A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
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THE WEEK AHEAD
The week in the Legislature is mostly reserved for budget conferencing and floor sessions, as both chambers try to move as much legislation through the process in this penultimate week of the regular session.
Conference committees will continue meeting, but some of the highest-profile issues, from a difference over teacher pay raises to how to structure a major change in Medicaid reimbursements, appear unlikely to be resolved before a Tuesday deadline, after which legislative leaders take over the negotiations.
The Cabinet meets this week, and there’s qualifying for the House seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Clay Ford.
The News Service of Florida has a comprehensive listing here.
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FROM SHADOWS TO SPOTLIGHT, MARIO DIAZ BALART PLAYS POWERFUL ROLE IN IMMIGRATION TALKS via Marc Caputo of the Miami Herald
The scion of Miami’s preeminent Cuban exile family, Diaz-Balart is a former state legislator, five-term congressman and former nephew by marriage of Fidel Castro and cousin to the dictator’s first son and namesake.
… The contrast with his fellow Miami Republican and friend, Sen. Marco Rubio, is sharp.
Rubio, a fixation of the national press, has saturated the news media as a leading member of the Senate’s bipartisan “Gang of Eight,” which has met for the past four months.
By comparison, Mario Diaz-Balart has operated far more in the shadows, where his friendly back-slapping consensus building style has smooth over partisan rifts.
Ever since 2009, Diaz-Balart and a bipartisan group of House members have clandestinely met on and off to hammer out an immigration-reform bill. The bill was about 90 percent finished when it was shelved in 2011, as the new Republican House leadership showed as little interest in tackling reform as the old Democratic House leadership.
The bill is being updated and, as the Senate votes on its similar version, will be publicly introduced soon either as one mammoth piece of legislation or in parts.
Regardless of its final form, the House bill sounds like a blueprint for what became the more publicized Senate deal.
Because immigration reform has to go through a House run by Republicans — a party less inclined over the years to support comprehensive immigration reform — Diaz-Balart’s part in getting a final law out of Congress rivals, if not surpasses, that of Rubio, who serves in a Democrat-controlled chamber.
RUBIO IN VEGAS URGES CAUTION AS SOME TIE BOSTON TO IMMIGRATION REFORM via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times
Rubio traveled to Las Vegas on Saturday to attend Republican Jewish Coalition meeting and do some fundraising (see Adelson, Sheldon) and was asked about comments from some fellow Republicans tying the Boston Marathon bombing to immigration.
People should “reserve judgment,” he said, according to Ralston Reports. “What I mean by reserve judgment is that we just don’t know who these people were, why they reached the point they did, why they did what that did. We just don’t know. If there are ways to learn (from Boston or other incidents), we should apply those. By the same token, I would remind everyone that what we know for sure is that these two killers entered the United States through the existing, legal immigration system.”
CRIST’S COMING OUT PARTY WITH NORTH FLORIDA DEMOCRATS via Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times
He says he’s not a candidate for governor. Not yet anyway. But Charlie Crist sure looked like one Friday.
“I’m seriously considering it,” Crist said. “I just think Florida needs to be on a better track, and I think she will be.”
In his quest to discover how receptive grass-roots Democrats are to him, the former governor worked a crowd of several hundred Democrats in Tallahassee, one of the state’s most reliably liberal areas. The occasion was a wild game dinner hosted by Jackie Pons, the elected Leon County school superintendent and long-time friend of Crist’s.
… Crist brushed off a reporter’s query about being a target-rich candidate who will be hammered with hard-hitting ads over his past flip-flops, his evolution from Republican to independent to Democrat, and his record as governor. “You’re way ahead of me,” Crist said. At a photographer’s prompting, he gleefully took out his wallet and displayed a Democratic voter registration card. “Here it is,” he said. “I’m very proud of that.”
The consummate retail politician, Crist thoroughly worked a room filled with educators, posing for dozens of pictures. Faces in the crowd: former Sen. Al Lawson, former Rep. Curtis Richardson, lobbyists Fred Dickinson, Ron Meyer, Juhan Mixon and Steve Uhlfelder, and lawyer Mark Logan.
“You have no idea how comfortable it is to be a Democrat,” Crist said.
FLORIDA DEMOCRATS ARE SHORT ON STATEWIDE CANDIDATES via Scott Powers of the Orlando Sentinel
Although registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in Florida by 500,000, and President Barack Obama has carried the Sunshine State in the past two presidential elections, the party has no obvious candidates to run for statewide office next year.
Even though first-term Republican Gov. Rick Scott is widely seen as vulnerable, the Democrats’ most viable candidate at the moment is a former Republican, Charlie Crist, or perhaps a 70-year-old U.S. senator, Bill Nelson. And there’s no one with any name recognition ready to take on GOP incumbents for attorney general, chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner.
Nineteen years after the late Lawton Chiles became the last Democrat to be elected governor, some Democrats are acknowledging what seems obvious: They have not kept pace with the Republican Party of Florida to identify, groom and support rising stars so they are ready when the party needs them.
“When I look around the state, it is fairly bleak,” said Orlando lawyer John Morgan, one of the Democrats’ biggest fundraisers.
“You hit the nail on the head. That is absolutely our biggest challenge and frustration,” agreed Monica Russo, president of Service Employees International Union Healthcare Florida and one of the party’s biggest grass-roots organizers.
JESSICA EHRLICH RUNS AGAIN: DISASTER FOR DEMOCRATS? via Kartik Krishnaiyer of the Florida Squeeze
The factors that initially attracted many of us to her candidacy are still present. But Ehrlich needs to become more seasoned and more responsible before seeking the same Congressional seat again. With Young’s seat being labeled as a top DCCC target in 2014, the party could and should do better than her. Ehrlich should sit out a cycle or two, get reintroduced to the local community in a proper and more organic fashion and not look like a habitual candidate which she appears to be now.
The potential is still there but now is not the time for her candidacy. Her failure to even crack 45% in a Presidential election year in a swing district demonstrates what a poor candidate she was and what poor campaign she ran. No one can be more pleased by Ehrlich’s decision to run than Congressman Young himself.
WHY BILL NELSON SHOULD RUN FOR GOV. AND WHY HE SHOULDN’T via Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times
Will Nelson run for governor?
He is a hyper-cautious 70-year-old who just won a third Senate term and by all accounts enjoys his current job. But he is considering the 2014 run and has no incentive to rush into a decision.
Come August or September, after hearing loads of encouragement and analyzing whether negative public perceptions of Scott remain calcified or are improving, Nelson may well decide the job Chiles snatched from him 23 years ago looks awfully enticing.
In the meantime, here are four reasons Nelson should run for governor and four reasons he shouldn’t.
Pro: 1. It’s about the legacy. 2. He has little to lose. 3. Nelson can win. 4. It’s a better job.
Con: 1. Seniority matters in Washington. 2. He could lose. 3. Grace Nelson. 4. Age
***A message from the Florida Press Association: This session there are a number of threats to public notice that would cripple Floridians’ ability to access critical information. It is paramount that policymakers protect the public’s right to this information by ensuring that public notices continue to be published in Florida’s newspapers, as they are the most recognizable source for this critical information. In fact, recent Scarborough Research shows that 62 percent of Floridians indicated they had read a print edition newspaper in the past seven days. Moreover, attempts to move all public notices to the Internet alone is detrimental, as the digital divide still exists today and disenfranchises many Floridians, as indicated by Scarborough Research which found that 42 percent of those 65 and older don’t have access to the Internet. The FPA urges the Legislature to be vigilant of any attempts to limit public notice and protect Floridians’ right to this important information.***
JUDGE BLOCKS SCOTT’S PIP LAW — AGAIN via Toluse Olorunnipa of the Times/Herald
Judge Terry Lewis upheld a temporary ban on the law, after a lawsuit by chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncturists. Lewis approved the ban last month, indicating that the overhaul of Florida’s Personal Injury Protection laws was unconstitutional.
Gov. Scott appealed the decision, in effect putting the ban on hold and leaving the law intact. But the plaintiffs asked a judge to uphold the ban, saying that allowing the law to remain in place would put many out of business.
Lewis said he agreed to “vacate the stay,” not because of the harm that would be done to the plaintiffs, but because of potential harm to those injured in car accidents.
“The reason for issuing the injunction was to protect this constitutional right and prevent the potential harm to citizens injured in automobile accidents who, under the PIP statute, may not receive necessary care,” he wrote.
Scott’s office said the state would again challenge the decision, and attempt to keep the law in place.
LAWMAKERS MAKING RICK SCOTT HAPPY WITH INCENTIVES via Jason Garcia of the Orlando Sentinel
Gov. Scott will get a slimmed-down tax-incentive toy box with tougher standards for evaluating the economic benefit of projects.
But will the Dolphins get $350 million to shape up Sun Life Stadium and lure another Super Bowl? Can Daytona International Speedway score taxpayer cash for its own improvements? What about Orlando’s pitch to build a $105 million Major League Soccer stadium with a $2 million annual sales-tax rebate?
This late in the 60-day session, these issues are all part of the horse trading.
House and Senate budget negotiators this weekend are settling on how much money to give to the Republican governor for tax breaks to lure companies to expand or relocate. The final figure could land somewhere around $79 million — far less than the $278 million he requested. That’s down from the $111 million Scott got last year, although $26.1 million of the new money is unspent cash “rolled over” into next year.
“The governor should be happy,” said Senate economic development chief Andy Gardiner.
SCOTT SIGNS OPTOMETRY PRESCRIBING BILL
Gov. Scott on Friday signed a bill that will allow optometrists to prescribe oral medications, ending a long-running lobbying battle about the issue. Lawmakers approved the bill (HB 239) after optometrists and ophthalmologists reached a compromise that includes allowing optometrists to prescribe 14 oral medications, such as antibiotics and anti-glaucoma drugs. Optometrists already have been able to prescribe “topical” drugs, such as drops and creams, but proposals to expand those powers to oral medications ran into years of opposition from ophthalmologists.
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THE LATEST FROM BUDGET CONFERENCES
>>>@fineout: Fl Leg budget negotiators settle on $480 mil for pay raises – but the raises will be handed out in a much different way than (Gov.) Scott wanted.
>>>House and Senate negotiators on state economic projects and infrastructure needs moved closer Sunday to bringing the operating budgets for Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida to the current year’s levels. But the House has yet to budge on its refusal to put any money toward the new branding logo from the state’s public-private economic development agency, which shows an orange men’s necktie as the “i” in “Florida.” … “Somebody above my level needs to fix that,” said Rep. Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, who heads the House efforts in the negotiations regarding transportation, tourism and economic development projects.
>>>The House has upped its offer to fund Everglades restoration, but lawmakers remain apart in agreeing how much to direct towards cleaning the river of grass in the next fiscal year.With the Senate having proposed $70 million for the Everglades work as part of the anticipated $3 billion in agriculture and natural resources allocations, the House on Saturday countered with an offer of $44 million for work on the South Florida ecosystem. The offer is up from the House’s initial proposal of $32 million.
>>>The largest divide remains over funding for Enterprise Florida, the state’s economic development agency. The Senate on Friday night had countered the House’s initial $49.3 million offer for the incentive programs with a proposal of $79.3 million. The House on Saturday responded with $30 million for the agency that is budgeted at $111 million in the current year. Gov. Rick Scott has requested $173 million for the incentives through Enterprise Florida to draw businesses to Florida, with another $105 million set aside for flexible funding for the agency. Attending the brief public portion of the negotiation process mid-day on Saturday, Adam Hollingsworth, Scott’s chief of staff, said he was just “watching how the process works.”
>>>Legislators have agreed to spend $50 million to complete seven gaps in a proposed St. Petersburg-to-Titusville bicycle and foot path as talks continue over funding the state’s economic projects and infrastructure portion of the budget. … The 275-mile trail would require the construction of 72-miles of pavement to connect the Pinellas Trail in St. Petersburg to existing trails in Pasco, Hernando, Lake, Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Brevard counties. The state would also have to acquire about 41 miles of land, including a 30-mile stretch from Pasco County, through Sumter County, in to Lake County, for the “Coast to Coast Connector” project proposed by Sen. Andy Gardiner.
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CHAMBERS CLASH OVER TERMS OF AGENCIES’ TECH CONSOLIDATION via Gray Rohrer of the Florida Current
The differences between the House and Senate plans for an IT department, however, are more than just cosmetic. (Jeremy) Ring envisions a robust department that would develop best practices and have a say in agencies’ IT decisions, and eventually play a role in IT purchasing. McKeel and other House leaders prefer the new IT section to play a simple advisory role.
During committee meetings on SB 1762 and before a unanimous vote on the Senate floor, Ring complained that Florida is “a $74 billion business and we don’t have an IT department”. Vendors can shop the same tech wares at 19 different state agencies, he said, but total IT spending remains a mystery.
“I don’t know,” Ring said when asked how much an IT consolidation would save.
“(Sen.) Alan Hays, who’s the chair for Government Operations; (former Sen.) JD Alexander, who chaired Budget for years — no one can tell you how much money we spend on IT. That right there should be indicative, an indicator why this is so critical.”
But it’s the upfront costs of moving all the IT functions of state agencies into one department that have proven to be a sticking point between the chambers. The Senate plan calls for $5 million and a staff of 24 employees, whereas the House plan (HB 5009) calls for just 21 staffers and a budget of $2.4 million.
MODERATE REPUBLICANS COULD SWING HOUSE POSITION ON MEDICAID via Tia Mitchell of the Tampa Bay Times
While Senate Republicans appear willing to join Democrats in supporting a massive health care expansion, many House Republicans serving in moderate districts have yet to vocally embrace or reject federal assistance.
A union supporting health care expansion already is targeting them with TV ads in an attempt to influence their vote. But the group also is hearing from conservative Republicans, who oppose accepting federal money.
A plan to take federal assistance requires 60 votes in the House, a majority because one seat is vacant. That means House Democrats need 16 Republicans to join their 44-vote bloc.
Freshman Rep. Kathleen Peters, a moderate Republican from the tiny beach town of South Pasadena, feels like she’s on the campaign trail again, defending herself against negative attacks.
TV ads produced by SEIU Florida, a labor union, accuse Peters of “putting politics ahead of working families” in opposing Medicaid expansion.
The problem is, Peters said, she hasn’t made up her mind how she’ll vote.
“To be just filling the airwaves with tabloid sensationalism when we haven’t even taken a vote on that issue to me is shameful,” she said.
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LEGISLATIVE BRIEFS via The News Service of Florida
In the Senate
Senate ED: FHSAA, Sales Tax cash for school buses: The Senate version (SB 1164) of an effort by Lakeland area lawmakers to impose more oversight from Tallahassee on the Florida High School Athletic Association gets its first committee review. Besides expanding the number of appointments to the FHSAA board from Legislators, the bill would place restrictions on investigations into potential recruiting violations. The proposal at this point doesn’t go as far as the House measure (HB 1279) – expected to hit the House floor this week – which requires Legislators to replace the FHSAA as the governing nonprofit for public schools athletics by July 1, 2017. Another bill also up for its first committee appearance (SB 1052) would allow county school districts to shift sales tax money voters have approved for school construction towards the purchase of new school buses. The House version (HB 1081) is also awaiting a vote on the floor. A third bill revises the responsibilities of coordinators with the Department of Juvenile Justice and Department of Education and requires the agencies to issue an annual report on the costs, effectiveness and performance of students in the DJJ program. 12:30 p.m., 412 Knott Building
Rules: The Senate Rules Committee gives a final look before the floor to several measures. Among the bills is one making it harder for the mentally ill to buy guns (SB 1000); another that has been a bit controversial is a bill (SB 1318) that would create a public records exemption for records involved with complaints against agency employees. Also before the panel are bills dealing with bullying in schools (SB 626); records related to natural gas storage facility permits; and a measure (SB 1412) that changes the standard for admission of expert witness testimony in court cases. (Monday, 2 p.m., 110 Senate Office Building, The Capitol.)
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CANDIDATE QUALIFYING BEGINS IN HD 2
Candidate will start filing in a special election to replace state Rep. Clay Ford, a Gulf Breeze Republican who died last month. The qualifying period will start at 8 a.m. Monday and last until noon Tuesday. The special primary election will be held May 14, while the general election is scheduled for June 11.
THE LATEST POLL NUMBERS FROM HD 2 Full results here
A new poll of likely Republican primary voters shows that Tea Party leader Mike Hill trails frontrunner Ed Gray, with Scott Miller and Jack Nobles still looking to break out from the rest of the field.
Among Republicans who say they are planning to vote in the May 14 primary, Gray, the former mayor of Gulf Breeze, commands 23% of respondents’ support. Hill receives 17%, Miller 12%, Nobles 9%, Mark Taylor 7%, and David Radcliffe 4%. Twenty-eight percent of respondents were undecided.
4TH FLOOR FILES: The latest installment of the 4th Floor Files features Beth Sweeny, a lobbyist for St. Johns County School District. Here’s the file on Beth.
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
George Anderson, Chris Dudley, Sandy Safley, Jonathan Setzer, Southern Strategy Group: Osceola County
Rebecca DeLaRosa, The Moya Group: Dosal Tobacco Corporation
Jordan Goldberg: Center for Reproductive Rights
Kenneth Granger, Floridian Partners: AAJ Technologies, ADP National Account Services
Thomas Grisby, Chris Moya, The Moya Group: BHG Development Group, LLC
Rich Heffley, Kelly Horton: Vir-Sec, Inc.
Scott Hopes: City of Marathon
Nick Iarossi, Capitol City Consulting: ADP National Account Services
Kurt Kelly, Acclaim Strategies: Marion County Board of County Commissioners
Bill Peebles, John Smith: City of Archer
Foyt Ralston: Florida Association of Restoration Specialist
Larry Williams: The SEED Foundation
***Today’s SUNBURN is sponsored by Corcoran & Johnston Government Relations. One of Florida’s Top Lobbying Firms, Corcoran & Johnston has demonstrated the ability to navigate government and successfully deliver results for clients, time and again. To learn more visit www.corcoranfirm.com.***
HAPPY BIRTHDAY belatedly to Rachel Perrin Rogers and today to Rep. Frank Artiles.
REST IN PEACE, STEVE BURTON: Steve Burton took a turn for the worse Saturday night after his heart transplant two weeks ago. “He fought so hard but after emergency surgery he passed away early this morning,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi on her Facebook page. “Please pray for his many loved ones. Steve was a great man and is now in Heaven.”
