Sunburn for 8/12 – A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics

A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.

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2 ASKS 

1. Help us raise 10,000 Legos for the kids! Great Explorations is building a new construction exhibit where they’ll have more than 22,000 Lego bricks! But only if you pitch in and help us “raise” 10,000 Legos. 

Michelle and I are asking all of our friends to join usin collecting Legos for Great Ex’s new exhibit. Please consider donating some new or well-loved Lego bricks. You can drop them off at our home, or buy what the Museum needs on E-Bay (link here) and have it delivered to us. 

Let’s collect as many Legos as possible between now and August 15. Please visit this Facebook page for more information.

2. Help determine who are Florida’s best political consultants: By analyzing campaign finance spending data, election results and several other metrics, as well as surveying dozens of operatives in the industry, we are compiling the definitive list of the best political consultants in the state. 

This special series will be unveiled beginning September 2. In the meantime, your input is welcomed. Who belongs on this list? How should this list be compiled? Would you like to be part of the panel which determines who makes the list? If you are interested, please drop me an e-mail to [email protected]. 

IT’S LOBBYIST COMPENSATION REPORTING WEEK!

Lobbyists face a deadline this week for submitting reports about the sources and amounts of their compensation during the second three months of 2013. 

It’s just like Shark Week, except for Lobbyists. Who do you think are the biggest sharks in Tallahassee? Of course, Ballard, SSG, Capital City Consulting, GrayRobinson, and Ronnie Book, but who else will be in the Top 10?

Email me at Peter@Extensive-Enterprises with isnights, predictions, and pre-butting (“Well, we didn’t have as big a second quarter as we expected because our contracts were deferred until after the start of the fiscal year.”)

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OBAMA ON VACA via Reuters

President Obama kicked off his vacation on the island of Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday with a night at his rented holiday home. Obama and his wife, Michelle, arrived … after first making a stop in Florida to speak to a veterans group. Their dog, Bo, also traveled on Air Force One. The couple’s two daughters were not on the plane but would be joining their parents on the island. The couple often goes out to dinner when vacationing, but on Saturday they [stayed] in. They arrived on the island by helicopter before driving to their destination property by motorcade. Obama is scheduled to remain on the island for a week.

DON’T BLAME OBAMA FOR LEAVING D.C.

Last year, Obama skipped his Martha’s Vineyard vacation because golfing with the wealthy was less than alluring to voters. But this year he’s going and hopefully he’ll be less abashed.

Presidents need vacations, and the Vineyard is more complicated than its posh cliché. Settled almost 150 years before the Declaration of Independence was written, it’s at once ancient and modern.

Today, Brazilian immigrants ply the island’s construction trade alongside old New England fishing families who cast nets and lobster pots in ways their forebears would recognize. The island has a year-round population that struggles with housing costs and school budgets, just like the rest of us. Obama gets to shed Washington, exchanging it for an island that’s less different than the rest of America than you might think.

Who can blame him?

OBAMA LINE FROM HIS PRESSER THAT MOST IRRITATED REPUBLICANS: “I think the really interesting question is why it is that my friends in the other party have made the idea of preventing these people from getting health care their holy grail, their number-one priority.”

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ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Senator Marco Rubio will attend the Rotary Club of Jacksonville luncheon at the Omni Hotel Jacksonville. Rubio will discuss the looming burden of ObamaCare on job creation and the middle class. He will also discuss his efforts to defund this failing policy. 11:30 a.m.

BILL NELSON TO BE ON HAND FOR TODAY’S LAUNCH OF AGING INSTITUTE AT UF

Gator Nation will have reason to celebrate Monday as the University of Florida opens the doors to its newest research complex aimed at improving the quality of life of our nation’s elderly.    

Senator Bill Nelson, who chairs the U.S. Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, will join UF President Bernie Machen and other school officials for Monday afternoon’s ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new 120,000-square-foot research complex that will be home to the UF Institute on Aging and its Clinical and Translational Science Institute. 

This new facility for aging research will be focused on the issues of healthy aging.  The building was designed to foster greater collaboration between researchers from both institutes as they look to tackle some of the most pressing issues people face as they get older.  

“Our seniors have everyday aches and pains and many are suffering from more devastating setbacks like memory loss and lung disease,” Nelson said.  “Meantime, there’s a lot we can and must do to better understand the aging process so we can improve the quality of life for all seniors.” 

FUN READ: RUBIO BRINGS STAR POWER TO YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE OPENING WEEKEND via Naples Daily News

A new youth football league in Southwest Florida got a little political star power when Rubio showed up to watch and help coach his nephew’s game.

Rubio’s two sons – Anthony, 8 and Dominick, 6 – also play on Sunniland Sun Devil teams.

The Sunniland organization was one of a dozen that brought teams to the Southwest Florida Youth Football League’s 2013 Kickoff Classic, which ran through Sunday afternoon at Fort Myers High School.

Rubio has been a football fan since he was a kid. He played in high school and in college, and said he even played in a competitive flag football league until his November 2010 election.

“Then I got real busy,” said Rubio, who traded in his suit and tie for an orange polo shirt and white shorts.

“When my sons got old enough to be involved, I wanted to be involved coaching them,” Rubio said. “I wanted to make sure they learned the fundamentals. And it’s just enjoyable. I just have a great time at it.”

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DEPARTURE OF GOP STAFFERS COULD IMPERIL BUDGET TALKS via The Washington Post 

A surprising exodus of senior GOP staffers” has “darkened the outlook” for the budget confrontation this fall.

Largely invisible to the public, these are the nuts-and-bolts guys the bosses trust to negotiate critical details with Democrats, draft deals into law and explain them to the GOP rank and file. Losing them now — weeks before the next fight — weakens Republicans and leaves Democrats without familiar negotiating partners.

Moreover, many observers worry that the exodus is an ominous sign that Republicans see low odds for significant progress toward taming the debt and an indication of the risk that another grinding, pressure-cooker confrontation really could end in catastrophe this time.

REP. GUTIERREZ PLEDGES ’40 TO 50′ GOP VOTES TO PASS IMMIGRATION

Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., said he can round up between 40 and 50 Republican votes in the House to help pass immigration reform. “If they asked me today, go find those 40 or 50 Republicans, I’d tell them I found them,” Gutierrez said. “I know where they’re at. They’re here. They’re present.”

IMMIGRATION REFORM CREATES ODD POLITICAL ALLIANCES via the Los Angeles Times:

An unprecedented collection of political bedfellows has coalesced this year on the reform side of the immigration debate: liberal Latino organizations and Republican operatives, the Chamber of Commerce and labor unions, faith groups and high-tech companies. And… some left-leaning groups are financing Republican pro-immigration groups.

The result is a flood of money for advertising, lobbying and field organizing aimed at convincing Republicans in Congress to create a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million people in the country illegally, authorize more temporary work visas and increase security on the border with Mexico.

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FATE OF SOUTHERN DEMS COULD DICTATE SENATE CONTROL IN 2014 via The Associated Press

A number of Democratic senators in the South face tough battles ahead in their 2014 reelection campaigns, and whether they can hold onto their seats could decide which party controls the upper chamber in 2014. Sens. Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and Kay Hagan of North Carolina all hold vulnerable seats in GOP-trending states. Even with 15 months to go before Election Day, Republicans already see those seats as a ticket to a Senate majority—but only if McConnell can keep his seat in Kentucky. 

FUNDRAISER FOR PATRICK MURPHY IN TAMPA ON AUG. 19

U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy will be at a Tampa fundraiser to support his re-election bid for Congressional District 18. The event will be Monday, Aug.19 at noon at Mise en Place restaurant on 442 W. Kennedy Blvd.

Several prominent Tampa Democrats will also attend, including former gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink, former U.S. Rep. Jim Davis and his successor, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor.  Mise en Place owner Maryann Ferenc, past chair of Tampa’s tourism agency Tampa Bay & Co. will co-host. 

Murphy is an active target for the GOP, after defeating Rep. Allen West in the most expensive congressional race of 2102. Representing the “quintessential” swing district covering southeast Florida, Murphy is a pro-choice candidate who supports the Affordable Care Act and Medicare, as well as advocating LGBT rights. 

Supporters can add their names as host for a $2,500 donation or become a co-host for $1,000. There is also a Sponsor status for $500, and a $250 gift can make them one of Murphy’s “Friends.” Organizers invite participants to RSVP at Mandi@PatrickMurphyforCongress.com  or call(561) 847-4105. 

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DAN GELBER ON RICK SCOTT’S REVOLVING DOOR OF “ETHICALLY CHALLENGED” APPOINTEES Full op-ed here

“If you ran a business and nearly every person you appointed to a critical position resigned under a cloud of incompetence or fraud at some point someone just might point out the failure is yours.  Florida Governor Rick Scott is hoping no one notices that in just three short years he has compiled an unprecedented record of his top appointees being forced out or resigning due to a lack of ability, a lack of honesty, or both.”

DEMOCRATS WAIT FOR CHALLENGER TO SCOTT — via William March of the Tampa Tribune

Across Florida, Democrats are waiting — and waiting, and waiting — to see which candidate will carry their banner against Gov. Rick Scott in next year’s election.

Scott looks vulnerable, they contend.

So why aren’t big-name Democrats coming off the sidelines to challenge him?

One reason is a new law increasing campaign contributions limits.

As of Nov. 1, when the law takes effect, a candidate for governor, a state Cabinet office or Supreme Court seat will be allowed to collect $3,000 from each donor instead of just $500. For candidates in local and regional races, the limit goes to $1,000.

The $3,000 cap will make a big difference for a Democrat hoping to take on a governor who has let it be known he’ll spend up to $100 million on his re-election, and has publicly announced he intends to have $25 million by the beginning of 2014 and spend it on attack ads against his opponent.

Democrats aren’t waiting until they have a declared candidate to begin a campaign against Scott. Last week, they announced a digital ad campaign intended to tell voters about what party Chairman Allison Tant called Scott’s “real record, the one he won’t tell them about” and his “extreme agenda.”

University of Central Florida political scientist Aubrey Jewett, a political neutral, said there are a couple of reasons why a potential candidate might want to keep his powder dry for the time being.

A candidate would provide “someone to be the focus of party efforts to raise money and get people excited, a real person instead of just a generic,” he said.

TWEET, TWEET: @alaskan This headline from @WMarchTBO can’t make @senatornanrich happy: “Democrats wait for challenger to Gov. Scott”

ELAINE CHAO TO KEYNOTE RPOF’S STATESMAN’S DINNER

Governor Rick Scott and the Republican Party of Florida have announced that Elaine Chao will keynote the party’s annual Statesman’s Dinner on Friday, October 4th at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista.

Chao served as Secretary of Labor from 2001 to 2009, and the first American woman of Asian heritage to ever be appointed to the President’s Cabinet in the nation’s history. NewsMax magazine also named her one of the top 25 most influential Republican women leaders in our country.

She is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Heritage Foundation focusing on jobs and employment. RPOF’s Quarterly Executive Board Meeting will also be held in conjunction with this year’s Statesman’s Dinner.

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SCOTT’S BLIND TRUST INCLUDES INVESTMENT IN PLAYBOY-AFFILIATED SOCIAL NETWORKING COMPANY via The Associated Press

Gov. Rick Scott on Friday turned over additional details on his personal fortune in order to make sure he is complying with a new state law.

The multi-millionaire governor turned in to the state’s ethics commission a list of nearly $74 million assets he placed in a blind trust more than two years ago.

It shows, for example, Scott transferred into the trust $1.42 million in shares he owned in a social networking company that came under fire from some conservatives because it had partnered with Playboy magazine in Mexico.

Scott established the trust to remove direct control over his finances and avoid questions of conflicts of interest. But when he set it up, he was not required to disclose what his money was invested in. A new sweeping ethics law passed this year by the Florida Legislature says that public officials who set up blind trusts now must disclose the initial assets placed in the account.

Scott is not bound by the new law since the Florida Commission on Ethics had previously approved his blind trust. But Scott’s general counsel said the governor is turning over the information now in “abundance of caution.”

Scott is also requesting the commission to confirm that he is compliance with the new law. But the filing makes it clear that there are no plans to divulge what assets are held by the trust currently and whether there have been any changes in the last two years.

Dan Krassner, executive director of Integrity Florida, a group that has called for greater disclosure by public officials in the state, praised Scott for handing over the information.

“Gov. Scott has taken the appropriate action to ensure his blind trust complies with the new ethics law,” Krassner said in an email. “More transparency and accountability about the governor’s blind trust assets is in the public’s best interest.” 

BENNETT: I NEVER BELIEVED I WOULD LOVE GOV. SCOTT THE SAME WAY I LOVE GOV. BUSH via Kathleen McGrory of the Miami Herald

Before tendering his resignation to Gov. Scott last week, former state Education Commissioner Tony Bennett sent a two-page email to a pair of former governors.

“First, words can never express how much I respect, care for and love all of you and everything you stand for,” Bennett wrote to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels on July 31, the day before his resignation was announced.

Patricia Levesque, who runs Bush’s two education foundations, was also included on the email.

Bennett, a former state schools superintendent in Indiana, went on to explain why he had accepted the top education job in Florida.

“While I was never so Pollyanna to believe that I would love Governor Scott the way I love you guys, I came here to help him nonetheless,” Bennett wrote. “I believed and still do that following the path you guys so bravely and astutely trailed was his ticket to a lasting legacy. I also believed that if I could help Florida recapture the lightning in a bottle that you guys caught while re-establishing your model, it would further validate you guys and your work as a model for America.”

EDUCATION DUST-UP BLOTS JEB BUSH’S PRESIDENTIAL PROSPECTS via Kathleen McGrory of the Miami Herald

When Bennett stepped down on Aug. 1, it was the latest in a string of setbacks for Bush, who has spent the past five years pushing an ambitious education reform agenda across the country. Earlier this summer, Bush’s signature model of grading schools on an A-to-F scale came under attack in Florida. Then came a crushing wave of criticism from tea party groups, which oppose the new national standards Bush is promoting.

The political fallout could be significant. Many observers believe Bush is using his role as national education reformer to position himself for a run at the presidency in 2016. That hinges partly on success in Florida, where Bush created his template for school reform.

… When asked what Bennett’s resignation would mean for Bush, Bush spokeswoman Jaryn Emhof said: “The question should be what will the resignation mean for students. Improving student achievement is at the heart of Gov. Bush’s passion for reform and has been for the 20 years he has devoted to this cause.”

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ATWATER NAMES CHRIS GARDNER NEW CHAIRMAN OF CITIZENS

Gardner, a resident of Winter Park, has 20 years of experience in the retail insurance brokerage business with a specific focus in Commercial Property and Casualty Insurance. He has served as a member of the Citizens board since his appointment in July 2011. 

“In his 20 years in the insurance industry, Chris has proved himself to be a person of high character and sound judgment who shares my high expectations for how a corporation such as Citizens should be managed,” said CFO Atwater. “I am confident he has the business background and leadership qualities it will take to further establish defined and transparent procedures at Citizens. It is important to continue to build the public’s trust in the non-profit corporation and better equip it to protect Floridians during their greatest times of need.” 

Chris Gardner is the managing shareholder of Kuykendall Gardner, LLC, a Florida based insurance broker doing business since 1953. Neither the firm collectively nor Mr. Gardner personally has any current business interests in Citizens. He has been a past chairman of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce and is a past vice chairman of the City of Orlando Municipal Planning Board. 

BILL STEVENS COLUMN: WHY MIKE FASANO REMAINS A POWER PLAYER

A nod from Fasano can deliver votes, maybe even swing an election. And all those men slapping him on the back the other day know it. He might have a new office, but he’s not giving up being a kingmaker. Politics is his passion. He’ll enjoy his role as local GOP godfather, much as Olson did many years for the Democrats.

But while Olson served effectively and honorably for 32 years, it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see Fasano, 55, seek another office someday.

Once known more as a party loyalist assigned to ensure lockstep with the leadership, Fasano has evolved into an effective maverick. He was the only House Republican who supported expanding Medicaid benefits, consistent with his history of advocating for the poor and vulnerable. When he expresses outrage over utilities gouging customers or a fat cat judge wasting money on an opulent “Taj Mahal” courthouse, he makes you want to yell, “Right on!”

He has changed, all right, and in the process changed a lot of attitudes about him. Longtime Pasco politicos who once locked horns with a young Fasano now admire his record in Tallahassee, his tenacity to make sure Pasco didn’t get left behind in the competition for state funds. But more than anything, Fasano has become legendary for constituent service.

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LEGISLATIVE STAFFING MERRY-GO-ROUND via the Florida Current

Off: Bill drafter Paul Liepshutz has left the House Bill Drafting Service. 

Off: Jennifer Ashton is no longer Rep. Jim Boyd’s legislative assistant.

Off: Lizbeth Mabry is no longerRep. Kathleen Peters’s district secretary.

On: Joe Zimmerman has joined Rep. Janet Adkins’s office as district secretary. 

On: Dominique Gelin is now Rep. Karen Castor Dentel’s legislative assistant.

On: Mary Alice Bennett is Rep. Larry Lee’s new legislative assistant.

MUST-READ: ‘SENATOR 41’ RETURNS TO SHED LIGHT ON THE LATVALA VS. NEGRON RACE FOR THE SENATE PRESIDENCY Full blog post here

For regular readers of my blog, you are already familiar with Senator 41, the legendary figure who helped us navigate the Byzantine politics surrounding the race for the Presidency of the Florida Senate.

During the 2012 legislative session, Senator 41 was the first to know about John Thrasher’s attempted coup.  He was also the first to know about the deal struck between Andy Gardiner and Jack Latvala. All in all, Senator 41 seems to always be in the right place at the right time.

Who is Senator 41, you ask.  Well, if you don’t know Senator 41, you don’t know one of the most powerful people walking the halls of the Capitol.

Senator 41 represents the 41st District, which may be difficult to find on a map.  District 41 is comprised of about two city blocks, running the length of Adams Street in Tallahassee.

Senator 41 is, by far, the longest-serving member of the Legislature.  He served with Mallory Horne.  He served with Dempsey Barron.  He has seen everything.  Look up the definition of “institutional knowledge” and you’ll see a picture of Senator 41.

The ongoing rivalry between Latvala and Negron is not Senator 41′s first leadership fight. He was around the first time Latvala wanted to be Senate President, just as he was around when Ander Crenshaw and Pat Thomas agreed to split the job.

So why is Senator 41 contacting us now?

Because there is a push to have the race wrapped-up before Andy Gardiner is designated the Senate President after Don Gaetz, Senator 41 says. That’s why Bousquet, Klas and Van Sickler have written about it so much over the last 48 hours. Joe Negron’s supporters are in high-gear, according to Senator 41. 

NO LONGER WITH MORGAN & MORGAN, DARRYL ROUSON HANGS OUT HIS OWN SHINGLE 

Representative Darryl Rouson  has been a busy man during the summer, and by the looks of things, he will be getting even busier. 

Rouson just announced the launch of his own local law firm — Rouson & Associates, P.A.

For a while, the legislator from St. Petersburg had so many irons in the fire that mega-law agency Morgan & Morgan had to let him go. Founder John Morgan told the Tampa Bay Times in May it was hard for Rouson to be a trial lawyer in Tampa when he is always in Tallahassee.

Although Morgan said the door was open for Rouson’s return after his time in the House, it seems unlikely. It might be difficult to reconcile his beliefs with his former employer’s. Morgan recently came out publically in favor of legalizing medical marijuana, not quite fitting in with Rouson’s crusades that became the basis of his political career.

SPOTTED: Rep. Rouson, back-to-school, shopping, at Tyrone Square Mall in St. Petersburg.

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ALIMONY REFORM RETURNING TO TALLAHASSEE via Lloyd Dunkelberger of the Herald-Tribune

Efforts to revamp Florida’s divorce laws failed this year, but lawmakers and groups pushing for alimony reform are gearing up for another attempt in the 2014 Legislature.

ANITERE FLORES REFILES BILL TO MOVE START OF SESSION TO JANUARY via Gary Rohrer of the Florida Current

Sen. Anitere Flores filed SB 72 Friday, which would move the start of the 60-day regular legislative session to January beginning in 2016. Regular legislative sessions start in March each year.

Flores filed a similar bill this year (SB 1356), but it never had a House companion bill and died after clearing one Senate committee.

The bill calls for the start of the session on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January.

FLORIDA SHERIFFS: KEEP ‘STAND YOUR GROUND’ AS WRITTEN via Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida 

The Florida Sheriffs Association is no longer neutral on the state’s controversial “stand your ground” law.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the new president of the association, announced Friday that members agreed earlier this week without opposition to support the law “as currently written.”

“Our current judicial system is comprised of multiple checks and balances to ensure fair and equitable application of all laws, including ‘stand your ground,’ ” Judd said in a prepared statement.

When the National Rifle Association-backed law was approved in 2005, the association remained neutral on the issue.

Rep. Matt Gaetz, a Fort Walton Beach Republican who supports “stand your ground” and whose subcommittee will hold a hearing on the law, called it enlightening that a group that “has traditionally been tepid” on the law now “recognizes its value.”

“I think they recognize that Florida is a safer place when our citizens don’t have a duty to retreat and run,” Gaetz said.

The voice vote Tuesday came with 57 of the state’s sheriffs in attendance. 

GAETZ WRONGLY TARGETED BY COLORADO GUN GROUP Full story here

As a ploy to boost fundraising, a Colorado-based pro-gun group used statements falsely attributed to State House Rep. Matt Gaetz regarding the controversy over Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law.

According to Lee Williams in the Gun Writer blog, a group called the National Association for Gun Rights is sending “nasty email attacks” targeting Gaetz as he is about to chair meetings to examine the state’s hotly contested self-defense laws.

Speaker Weatherford asked the Fort Walton Beach Republican to oversee the House committee holding hearings in the fall on Stand Your Ground.

NAGR, led by gun activist Dudley Brown, claims Gaetz said he was “willing to let anti-gunners have their way.”

“Rep. Matt Gaetz is one of the strongest, most dedicated supporters of the Second Amendment, your right to keep and bear arms and your right of self-defense that we have ever had in the Florida Legislature,” said USF/NRA and Florida Carry, Inc. Executive Director Marion Hammer.

HERALD EDITORIAL: FIX ‘STAND YOUR GROUND’ TO MAKE US SAFER

Truth is, there is zero hope that the law will be repealed by a GOP-led Legislature. In fact, when it was approved in 2005, Stand Your Ground, which eliminated the words citing “a citizen’s duty to retreat” in most public confrontations, had Democratic support, too. It passed the state Senate 39-0. In the House, 20 Democrats voted against it. Strengthening a self-defense law made sense to many legislators on both sides of the aisle.

But since then, it’s become clear that there is need to improve the law’s wording and clarify the definition of “stand your ground.” Consider: A 2012 Tampa Bay Times investigation showed that in 200 cases where a Stand Your Ground defense was used, nearly 70 percent of those who invoked it avoided prosecution. Worse, the investigation found that defendants, regardless of race, were more likely to prevail in court if their victims were black. And conflicting judges’ decisions in several Stand Your Ground defense cases in South Florida have shown the law to be subject to arbitrary interpretations and desperately in need of clear guidelines.

PROJECTED TAX REVENUE STILL ON MODEST UPSWING via Brandon Larrabee of the News Service of Florida

conomic forecasters Friday gave state lawmakers $435.4 million more to work with in the budget year that begins in July 2014, predicting that a slow but steady economic recovery will continue to increase tax revenues.

The increased projections included an additional $177.8 million for the current fiscal year, which runs until June 30. Because the current year’s budget is already set, that money would carry over until next year. The economists also added $257.6 million of extra revenue to next year’s forecast.

In all, lawmakers would have $29.3 billion in general revenue to spend if they were to start working on crafting a spending plan immediately, about $2 billion more than in the current year.

While general revenue makes up less than half of the state’s budget, lawmakers generally have a much freer hand with how they distribute it than other funding.

But lawmakers aren’t scheduled to take up the budget again until next spring’s legislative session, and other revenue forecasts are expected in the interim, meaning it will likely take awhile before the full budget picture is known. And in any case, a projected surplus or shortfall taking into account high-priority spending on items like education and health care isn’t expected to be released until next month.

HOUSE APPROPS CHAIR SETH MCKEEL WEIGHS IN…

“The findings of today’s revenue estimating conference are encouraging. Once again Florida expects to see an improvement in revenue collections, signaling that our economy is continuing to recover. Despite this modest gain, the Florida House still plans to maximize every dollar and budget as efficiently as possible, prioritizing funding in the best interest of every Florida family. With the news of these positive estimates, we are hopeful that we will have the opportunity to provide a significant tax break for Florida businesses to continue to improve the job-creation climate in our state and benefit Florida families. I look forward to working with Senate Appropriations Chair Joe Negron again this session on these issues as we develop a fiscally responsible budget in a timely manner.”

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NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS

Ron Book, Kelly Mallette, Ronald L. Book PA: Florida Workforce Development Association

Thomas DeRita, Resource Group NA: Intelligent Currency Validation Network dba ICVN

Jane Johnson, Nicole Stookey: Department of Children and Families

WITH ITS FIRST EVER LOBBYIST, TWITTER LOOKS FOR D.C. CLOUT

William Carty, a Twitter staff member and former congressional staffer, formally registered as a lobbyist for the company. According to the filing, he will be working on “issues related to patent reform, privacy, Internet freedom and net neutrality.”

Right now, Carty is Twitter’s only lobbyist, but he expects to work with other Capitol Hill professionals. The company also hired former congressional press aide Nu Wexler as the director of public policy communications. 

By establishing a PAC, Twitter hopes to expand its reach into Washington. However, it still has a way to go before catching up to other tech companies, such as Google, PayPal and Amazon. In 2013, Facebook so far spent $3.6 million on lobbying, while Google spent $6.8 million this year alone.

WELCOME TO THE TWITTERS: @FLCrystalsCorp

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY this past weekend to gentleman Jack Cory and Chris Hart. Celebrating today is Jen Greenfield.