Gary Fineout's must-read briefing on what's hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State
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Hello and welcome to Monday.
The End of the Game — It’s now or never for the 2022 elections. Yes, many candidates for statewide office declared their intentions months ago — or even as far back as last year.
Undone— But at noon today, qualifying for the ballot officially opens, kick-starting the next phase of election season. The last couple of weeks have already had a fair share of turbulence, including the Democratic field for governor shrinking and Democratic Rep. Al Lawson deciding to challenge Republican Rep. Neal Dunn after Lawson’s congressional district was dismantled in the map pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Say It Ain’t So— While it seems improbable that there will be any additional big, big surprises in store during qualifying week, one big question is how many elected officials are going to be reelected come this Friday without opposition.
I Need Some of That— Heading into this week, there were 12 state Senate candidates — more than 25 percent of the chamber — who do not have challengers, including incoming Senate President Kathleen Passidomo. There are 28 state House seats that appear poised to go unchallenged as well.
Only In Dreams — The situation appears to be much more fluid in the state’s 28 congressional races where redistricting as well as several open seats have triggered a fair amount of interest this year. There is a possibility that every incumbent will have to wage either a primary or general election campaign.
Feels Like Summer— Once qualifying ends, the fierce, full-throated sprint to the Aug. 23 primary and beyond begins. So this week is the moment for candidates whose campaigns may have seemed full of promise at one point to rethink their strategy and exit the stage. Otherwise, let's get ready to rumble.
— WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.
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A DEAL?— “Senators strike bipartisan gun safety agreement,” by POLITICO’s Burgess Everett and Marianne LeVine: A group of 20 senators struck a bipartisan gun safety framework on Sunday, marking a significant breakthrough in Congress’ attempts to address recent back-to-back mass shootings. In a Sunday morning statement, 10 senators in each party announced support for the deal. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer blessed it, vowing to “put this bill on the floor as soon as possible,” and President Joe Biden said it “would be the most significant gun safety legislation to pass Congress in decades.”
Where will Rubio and Scott land?— Florida’s two Republican senators are not part of the negotiations and neither commented directly on the framework announced on Sunday. Rubio, however, did say on Saturday that he was “pleased” that his previous legislative proposal to offer grants to states that implement so-called “red flag laws” was a “cornerstone” of the deal being worked on. Scott, while governor, signed into law a measure that included gun restrictions that go beyond what is being proposed.
‘WE NEED TO PUT ASIDE OUR POLITICS’ — “‘March for Our Lives’ protests against gun violence sweep nation following hundreds of mass shootings,” by NBC News Nicole Acevedo, Aria Bendix and Janelle Griffith: “In Parkland, where the movement began, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Pine Trails Park Amphitheater Saturday morning to demand background checks for all gun sales, the implementation of 'red-flag' laws and an increase in the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21. Manuel Oliver, whose son, Joaquin, was among those killed in Parkland, also addressed the crowd in Washington. ‘Our elected officials betrayed us and have avoided the responsibility to end gun violence,’ he said, calling for students not to attend school until elected officials ‘stop avoiding the crisis of gun violence in America.’”
IN MEMORIAM — “LGBTQ community remembers Pulse with solemn, spirited events,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Stephen Hudak: “Pulse survivor Amanda Grau, shot four times at the nightclub six years ago, fought fear to chase a dream. Addressing an audience gathered for a Pulse memorial ceremony, she recalled her struggle to recover physically and mentally. ‘For almost a year after the shooting, I didn’t want to go anywhere or see anybody but my mom and my family told me you can’t live a life in fear,’ Grau said. ‘It made me realize that if I stayed inside all the time, afraid, that it was like I hadn’t truly survived at all.’”
‘I CAN CONTROL WHAT I’M DOING’ — “Why a Dem dream candidate can’t touch Rubio in Florida,” by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: “This is my race. And this race is between Marco Rubio and me,” [Rep. Val] Demings said in an interview. “I know Marco wants me to focus on the president’s approval ratings. I can control what I’m doing. I can’t control the president’s approval ratings.” Yet as a sign of how gloomy Florida looks for Democrats, neither the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee nor a super PAC that backs Senate Democrats has reserved any ad time in the state. Demings may not get any measurable help in a state that may be slipping away from her party.
Rep. Val Demings has drawn notice for clearing the Democratic primary field in her challenge of Sen. Marco Rubio. | Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty Images
THE INCUMBENT — Rubio embraces his low-key side, by POLITICO’s Burgess Everett: As he pursues a third term in a Senate he nearly quit altogether in 2016, Marco Rubio’s staying away from the chamber’s bipartisan gangs and the front lines of the 2024 presidential race, where potential rivals slug it out to take the hardest right-wing line. Instead, Rubio is quietly focused on lower-profile issues that range from slave labor in China to stopping the United States from changing its clocks twice a year, even as he remains a foil for the left and maintains a generally conservative voting record.
Future plans?— He’s still one of the most open Republicans about potentially seeking the White House, saying, “it’d be silly for me to say I’m not ever interested again.”
GETTING IN PLACE— “The shadow race is underway for the Republican presidential nomination,” by Washington Post’s Michael Scherer, Josh Dawsey and Isaac Stanley-Becker: “[Gov. Ron] DeSantis has been quietly building his fundraising networks while grabbing national headlines for his challenges to the Biden administration and for his focus on culture war issues. Without mentioning Trump, he has told donors, 'No one’s nomination is inevitable,' according to a person to whom his comments have been relayed. Beating Trump’s 2020 margin of three percentage points in Florida has become a key campaign goal, according to three people familiar with the conversations. They said DeSantis’s wife, Casey, a former television host and among a small circle of confidants, wants him to run for president.”
MEANWHILE— “Defiant DeSantis touts home state during NYC visit,” by National Review’s Zachary Evans: “Florida governor Ron DeSantis touted the benefits of living in Florida during a visit to New York on Sunday, in a speech to the Tikvah Fund’s Jewish Leadership Conference. ‘They can’t cancel me, I’m going to speak my mind,’ DeSantis said as he opened his speech. ‘You know, I saw that there was a little opposition to me coming here. All I can tell you is this: When the Left is having a spasm, that just tells you that in Florida we are winning.’”
HMM— “Taking aim at DeSantis, spooked Trump considers launching 2024 bid in Florida,” by Rolling Stone’s Asawin Suebsaeng: “People who’ve spoken to [Donald] Trump say that one reason he’s eying the Sunshine State is to assert his dominance over an ascendant [Gov. Ron] DeSantis, who — if they both run in 2024 — would likely be the former president’s most formidable competitor in a primary fight for the GOP nomination. One of the sources said Trump’s motivation is to show the governor “who the boss is” in the modern-day GOP. Trump, the sources say, has even asked some associates if they had opinions on any good venues or event spaces — that just happen to be located close to the Florida’s Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee.”
BY THE NUMBERS— Florida Gov.Ron DeSantis continued to maintain his substantial fundraising edge in May. DeSantis raised $10.2 million in donations between his campaign account and his political committee — Friends of Ron DeSantis — according to filings posted on Friday.
RGA rain — DeSantis’ largest single donation in May was $1.25 million and came from the Republican Governors Association. The RGA has donated $14.35 million to DeSantis’ political committee since April 2021. He also received checks from a long line of established Florida GOP donors, as well as various business interests, including development companies.
Crist outpaces Fried again— Rep. Charlie Crist raised slightly more than $1.01 million in May, while Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried raised nearly $303,000. Heading into the sprint to the primary, Crist has roughly $6.34 million in the bank while Fried has $3.91 million. DeSantis by contrast has more than ten times the amount of his two main Democratic rivals. With the latest filings, DeSantis has slightly more than $112 million.
Ramping up— Another big takeaway from the latest reports. The DeSantis campaign is also starting to spend money now that the election is moving ever closer. Campaign filings show that the governor’s campaign and political committee spent $3.7 million last month. The biggest expense was a $2 million donation to the Republican Party of Florida from Friends of Ron DeSantis, but the RPOF at the same time is paying for consultants and campaign staff. But the re-election campaign is also buying signs and spent nearly $57,000 on Google ads.
JUMPING IN — “Conservative Republican Joe Budd hopes to capture South Florida congressional seat,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “Conservative Republican activist Joe Budd is running for Congress, hoping to pick up a Broward-Palm Beach county district held for decades by Democrats. Budd hasn’t yet made a splashy public announcement, but his intentions are clear. ‘I’m Joe Budd. I’m going to be your next congressman in District 23,’ Budd said Saturday in a video posted to his Joe Budd for Congress Facebook page. (The sleeve of his shirt proclaimed, ‘This Budd’s For You.’)”
CAMPAIGN ROUNDUP— Former Rep. Donna Shalala on Sunday endorsed former State Rep. Jared Moskowitz for Florida’s 23rd congressional district. Shalala, who also served as Health and Human Services secretary under President Bill Clinton, praised Moskowitz’s work as Florida’s emergency management director during the pandemic … Giffords PAC, the gun safety organization formed by former Rep. Gabby Giffords, on Friday endorsed Moskowitz and Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a Democratic candidate running in Florida’s 10th congressional district.
— “Is rising MAGA star Ron DeSantis the man to displace Trump in 2024?” by The Guardian’s Richard Luscombe
— “‘DeSantis Flotilla’ parades up St. Johns River in support of governor,” by News4Jax’s Francine Frazier
— “Daniel Uhlfelder leads fundraising field in AG Democratic primary,” by Florida Politics’ Kelly Hayes
— “After abortion ruling, Hillsborough County judge faces challenger,” by Tampa Bay Times’ William March
— “Top Seminole Republicans urge county GOP head to resign after election law charge,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Martin E. Comas
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LOTS OF FAMILIAR NAMES INVOLVED — “How a chewing gum heir fell into a sticky situation with weed,” by POLITICO’s Paul Demko and Mona Zhang: William “Beau” Wrigley Jr. envisioned building a weed empire that would one day rival his family’s legendary chewing gum business. The former CEO of the Wrigley Company — which was sold to Mars for $23 billion in 2008 — led a $65 million investment in 2018 in Surterra Wellness, which primarily did business in Florida’s fledgling medical marijuana market.
A legal matter — Now Wrigley and the company face a pair of lawsuits from investors who allege Parallel officials concealed massive debts, issued fanciful financial projections, engaged in self-dealing and committed various other misdeeds to defraud them. “Although the Company participates in the comparatively new industry of legal cannabis, … the Securities Defendants still committed good old-fashioned securities fraud,” reads the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida in March. The company’s founding CEO Jake Bergmann, who left shortly after Wrigley took charge, is also suing the company for roughly $20 million.
Response — More lawsuits are almost certainly in the pipeline, according to some investors who aren’t involved in the current cases. A spokesperson for Wrigley issued a statement in response to POLITICO’s inquiries about the lawsuits: “Mr. Wrigley is confident the facts will demonstrate the allegations in the complaints have no merit. He will defend against these false claims in court.”
Another lawsuit— A second investor lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of the State of New York in March. That group of aggrieved investors includes John Morgan, a prominent attorney and Democratic donor known in the Florida cannabis world as “Pot Daddy.” That moniker stems from the fact that he bankrolled the 2016 medical marijuana legalization campaign and funded a lawsuit that opened up the market to allow cannabis flower. Morgan didn’t respond to requests for comment for this story.
‘AN ADDED SIGNIFICANCE THIS YEAR’ — “After a political storm, Gay Days return to Disney,” by The New York Times’ Brooks Barnes: “On Saturday morning, as ‘Let’s Go Fly a Kite’ from ‘Mary Poppins’ played on the loudspeakers, Gay Days participants streamed into Disney World. Many of them wore red shirts with the words ‘SAY GAY’ on the back, a reference to the recent controversy. Veronica Starr, 28, and her wife, Samantha Starr, 32, rolled up with plans to ride Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. ‘It means a lot, to be seen,’ Veronica said. ‘When we all wear red, we can’t be ignored.’”
RADIO, RADIO— “How the Radio Mambi sale escalated the fight over Miami’s Spanish-language airwaves,” by Miami Herald’s Bianca Padro Ocasio and Lesley Cosme Torres: “Following months of increasingly polarized debate over the veracity of content in Miami’s Spanish-language media, the deal threw Mambí into an emotional firestorm tinged with references to communist Cuba, claims of censorship and threats of boycotts and strikes. Critics have noted that an investment firm tied to Democratic mega-donor George Soros is helping to finance the deal and called the new ownership group “Radio Granma” in an allusion to Cuba’s state-run media. Callers flooded Mambí programs with messages of solidarity. The opposition to the sale has grown so widespread that Cuban exiles, along with Lt. Gov. Jeannette Nuñez, have promised boycotts and denounced the sale as the silencing of Cubans in exile that would prevent access to news about human rights violations in Cuba.”
— “Historic white, Black cemeteries only blocks apart in Panama City tell very different stories,” by Fresh Take Florida’s Amy Galo
— “Astra Space fails to deliver NASA’s hurricane-tracking satellites to orbit,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Richard Tribou
— “Citrus production at an eight-decade low,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Turner
THE NEW BOSS — “Critics worry Florida’s new elections chief will make the office more partisan,” by National Public Radio’s Ashley Lopez: “The new elections chief, Cord Byrd, has a history of sparring with Democrats and, when asked, he has refused to say Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election. Voting rights advocates and some Democrats in the state say they are worried that Byrd's appointment could make the office less independent.”
— “‘Gain time’ ruling for Orange County sex predator roils Florida appeals court,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders
— “Conservative warrior DeSantis not as aggressive on guns or abortion,” by Sarasota Herald Tribune’s Zac Anderson
— “Six years and counting: Advocates wait for Capitol Holocaust and slavery memorials,” by Tallahassee Democrat’s James Call
BIRTHDAYS: Former State Sen. David Simmons … (Birthday week) Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings on Sunday