Winner and Loser of the Week in Florida politics — Week of 5.26.24

The calendar has turned to June, meaning this year’s hurricane season has officially begun.

As we noted last week, this year’s forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a doozy. That means the time is now to prepare.

Luckily, Florida lawmakers have brought back the disaster preparedness sales tax holiday, which just launched yesterday. So here is your annual PSA to take advantage of these tax breaks and go stock up.

The two-week holiday runs until June 14. A complete list of covered items can be found on the Department of Revenue site here. And if you miss out this time around, you’ll have another chance from Aug. 24-Sept. 6, when the holiday will run for another two weeks.

Florida enjoyed a golden period when it comes to hurricane strikes from the mid-2000s to the mid-2010s, going more than a decade without a major strike. It’s understandable that many grew accustomed to seeing those storms divert off into the gulf or up the east coast, away from their home.

But that hasn’t been the case in recent years. After Hurricane Irma hit in 2017, the state has been slammed with Hurricane Michael in 2018, Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Idalia in 2023.

Idalia, by the way, hit on Aug. 30 smack dab in the middle of the second sales tax holiday. So there’s no good reason to wait until then to prepare.

Now, it’s on to our weekly game of winners and losers.

Winners

Honorable mention: New College of Florida. New College was locked in a stare down this week with the city of Sarasota after the city ordered New College to stop removing trees on campus.

The college was working to build a field and sand volleyball courts for its sports programs, but that effort remained in limbo after the command from the city.

Then, just days later, the city backed off.

“After a review by the City Attorney’s Office, the City’s Development Services Department, and the City of Sarasota’s Planning Department it has been determined that the City of Sarasota does not have the authority to stop the removal of the trees on the New College of Florida campus in this circumstance,” read a letter from the city to New College President Richard Corcoran.

That’s a pretty clear reversal by the city and resolves this issue without much of a mess well before any threats of litigation started flying. And it’s a boon to New College, which is attempting to grow its sports programs as part of its revamp.

Almost (but not quite) the biggest winner: Disney. With the legal wrangling with the state of Florida in the rearview, Disney sure has a knack for landing among the winners of the week. And this week, they’ve done it again.

Remember that proxy battle Disney was facing from activist investor Nelson Peltz? Well, after rebuffing it, Peltz this week decided to sell every single one of his Disney shares, slinking off in defeat.

Realistically, Disney beating back the early April proxy fight made it likely that Disney would avoid facing another threat anytime soon. But Peltz selling his shares makes that likelihood a reality.

On top of that, Disney and the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District (CFTOD) also announced a deal this week to bring in a projected $17 billion in new investments over the next 10 to 20 years.

“With Walt Disney World’s substantial investments, we anticipate economic growth, job creation, and support for local businesses, alongside environmental stewardship and workforce housing initiatives, benefitting Central Florida’s community,” said CFTOD Administrator Stephanie Kopelousos.

The plan includes $10 million in affordable housing construction and another effort to ensure Florida-based businesses are benefiting from new construction.

When the state isn’t warring with one of its biggest economic generators, we all win.

The biggest winner: Cannabis. Two big news items relating to marijuana have it blazing into the top winner’s spot this week.

First, powerhouse lawyer John Morgan, aka “Pot Daddy,” officially announced he would be backing Amendment 3, which would legalize recreational marijuana in Florida if it passes.

Morgan joined Smart & Safe Florida, the group behind Amendment 3, at a midweek press conference announcing his support. And on top of that, Morgan lent his voice to a series of radio ads supporting the initiative.

Morgan is a serious player in Florida politics, particularly relating to this issue. He was a driving force when Florida voters legalized medical marijuana, and brings even more credibility to the effort to allow Floridians to light up legally.

His support for the initiative is a big deal, though not necessarily surprising. What is surprising is additional news this week that Gov. Ron DeSantis is considering vetoing a law restricting the state’s THC market.

DeSantis has come out against Amendment 3, so he’s not automatically a friend to the cannabis industry. But hemp producers have worries about the effects of SB 1698, and they may get bailed out thanks to the Governor’s veto pen. Stay tuned.

Losers

Dishonorable mention: South Florida districts. Progressive groups Cubanos Pa’Lante and Engage Miami are joining with Florida International University’s (FIU) ACLU Club to move forward a lawsuit challenging South Florida and Southwest Florida congressional and Florida House districts.

At its core, the group argues that these districts were drawn with racial considerations in mind, but without differentiating between, say, more conservative Cuban voters and other Hispanic voters who may be more ideologically diverse.

“As a proud Cuban American, I’m standing up for my community and against the politicians who are suppressing our diverse voices through racial gerrymandering,” said Cubanos Pa’Lante co-founder Mike Rivero. “From my native Miami to my current home in Southwest Florida, these maps divide cohesive communities and lump other distinct areas together in districts that just plain don’t make sense.”

The suit targets Florida’s 19th, 26th, 27th and 28th Congressional Districts, all represented by Republicans. The groups are also challenging House Districts 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 118 and 119, also all represented by Republicans.

This is yet another challenge against Florida’s maps as designed following the 2020 Census. Thus far, critics have had much luck in court, and the same outcome may be ahead here. But more legal wrangling is sure to cause a headache for the map’s architects, and will only prolong the uncertainty surrounding the longevity of these maps.

Almost (but not quite) the biggest loser: Paula Stark. A report from Annie Martin of the Orlando Sentinel details how state Rep. Stark has been delinquent in following financial reports relating to her office expenditures.

That prompted the Office of Legislative Service to suspend payments of state money to her office until Stark filed those proper reports.

The Office has questions about expenses adding up to more than $7,000, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Some of Stark’s expenses were labeled “temp” without any additional explanation of what they were for.

“We knew it wasn’t labeled right,” Stark conceded when confronted by the Sentinel.

On top of that, plus the six months of missing reports, former Stark aides are also alleging that Stark’s boyfriend, Joel Davis, has too much influence over the account.

“I was becoming very uncomfortable because it appeared to be either gross negligence or at worst it appeared to have all of the trappings of misappropriation of funds,” said J.D. Widhalm, who began working as a legislative aide for Stark in September 2023 before leaving this past March.

Stark pushed back against the characterization, saying may sometimes “confer” with Davis but that he has no formal role.

But something is off here at the very least, and Stark needs to get her office in order.

The biggest loser: Donald Trump. Guilty. Convicted felon.

These terms now apply to one of the two major party presidential candidates for the first time in this country’s history.

Faced with that reality, Trump has been given three choices:

— Admit wrongdoing and show remorse.

— Make a legalistic argument for why this finding and/or the trial process was incorrect, and express confidence in a win on appeal

— Undermine the entire justice system — and America itself — and start warning about revenge against Democrats in the future.

We know who this guy is and what he’s about at this point, so we know which path he chose. As Trump over time gets backed further into a corner, his hateful, doomsayer language about this country only gets darker.

While Republican officials and media personalities could check Trump on his worst impulses here — while still, legitimately, taking path No. 2 and rationally explaining the deficiencies in this case — they are going right along with him in framing America as a corrupt hellhole.

“Biden and the Trump deranged left will stop at nothing to remain in power,” said U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, casting Democrats as power-hungry autocrats.

“I am furious and no American is safe from Democrat political persecution,” added U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, arguing all Americans should live in fear that they’ll be improperly grabbed off the streets at a moment’s notice.

“In America, the rule of law should be applied in a dispassionate, even-handed manner, not become captive to the political agenda of some kangaroo court,” DeSantis said. Remember when the term “kangaroo court” was only thrown out to criticize our corrupt enemies? Nope, we are the corrupt nation now.

“The Democrats have succeeded in their years long attempt to turn America into a third-world shithole,” Donald Trump Jr. said. America first, by the way!

“To hell with what the jury said,” added U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds. U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack called it a “sham trial.” U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz called the verdict “the corrupt result of a corrupt trial, a corrupt judge, and a corrupt DA.”

“They will rue the day they unleashed this lawfare to corrupt a presidential election,” added Megyn Kelly, predicting revenge writ-large.

“Import the Third World, become the Third World,” Tucker Carlson said, adding some xenophobia to the mix. But he didn’t stop there. “This won’t stop Trump. He’ll win the election if he’s not killed first. But it does mark the end of the fairest justice system in the world. Anyone who defends this verdict is a danger to you and your family.”

We can keep going, but you get the point. And all of this raging in unison on the Right has one possible conclusion and only one: to undermine America’s confidence in the judicial system when one of “their guys” is in trouble.

And we will repeat for a third time: There are legitimate criticisms of this case and a real chance an appeal could be favorable to Trump. There are dispassionate ways of making that argument without using language to undercut this country.

But conservatives have used this playbook before by turning “mainstream media” into a slur over decades to undermine faith in unbiased reporting so that right-leaning Americans would turn to them for what’s really happening. Undermine the other institutions so that you’re the only one people can trust.

Well, Trump is taking that ball and running with it, posting creepy revenge fantasies following his conviction. And the Republican echo chamber, desperately hoping to grasp on to Dear Leader’s coattails, is going right along with it.

Now, Trump will have to run with the “convicted felon tag.” He’s also facing an uncertain sentencing on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention. That sentence could include some type of incarceration, though prison time would be surprising.

Will this conviction hurt Trump politically in the long run? That’s an open question. But Trump and his crew are making sure faith in America will certainly be hurt in the long run, showing clear as day that his campaign to lead this country isn’t about the country. It’s about him.