Here’s Brunch, a pop-up, weekend email during the 2023-24 campaign — 6.25.23

Good morning and welcome back to “Brunch,” a pop-up email about the 2023-24 campaign, as well as other essential information about Florida politics.

In his campaign for President, Gov. Ron DeSantis is crisscrossing the country with a stump speech touting his record in Florida — “where woke goes to die.”

But CNN’s Steve Contorno notes that reports of the death of “woke” are somewhat exaggerated.

“Back in Florida, the agenda at the centerpiece of his pitch remains unsettled,” Contorno writes. “Still ongoing are more than a dozen legal battles testing the constitutionality of many of the victories DeSantis has touted on the campaign trail. Critics say DeSantis has built his governorship around enacting laws that appeal to his conservative base but that, as a Harvard-trained lawyer, he knows are unconstitutional and not likely to take effect.”

Among the most recent flurry of lawsuits is one against a new law that gives the DeSantis administration power to shut down bars or restaurants that admit children to certain “adult live performances” — targeted toward drag shows.

On Friday, U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell blocked that law.

Another federal judge ruled that the state cannot restrict transgender adults on Medicaid from receiving gender-affirming care. And U.S. Circuit Judge Mark Walker — who frequently rules against the DeSantis administration — blocked parts of the “Stop Woke Act, calling it “dystopian” and that DeSantis and the Florida GOP are declaring the “unfettered authority to muzzle its professors in the name of ‘freedom.’”

“We will never surrender to the woke mob,” DeSantis recently said in South Carolina. “We are going to leave woke ideology in the dustbin of history where it belongs.”

Despite DeSantis’ stump speech, “woke’ is alive in Florida — for now.

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For the first official weekend of Summer (Summer solstice was June 21) there were several notable birthdays; Saturday celebrants include U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom and Tara Price, an attorney with Shutts & Bowen. And good wishes on Sunday to Florida Supreme Court Justice Carlos Muniz … state Sen. Bryan Avila … South Miami Mayor and former state Rep. Javier Fernández.

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

Now, enjoy Brunch!

— DeSantis defends Donald —

As DeSantis rushed to condemn the federal indictment of Donald Trump in the case of the documents, many wondered, ‘Just how much more is the GOP field going to suck up to their top competition?’ Tim Murtaugh, National Public Affairs Executive Vice President for Communication Strategy, sought to answer that question, placing DeSantis’ defense as the No. 2 most “Trumpy.”

— DeSantis’ doozy: “The weaponization of federal law enforcement represents a mortal threat to a free society,” he said after the indictment. “We have for years witnessed an uneven application of the law depending upon political affiliation. Why so zealous in pursuing Trump yet so passive about Hillary (Clinton) or Hunter (Biden)? The DeSantis administration will bring accountability to the DOJ, excise political bias, and end weaponization once and for all.”

— Murtaugh’s verdict: That earned DeSantis an “8” on Murtaugh’s 1-10 scale, with a “0” rating completely aligning with Trump. Only Vivek Ramaswamy, who many see as vying for a role within a possible Trump administration and who urged candidates to sign a pledge to pardon Trump, scored higher.

— Suarez shows up: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez also landed on the list, with a “6” rating in terms of the Trumpiness of his response. That placed him sixth out of 10 candidates who, again, are ostensibly attempting to defeat Trump for the GOP nomination. “People are frustrated in this country, particularly Republicans, who feel that there isn’t an equal administration of justice,” Suarez said, keeping things vague. “That’s what I hear; that’s what Republicans are telling me.”

— Trust the data? —

Crime is at a 50-year low in Florida, according to comments DeSantis made as he mounts his presidential campaign. But The Marshall Project is pushing back on that characterization, arguing that Florida’s crime stats are so lacking that formulating conclusions can be difficult.

— Missing pieces: According to The Marshall Project’s Weihua Li, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in 2021 got summary-level crime data from just 59% of the state’s police agencies. Those agencies only made up around half of Florida’s population. Overall, 200 agencies didn’t report any data.

— Data deficit: That’s just at the state level. The Marshall Project also obtained data from the FBI showing Florida has the lowest participation rate in national crime data reporting. In 2022, just 49 agencies gave data to the FBI. More than 500 agencies were missing.

— Incomplete story: “People are already crime data illiterate, for the most part,” said Jeff Asher, a criminologist and co-founder of AH Datalytics. “It makes it much more difficult to say, with certainty, what is happening both on a national level and also on the state level.”

— Policy push —

The DeSantis campaign is set for a policy rollout this upcoming week, aiming to push back on concerns from some that his national policy portfolio is lacking as he mounts a presidential run.

— Topics teased: According to ABC News, which first reported the story, DeSantis’ first set of policy proposals will focus on the economy, border security and crime, as well as feeding into Republicans’ undefined push of “eliminating the so-called deep state.” More reveals are expected throughout the summer.

— Campaign shift: The move would be a change for DeSantis, who has touted chiefly his own record in Florida while asserting he could apply that blueprint nationally. DeSantis’ team says the next several weeks will focus on contrasts between his agenda and President Joe Biden’s. “Ron DeSantis is the fighter Americans are looking for with the solutions needed to tackle the most pressing issues, like fixing the economy, securing the border and making our communities safer,” said DeSantis campaign spokesperson Andrew Romeo. “The Governor is looking forward to spending the Summer relentlessly prosecuting the case against Joe Biden — the worst President in American history — and offering specifics on how he will right the ship to usher in our Great American Comeback.”

— Sights on Salazar —

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) is again targeting U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar, this time going after her record on abortion ahead of an election where the issue is expected to be front-and-center.

— Digital ads up early: The Democratic organization, tasked with helping House candidates, is pushing three new digital ads backed by four-figure buys, according to the group. The ads argue a vote for Salazar is a vote to further restrict abortion following last year’s Supreme Court ruling overruling Roe v. Wade. One such ad reads, “María Elvira Salazar and extreme House Republicans want to restrict your reproductive freedoms. We can’t let them. Let’s take back our Majority and protect our rights.”

— “A” rating: Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which opposes abortion rights, has given Salazar an “A” rating. The group says Salazar “has voted consistently to defend the lives of the unborn and infants. It includes stopping hard-earned tax dollars from paying for abortion, whether domestically or internationally, and protecting health care provider rights for those who refuse to engage in brutal abortions.”

— Top issue: A FiveThirtyEight piece this week shows support for abortion has clearly gone up following last year’s Dobbs decision. Democrats are trying to use the issue to put a dent in Salazar as they try to make her congressional seat competitive heading into 2024.

— TL;dr —

Clicking out of an article after seeing it’s too long is commonplace for some who like their info in easy-to-digest sizes. According to a University of Florida (UF) study, the same principle applies to the ballot box.

— Based on Brazil: The study looked at elections in Brazil, where voters are required to vote and must pay a small fine if they don’t. Researchers looked at 20 years of election data, from 2000-2020, evaluating more than 60,000 elections, just under half of which had at least three candidates. About 4% had six or more, and some local contests had dozens or, in some cases, thousands. As the number of candidates increased, the desire to vote decreased.

— The takeaway: “We were interested in looking at whether there is a relationship between abstention rate and the number of candidates,” said Andrew Janusz, assistant professor in UF’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Choosing between many alternatives is tiring. We expected that voters would be less likely to participate when they are asked to make complex decisions. The data we analyzed in the experiment shows that as the number of candidates increases, voter participation declines.”

— A warning for 2024: As the Republican field grows, Janusz argues voters may be overwhelmed by the number of choices. “More and more politicians are throwing their hats in the ring and seeking their party’s presidential nomination,” Janusz said. “When voters aren’t familiar with the candidates and presented with a ton of options, they’re more likely to approach the election with a wait-and-see approach.”

— On tap —

Here’s what’s on tap in the sports world today:

— A champion could be crowned: Game two of the finals at the College World Series is scheduled for today at 3 p.m. EDT (ESPN). The Florida Gators and LSU Tigers play game two in Omaha. The Gators are seeking the second baseball national championship in school history and the third national championship for the school in a matter of months after the men’s golf and men’s outdoor track and field teams both won national championships this Spring.

— Travels ahead: With the final major of the season, the British Open, a month away, some top golfers in the world took a week off following the U.S. Open. That left an opportunity for some to earn a big payday today in the final round of the Traveler’s Championship in Connecticut. Keegan Bradley leads at 21-under par. Ricky Fowler shot a career-low 60 to climb to 15-under par. Coverage of today’s final round begins at 1 p.m. EDT on Golf Channel) then shifts to CBS at 3 p.m. EDT.

— NASH-Car: After taking a week off for Father’s Day, the NASCAR Cup Series is back in action, racing in Nashville for just the third time in nearly four decades. The green flag drops at 7 p.m. EDT (NBC). Because of inclement weather in Music City on Saturday, provisional qualifying was used, meaning Martin Truex Jr. will start on the inside of row one.

— Troubled Rays: Despite holding the best record in baseball, all is not calm with the Tampa Bay Rays. This week, manager Kevin Cash announced that star Wander Franco would be benched for two games because of “the way he has handled his frustrations.” Franco didn’t play Thursday or Friday against the Kansas City Royals, the team with baseball’s second-worst record. The Rays dropped game one to KC on Thursday without Franco, then bounced back to win game two on Friday. Saturday, Franco returned to the lineup and promptly homered in his first at-bat, but the Royals won 9-4. Today at 1:40 p.m. EDT (Bally Sports Sunshine), the two teams conclude a four-game series.

— Marlins’ masher: Has anyone noticed that Marlins’ second baseman Luis Arraez has been on fire? Arraez has been hovering near the .400 mark (I know, batting average is an outdated stat, but still). Arraez is one of the key reasons the Marlins are in the playoff hunt as the All-Star break approaches. Miami concludes a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates this afternoon, with the first pitch scheduled for 1:40 p.m. EDT (Bally Sports Florida).

— Here she is —

Congratulations to Juliette Valle, a first-year law student at Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Broad College of Law, who was crowned Miss Florida on Saturday night following the 2023 Miss Florida Scholarship Competition at the RP Funding Center.

— Represent: Valle will now represent the Sunshine State at Miss America, the longest-running competition of its kind in the world.

— Passing the torch: 2022 Miss Florida winner Lindsay Bettis awarded the crown to Valle — the reigning Miss Orlando — as well as a $20,000 scholarship for her win.

— And then there was one: Valle was among 16 semifinalists announced at the beginning of the Lakeland event. Semifinalists presented their community service initiatives and went through the health and fitness portion of the program.

— Finishing the night: Talent and evening gown competitions were capped off by an onstage conversation with 2003 Miss Florida winner and 2004 Miss America winner, Ericka Dunlop before the winner was announced.

Valle performed a rousing rendition of “Quando me’n vo” from the opera “La Bohème” during the talent competition and will use her platform as Miss Florida to raise awareness for chronic kidney disease and awareness.

— Fine wine —

Lawmakers, lobbyists or locals who discovered Poco Vino Wine Shop & Event Space during the Legislative Session can still savor the small production wines found at this charming space located in a historic building in downtown Tallahassee.

— Join the club: To combat the summer doldrums and help continue their momentum, Poco Vino has started three wine clubs to appeal to varied tastes. Along with the bottles are detailed notes about the selections. The club is a chance for both experienced and novice wine enthusiasts to “drink what you like, drink new things and support a local business you have a connection to,” said Amanda Morrison, co-owner of Poco Vino with husband Gus Corbella, both certified sommeliers.

— Drinking it up: “There are legislators from Pensacola to Key West who enjoyed some great wine while in Tallahassee,” added Corbella, senior director of the Government Law & Policy Practice of the Greenberg Traurig Tallahassee office. And they weren’t the only ones. Morrison focuses on small-production wines grown responsibly — some form of sustainable organic or biodynamic farming. “It’s really great, high-quality wine,” she said. “A lot of people don’t expect to find a place like this in Tallahassee,” Morrison said. Poco Vino’s three wine clubs are:

— Cab club: Poco Vino touts these bold reds garnered worldwide. The subscription includes one classic cabernet sauvignon plus a companion bottle of another bold red to try for $125 per month. For people familiar with traditional cab flavors, it’s an opportunity “to try something new,” Morrison said.

— Sparklers: “These are my personal favorites,” Morrison said. She selects two bottles, whether domestic or international choices, for $75 per month. So far, this club has drawn 100% women subscribers. In turn, Poco Vino looks for women-owned or women-produced sparkling wines.

— Poco Picks: This club is for people who want to learn more about wine and try new varieties with the help of Morrison and her experienced staff. “These are not wines you’re seeing at the grocery store,” she said. “We look for the gems,” Morrison said. This club is two bottles per month for $65 per month.

Along with its wine and retail space, Poco Vino hosts events, including the upcoming Summer Farm Series Dinner Featuring Schmoe Farms at 6 p.m. June 24 and the Wine Loves Cheese event at 5 p.m. June 28. The shop serves lunch to go, grazing cheese boards, wine tastings, and wine by the glass and cheese all day. Poco Vino is at 225 S. Adams St.; 850-320-4552.