A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
FIRST AND FOREMOST the happiest of birthday wishes to one of Florida’s most dedicated public servants, Representative Mike Fasano.
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SENATE TO TAKE UP IMMIGRATION-REFORM BILL TUESDAY
This week marks the start of an intraparty battle among Senate Republicans over the comprehensive immigration-reform bill introduced by the “Gang of Eight.” Debate on the legislation is scheduled to begin today. While Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Crossroads GPS have voiced support for the measure, Senate conservatives are committed to derailing the effort. The full Senate is expected to hold a final vote on the bill before departing for the Fourth of July recess.
White House officials are maneuvering behind the scenes in support of the reform bill, and President Obama is scheduled to deliver an address on the subject today.
BUSH, ATWATER, PUTNAM, WEATHERFORD SIGN ON TO CROSSROADS GPS IMMIGRATION AD
Beginning on Monday, Crossroads GPS began supporting immigration reform with almost $100,000 in print and targeted online advertising.
The print ad is signed by a high-profile group of CEOs, economists and GOP political figures, including Florida’s Jeff Atwater, Jeb Bush, Adam Putnam and Will Weatherford.
This is the first ad buy for Crossroads on immigration, and the first announcement of its support for a fix to the immigration bill and its eventual passage, though Crossroads did announce its support of the high-skilled immigration bill introduced by Sen. Rubio last year.
See the ad here.
HILLARY MAKES HER TWITTER DEBUT
Clinton made her ballyhooed debut on Twitter on Monday, launching an eponymous account on the popular social media platform.
The former secretary of state and possible presidential candidate in 2016 made public her account on Monday; it had been established earlier, but was restricted to followers who requested access. And to put to rest any doubts about the true proprietor of the account, Twitter “verified” Clinton’s handle shortly after it went public, signifying that the account actually belongs to the former first lady.
In her inaugural tweet, Clinton avoided some of the thorny political issues of the day in favor of something more lighthearted, referencing the popular “Texts from Hillary” tumblr created by two comedians.
>>>A recent Gallup poll finds that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has seen her approval rating drop to the lowest level since 2009.
THE TWO FACES OF MARCO RUBIO via Rebecca Kaplan of National Journal
The Florida senator is trying to be both a high-level negotiator and a disappointed populist. With the immigration bill, he’ll eventually have to choose. In a radio interview Tuesday with conservative talk-show host Hugh Hewitt, Sen. Marco Rubio drew a line in the sand. Asked whether he would vote for the Senate’s immigration overhaul if certain border-security provisions were not adopted, he said no. “If those amendments don’t pass, then I think we’ve got a bill that isn’t going to become law, and I think we’re wasting our time,” he said.
Rubio hardly sounded like one of the senators who helped craft the immigration-reform package behind closed doors. He was, after all, brought into the “Gang of Eight” to help sell, not sink, the legislation with conservative lawmakers … This is how Rubio’s immigration dance has gone—and will likely continue to go until the final vote on the Senate floor. Rubio is playing both the ultimate insider’s game (crafting a major piece of legislation with a small group of lawmakers) and the ultimate outsider’s game (trying to build public pressure to sway the legislation in a more conservative direction). On the issue of immigration, he’s trying to be just a little bit pregnant.
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ALLEN WEST COMPLETES MEMOIR AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AND SIGNS WITH GLOBAL PUBLISHER
Former Congressman Allen West announced via Facebook last week that he has completed a manuscript of his memoir and has signed with a “highly reputable global publishing house.” West was cryptic, aside from telling his online circle of 316,000 followers that the book “will present my thoughts as a man, a warrior, my political philosophy, being a black conservative, and my vision for the Republic as an American statesman.”
His views have and continue to inspire support and ire — and controversy. West has stated that black Democrats are trying to keep African Americans “on the plantation” and sees himself as a modern day Harriet Tubman, leading people “into a sense of responsibility.” He worked alongside Florida’s Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to have the Palestinian Liberation Organization flag removed from being raised outside DC national offices; and characterized DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz as “the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member of the US House of Representatives” for comments she directed at him in a floor speech after West had departed the chamber.
A torch-bearer of the Tea Party movement, West cites philosopher John Stuart Mill and Union Army General William Tecumseh Sherman for helping shape his worldview; while urging his followers to read Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals for an inside look at the left’s playbook. West’s book will no doubt elaborate on his philosophical roots, the controversies he has sparked, and where he sees our nation heading. All with his characteristic determination and flair.
CONSERVATIVE BLOGGER JORGE BONILLA TO TAKE ON ALAN GRAYSON
Jorge Bonilla, military veteran and Shark Tank contributor, has announced his bid to unseat Rep. Alan Grayson, citing deep concern with the direction our country is heading in and an “unaccountable” government. Grayson’s district in Orlando is heavily Democratic and approximately 40 percent Hispanic, but Bonilla may be able to use Grayson’s reputation among national Republicans and his Puerto Rican heritage to draw voters , according to the Orlando Sentinel.
“As a new father, I am deeply concerned about the direction our county is heading in,” said Bonilla in his campaign announcement, broadcast on YouTube. “Are we the people still capable of self rule, or do we abandon the American Revolution and concede that a small, connected elite out of Washington DC and New York is better capable of running our lives than we are ourselves? This is America, guys. We can do better.”
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CRIST DIPS TOES IN PALM BEACH COUNTY’S POLITICAL WATERS WITH TWO VISITS via George Bennett of the Palm Beach Post
With former Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson as his chauffeur, former Gov. Charlie Crist toured some of southern Palm Beach County’s Democratic strongholds last week as he continues to mull a run for governor in 2014.
Crist’s long history as a Republican didn’t seem to be a problem with many of the Dems on hand for Crist’s visit to a United South County Democratic Club meeting Wednesday night and a Thursday luncheon with 60 or more Democratic elected officials, club presidents and activists at Gleneagles Country Club in suburban Delray Beach.
… Marvin Manning, longtime president of the Democratic club at Century Village of Boca Raton, said: “I think that Charlie Crist is the strongest candidate that the Democratic Party can field, and we should have no problem calling him a good Democrat.”
TWEET, TWEET: @WillWeatherford: I never got an invite…“@SayfieReview: Times: Charlie Crist to keynote Pasco Democrats’ luncheon
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BILL TO PREEMPT LOCAL CONTROL OF ‘SICK TIME’ REACHES GOVERNOR via Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald
A bill that may serve as a litmus test on Gov. Scott’s view of government reached his desk today, giving the governor 15 days to decide whether he supports HB 655, which preempts local control over issues such as “sick time” and wages and replaces it with regulation from Tallahassee.
The Florida Legislature passed the measure largely along party lines as Democrats opposed and the Republican-controlled leadership of the House and Senate embraced the view of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and other business-backed groups. They argued that leaving living wage regulation to local governments was bad for business.
Since then, a bi-partisan stream of opposition has reached the governor’s desk, particularly from Miami where Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado joined with other local government officials and labor union reps to urge the governor to veto the measure.
It’s also a classic test of political consistency. When it comes to Washington v. Tallahassee, many of the advocates of the bill say they prefer government closest to the people. But when it’s Tallahassee v. local government, the argument changes — usually depending on the business lobby.
SCOTT’S INTEREST IN UNIVERSITY SYSTEM CROSSES LINE, SOME SAY via Tia Mitchell of the Tampa Bay Times
Seeking to offset an automatic 1.7 percent tuition increase, Gov. Rick Scott is meeting with university leaders one by one and lobbying them to cut tuition rates by an equal amount next year.
It’s not working.
The University of Florida and Florida State University boards of trustees voted Friday to reject the governor’s offer. Other university leaders have signalled they could do the same this week. And some, like the University of South Florida, want guidance from the state Board of Governors before making a decision.
… Scott’s tone strikes some as overly political, and borderline meddling.
State laws include automatic increases in a host of other areas — from highway tolls, to gas taxes, to water permit fees — but Scott has not campaigned to keep those fees flat.
At the same time, Scott’s 2014 Let’s Get to Work re-election committee is using the tuition fight as a fundraising tool, the Palm Beach Post reported.
“Join us in fighting the newest tax increase on Florida families — rising tuition,” read an email blast, which asked for a contribution of at least $10.
“It feels honestly like it is politically motivated and it has more to do with his re-election campaign than it does providing opportunities for higher education in Florida,” said Rep. Joe Saunders, whose district includes the University of Central Florida.
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FLORIDA STRUGGLES TO COMPETE ON STEM JOBS FRONT via contributor Karen Cyphers
Florida’s Space Coast ranks third in the nation for science, technology, engineering and mathematics jobs, according to a study just released by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, while South Florida ranks 81st in the nation — a ranking “not all that impressive” according to the South Florida Business Journal, considering the region’s size and resources. The top ranked metro area was Silicon Valle, with 33 percent of jobs in STEM, followed by DC, at 27. Florida’s Space Coast, also at 27 percent of jobs, actually ranks second in the nation in terms of jobs requiring “super” high-level STEM knowledge (16 percent). Keep in mind, however, that data for this study were gathered in 2011, prior to the end of the shuttle program.
Unfortunately for Florida, the state shows up more on the Bottom 10 list than the top: Lakeland-Winter Haven, South Florida, and Cape Coral-Fort Myers are among the nation’s 10 large metro areas with the lowest STEM score. Among the 100 largest metro areas, Orlando comes in at 86th in the nation, South Florida at 81st, Tampa at 66th, and Jacksonville at 64th. Ranked as a state, Florida comes in at 45th in the nation for the percent of STEM jobs, and 41st in the nation for “super” STEM jobs, not impressive for the 4th largest state. Gov. Rick Scott proposed to lower tuition for STEM students with this goal in mind. Perhaps this proposal — or ones like it — deserve another look.
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SENATOR ARTHENIA JOYNER here, including:
Q: Do you think the trial of George Zimmerman in Sanford will stir the embers of racism there?
JOYNER: Well, it’s already been stirred, just by the mere facts of what happened: a young black male being shot and killed by a volunteer in the community who utilized his discretion to end a life without any real basis of doing it, after having been told (by a police dispatcher), “Do not follow the young man. We’re on the way.”
It’s tragic that we lost that young man. And now that the trial is here, we’ll have to wait and see what the jury decides, and hopefully at the end, that justice will be done. And that the people will accept the ruling of the jury, the jury’s decision and the court’s subsequent sentencing if it comes to that. But we don’t know.
We have a great system here in America, and hopefully at the end of the day, when that trial is concluded, the people will respect the verdict, whatever it is.
NEW LAW AIMED AT ‘HEAD’ SHOPS MAY LACK TEETH via Chris O’Donnell of the Tampa Tribune
Owners of tobacco and so-called “head” shops say they have no plans to stop selling bongs and glass pipes despite a new ban on the sale of the items beginning July 1.
The bill, signed into law Wednesday by Gov. Rick Scott, makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to “knowingly and willfully” sell any device classified as drug paraphernalia, which includes bongs and glass, ceramic, acrylic or ceramic smoking pipes.
St. Petersburg Democratic Rep. Darryl Rouson, who sponsored the bill, said he is taking aim at the hypocrisy of stores that classify themselves as tobacco outlets but make most of their money from pipes commonly used for smoking marijuana or crack.
Store owners, though, say the bill does no more than duplicate a current federal law and that stores only run afoul of the law if they sell pipes or other items to a customer who admits it is for illegal drug use.
STORY I JUST DON’T CARE ABOUT: The Florida Highway Patrol shouldn’t have fired a trooper who followed “the agency’s unwritten policy of professional courtesy” toward state legislators, a hearing officer ruled Monday.
WEATHERFORD, GAETZ BACK ON THE ROAD TO TOUT ‘WORK PLAN FLORIDA’
House Speaker Will Weatherford and Senate President Don Gaetz are hitting the road again to tout the results of this year’s legislative session. The second outing by the “Work Plan Florida Tour” will focus on the Panhandle, with stops Wednesday in Panama City, Fort Walton Beach, Gulf Breeze and Pensacola, followed by more Pensacola stops on Thursday. Joining Weatherford and Gaetz on some of the stops will be Rep. Doug Broxson, R-Midway; Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach; and Rep. Clay Ingram, R-Pensacola.
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BALLOTS CAST IN HILL VS. LAU RACE STOLEN FROM SOE’S OFFICE
Two safes holding House District 2 special election early voting and absentee ballots were stolen from South Santa Rosa.
Supervisor of Elections Tappie Villane said two absentee ballots and 33 early-voting ballots cast at the U.S. Highway 98 office in Midway from Friday and Saturday are missing from the South Santa Rosa Service Center.
Monday morning, a worker picking up the ballots for early voting discovered safes were missing, Villane told the Pensacola-based news site.
The office door was broken, and items in the office were moved, said Santa Rosa Sheriff’s Deputy Rich Aloy, but there has been no evidence of anything else stolen or damaged.
Elections-office employees were not interviewed as suspects, and there are no arrests so far, Aloy said. Investigators are still working to establish a suspect or suspects. According to investigators, the burglary was not political.
“I don’t think there’s a need for that at this point,” Aloy told reporters. “We don’t think it would be politically motivated. We have no leads to say that at this point.”
CHOICE WORDS WRAP UP HOUSE DISTRICT 2 RACE via PNJ.com
The race for the state House District 2 seat is wrapping up with a bitter war of words over Republican candidate Mike Hill’s choice of words when he said he “voluntarily separated from the Air Force.”
Voters in District 2, encompassing the cities of Pensacola and Gulf Breeze as well as much of the unincorporated area of south Escambia County, will decide Tuesday between Democrat Jeremy Lau and Hill.
… Both candidates say they are concentrating on getting out the vote.
“For the most part, we’ve been knocking on doors and encouraging people to please go vote,” Hill said. “We were so encouraged to hear a huge majority of people say, ‘Mike, I already voted for you,’ or, “Yes, Mike, you’ve got my vote.’ ”
Lau also is spending a lot of time with voters.
“We’ve been out knocking on doors and making phone calls,” he said. “… We’ve been pushing really hard. I think it’s going to be a good Tuesday.”
… Hill’s campaign fund chest grew from $68,610 at the first May 9 reporting deadline to $189,005 by last Thursday, the second deadline, according to documents filed with the state Division of Elections.
Lau, who had reported just $4,171 on May 9, now has a total of $27,022.
REP. MARTI COLEY ENDORSES BLAISE IGNOGLIA FOR HD 35
“Blaise Ingoglia has been a conservative leader in Hernando County and throughout our state,” stated Representative Coley. “His commitment and dedication to these conservative values will help him make wise decisions as a State Representative. Blaise Ingoglia has my strong support and endorsement in his campaign for State Representative, District 35.”
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to City Councilwoman-to-be Darden Rice and, belatedly, to powerhouse lobbyist Nick Iarossi.
