A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
FIRST AND FOREMOST
This week on SaintPetersBlog, we are revealing the “30 under 30” rising stars of Florida politics.
They say, “Be nice to people on your way up because you meet them on your way down.” For the 30-plus young men and women you will read about this week, this phrase is still meaningful — for each in their own way — as their careers in Florida’s political process rise.
We received over 2,000 nominations from political veterans, lobbyists, public officials and others who they see as rising lights on Florida’s political scene.
The nominations were reduced to 30-plus up-and-comers under the age of 30 who include legislative aides, folks who left Florida for DC, and top communications staff from each area of the state.
Here are links to the profiles of those featured on Monday.
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WHITE HOUSE LAWYERS KNEW OF IRS PROBLEMS via the Wall Street Journal
The White House’s chief lawyer learned weeks ago that an audit of the Internal Revenue Service likely would show that agency employees inappropriately targeted conservative groups, a senior White House official said. That disclosure has prompted a debate over whether the president should have been notified at that time.”
Politico: “Monday’s revelation amounts to the fifth iteration of the Obama administration’s account of events, after initially saying that the White House had first learned of the controversy from the press.”
HOW THE IRS SEEDED THE CLOUD OF SCANDAL THREE YEARS AGO
Washington Post: “The story of the IRS’s policy of targeting right-leaning groups, which played out over several years in Cincinnati, Washington, and dozens of other cities and towns, was one of a bureaucracy caught in a morass of uncertainty and outside pressure. The actions also confirmed the suspicions of many conservatives after they had complained for years of harassment by the tax agency.”
SCANDAL OR INCOMPETENCE?
First Read: “What’s worse, for all the controversies — especially the IRS targeting conservative-sounding groups — to be a full-fledged scandal that goes all the way to the top? Or for them to be the result of bureaucratic incompetence? You could make an argument that the latter outcome could be just as damaging to the president, because it raises doubts about his competency and the public’s trust in government.”
Joe Klein: “It can, and will, be argued that the president is to blame for lousy management.”
ONLY REPUBLICANS BELIEVE THEY’RE SCANDALS
Greg Sargent digs into the latest polling and finds that in the case of the IRS and Benghazi stories, “the lurid and nefarious view of Obama’s involvement in them being peddled by the right is held only by Republicans — big majorities of them — while most moderates and independents, i.e. the middle of the country, believe the White House’s arguments.”
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MARCO RUBIO STAYING AWAY FROM EARLY STATES via Beth Reinhard of National Journal
Rubio hasn’t popped up in an early-primary state in six months, leaving potential Republican rivals like Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to make the rounds while he carried the torch for his immigration reform plan. But while furiously working the talk show circuit to sell a bill viewed warily by many Republican voters, Rubio has been just as doggedly laying the groundwork for a successful presidential campaign in 2016.
SCANDAL-SHOCKED HOUSE DEMOCRATS FEAR FOR 2014 via Alex Isenstadt of POLITICO
To have a prayer of flipping the House, Democrats need to turn an electoral triple play: motivate young and minority voters who are less likely to vote without Obama atop the ticket, lock up independents and give a slice of Republicans reason to pull the Democratic lever in dozens of districts that tilt red. The events of the past week hurt on all those fronts.
If anything, Democratic operatives privately conceded, the IRS scandal will fire up the GOP base … ‘I really do believe that one of the most important factors that caused Republicans to lose the House in 2006 was Hurricane Katrina. It played into what voters felt about Republicans – that they don’t care and that they don’t care about government,’ [a] senior party strategist said. The IRS scandal ‘plays into what people think about Democrats, that we like big government.
BILL YOUNG, OLDER AND ‘MORE AGGRESSIVE’ GEARS UP FOR ANOTHER ELECTION via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times
Already bombarded with Democratic attacks, including a robocall this week, Young is prepping for another campaign. And Pinellas County Republican says he’s ready for a fight.
“I’m getting older. I’m getting more aggressive and I’ll probably be more political than I’ve ever been,” Young said Friday afternoon outside the House chamber. “I’m going to respond where I need to respond.”
Later this month in St. Petersburg, Young will hold a re-election fundraiser and he has two scheduled in June.
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BUDGET
SCOTT SIGNS BUDGET, BUT VETOES STEAL THE SHOW via contributor Karen Cyphers
Gov. Scott signed the budget Monday morning in Tallahassee, the first budget he has signed at the Capitol, highlighting the $1.08 billion increase in K-12 education funding over last year’s budget. Scott vetoed a 3 percent university tuition increase, citing the need for affordable higher education. This tuition hike veto was among $368 billion in state spending that Scott struck from the budget. One budget veto bummer: the $50 million Coast-to-Coast Connector that would have linked 275 miles of bike trails from east-to-west coast. Scott claims that the project will can still be completed over time.
A good list of the vetoed projects can be found here. These vetoes, and others, sum to the largest veto list Scott has had since taking office and is more than double as large as his hit list last year.
REAX
>>>Senate President Don Gaetz: “Unlike the deficits and dysfunctions in Washington, today our Chief Executive signed a budget that lives within our means, meets the critical needs of the people of Florida, raises the salaries of state workers and effective teachers, pays down obligations instead of piling on more, puts aside money for a rainy day, and doesn’t raise taxes by one dollar.”
>>>Speaker Will Weatherford: “While we did not agree on every line item, he signed 95 percent of our budget, which is a resounding endorsement of the House and Senate work product.”
>>>Rep. Matt Gaetz said on Twitter that he was “licking my wounds” after Scott vetoed $14 million in funding for a STEM building at Gulf Coast State College. “The Governors veto list just came out. Northwest Florida lost a generational opportunity at Gulf Coast State College,” he tweeted. “Licking my wounds.”
>>>State Senator John Legg said some of Scott’s vetoes harmed implementation of high school reform, called the Career and Professional Education Act. “I am truly disappointed to see a failure to fund portions of the CAPE Bill that would have prepared Florida’s student to compete in the global economy through recognitions and certificates at the elementary and middle school levels. The Governor’s lack of support for this and the Economic Security Report is disheartening.”
TWEET, TWEET: @SenChrisSmith: “Gov. Scott fought hard to give 400 million tax break to manufacturers while cutting critical road and water projects for cities. SMH.”
SCOTT BARGAINS ON HOSPITAL MEDICAID FUNDING, SIGNS OFF ON DRG TRANSITION FUNDS via contributor Karen Cyphers
For anyone still unconvinced that Gov. Scott knows the negotiation dance and uses it to the benefit of his priorities, look no farther than the most recent developments in hospital Medicaid funding. During the 2013 session, the Legislature directed $65 toward easing the transition for hospitals into the diagnosis-related groups (DRG) payment system which reimburses hospitals based on the services they provide and the complexity of a patient’s care rather than through a daily rate. Scott’s original plan was to reject these transition dollars — or at least he wanted hospitals to think as such — with the belief that the formula should not consider winners or losers and that hospitals should instead work to become more efficient under the new system. With a the threat of veto looming, hospitals — particularly safety nets — ramped up their lobbying efforts. Scott countered: if the transition funds are left alone this year, hospitals must pledge to back off next year.
About 20 hospitals seNt letters to Scott promising to forgo transition dollars and “request elimination of the recurring appropriation” in 2014 if he approves the current funds. Such bargains may be unusual, but in this case, not a hard decision for certain hospitals to make. Starting at the end of 2014, Florida’s Medicaid program will likely transition to statewide managed care in which HMOs will be responsible for paying hospitals, instead of direct reimbursement from the state.
Meanwhile, universities might regret they hadn’t offered up such a deal themselves.
SCOTT GETS SIGNATURES ON MONEY-BACK PLEDGES
A number of organizations up for state funding in the budget agreed to potential repayment terms set down by Gov. Scott.
Scott had asked the Tampa Bay Innovation Center in St. Petersburg, the Florida Horse Park in Ocala, IMG Academy in Bradenton, and the Sarasota-Bradenton World Aquatic Sports Center to pledge a return of state money if they failed to produce promised economic benefits. By the end of last week, the governor’s office had signed letters from officials at each organization.
DOC FACES $45M DEFICIT IN NEW YEAR via the News Service of Florida
The Florida Department of Corrections will enter the 2013-14 fiscal year with a budget deficit, after lawmakers did not fully cover a shortfall from the current year, Gov. Scott said in a written budget message Monday. Scott said the department will have to use “upwards of $45 million” in 2013-14 funds to cover the 2012-13 deficit. “This unfortunate reality will require strong fiscal management during the next year,” Scott’s message said. Scott took issue with budget fine print, known as proviso language, that seeks to make sure public work squads will be maintained during the fiscal year that starts July 1. He wrote that the “ability of the department to reduce expenditures and responsibly manage its budget is severely limited by this proviso language.”
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ALVIN BROWN HAMMERS SCOTT’S “FAILURE TO SUPPORT YOUTHS IN JACKSONVILLE” via Matt Dixon of the Florida Times-Union
Brown is blasting Gov. Scott’s veto of $500,000 for Learn2Earn, one of his priority projects.
“The Governor and his team have once again let down hundreds of Jacksonville children and families,” read a statement from Brown’s office.
The program allows high school students to spend a week on area college campuses. Lawmakers included $300,000 for the program in last year’s proposed budget, but that was also vetoed by Scott.
“Despite the Governor’s action today, my team and I will find a way to move forward with this summer’s program. We aren’t going to turn our backs on these kids and their families being able to participate in the Learn2Earn experience.”
BLOG POST OF THE DAY: “BE GLAD YOU’RE WITH RICK SCOTT, NOT MOONBEAM BROWN” via Nancy Smith of Sunshine State News
We should thank Governor Moonbeam for reminding us how lucky we are to be Floridians and not Californians.
I’m talking about California’s high-speed rail system — a serious legacy issue for Gov. Jerry Brown. California accepted its share of the $8 billion stimulus money to get the system started and built. Florida, remember — Gov. Rick Scott in particular — turned the federal money down.
… He considered it, and on three counts looked the gift horse in Washington in the mouth. He turned the money down, concluding the Central Florida high-speed rail line was a bad risk for Floridians: its cost to taxpayers, even bringing in private companies, could approach $3 billion; ridership and revenue projections looked to be overly optimistic; and if the federal government decided to shut the project down, the state would have to return the $2.4 billion.
… That was then. You don’t hear much from the Obama administration eulogizing or pining for high-speed rail anymore. Notice that? The California experience has been a lesson in how not to go if you’re a left-coast state wounded and left bleeding by the recession.
Rick Scott was right. He won’t get much credit for his bold and principled stand on that issue, but he was right, Jerry Brown was wrong.
GOV. SCOTT BUILDING POLITICAL BRIDGES via Jeremy Wallace of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
Last week the Republican quietly spent time on Longboat Key at an event with State Sen. Bill Galvano. He then had a private meeting in Lakewood Ranch with John Saputo, a GOP donor and president of Gold Coast Eagle Distributing.
… Scott is expected to return to the region for Memorial Day weekend to attend a Republican Party event in Venice with state Sen. Nancy Detert, R-Venice.
“It meant a great deal for him to go out of his way to come out here,” Galvano said of Scott’s attending an annual golf fundraiser his family holds to support local education.
… It’s a big change from Scott’s first two years in the governor’s mansion, when Scott was frequently criticized for not doing more to build relationships with the Legislature. But, in the last year, lawmakers say Scott has been more approachable, meeting in private settings and building ties with them.
LENNY CURRY STEPS DOWN AS DUVAL GOP CHAIR via Matt Dixon of Florida Times-Union
Curry has left his post as chairman of the Duval GOP so he can focus on state and congressional races.
In a special election Monday night, the county party elected Rick Hartley to serve as the new chairman. Hartley had served as Duval County’s state committeeman, a role Curry will now fill.
“Rick has graciously agreed to step into this new role so that I can focus 100 percent on my duties as chairman of the state party,” Curry said.
BUSTING CHOPS TWEET: @SaintPetersBlog: @lennycurry, who presided during Dem Alvin Brown’s 2011 win in Jax & Obama’s win in Fla. in 12, steps down as Duval GOP chair.
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CHAMBER LEADERS SET OFF ON 2-DAY WORK PLAN FLORIDA TOUR via contributor Karen Cyphers
Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford will begin their joint Work Plan Florida Regional Tour on Wednesday, highlighting the successful completion of their legislative agenda on jobs as well as “critical investments in Florida’s future appropriated through the bi-partisan 2013-14 state budget.” The Work Plan was drafted to include measures on ethics and campaign finance reform, changes to local public sector pension plans, innovations in higher education, and a review of Florida’s election laws — all of which were successfully passed during the last legislative session. Visit here to check out their itinerary.
TWEET, TWEET: @Fineout: Not sure I can recall two legislative leaders doing their own joint statewide tour to tout what they did during #FLLeg session
AARP GAMES A CASUALTY OF NEW LAW via the News Service of Florida
A new law aimed at closing Internet cafes could have an unexpected casualty: games run by the senior-advocacy group AARP.
The AARP will not allow Florida residents to take part in the organization’s “Perfect Path to Retirement $50,000 Giveaway” and an upcoming “Grandparents Day Photo Contest” that includes prizes up to $5,000. The law, approved after raids on Internet cafes across the state, closed what was widely seen as a legal loophole that allowed the storefront businesses to offer computerized games that were likened to slot machines. But AARP told the Herald that the law also affects its contests or sweepstakes.
Sen. John Thrasher, who sponsored the measure, said it was not aimed at AARP holding contests. “We passed a law because we thought there was a terribly gray area, loopholes had been created to allow drive-by casinos,” he told the newspaper. “So we tried to clarify what gambling was in state of Florida.”
APPOINTED: Timothy Osterhaus to the First District Court of Appeal.
EDITORIAL HEADLINE OF THE DAY via the Sun Sentinel: “Getting an illegal massage in South Florida may get a lot harder.”
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR ED MOORE here, including:
Q: Gov. Scott vetoed the tuition hike today for public universities and state colleges. Talk about the pros and cons of that from where you sit.
MOORE: I’m sure from his point of view, what he’s thinking of is tuition being a tax. And a lot of people would argue that it’s a fee for service. I mean, you’re paying for what you’re getting. Florida traditionally has been the lowest or next to lowest in terms of public tuition, and my schools, which are the not-for-profit private (institutions) — we’re not part of that system, so it doesn’t directly affect us, but it does affect the quality, I think — the revenue affects quality — of what’s being able to be offered at the state university system.
So there’s arguments on both sides. He is of a mindset that he wants to hold costs down to the consumer, but someone’s paying for it. Whether the consumer’s going to pay for it directly for that service or it’s going to be in higher state payments to those universities to offer what they need to offer. You don’t buy quality on the cheap. So it’s just a question of how you get to a maintenance of quality.
POLICY NOTES
>>>The Medicaid & Public Assistance Fraud Strike Force will meet in room 401 of the Senate Office Building starting at 2:00 p.m. A copy of the agenda may be obtained here.
>>>The State Board of Education meets in Jacksonville at the Duval County School Board Office. Members will discuss details of the teacher salary increase passed by the Legislature, a progress report on Common Core and Gulf Coast State College’s request to offer a baccalaureate degree in digital media. The meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. The agenda and materials may be found here.
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MAC STIPANOVICH’S WEEK AS ‘MR. MOM’
The retired Lucy Morgan was back in the Tampa Bay Times on Sunday with a look at Mac Stipanovich’s week as Mr. Mom. It’s worth a read.
Here are my tongue-in-cheek ideas for additional stories.
NFIB TURNS 70
The National Federation of Independent Business celebrated a birthday on Monday. The small-business advocacy group was founded in 1943 and is marking its 70th year. In recent years, the organization was best known for being the named plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit against President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. The organization is celebrating with a balloon banner on its website. In a statement, NFIB President and CEO Dan Danner said: “Seventy years ago, the National Federation of Independent Business began its mission to protect the right to own, operate and grow a business. We were founded in 1943 San Mateo, Calif., by C. Wilson Harder, who recognized the need for an organization that would represent the little guy. Since then, NFIB has garnered more members – and earned more credibility – than any other small-business group in history.”
STATE FARM FORMS A PAC
State Farm’s auto insurance division has formed a federal PAC. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Federal Political Action Committee filed the paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to give donations to candidates.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nancy Loehr.
