Ranking is a first step.”
— South Florida municipal elections —
West Palm Beach’s municipal elections have been canceled, due to no challenges to the incumbents, but there are 23 South Florida municipalities with voters heading to the polls Tuesday.
— Here are some highlights in Broward and Palm Beach counties:
— Boca Raton. Voters will decide on whether to decide on a charter change to increase City Council terms from three years to four-year terms.
— Boynton Beach. In District 2, four City Commission candidates are competing: Woodrow Hay, Joe Josemond, Mack McCray and Bernard Wright. In District 4, three are in the contest: Danny Ferrell, Aimee Kelley and Tom Ramiccio.
— Deerfield Beach. Voters will be asked to approve the sale of city-owned land and two seats on the City Commission.
— In District 1, incumbent City Commissioner Michael Hudak faces challenger Maria LoRicco. In District 2, incumbent City Commissioner Ben Preston has two competitors: Terry Scott and Darlene Swaffar.
— Delray Beach. In addition to ballot questions about borrowing funds for new first-responder facility and park improvements, voters will be deciding on two seats on the City Commission.
— For the District 2 representative on the City Commission, incumbent Commissioner Juli Casale will meet Rob Long. For District 4’s City Commissioner, Angela Burns and Angie Gray are competing.
— Miramar. Three-term Mayor Wayne Messam has a competitor in Rudy Theophin.
— Club Conway —
The person perhaps most responsible for Donald Trump becoming the 45th President will speak Monday to a Palm Beach County group determined to make him the 47th. Kellyanne Conway is coming to town.
— Campaign Manager: Conway, a longtime pollster, took over as campaign manager of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign at a time when he lagged behind Democrat Hillary Clinton. She led the campaign to a surprise victory that year.
— Fly-in: Conway will speak now to Club 47 USA at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport in West Palm Beach on Monday at 7 p.m.
— Renumbered: If that club name sounds only vaguely familiar, the Republican group in Trump’s home county once went by Club 45 when it formed in 2018. But with Trump looking at a return to the White House, the fan group renumbered to match that ambition.
— Crabbin’ away the right way —
New blue crab-trapping rules went into effect March 1 and are meant to ensure Florida’s crabbers bring up from depth the treasures of the briny sea for which they’re looking and not a protected diamondback terrapin. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission manages five of the seven subspecies of diamondback terrapin in Florida, including the three found nowhere else in the wild.
— Dimensionally: Recreational crab traps now must contain funnel openings no larger than 2-by-6 inches at the narrowest point or contain a 2-by-6-inch bycatch reduction device (BRD) that allows for terrapins to swim away.
— BRD is the word: Bycatch reduction devices are an outgrowth of the fishing industry — a Georgia shrimper developed the first BRD for shrimp nets to allow sea turtles to swim away. The same follows for BRDs on traps for blue crab. FWC even offers a limited number for free through the Division of Marine Fisheries Management by calling 850-487-0554 or emailing [email protected].
— #TurtleLife: Diamondback terrapins love brackish water habitats that people also tend to frequent, like barrier islands, salt marshes, tidal creeks, rivers and mangrove swamps. They also eat crabs, along with clams, snails, mussels, fish, worms and plants.
— Brunching Out: Part 1 —
Olean McCaskill opened her venerable restaurant more than 25 years ago and it’s still going strong. That’s due in part to her warmth and charm along with her home-cooked soul food, with an emphasis on soul.
— Backstory: Originally from Conecuh County, Alabama, Olean used to closely watch her mom and grandma cook. Olean was working in restaurants in Tallahassee by age 14. She opened Olean’s Café in 1997. Olean’s was in the spotlight during the 2008 election between Barack Obama and John McCain. She created a competition between the Obama Breakfast, a feast compared to the McCain meal of eggs, grits and toast. The winner, the Obama Breakfast, is still available. When Joe Biden stopped here in 2016, he asked her if she was going to make a Biden breakfast. Instead, she created the Biden Lunch, still on the menu. It’s fried chicken, black-eyed peas, mac and cheese — just what he ordered on his visit.
— Setting: Located across from the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, the building has green and orange accents, FAMU’s colors, inside and out. It’s a neighborhood setting with lots of clippings on the walls, and many of the students she watched grow up.
— The menu: Customers step up to the counter and pick what they want from several trays of food, including fan favorites of mouthwatering fried chicken, catfish and pork chops, along with sausage and gravy, pancakes, grits, and other breakfast fare. At lunch, look for traditional sides such as collard greens, mac-n-cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy and cake for dessert.
— Details: Olean’s Cafe, 1605 Adams St.; 850-521-0259. Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Saturday.
— Brunching Out: Part 2 —
Ology Brewing Company has been adding so many attractions that its three locations each have something special to offer.
— Backstory: Ology Northside is a family-friendly spot with a coffee operation (from Tallahassee’s java guru, Jason Card) and its “Foodlab,” with a menu from chef Randy Blass. Add to that a new Sunday jazz brunch featuring FSU Jazz faculty and students. The jazz brunch started on March 5 and will continue through March.
— Setting: The newest branch, Ology Northside, is its biggest location, with a large, open taproom, a breezy fenced-in patio, a nook with merchandise (T-shirts, hats, etc.) and a large selection of the brewer’s beers, plus their own distilled spirits. The live music was a bonus. We spent part of our visit listening to FSU’s talented musicians and part relaxing on the patio.
— The menu: Chef Blass, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality business, touts a from-scratch kitchen. On our recent visit, we savored his homemade potato leek, which was ultra rich and creamy and one of his breakfast specials, a flavorful breakfast burrito with pimento cheese, Tater Tots and a bit of hot sauce. You can also order off the lunch menu so we also devoured two empanadas, one with beef and one with chicken, with a wonderfully crisp, flaky shell. Other lunch choices included several types of flatbreads, sandwiches, dips and a German-style pretzel.
— Beverages: Ology’s brews include hazy IPAs (such as their Sensory Overload), double IPAs with citrusy tones (Heliocentric Distortion) and imperial stouts (Peanut Butter and Chocolate Decadence) plus a selection of their own vodka, gin, bourbon and other distilled products.
— Details: Ology Northside, 2910 Kerry Forest Pkwy.; 850-296-2809. Hours: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. The jazz brunch is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays in March (hopes are it will be continued beyond that). Ology’s original location (with coffee daily and jazz Tuesday nights) is at 118 E. Sixth Ave., and the brewery has a tap room, distillery and beer garden at 2708 Power Mill Court.
