Here’s Brunch, a pop-up, weekend email during the 2023 Regular Session — 4.23.23

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.

Happy birthday to our own Andrew Wilson, as well as former state Sen. Randolph Bracy.

Ell has a horse show this morning, her first since breaking her arm during a fall from her pony earlier in the year. Then we’ll be heading over to the Mainsail Art Festival along St. Petersburg’s picturesque waterfront.

Be sure to check out this week’s picks for the Winner and Loser of the Week in Florida politics (please click here.)

Two big items for your radar this week: President Joe Biden is expected to announce his bid for re-election as soon as Tuesday. And the NFL draft begins on Thursday. The Carolina Panthers have the first pick.

Now, enjoy Brunch.

— DeSantis travels —

Ron DeSantis has been in Washington D.C. and Utah, where he continues to tweak a familiar stump speech.

— Beehive jive? In Utah Saturday, DeSantis lauded the state’s commitment to freedom in a speech to the Republican Convention. “Well, let me just tell you maybe it’s a little secret, but it might just be that Florida is the Utah of the Southeast,” DeSantis said, continuing a trend of praising audiences and settings wherever he goes.

— Right field: The Governor continues to tweak his message to social conservatives, finally working in brief remarks about the Heartbeat Protection Act and constitutional carry (both recently signed into law) at both stops. “We have stood for life by enacting the heartbeat bill in the state of Florida. We have stood for the Second Amendment by enacting constitutional carry,” DeSantis said in Utah. The latter reference was ironic, given guns were banned from his event.

— Visit Florida? In Washington D.C., DeSantis spoke to the Heritage Foundation, where he suggested the conservative group relocate to the Sunshine State. DeSantis called Florida the “beating heart of the conservative movement in the United States” in making his pitch.

— Chicago hope? The Governor returned to predictions that new Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson would lead to an Illinois influx into the Sunshine State, contending “they just elected someone even more left. I can tell you; I’m going to see more people moving to Naples as a result of that election. That’s just the way it works.”

— Laxalt leaps in —

An old friend of DeSantis is taking over the Never Back Down Super PAC.

— Buddy system: Shelby Talcott of Semafor confirms that Adam Laxalt is going to Chair the NEVER BACK DOWN super PAC supporting an expected Presidential campaign from the Florida Governor. The report was not entirely unsurprising. Laxalt, a longtime friend and former roommate of the Florida Governor, enjoyed the Governor’s support in his failed 2022 bid for Senate.

— Damage control? The Semafor reporting counters a narrative pushed Friday night by Chris LaCivita, a senior adviser to the Donald Trump campaign, who said Laxalt was “pushing aside” founder Ken Cuccinelli. The reporting suggests that Never Back Down wanted to reassert control of the narrative.

— What’s next? It’s worth watching to see if Laxalt starts handling national interviews in Cuccinelli’s stead. An interview last week with Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Channel was notable for Cuccinelli claiming that Republicans back the ongoing feud between DeSantis and the “scourge” that he claims is The Walt Disney Co., which he called a “force to undermine good, healthy, positive, patriotic American culture.”

— Asia Trade Mission —

DeSantis will lead a trade mission with other Florida officials this week in Japan, South Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom. The trip is in coordination with Enterprise Florida, the state’s job creation arm.

— First lady on board: Casey DeSantis is scheduled to travel with her husband on the mission, which also includes Secretary of State Cord Byrd and Secretary of Commerce Laura DiBella, who heads Enterprise Florida.

— The targets: The delegation will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-too. DeSantis will also deliver a keynote address on April 27 at an event marking Israel’s 75th anniversary of independence.

— Does Disney Sue? —

Entertainment reporter (and lawyer) Matthew Belloni is speculating that it may be time for Disney to deploy a nuclear option against DeSantis, that is to sue the state. His musing comes as DeSantis continues looking for ways to give the happiest place on earth a not-so-happy time.

— Disney says gay: It all started with DeSantis’ priority legislation last year, the parental rights in education law, dubbed by critics the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Disney opposed it and DeSantis didn’t like that much. It’s been game on against Mickey’s house ever since.

— So much dissing: Since the feud started last year, DeSantis and his loyal Legislature have restructured the Reedy Creek tax district, renaming it the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District and stacking it with DeSantis-friendly board members, which threatens Disney’s autonomy over land near its properties. There have also been threats to build a nearby prison and to ramp up inspections at Disney theme parks.

— Lawyer weighs in: Belloni spoke to Jacob Schumer, a local government and land use lawyer with Shepard, Smith, Kohlmyer & Hand in Orlando. He said a lawsuit might be Disney’s best defense. As the Legislature considers a bill that would restore powers to the new oversight district that replaced Reedy Creek, which could lead to an end to Disney’s exemption on ride inspections or a hotel tax that would conveniently only apply to Disney, the theme park giant could have a “very good retaliation case,” in that its opposition to DeSantis’ priority legislation was an exercise of free speech.

There is obviously a ton of nuance even seasoned lawyers are still trying to wrap their heads around, not the least of which is the fact that Disney is the primary taxpayer within the district, so it is, in effect, funding DeSantis’ crusade. Whatever happens though, it’s clear Disney and DeSantis may be feuding for quite some time.

— Crunching the numbers —

House and Senate leaders agreed to top-line spending numbers, known as allocations, for each area of the budget, with both sides ready to spend $45.4 billion in general revenue in total.

— Pencil it in: Formal meetings between the chambers to hash out the details of the budget won’t start until 9 a.m. Monday at the earliest and evening meetings won’t start later than 8 p.m., according to a joint memo from House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo.

— In step: “The House and Senate budgets were already aligned on many key issues, making for a smooth allocations process,” the memo states. “The … allocations deliver fiscally responsible levels of funding that maintain historic reserves and allow for a record number of meaningful tax relief initiatives, while at the same time respecting the budget goals unanimously passed by each chamber and those identified by the Governor, Cabinet and state agencies.”

— Chill pill: A final agreement must be in place by May 2 for lawmakers to finish the Regular Session by its scheduled May 5 end date, due to the constitutionally required 72-hour “cooling off” period before the Legislature can vote on the budget.

Here’s a breakdown of the general revenue funds available for each area of the budget: PreK-12 Education — $14.2 billion; Higher Education — $5.7 billion; Health and Human Services — $15.1 billion; Criminal and Civil Justice — $5.6 billion; Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development — $1.46 billion; Agriculture & Natural Resources — $1.6 billion; State Administration, Technology and General Government — $708.3 million; Administered Funds & Statewide Issues — $1.18 billion.

— Called away —

When the Governor’s Office released photos of his late-night signing of a six-week abortion ban, one face was glaringly absent: Passidomo. But the reason wasn’t what many immediately suggested.

— Funeral for a friend: Passidomo on Thursday night had to fly out of Tallahassee. She said an old friend (a term she said was used “literally and figuratively”) had passed.

— Enrolled and out: Katherine Betta, Passidomo’s lead spox, said the Senate President stayed in Tally until after the House approved the bill. But once she signed the proper docs to send it to DeSantis, she left to catch a flight.

— Private colleague: The Senate President’s Office declined to name the individual who passed, as they are not involved in politics or Passidomo’s role in the Senate.

— Chipping away at glass lawsuits —

The Senate approved legislation attempting to cut down on the number of auto glass lawsuits in the state.

— No dispute: The Senate unanimously approved SB 1002 from Orlando Democratic Sen. Linda Stewart’s. She’s worked for years on addressing the issue.

— The numbers: The number of auto glass repair lawsuits has increased 6,000% since 2011. Last year saw 37,000 claims filed — and most came from around two dozen lawyers.

— Stewart’s success: “This bill gets our windshield replacement policies up to date with the current times and further ensures consumer protections through notice of need for recalibration,” Stewart said in a statement after the Senate approved the bill. “Through these new requirements for replacements, the removal of AOB’s and the recently adopted amendment to prohibit steering, I believe we have developed a comprehensive package that will greatly benefit consumers and ultimately lead to rate relief, and after today’s vote, I’m looking forward to its final passage in the House.”

Panama City Republican Rep. Griff Griffitts is sponsoring the House companion measure, which is awaiting a floor vote.

— Manager of the year —

Leading the campaign to elect 26-year-old Maxwell Frost to an open U.S. House seat earned Kevin Lata national accolades. The Pollie Awards just named Lata the non-statewide Campaign Manager of the Year.

— Gen Z jolt: Frost didn’t just succeed U.S. Rep. Val Demings after competing in a wide field. Lata messaging made the nation’s first Gen Z Congressman a national star. “When almost no one believed in me, Kevin moved to Orlando to win this thing,” Frost noted on Twitter.

— Bipartisan star: The American Association of Political Consultants hosts the national awards each year. It’s the biggest recognition for political consultants and campaigns that consider work for both major parties.

— Just the beginning: This is Lata’s third time leading a Florida campaign, and of course the first time with a candidate born in the late ‘90s. But he sees a future for Frost and peers. “It was a tremendous honor to help elect Maxwell Frost, the first Gen-Z member of Congress. Maxwell is the first and he certainly won’t be the last.”

— Don’t be a scumbag —

Read this! The Washington Post has an engaging, must-read feature on Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood detailing his fight with neo-Nazi “scumbags.” It’s chock full of Chitwood’s colorful language and inspiring gusto that doesn’t cave to extremism, even when options to fight it are limited.

— Who is this guy? Chitwood earned his cop chops in Philadelphia, where he grew up, and later served in Oklahoma, including as a Police Chief there. He was elected Volusia County Sheriff in 2016 and sworn into office in early 2017.

— Not taking any sh*t: Volusia County, an overwhelmingly conservative county home to Daytona Beach, has seen an uptick in antisemitism and neo-Nazi-related activity, including a laser projection in February at the Daytona International Speedway announcing, grossly, that “Hitler was right.” Rather than the usual playbook — which typically includes condemning the message but little else — Chitwood vowed to go nuclear, shaming organizers on radio and television endlessly in hopes that it will discourage people from being, well, scumbags.

— He’s a victim too: Chitwood isn’t just an aggressor hoping to tackle White supremacy, he’s also the victim of it. He was bombarded with emails, and someone posted his cellphone number on 4chan encouraging people to blow up his phone. They did, so he got a burner. Chitwood suspects, too, that the same people reported a phony murder-suicide at his parents’ address.

— An unlikely crusader: Some see a correlation between neo-Nazis and their sympathizers and the likelihood that they support former President Donald Trump. Well, there’s no correlation there for Chitwood. He voted for Trump twice.

— Little to be done: Despite his zest for fighting, Chitwood acknowledges there’s not much he can do, thanks to the First Amendment. When the neo-Nazis littered yards with propaganda, the most they were guilty of was, well, littering.

Even as progress seems illusive, Chitwood carries on, training deputies how to react to incidents involving extremism and gathering intel on leaders within the local neo-Nazi (they say they’re not neo-Nazi, but rather anti-Jew) movement. And he doesn’t support Trump anymore.

— Public safety for Dave Weldon —

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and State Attorney Phil Archer are throwing their support to Dave Weldon in his bid for Florida House District 32.

— Ivey’s guy: “Dave Weldon is a tough-on-crime conservative leader who will always put Brevard families first. Dave strongly supports our Second Amendment rights, enforcing the rule of law, and keeping criminals behind bars. Dave Weldon will be unwavering in his stance to protect our citizens and our constitutional rights.”

— A man of principle: That’s how Archer described Weldon, who is so far the only person in the race to replace term-limited Thad Altman. “I know Dave Weldon will fight for strong public safety laws and for giving our prosecutors the tools and resources they need to protect Brevard families,” Archer said.

— Not his first rodeo: Weldon won election to the U.S. House in 1994 as part of the Newt Gingrich-led Republican Revolution. He flipped a seat that previously had been represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Bacchus, who chose not to seek re-election. The Congressman opted against re-election in 2008, endorsing then-state Sen. Bill Posey to succeed him. Posey still holds the seat.

House District 32 includes Rockledge, Viera, Melbourne, Indian Harbour Beach and Indialantic. The partisan registration is 44% Republican, 26% Democrat, and 30% independent.

— Seeing the light —

In recognition of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week April 23-29, Marsy’s Law for Florida will light iconic Florida landmarks purple to raise awareness for victims’ rights and to educate individuals of the resources and protections available.

— Why purple? That’s the color representing crime victims’ rights, kind of like pink represents breast cancer awareness.

— It’s lit! Locations to be bathed in purple include Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach; the Daytona Beach Bandshell; The Wheel at ICON Park in Orlando; the Freedom Tower in Miami and the Pensacola Lighthouse and Maritime Museum.

— What are they saying? “Lighting some of Florida’s most recognized landmarks purple during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is a way for us to remind Floridians that, should they become victims of a crime, they have important rights and protections afforded to them by our state constitution,” said Jennifer Fennell, Marsy’s Law for Florida spokesperson. “Thanks to Marsy’s Law, Florida crime victims now have the right to participate in a meaningful way as their case progresses through the criminal justice process.”

Marsy’s Law for Florida and other organizations observe crime rights’ awareness in April each year, revisiting victims’ rights history, advocating for advancements and celebrating those in our justice system who work in support of those efforts.

— Snake crime? —

Nearly three dozen pythons and a boa constrictor are dead following an investigation by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) into reports of an unpermitted, escaped reticulated python near a reptile keeper’s facility April 5. What happened there gave fuel to the fire regarding a long-running series of disputes between the agency and state reptile keepers.

— Mistake made: According to the Florida group of the U.S. Association of Reptile Keepers (USARK), FWC officers went into the West Palm Beach facility unannounced. Officers reportedly killed the boa constrictor, which was a pet and pregnant at the time, by a nail-gun shot to the head because it was misidentified as a python. One man, Bill McAdam, owned the boa constrictor and the facility, while another man, Chris Coffee, owned the reticulated and Burmese pythons.

— Preliminary explanation: FWC states in its announcement on the event that reticulated pythons, 29 of which were killed along with five Burmese pythons, are nonnative and invasive, with a spot on the agency’s prohibited species list. The agency notes the facility owner requested officers to euthanize all of the unpermitted pythons on hand. The boa constrictor should not have been killed, and “The FWC will examine if there are appropriate methods to avoid similar inadvertent events from occurring in the future.”

— Hissing back: USARK detailed the steps Coffee took to remain on the right side of the law, and stated officers responded by “raiding Coffee’s facility, arresting him, and issuing him two charges for each reticulated and Burmese python possessed, for a total of 72 criminal charges. However, rather than seize the animals, FWC officers told Coffee that he had to continue to keep the animals in captivity and that he could not rehome or euthanize them, or he would be arrested again.”

— What’s next? The investigation into the incident continues, with the FWC Division of Law Enforcement working to determine the full details. The agency states more information will be released as soon as it’s verified and appropriate, which could take time “but the FWC is committed to providing it.”

— On tap —

The weekend is here, and you better enjoy it, because it’ll likely be your last breather before Sine Die. What better way to get some R&R than with a cold drink, a comfy couch and a big screen blaring live sports? Well, a lot of things are better, but that listicle would take a lifetime to write. Enjoy this sports schedule instead:

— Tee time: The Zurich Classic teed off Thursday and continues through today at TPC Louisiana. For those who prefer LIV to PGA, there’s Adelaide.

— Slapshot: The Lightning stomped the Maple Leafs in Game 1 of their playoff series, but the Leafs struck back just as hard in Game 2. We prewrote before Game 3, but no matter what happened, you’ll want to tune in for Game 4 tomorrow night. The match starts at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

— Round 1, START: Late April means the NBA Playoffs are here. Here’s what’s on the agenda for today: The Cavs and the Knicks square off at 1 p.m.; the Kings and Warriors tip off at 3:30 p.m.; and the Nuggets and T-wolves go head-to-head at 9:30 p.m. Heat fans need to wait until tomorrow night for the next game in their series against the Bucks.

— This is a thing: Fans of off-brand football have a lot of options, apparently. The XFL is wrapping up the final week of its regular season today with Houston vs. Arlington kicking off at 3 p.m. followed by Las Vegas vs. Seattle at 7 p.m. Both are airing on ESPN. In the USFL, the New Jersey Generals face the Pittsburg Maulers at 1 p.m. and the Michigan Panthers and Philadelphia Stars play at 7 p.m. Catch them on NBC and FS1, respectively.

— Grand slam: Racketheads can catch the Barcelona Open finals and the Stuttgart Open finals streaming on Amazon Prime Video this afternoon.

— Vroom vroom: Finally, the NASCAR Talladega Superspeedway, also known as “Dega,” starts at 3 p.m. on Fox.

— Brunching Out —

Lucilla has resumed its weekly Sunday brunch for the first time since the pandemic hit.

— Backstory: Chef Joseph Richardson and partner Lara Hooper opened Lucilla in 2018.

— Setting: Lucilla is a charming café with black-and-white checkered floors and a retro vibe. You can dine inside or on the patio.

— The menu: Richardson, a Tallahassee native who launched his culinary career in New Orleans, calls his cuisine upscale American comfort food with Creole and Southern accents. The brunch menu offers seven starters and seven main dishes, but choices are bound to expand. The showstopper was the stuffed French toast, two large pieces of vanilla-custard battered challah topped with candied pecans, sliced strawberries and a drizzle of maple syrup. Other hits: fried oysters; mushroom frittata served with a large salad and crisp fingerling potatoes; and crabcake Benedict with a mound of garlicky spinach and fingerling potatoes. With choices such as croissant bread pudding, peanut butter stuffed brownie and chocolate coconut pots de crème, you’ll want to save room for dessert.

— Service: Excellent. Welcoming and well-paced.

— Beverages: Pair brunch with coffee, Sangria, mimosa or a selection from the extensive wine list.

— Details: Lucilla, 1241 E. Lafayette St.; 850-900-5117. Open from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, dinner service starts at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday to Sunday.