Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Mitch Perry, Ryan Ray, and Jim Rosica.
POLITICO FLORIDA GOES TO WAR WITH TAMPA BAY TIMES/MIAMI HERALD
Well, that didn’t take long, did it?
Reporters at POLITICO Florida, fully in operation for less than two months, lit up social media this week with a blistering attack on their colleagues/competitors at the Tallahassee bureau of the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald. At issue is a story written by Times reporter Michael Auslen about Governor Rick Scott’s administration’s involvement in the investigation of Planned Parenthood.
“Aides to the governor were intimately involved in crafting the message when the agency announced allegations that three Florida Planned Parenthood clinics had violated their licenses,” writes Auslen. “Nearly every on-the-record statement given by the Agency for Health Care Administration to reporters and the public was first approved by a member of Scott’s communications team, emails obtained by the Times/Herald show.”
It’s that last part of the paragraph that has POLITICO Florida’s reporters up in arms. That’s because Auslen’s reporting comes one week after POLITICO Florida’s Christine Sexton revealed the Scott administration’s interference in the investigation.
In other words, Auslen “re-reported” Sexton’s scoop and did so without at first providing so much as a hat tip of attribution (the Times later updated its story to state that POLITICO first reported the involvement of the Governor’s office). While this would be a major faux pas at most media outlets, it’s a common practice at the Tampa Bay Times.
Unfortunately for the Times, the reporters at POLITICO Florida are not taking the slight lying down.
Miami-based reporter Marc Caputo took to Twitter and unleashed a torrent of critical tweets directed at Auslen and Co.’s way.
“Congratulations to @MichaelAuslen for ripping off @christinesexton story about Planned Parenthood & then trying to fool readers about it,” Caputo wrote in his first tweet on the subject.
Anyone who follows Caputo on Twitter knew that would not be the last thing he’d have to say about the matter. In a follow-up tweet, Caputo shared a picture of Sexton’s and Auslen’s stories side-by-side.
“I proudly worked for The @MiamiHerald & w/@TB_Times. You guys should be ashamed for this. And if not, I’ll happily shame you. ‘ckyall,” Caputo tweeted in his characteristic unsubtle fashion.
Sexton, not the most active reporter on Twitter, also got into the action.
“.@TB_Times rips off my Planned Parenthhood reporting and takes full credit #shameonyou,” Sexton tweeted.
And while Caputo and Sexton were on social media, POLITICO Florida’s Tallahassee bureau chief Matt Dixon was seen at the conference of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists researching when Auslen made his public records request.
Dixon would not go on the record about his findings, but Florida Politics can confirm that Auslen made a PIR about the Planned Parenthood controversy AFTER Sexton’s story.
Austin did not respond to any of the criticism leveled at him on social media, but the Miami Herald’s Mary Ellen Klas tweeted a not-so-cryptic message after Caputo and Sexton fired at Auslen.
“Solid reminder that good journalism isn’t just about writing things first but also probing, amplifying, expanding,” Klas tweeted over a picture of a quote-mural in the Herald’s newsroom.
That it is Auslen at the center of this controversy is especially interesting because the relatively-new-to-town reporter was pursued by POLITICO Florida during its hiring ramp-up. Auslen reportedly turned down PF because of a desire to work at a print media outlet.
For Sexton, this is not the first time the Times has re-reported one of her major scoops without attribution of her original reporting. Sexton probably scored the scoop of the year in Florida politics, breaking the news (along with Carol Gentry) whenEliot Fishman, the director of the Medicaid division of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, told policymakers that there was “no way” that Florida’s “Low Income Pool” program will continue when it expires in June. Fishman’s comments set off the firestorm that would eventually engulf the 2015 Session.
The Times re-reported this news — even though it did not even have a reporter at the event where Fishman spoke.
As of Thursday morning, no one on either side of this attribution controversy had fired another shot. However, it will be interesting to see if the new kid on the journalism block continues to stand up to the Times/Herald bullies.
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11 REPUBLICANS TO SHARE STAGE IN NEXT PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE via Associated Press
Eleven Republican presidential candidates have qualified for next week’s primetime debate, a slate that features the full diversity of the GOP’s 2016 class and is believed to be the largest group to share a presidential debate stage in modern political history.
The candidates scheduled to meet for Wednesday’s primetime affair, announced Thursday night by debate host CNN, will include former technology executive Carly Fiorina, whose weak polling numbers kept her off the main stage of the first debate. But a bump in the polls and an aggressive lobbying effort persuaded CNN to broaden its participation criteria, a coup for Fiorina and GOP officials eager to feature the party’s only 2016 female candidate in the nationally televised clash.
But don’t expect Fiorina to get as much airtime as Donald Trump, who will be positioned front and center when the candidates meet at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. The undisputed leader in national polls, Trump is generally considered the biggest reason why Fox News Channel reached 24 million people for the first GOP presidential debate last month — the most watched program in Fox News history.
Sharing the stage with Trump and Fiorina at next week’s 8 p.m. EDT debate will be former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
POLL DU JOUR: A new CNN/ORC poll finds Donald Trump leads the GOP presidential race with 30%, followed by Ben Carson at 19%, Jeb Bush at 9%, Ted Cruz at 7%, Mike Huckabee at 5%, Scott Walker at 5% and all other candidates at 3% or less.
BUSH TRIES TO WONK HIS WAY BACK TO THE TOP OF THE REPUBLICAN FIELD via Michael Bender of Bloomberg Politics
In a year when voters say the economy is the top issue, and increasingly trust Republicans to deal with it, Jeb Bush leaned in … unveiling an overhaul of the U.S. tax code that he sees as the engine of his plan to double economic growth. But as Bush was speaking … it was Donald Trump dominating the cable television airwaves … encapsulated the current state of the Republican presidential race … also served as a baseline in Bush’s battle to claw his way back into the spotlight.
TWEET, TWEET: @RupertMurdoch: Jeb Bush’s tax proposals substantive and attractive to all. Others note and adopt or debate. Growth only answer to jobs, stronger America.
BAY AREA REPUBLICANS GATHER TO OFFICIALLY OPEN JEB BUSH’S STATEWIDE HEADQUARTERS IN TAMPA via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics
Jeb Bush may be struggling in the polls, but there was nothing but unadulterated love for him shown this afternoon in Tampa, where a bevy of local and state Republicans – highlighted by an appearance by Jeb Bush Jr. – gathered to officially open the former Florida Governor’s statewide headquarters.
Located in the Town N’ Country section in Northwest Tampa off of West Hillsborough Avenue, supporters crammed into a stuffy kitchen area to await the appearance of Bush Jr., the 31-year-old scion who is now part of the official campaign.
Former House Speaker Will Weatherford led the crowded room into a chant of “Jeb! Jeb! Jeb!,” as he and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi extolled the virtues of Bush Sr., who has the support of most of the Florida political establishment- past and present – at the moment.
Earlier in the day, the Bush campaign released a fresh batch of endorsements, which included several former House Speakers. Along with Weatherford, former Congressman and current Associated Industries of Florida CEO Tom Feeney was on the list, as well as Allen Bense, Dean Cannon, Larry Cretul and current House Speaker Steve Crisafulli.
GOP FLORIDA HOUSE SPEAKERS PAST AND PRESENT BACK BUSH via Patricia Mazzei of the Miami Herald
Let there be no doubt that Florida’s Republican establishment wants Bush for president … nabbed formal endorsements from all but two recent GOP speakers of the Florida House of Representatives … current Speaker Steve Crisafulli … Will Weatherford … Dean Cannon, Larry Cretul, Allan Bense, Tom Feeney, John Thrasher and Daniel Webster. The only speakers missing from the list? … U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, and Johnnie Byrd, who recently described Bush’s leadership style as “my way or the highway.” Bush didn’t seek the support of former Speaker Ray Sansom … Rubio, for his part, has been less focused on the endorsement game
BUSH TO ATTEND 9/11 OBSERVANCE IN LONDONDERRY, NEW HAMPSHIRE via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics
Bush will be in Londonderry, New Hampshire … to participate in a remembrance ceremony marking the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks … attend the September 11th Observance on the Londonderry town commons in New Hampshire at 8:30 a.m., where he is scheduled to make brief remarks and will then read out the names of some of 2,977 victims … official start of the ceremony will be at 8:46 a.m. when the first plane hit the World Trade Center … Bush will be joined by members of American Legion Post 27, invited guests, students, and members of the general public, who will also take turns reading aloud the victims’ names … concluding around 12 noon.
CENTRAL FLORIDA GRASSROOTS DEMS GET BUSY EARLY FOR BERNIE SANDERS via Bill Rufty of Florida Politics
The Florida Presidential Primary is six months away … the faithful in the Sunshine State are getting ready, none more than those working for the second-place runner for the Democrats.
(Supporters) for Republicans Ben Carson … Rand Paul have the only active and working organizations in Polk County … Marco Rubio, has appointed a campaign manager for Polk County and most of the counties along I-4 … but the organization has not yet begun active planning …
The winners among early campaigning in Central Florida are Democrats who support … Bernie Sanders. Along the I-4 Corridor and adjacent counties, several loosely organized county and city groups have formed under “Central Florida for Bernie Sanders” … largely under the direction of Progressive Democrats of America, are busy with signs, tee shirts, and the all-important Meetups in the state — gatherings as small as just a handful of residents visiting in homes or larger venues to learn about the candidate. “The meetings are being held all over Florida … I can’t explain how exciting a campaign like this is.”
AMERICAN CROSSROADS TAKES AIM AT PATRICK MURPHY IN ATTACK EMAIL via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics
It appears that the folks at the conservative leaning American Crossroads Super PAC feel that Murphy would be a tougher candidate … focusing all of their attention on him these days … In an email … American Crossroads writes that the 32-year-old Congressman “has had a tough few weeks trying to pander to his base” … cite Murphy’s recent support from the group End Citizens United … The issue there is that the South Florida Congressman leaned on Super PAC funding during his 2012 congressional campaign, and has received a $25,000 contribution from a super PAC called Floridians for a Strong Middle Class for the current Senate campaign.
NEAL DUNN’S FMA TIES PROMPT EARLY FIGHT IN PANHANDLE PRIMARY via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida
The Republican primary for the likely redrawn Second Congressional District has been brutal from the start, with one issue taking center stage: the Affordable Care Act. Mary Thomas … hit Panama City physician Neal Dunn … for his affiliation with the Florida Medical Association. Dunn sits on the FMA’s board and the group supports his campaign.
Thomas signed a “repeal Obamacare pledge” … called Dunn a “liberal” who she said supports Obamacare. Sarah Bascom, a spokesperson for Dunn, said that “Dr. Dunn has always opposed Obamacare and strongly supports its repeal.”
ORLANDO POLICE COMPLAINTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS AFRICAN-AMERICAN EX-CHIEF VAL DEMINGS RUNS FOR CONGRESS via Jack Fitzpatrick of the National Journal
Democrats believe they have found a rising star in Central Florida: Val Demings, the African-American former chief of the Orlando Police Department, who is running for Congress in 2016 … she will have to navigate the complicated national dialogue on police brutality and criminal justice, a conversation that has changed dramatically since Democrats first tapped the tough-on-crime Demings as a candidate for higher office. When Demings first ran for Congress … discussion of her tenure … tended to start and stop at one statistic: a 43.6 percent drop in violent crime from 2007 to 2011 … over the last year, a string of highly publicized shootings and violent arrests of African Americans by police has changed the criteria that voters and the media use to judge officeholders on law enforcement.
The growing focus on police misconduct highlights less agreeable aspects of Demings’s time helming the Orlando Police Department from 2007 to 2011.
ERIC LYNN SAYS HE’LL WORK TO ENSURE A NUCLEAR-FREE IRAN via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics
National security and containing Iran highlight CD 13 Democratic hopeful Eric Lynn’s second short video … not yet stated whether he would support the deal and doesn’t commit in the new video.
“Keeping our country safe is a priority for me as a father … And it will stay that way as your representative in Congress. I’ll continue working to ensure that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, work I started years ago at the Pentagon.”
CONSUMERS FOR SMART SOLAR SAY IT HAS HIT GOAL TO TRIGGER SUPREME COURT REVIEW via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics
Consumers for Smart Solar … issued a statement saying that they are well on their way to having their ballot language reviewed for possible placement on the ballot next year … “We are excited to announce that we have collected 100,000 petitions in our effort to place the Smart Solar Amendment on the 2016 General Election Ballot,” said Sarah Bascom, spokeswoman for Consumers for Smart Solar. “This milestone also means that we will soon make our case for ballot placement before the Florida Supreme Court.”
JACK LATVALA COMMITTEE BRINGS IN $250K FOR AUG. via Florida Politics
The committee supporting Republican Sen. Jack Latvala’s bid for the senate presidency brought in more than $250,000 in contributions following an explosion of activity in the closing week of August … More than $200,000 of the $251,659 raised by Florida Leadership Committee came through in the final seven days of the month … includes $20,000 from the Florida Retail Federation and $10,000 checks from the Associated Industries of Florida, ABC Liquor, Dosal Tobacco, Costa Farms alongside many others … The fundraising victory comes just two weeks after (Joe) Negron announced he had all the votes he needed secure the presidency, listing 13 senate Republicans as confirmed pledges.
JAY FANT, RUNNING UNOPPOSED, CONTINUES QUIET BUT STEADY FUNDRAISING via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
House District 4 Republican Jay Fant … continues his slow and steady fundraising, with $3,000 more added to his campaign account in August from four contributors. Anheuser Busch … poured $500 into the Jacksonville Republican’s campaign account … Fant drew $1,000 each from the NextEra Energy PAC and the Voice of Florida Business, and another $500 from the House Republican Campaign Committee.
MORE JAX POWER BROKERS LINE UP BEHIND DONNIE HORNER IN HD 11 via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
In a crowded six-way race among Republicans in HD 11, Donnie Horner is lapping the field in terms of fundraising. August’s haul of $7,675 … had a couple of noteworthy names, in the form of GOP powerbrokers Michael Munz and Peter Rummell … Jacksonville Greyhound Racing, with whom Munz has a long standing relationship, anted up $1,000 … Horner has traction, at a time when other candidates struggle.
(One) candidate … Sheri Treadwell, is exquisitely well-connected in the Duval GOP … banked $32,000, which suggests that of everyone in this field, she’s the only one in a financial position … to stop Horner.
MORE FUNDRAISING UPDATES
— “Rob Bradley, running unopposed, still banking serious campaign funds” via Florida Politics
— “Leslie Dougher posts $10K in August for HD 19 race” via Florida Politics
— “Travis Cummings clears $90K barrier in August” via Florida Politics
— “Audrey Gibson has quiet fundraising month in August” via Florida Politics
— “HD 72 Democratic hopeful Edward James edges Ray Pilon in August fundraising” via Florida Politics
SAVE THE DATE: State Rep. Jim Boyd is hosting a fundraising reception on Wednesday September 23 to support his re-election to House District 71. Event begins 5:30 p.m. at Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, 7051 Wireless Court in Sarasota. RSVP to Kelly Dowd at [email protected] or (941) 312-1817.
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SURVEY FINDS FLORIDA’S LAWSUIT CLIMATE AT ALL-TIME LOW via Florida Politics
Florida’s lawsuit climate hit an all-time low, sinking to No. 44 out of the 50 states, according to a national survey … by the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform.
The No. 44 ranking is a dip from Florida’s No. 41 ranking last year and continues a downward trend from the state’s No. 33 ranking when the poll began in 2002. Delaware took the top spot in the ranking, with Vermont and Nebraska close behind.
According to ILR, the low rank is because of the Florida Supreme Court negating many of the legal reforms passed by the Legislature, including safeguards on medical malpractice damages and strictures on “bad faith” insurance lawsuits.
RICK SCOTT WANTS TO REVAMP, STREAMLINE MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM via Christine Sexton of POLITICO Florida
Scott is taking his first steps to overhaul Florida’s patchwork of mental health programs, calling for an audit of state facilities in an effort to streamline the $1.4 billion budget spread across a handful of state agencies … issued an executive order … calling for an audit of mental health facilities — including an examination of patient care, technology, productivity, staffing levels, institutional organization and training … establish three pilot areas across the state where the diagnosis, history and treatment needs of people who have tapped into state mental health services can be made available to the mental health providers that treat them.
SHAKEUP PUTS FORMER DEPUTY TO SCOTT IN CHARGE OF SFWMD via Jenny Staletovich of the Miami Herald
A political insider who served as general counsel to … Scott will take over the state’s largest water management district … the district’s board of governors named Pete Antonacci to run the sprawling agency after announcing that former director, Blake Guillory, an engineer, would resign at the end of the month. Antonacci becomes the only director overseeing one of the state’s major districts without a background in science … “It appears that Antonacci’s primary qualification is his close relationship with Gov. Scott, but it doesn’t change the fact that the water management district is facing a budget crisis that will undermine Everglades restoration, water supply and flood protection,” said Audubon Florida Executive Director Eric Draper.
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Gov. Scott will honor Florida veterans with the Governor’s Veterans Service Award. Ceremony begins 9:00 a.m. at The Eisenhower Center, 3560 Buena Vista Blvd in The Villages.
TAXI COMPANIES FILE ANOTHER LAWSUIT AGAINST STATE AGENCIES OVER UBER, LYFT via Michael Auslen of the Tampa Bay Times
For the second time this week, cab companies have sued a state agency, asking them to intervene and slow down Uber and Lyft’s growth in Florida … Fort Lauderdale taxi company B and L Service and Tallahassee company Capital Transportation, as well as upset Uber customer Jeremy Lynch, sued the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles … says that the state has failed to enforce insurance requirements for for-hire vehicles like taxis and limousines on ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft.
FLORIDA SUPREME COURT FINES MIAMI-DADE JUDGE WHO TOLD STORE CLERK ‘GO F— YOURSELF’ via Patricia Mazzei of the Miami Herald
The saga is nearly over for the Miami-Dade County judge who cursed out a store clerk in the heat of her reelection campaign last year … Florida Supreme Court … fined Judge Jacqueline Schwartz $10,000 for telling a clerk at a Coconut Grove Kwik Stop to “go f— yourself.” The court also imposed a 30-day unpaid suspension on Schwartz, who presides over a courtroom in Hialeah … will have to appear before the Supreme Court in Tallahassee one more time to face a public reprimand. She has already written an apology to Firas Hussain, the clerk who refused to take down an oversize campaign sign for Schwartz’s opponent — or to let Schwartz put up a sign of her own.
LEGISLATURE ASKS COURT TO DISMISS AMENDMENT 1 LAWSUIT via Lloyd Dunkelberger of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The Florida Legislature has filed a motion asking a trial judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by environmental groups that alleged the House and Senate misappropriated $237 million in Amendment 1 spending in the new state budget … Earthjustice, the Florida Wildlife Federation, St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Environmental Confederation of Southwest Florida filed a lawsuit in June, alleging the new budget did not meet the requirements of Amendment 1 … about $740 million be spent on environmental programs in the 2015-16 budget. The lawsuit says lawmakers shortchanged environmental land-buying programs, like Florida Forever, which they say was one of the primary purposes of Amendment 1.
The motion for dismissal also says there is no basis for the environmental groups to ask the court to not only block the contested $237 million in spending but to direct the state’s chief financial officer, Jeff Atwater, to redeposit the funding into the land-acquisition trust fund.
ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO TOUGHEN FLORIDA’S TEXTING WHILE DRIVING LAW via Jeremy Wallace of the Tampa Bay Times
State Sen. Maria Sachs … filed a bill … that would double the fines for texting while driving when the infraction occurs in a school zone. Currently the state only charges violators $30 for a first violation for texting while driving, under a law passed in 2013. A second offense comes with a $60 fine.
Her bill … is identical to one filed last month in the House by Rep. Richard Stark
FIGHT OVER COMMUNITY COLLEGES’ BACHELOR’S DEGREES LIKELY TO RE-EMERGE via Legislative IQ powered by Lobby Tools
State education officials have moved forward in approving applications for new bachelor’s degree offerings at community colleges since a one-year legislative moratorium expired in May but the state Legislature isn’t backing off its attempts to regulate new baccalaureate programs, reports Jessica Bakeman of POLITICO.
“I think next year you’ll see the Legislature address ground rules on how we operate going forward,” said state Sen. Joe Negron … a frontrunner in the race for Senate president in 2017-18. “I’m not sure what form it will take — whether we’ll be working on it through the budget or standalone legislation — but it’s an issue that I think will be front and center during the next legislative session.”
Negron, among others, has argued that offering four-year degrees is a job for the state’s 12 public universities, not its 28 community colleges. Now offering 175 baccalaureate degrees, the colleges are duplicating university programs and competing with them for students, the senator has argued.
NEW TOOL LAUNCHES TO CONTACT, PRAISE, SHAME STATE LAWMAKERS via Michael Auslen of the Miami Herald
Tallahassee media consultant Kevin Cate announced a new tool … that could prove useful for those who want to tell lawmakers what they think as the 2016 legislative session kicks off with committee meetings … Rocket Lobby shows users who their elected state representatives are based on an address or GPS location … pulls together phone numbers and email addresses to connect constituents with those who represent them. But what separates it from other, similar tools out there … is a rating system to grade the interaction, like a restaurant on Yelp or a ride with an Uber driver.
TWEET, TWEET: @Marbinius: Sent check to @fldoh July 1 for records. First, they lost the check. Then the dog ate their homework. Does state law apply to state agency?
***On September 17-18, Florida CHAIN will host its 1st Annual Conference, Moving Forward Together in a New Era of Health Care. It’s an opportunity to join national experts, advocates, consumers, navigators, health care providers, policy makers, and other stakeholders to learn about pressing health policy topics, acquire new skills, and network with other participants dedicated to improving the health of all Floridians. In addition to two plenary sessions, a keynote address, engaging workshops, and interactive trainings, an exciting awards dinner will be held the evening of September 17th. Learn more and register today at www.MovingForwardFlorida.org.***
LOBBYING AUDIT REPORTS FIND DISCREPANCIES BIG AND SMALL via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics
The results of the first-ever audits of lobbyists’ compensation forms are in, with auditors finding a number of firms either under-reporting or over-reporting the money they made in 2014 … In another case, auditors couldn’t tell who had paid a particular bill. The reports were released by the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee … the first time under a 2005 state law that lobbying firms were subject to audits … randomly picked 26 lobbying firms to be audited. Some firms, like Paladino Public Affairs, got clean reports. For others, some discrepancies were bigger than others.
SPOTTED AT DAY 2 OF FAPL #2015: Christie Pontis
— “Chamber’s elections director talks 2016, demographic shifts” via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
Travis Blanton, Jon Johnson, Johnson & Blanton: National Association of Settlement Purchasers
Ron Book, Rana Brown, Ronald L. Book PA: Miami Ocean Studios
Dean Cannon, Larry Cretul, Rheb Harbison, Cynthia Lorenzo, Richard Reeves, Joseph Salzverg, Capitol Insight: Self Storage Association; AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company; Florida Automobile Dealers Association; Islamorada Village of Islands; SantaFe Senior Living; SAS Institute
Chris Dorworth, Ballard Partners: Florida Bail Agents Association
James Michalik: Florida Association of Healthy Start Coalitions
CAN’T WAIT TO READ: The Last of the President’s Men by Bob Woodward. POLITICO says the book reveals the secrets of Alexander Butterfield, a West Wing aide who oversaw the installation of President Richard Nixon’s fateful taping system.
CONTEXT FLORIDA: KIM DAVIS, VERN BUCHANAN & IRAN, HATE MAIL & FREAK OUTS
On Context Florida: Bob Sparks talks about Kim Davis, the county clerk of Rowan County, Ky., who decided to flout the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling providing same-sex couples with the right to marry. Sparks is among the law-and-order conservatives who do not wish to see Davis in jail. It is solely within her power to avoid that — follow the law or resign. U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan explains why he will vote against Iran deal. The American people oppose this deal by a 2-1 margin because they do not trust Iran – nor should they. Catherine Durkin Robinsonlists 20 things people can do to express disappointment with her columns, articles, political views and blog posts, besides send hate mail, death threats, and freak out in Publix. Before becoming dangerous, and not in a smoldering hot way, but in a rape-y and murder-y way, do these instead.
Visit Context Florida to dig in.
ON THIS WEEK’S EDITION OF THE ROTUNDA
Trimmel Gomes’ newest episode of The Rotunda goes into space (almost) as media consultant Kevin Cate discusses the launch of his new product called Rocket Lobby, which is designed to help people know who their elected officials are, anywhere in the country, while allowing users to rate their lawmakers.
Plus, Gov. Rick Scott’s point person for creating jobs is battling a major crisis on his hand; unemployment fraud. Since his first media interview in 2013, Jesse Panuccio, the Executive Director of Florida Department of Economic Opportunity has seen the growth of organized criminal enterprises make Florida the national hub for identity theft and benefits fraud. Panuccio talks with Gomes about how his agency is aggressively fighting back and his efforts to get the federal government to be part of the solution.
The Rotunda podcast is available every Friday via iTunes, Stitcher or Soundcloud. Subscribers receive free automatic downloads of episodes to their devices. Follow on @RotundaPodcast for daily updates.
WEEKEND TV
Facing Florida with Mike Vasilinda: The Legislature is set to come back to town for committee week, plus a new Jeb flashback.
Florida This Week on Tampa Bay’s WEDU: Eckerd College public relations director Tom Scherberger, attorney Rochelle Reback, Christian Community Issues Council President Terry Kemple and Lane DeGregory of the Tampa Bay Times.
Political Connections on CF 13 in Orlando: U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster discusses redistricting and Central Florida political affairs.
The Usual Suspects on WCTV-Tallahassee/Thomasville (CBS) and WJHG-Panama City (NBC): Steve Vancore and Gary Yordon with retiring State Attorney Willie Meggs.
This Week in Jacksonville with Kent Justice on Channel 4 WJXT: State Rep. Lake Ray on the Supreme Court’s role in redistricting which he says was too broad. Plus discussion on deepening harbor for St Johns River in order to increase JaxPort impact and guest Peter Bragan Jr., whose family owned the AA Jacksonville Suns minor league baseball team 31 years.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Daniel Diaz Leyva.
