A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
***Sunburn is sponsored by Tucker/Hall – one of Florida’s leading public affairs and public relations firms.***
SPOTTED: Sen. Marco Rubio on CNBC discussing his proposals for higher education reform. Watch here.
ALLEN WEST HEADLINING TONIGHT’S SARASOTA GOP LINCOLN DAY DINNER Full blog post hereca
Tea Party activist and former U.S. Rep. Allen West is the featured speaker at tonight’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner for the Republican Party of Sarasota County.
The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a VIP reception at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. VIP tickets go for $250, which include a photo op with the retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and polarizing political figure. A $125 per-person general reception is at 6:30 p.m., with dinner following at 7 p.m.
Tickets are available online at www.sarasotalincolnday.com or over the phone by calling Gale Wyman at (941) 677-8683.
The Hyatt Regency is at 1000 Boulevard of the Arts, Sarasota.
NATIONAL PARTIES PLAY DIFFERENT ROLES IN DISTRICT 13 RACE via Kate Bradshaw of the Tampa Tribune
Only four years ago, Marco Rubio was a little-known Republican Senate hopeful who enlisted the likes of Mitt Romney in a showdown with then-GOP Gov. Charlie Crist the 2010-midterm elections.
Today, Rubio said he was having a bit of deja vu. Only this time, Rubio was the top-tier Republican who came to town to stump for lesser-known GOP candidate David Jolly.
Jolly’s campaign is focusing on controversial issues on the national level and calling Sink a rubber stamp for the president’s agenda, while Sink is distancing herself from high-level Democratic operatives, at least on the surface, instead aligning herself with local elected Democrats and independents.
Rubio was ostensibly in town to talk about the federal policies that impact on seniors – namely the Affordable Care Act, which Rubio and Jolly would like to see repealed.
Last month, U.S. Sen. John McCain, an Arizona Republican and former presidential candidate, endorsed Jolly. Last week, former Gov. Jeb Bush, who is perennially floated as a presidential candidate, cut a pro-Jolly ad that was one of two funded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Sink, meanwhile, has touted her support from dozens of Pinellas elected officials – she showed up at St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman’s election night party – as well as small businesses and organizations such as the Pinellas Classroom Teachers Association, which announced its endorsement of her today.
POLL INDICATES CRIST IN LINE — AND SCOTT, LOPEZ-CANTERA OUT OF STEP — WITH CUBANS, FLORIDIANS OVER CUBA via Marc Caputo of theMiami Herald
Large majorities of Floridians, those of Cuban descent and Americans in general support normalizing relations with Cuba, according to a new poll that indicates Charlie Crist’s recent stance against the embargo could be more of a political plus than a minus.
Once a hotbed of hardline positions against Cuba, Florida residents are more inclined to want to engage with or normalize relations with Cuba compared to the rest of the nation, the Atlantic Council poll shows. In Florida, support for normalization tops 63 percent, with 30 percent opposed; nationwide, support is 56-35 percent.
Perhaps most-surprisingly, those of Cuban descent heavily favor normalization or engagement: 79-21 percent in Florida and 73-26 percent nationwide. The sample size of Cuban-Americans was small in the state and national polls, however overall Hispanic support for engaging Cuba is strong.
Crist’s new position — a reversal from his pro-embargo past — instantly drew rebukes from Republican opponent and Gov. Rick Scott, anti-Castro hardliners and conservatives in general.
The survey didn’t specifically ask whether people support or oppose the embargo. Instead, it polled people two separate ways: Whether the U.S. should “engage” more with Cuba or whether it should “normalize” relations. More people supported normalization than engagement.
But, when responses to the poll questions were averaged together, it clearly showed a shift in public sentiment.
IN TALK TO BUSINESS LEADERS, LOPEZ-CANTERA DOESN’T FEEL THE LOVE via Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times
Florida business leaders weren’t very interested in hearing from Gov. Rick Scott’s new lieutenant governor Tuesday, and Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera decided to let them have it.
Lopez-Cantera was apparently expecting more enthusiasm from the Florida Chamber of Commerce, a group that strongly supports Scott’s re-election. But some were more interested in answering their emails.
In his eighth day on the job, the new L.G. gave a morning speech Tuesday at Florida State’s Turnbull Conference Center at the Chamber’s 2014 Capitol Days, a pro-business pep rally at which business leaders convene at the capital for seminars, speeches and social events.
Lopez-Cantera was ticking off the great things he says Scott supports — cutting fees, spending more on schools, attracting jobs — when he discovered he was losing his audience.
“And I, you know, I look around this room and I see the eyes starting to, maybe you guys are thinking about a meeting that you have,” he told the group. “I don’t see you guys excited about these things. I mean, this is stuff that really affects your bottom line, in your businesses every day, and that’s why the governor is so passionate about it, and that’s why I’m excited to be part of the team. But if you guys have better ideas
GOOD NEWS: DEO’S UNEMPLOYMENT WEBSITE CONNECT NOW DELIVERING via Nancy Smith of the Sunshine State News
Has anybody else noticed that the Department of Economic Opportunity’s unemployment website is fully rolling? Maybe we can finally cease-fire..
Here’s what the daily update for Monday, Feb. 10, reported:
“As of today, there are approximately 13,000 individuals with at least one week on hold pending adjudication and the active caseload is being worked down at record levels. This number represents a caseload far below what had been normal in the Legacy system.
“On Sunday, February 9, there were 755 unique phone numbers comprising 1,072 calls to the call center and there were 711 live customer interactions, which means that 94 percent of distinct calls placed were handled.”
Says Jesse Panuccio, DEO executive director, “There are now fewer claimants in adjudication than prior to the launch of CONNECT and DEO’s Re-employment Assistance adjudication unit is processing more claims now than in the Legacy system. Significant progress has been made in the CONNECT system in recent weeks.”
Certainly, it’s been no picnic for anybody involved to get to this point. In 2011, the state’s 30-year-old Legacy claims system was inefficient, failing and had to be replaced. But this IT transformation was a massive undertaking — it was for New York-based CONNECT contractor Deloitte, it would have been for any company — and like the feds during the Obamacare roll-out, the state made a mistake when it set deadlines it knew couldn’t be kept, and announced them to a hapless public that must depend on them.
What started out as a $68 million job ended up closer to $63 million because of the $4.5 million in restitution the contractor paid for missed deadlines. In the end, Deloitte switched project managers and hired more staff in Tallahassee.
***Representatives from Florida’s aerospace industry will visit Tallahassee on March 12, 2014, to participate in Florida Space Day and share with legislators the opportunities the industry brings to Florida and the nation’s space program. During Space Day, industry leaders and other aerospace supporters will meet with House and Senate members and Governor Scott, to discuss growing areas of the state’s $8 billion dollar space industry, and determine the best strategies for leveraging these markets for Florida’s benefit in the years ahead.***
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam will outline the specifics and economic impact of his energy-related proposals11:30 a.m. Wednesday, in partnership with Sen. Anitere Flores and Rep. Mike Hill. The event at the Cabinet Room of the Florida State Capitol will discuss Putnam’s strategy for reducing sales taxes on businesses, to provide tax relief to consumers and improving education infrastructure.
LEGISLATURE SETS PROCEDURES FOR RANDOM AUDITS OF LOBBYISTS Full blog post here
Transparency in lobbying was on the table Monday at a Tallahassee meeting of the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee, where lawmakers discussed rules for random audits of compensation reports.
The process begins with the Legislature asking the Lobbyist Registration Office to provide a list of all firms that deal with the executive and legislative branches, listed in alphabetical order. The Office then assigns a number to each firm.
The Auditor General’s office will produce a list of random numbers using the Microsoft Excel random number generator. Then, the Auditor will match random numbers to corresponding numbers on the list.
As required by Florida law, the resulting list will represent three percent of each group of lobbying firms. Selections of the lobbying firms occur during meetings open to the public.
The goal is to have audits completed by June 30, 2015.
Legislature staff will notify the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists and other parties about the time and place by posting information on the websites of both the committee and the Lobbyist Registration Office.
There will also be a notice sent to all registered lobbying firms and relevant associations, placing the date/time on the calendar.
ANOTHER FULL LEGISLATE PLATE IN TALLAHASSEE FOR WEDNESDAY Full blog post here
Florida’s Capitol gets another full legislative plate Wednesday, with committee meetings on a number of issues.
Various panels will hear on energy, the national economy, rules on fetal injury and sexual predators, as well as get an update on CONNECT, the state’s glitch-plagued $68 million unemployment website.
The agenda in Tallahassee for Wednesday:
9 a.m.: Energy issues, the national economy, proposals on fetal injury.
10 a.m.: Budget recommendations for courts, law enforcement and public safety departments, Workforce Florida Quick Response Training, Reemployment Assistance hearings and the upcoming budget for higher education.
10:30 a.m.: The progress of the CONNECT unemployment website.
Noon: Reforming the state’s violent predator laws.
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BRAD DRAKE VS. JAN HOOKS IN HD 5 OFFICIALLY A RACE TO WATCH
LAKELAND ATTORNEY JOHN HUGH SHANNON ANNOUNCES HD 40 RUN Full blog post here
Lakeland Attorney and Marine Corps veteran John Hugh Shannon announced Tuesday he is campaigning for the open Florida House District 40 seat.
Shannon is running as a conservative Republican to replace term-limited Rep. Seth McKeel for the district covering much of metropolitan Lakeland and Polk County. He faces Colleen Burton in the GOP primary, and the winner will encounter American Independent Party candidate Franklin Shoemaker in November. Burton has raised nearly $64,000 in the race so far.
Shannon joined the United States Marine Corps in 1967, becoming an officer in 1968, and graduated Florida State University in June 1969. John completed the Florida Bar in February 1975, subsequently moving to Polk County to practice law in Ft. Meade. Since 1981, Shannon has operated an independent law firm in Lakeland.
Shannon sees running for office as a “mission as an extension of the oath I took as a young Marine and a calling – not a career.”
“I intend to go to Tallahassee and ensure working class Floridians get a fair shake, government is kept restrained and limited, and we focus on results, rather than who gets credit,” he added.
In addition to opening a campaign account on Monday, Shannon also launched a website, www.shannonforhouse.
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FUNDRAISER LINE-UP
4:30 – 6:00 p.m. – Rep. Doug Broxson at Governors Club – BC Room
4:30 – 6:00 p.m. – Rep. Ben Albritton, Rep. Ken Roberson at Governors Club – Capital Room
4:30 – 6:00 p.m. – Rep. Dennis Baxley, Rep. Keith Perry, Rep. Charlie Stone at Governors Club – Board Room
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. – Rep. Randolph Bracy at Andrews 228
5:00 -6:30 p.m. – Rep. Gayle Harrell, Rep. Larry Ahern at FL Assoc. of Realtors
5:30 – 7:00 p.m. – Women For Women (Rep. Fitzenhagen & Rep. Raschein) at Tennyson
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. – Rep. Kionne McGhee at Andrews 228
CONTEXT FLORIDA: CRIST AND CUBA, DOZIER OUTRAGE, IMMIGRATION REFORM AND LAUREN BOOK
On Context Florida: In his “flip-flop” on the 50-year-old Cuban embargo, Doug Clifton believes Charlie Crist stepped up and was “courageous” when he said that the Cuban embargo didn’t work and the U.S. should “move forward.”Lack of outrage over the bodies uncovered at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna is “disconcerting” to Andrew Skerritt. Immigration laws need reform from both sides of the political spectrum, writes Bob Sparks. Lauren Book is ready to lace up for the fifth annual 1,500-mile “Walk in My Shoes” journey across Florida.
Visit Context Florida to dig in.
THE RETURN OF THE “4TH FLOOR FILES”
Returning soon are the “4th Floor Files”, a question-and-answer feature that interviews many of the state’s top lobbyists. Each day at 4 p.m. a new ‘file’ is posted on SaintPetersblog. Each lobbyist is being asked the same general questions, although the questionnaire may be modified going forward. There is no rhyme or reason as to who has been selected to be interviewed. And there will be very little editing of the responses (even for spelling).
Check out the new repository for the files at 4thFloorFiles.com. And if you are a lobbyist interested in answering the questionnaire, please email me at [email protected].
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my friends Sen. Jeff Brandes and consultant extraordinaire Marc Reichelderfer.
