Sunburn for 8/27 – A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics

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

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IT’S ELECTION DAY!

… at least it is in St. Petersburg, where me and my team — Phil Ammann, Linda Hersey, Ben Kirby, and photographer Benjamin Todd — will be flooding the zone with coverage of today’s elections. Of interest to statewide readers are a couple of stories.

One storyline is the mayoral race between conservative Bill Foster, demagogue Kathleen Ford, and progressive Rick Kriseman. The top-two finishers in today’s vote move on to the general election. My polling indicates it will be Foster and Kriseman, setting up a very clear choice for voters which, in some ways, may mimic the 2014 gubernatorial race. Foster is a personally unpopular but effective mayor who kept the lights on during the Great Recession. Kriseman is a charismatic populist who is running not only against Foster’s record, but his style. Looking at the race that way, it sets up like Rick Scott versus Charlie Crist in a city in which Democrats outnumber Republicans, yet the last two mayors have been Foster and GOP stalwart Rick Baker.

A second storyline is that, after today, it could be very likely that three of the eight seats on St. Petersburg’s City Council could be represented by members of LGBT community. Councilman Steve Kornell is already on and in two different districts, the faraway frontrunners are Darden Rice and Amy Foster. If Rice and Foster go on to win in November, this would be huge, victory for the LGBT community, especially when you contrast St. PEtersburg’s progressiveness with that of neighboring Hillsborough County, whose commissioners recently rejected a domestic partnership registry.

Finally, a third storyline of statewide interest is that, again after today, it could be very likely that 14 of the 15 seats on St. Petersburg’s and Tampa’s city councils could be held by registered Democrats. Add in the fact that, in Bob Buckhorn, Tampa is led by one of the most prominent Democrats in the state and the possibility that St. Pete could be led by the highly partisan Kriseman and suddenly Tampa Bay — the region, not the water — is a lot more blue than it was four or eight years ago.

Anyway, follow me tonight on Twitter @SaintPetersBlog for election results and analysis.

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50 YEARS LATER, PICTURES WORTH REMEMBERING

This Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and several publications are taking the opportunity to look back at some of the best images from the mass demonstration.BuzzFeed offers a gallery showing off the massive crowds and behind-the-scenes candids of some of the organizers, including a photo op with then-President Kennedy. The Atlantic‘s Garance Franke-Ruta writes that photographer Leonard Freed captured the spirit of the protest with images that focused on the “ecstatic, eager, joyous, hot, and tired” faces in the crowd.

DESPITE PROGRESS ON KING’S DREAM, MANY BLACKS STILL LAG BEHIND

Although millions have earned advanced degrees and a growing number hold high-ranking jobs previously inaccessible to them, blacks still lag behind on several significant measures, including income, economic mobility, housing, education, employment, standing in the criminal-justice system, and life expectancy, according to census and other data compiled by Bloomberg. Though the nation elected its first black president in Barack Obama, who has subsequently named several blacks to top posts in his administration, economic progress for the minority group continues to plod along 50 years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. articulated his “Dream” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and progress has been substantially undercut as a result of the recent recession.

THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYED via Matthew O’Brien of The Atlantic

Although the U.S. economic recovery is now officially more than four years old, over 4 million people still qualify as long-term unemployed. But who are these people? The answer, O’Brien notes, is “at once reassuring and terrifying.” Generally, the long-term unemployed tend to be older and were more likely to have been laid off from their last job than other unemployed workers, according to data analyzed by Josh Mitchell of the Urban Institute. A series of charts also demonstrates that the long-term unemployed are actually more educated than newly unemployed or discouraged workers who have given up looking for work.

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20-SOMETHINGS JUMP INTO SUPER PACS via Andrea Drusch of POLITICO

In the past month, … four super PACs were formed by people younger than 35 … Often, the idea is to push back against political parties they say are drifting off course. … It’s a sentiment young super PACs from both parties share: National candidates either don’t align with their views, or they don’t prioritize the issues that matter to them. … For Brandon Anderson’s group in Rock Island County, Ill., those issues are achieving comprehensive immigration reform and reducing government intrusion in people’s lives; two things he says are important to the 20- and 30-somethings … He hopes maybe his super PAC, Millennials for America, will help drum up some younger candidates to advocate for those issues, or at least lend a voice to the issues of an age group he thinks has been shut out of the political system.

Ragheb Baio, 29, says he started Republican Youth for a Conservative Tomorrow PAC because he was tired of seeing the GOP put up presidential candidates that come off as closed-minded and unrelatable … He and his two partners, also under the age of 30, plan to begin an advertising campaign in the coming months that will encourage Republicans to choose a 2016 presidential candidate with more progressive views on social issues … like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. For other groups, like College Democrats of Ohio, forming a super PAC is about being in control of their money. [Sarah] Ponn says that Pass the Torch PAC, formed by three young founders of a fitness company, will employ the same methods they used to start their now $1.8 million business to promote their super PAC.

FORMER TV REPORTER TO RUN AGAINST DENNIS ROSS via Eric Deggans of the Tampa Bay Times

Ask if he’s leaving journalism behind for good by running for political office and Alan Cohn equivocates, noting that some figures in cable news have moved from politics to punditry and back again.

But Cohn — a former investigative reporter at WFTS-Ch. 28 who has occasionally filed reports for ABC News as a freelancer — eventually admits that in choosing to run as a Democrat against Rep. Dennis Ross to represent Florida’s 15th Congressional district, he’s probably leaving some kinds of journalism behind.

“You can’t do what I’m doing and go back to covering a beat,” said Cohn, 50, of opposing Ross, a Lakeland native and Republican who spent years in Florida’s House of Representatives. “But I would like to do this more than any job I can think of.”

Cohn plans to announce his candidacy Thursday morning. He said recent redistricting, which includes more of Hillsborough County, may improve his chances of appealing to an area which once was more solidly Republican.

He made a name as an investigative reporter over three years at WFTS, revealing an undisclosed vacation home owned by the wife of then-Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman.

But WFTS let him go in June 2012 with no public explanation; Cohn said then and now he doesn’t know why they ended his employment. He created a company, AMC Productions, which has developed promotional videos for the state’s tourism office and Tampa’s Chamber of Commerce.

He’s hoping some of the notoriety he gained as a TV reporter will help in his first bid for public office. 

OBAMACARE ARCHITECTS CASH IN AS LOBBYISTS via The Hill

More than 30 former administration officials, lawmakers and congressional staffers who worked on President Obama’s landmark healthcare law have set up shop on K Street since 2010.

The voracious need for lobbying help in dealing with ObamaCare has created a price premium for lobbyists who had first-hand experience in crafting or debating the law… Demand for ObamaCare insiders is even higher now that major pieces of the law — including the healthcare exchanges and individual insurance mandate — are being set up through a slew of complicated federal regulations.

TWEET, TWEET: @theledger says Rep. Webster “seems to have beaten the record” for number of #Polk County town halls.

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GOOD NEWS FOR THE GOV.: HOUSING MARKET CONTINUES TO REBOUND IN FLORIDA via Kevin Derby of Sunshine State News 

Florida’s real estate market continues to rebound, according to data unveiled by the Florida Realtors on Monday.

“We’re seeing double-digit gains in statewide closed sales, new listings, pending sales and higher median prices,” said Florida Realtors President Dean Asher, an Orlando-based Realtor. “And these increases are happening in both the single-family and the town home-condo markets. July marks the 19th consecutive month that we’ve seen the statewide single-family home median sales price increase year-over-year. Florida’s housing market is growing and that’s good news for our economy.”

In July, there were closed sales on more than 21,200 single-family homes across the Sunshine State, an increase of almost 21 percent from July 2012. Pending sales are also on the rise, with almost 26 percent more pending sales last month than in July 2012. The average single-family home in Florida sold for $177,500 in July 2013, a gain of 18.7 percent from July 2012. Single-family homes in Florida sell for less than the national average, which stood at $214,000 last month.

Town house and condo sales are also increasing across Florida. In July 2013, 9,430 town houses and condos were sold, representing an increase of almost 17 percent from last July. Pending sales are also up for town houses and condos with a 20.7 percent increase last month, when compared to July 2012. While the average town house or condo in Florida sold for $128,000 last month, an increase of almost 22 percent from July 2012, this is still far below the national average of $209,600.

SCOTT’S BODY MAN HEADED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION via Matt Dixon of the Florida Times-Union

Scott’s personal aide, Brad Piepenbrink, is leaving that office and headed to the Department of Education.

The Florida Gulf Coast University graduate had previously served in the Florida Senate and with John McCain’s presidential campaign.

His replacement is Wes Maul, a recent University of Florida law school graduate.

An elected official’s personal aide, often referred to as a “body man,” is responsible for managing many day-to-day activities and traveling with the governor. 

SCOTT’S EDUCATION SUMMIT OPENS IN CLEARWATER via Brandon Larrabee of the News Service of Florida

Educators, business leaders and advocates gathered Monday in Clearwater for a three-day education summit called by Gov. Scott — but the first day in some ways served to highlight differences between those involved in public schools as the system enters a critical period.

In an early example of the disagreements that could affect the meeting, Joanne McCall, vice president of the Florida Education Association, highlighted teacher concerns with the state’s accountability system, now under siege from several sources.

“I’ve been all over this state as school begins … and they’re frustrated,” she said. “They don’t feel the system has value, and they don’t trust the system.”

But Keith Calloway, with the Professional Educators Network of Florida, said teachers were not uniformly opposed to the state’s system of assessing teachers.

“There are many of us teachers out there right now that like the evaluations,” he said.

The summit comes as Florida faces several ongoing controversies in its accountability system. The State Board of Education recently approved a one-year extension of a policy that prevented each school from dropping more than a letter grade on its state report card after superintendents complained of a likely implosion in scores.

Despite the move, 107 elementary schools, or slightly more than 4 percent, received “F” grades on the report card. In 2012, 40 schools got F grades, amounting to just more than 1.5 percent.

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APPOINTED: Dr. Mark Mikhael, and Dr. Michele Weizer (reappointed) to the Board of Pharmacy.

FLORIDA POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY APPROVES SCHOLARSHIPS FOR FIRST STUDENTS

The University’s Board of Trustees voted today to approve the scholarship program for the 2014 class and will consider extending the program for additional classes. Incoming full-time undergraduate students to the new Florida Polytechnic University will receive scholarships valued at $5,000 per year for the first three years and $3,200 for the fourth year.  Entering freshman students carrying 30 credit hours per academic year will be eligible for the scholarship valued at $18,200 over four years.

Florida Polytechnic University is the state’s 12th public university.  It will feature a unique curriculum focusing on applied research, technology and engineering to produce real world innovation. .

FLORIDA TAXWATCH ECONOMIC COMMENTARY Out later today FISHING INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTES $5 BILLION TO STATE ECONOMY

In 2013, more than 1.2 million non-residents fished during a visit to Florida. In addition to attracting anglers from around the world to fish, Florida hosts boating and fishing expos throughout the year, drawing visitors and their tax dollars to the state economy.

“Florida’s unique location and variety of fishing opportunities position the state as the world leader in sport fishing tourism,” said Dominic M. Calabro, President and CEO of Florida TaxWatch. 

Florida fishing helps support many industries that impact the state economy, including retail, manufacturing and research, in addition to the impact on tourism. More than half of the $5 billion fishing industry expenditures come from non-angler related expenses.

“Sport fishing has a direct impact on Florida’s economy,” said Jerry D. Parrish, Ph.D., Chief Economist and Executive Director of the TaxWatch Center for Competitive Florida. “The impact of fishing on industries outside of tourism is often overlooked.”

POLICY NOTES

Public Service Commission: The PSC will hold a conference 9:30 a.m. in Room 148 of the Easley Conference Center, 4075 Esplanade Way, Tallahassee. The agenda here. 

Hospital DRG: A workshop to discuss inpatient hospital DRG reimbursement methodology, special Medicaid payments, a reconciliation of transitional DRG payments, and the implementations of a Statewide Medicaid Residency Program is being held 10 a.m. at AHCA in Building 3, Conference Room C, Tallahassee. 

Telemedicine Public Policy Symposium: Reps. Mia Jones and Cary Pigman hold a Telemedicine Public Policy Symposium from 2 to 4 p.m.  Experts will discuss opportunities and challenges of implementing statewide policy related to telemedicine insurance coverage and reimbursement. It will be held at the Mayo Clinic, Cannady Building, 4500 San Pablo Road, Jacksonville.  Reservations here. 

State Small Business Credit Initiative webinar:  The Department of Economic Opportunity presents a Bankers Hub Webinar on SSBCI Supported Lending Programs from 2 to 3:30 p.m. to provide information about the U.S Department of the Treasury’s SSBCI. Clifton Kellogg, director of the program will provide an overview and panel of bankers will provide other information. Registration information here.

Prescription Drug Database: The Florida Department of Health will hold a rule-development workshop about the state’s prescription-drug database. 1 p.m., Department of Health, Room 301.

Federal judge diversity event: Activists and attorneys will sponsor an event titled, “Diversity and the Federal Bench: A Crisis in Florida.” Among the speakers is expected to be Joseph Hatchett, a former Florida Supreme Court justice and former chief judge of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. 6 p.m., Miami Dade College, Wolfson Campus, 300 N.E. Second Ave.

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BARABAR PETERSEN NAMED TO WEB TASK FORCE via John Kennedy of Post on Politics

Petersen, longtime president of Florida’s First Amendment Foundation, the news organization-backed open government advocacy group, was named Monday to a legislative panel examining public access to state  records and contracts. Petersen was Senate President Don Gaetz’s pick for the four-person User Experience Task Force, which is expected to make recommendations for next spring’s Legislature. 

The task force is working on methods to consolidate existing state-managed websites into a single portal that will give the public access to state financial documents. The task force has grown out of questions stemming from the Florida Senate’s $5 million contract with Spider Data Services, which developed a site dubbed Transparency 2.0 to give legislators and staff a window into the budget, state contracts and personnel services. The system was ready to launch in November 2011 but was never unveiled.

REP. JANET ADKINS TO HOST MEETING ON SEX OFFENDER LAWS

SEN. CHRIS SMITH FILES BILL TO CHANGE ‘STAND YOUR GROUND’ via Dave Heller of WTSP

A state senator has filed legislation to change Florida’s controversial Stand Your Ground law and eliminate what he calls “The Last Man Standing” loophole. Sen. Chris Smith says, too often, gang members, angry neighbors and other violent aggressors have avoided prosecution by using the Stand Your Ground provision. He says criminals can start a confrontation and then the last person standing offers the only version of events. So Smith has filed a bill that would prevent people from using deadly force if they chased someone down or left a safe place. All who used deadly force would have to prove that they had taken reasonable steps to avoid killing someone.

Smith argues Stand Your Ground had a long and troubled track record in Florida before the death of Trayvon Martin and acquittal of George Zimmerman. He says it’s time to stop giving deadly aggressors a free pass from prosecution.

TIME TO FEED PEOPLE, NOT FEARS: THE CASE AGAINST HB 1 via contributor Karen Cyphers for Context Florida

In 1988, Florida House Clerk John Phelps and Senate Secretary Joe Brown flipped a coin to determine which chamber would file odd numbered bills, and which even. The House got odds, and have since owned bill number one. For 2014, HB 1 is claimed by Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda with a well intentioned but misguided measure to require the retail labeling of all genetically modified foods. 

Nature has been genetically modifying food for millions of years, and humans for thousands.  The genetic “engineering” of foods is accomplished by natural selection, and by farmers who cut and graft.  Genetic modifications in or between plants can be triggered, isolated and bred, resulting in hundreds of thousands of genes being affected. Yet when scientists in laboratories target 1-3 genes using heavily scrutinized methods and rigorous testing, people get worried, perhaps not without reason.

But rather than feed the fear factory and pass legislation to require all such foods be labeled — a costly regulatory nightmare — energy would be better spent educating the public about what genetically modified foods are, and aren’t.   Some people worry that in the long run, these genetically different foods may cause harm.  Others are concerned with the ethics of the process, claiming that GMOs are “an infringement on a natural organism’s intrinsic value.”  If papaya could talk, it might disagree.  After all, papayas wouldn’t be on shelves today were it not for genetic modifications that allow it to resist the ringspot virus.  

WHY I LOVE DANA YOUNG: @RepDanaYoung: Today is “Craft Brew Monday” in Dist. 60. I’ll be @CigarCityBeer this am discussing legislation to support Crafts.

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FOUR QUALIFY IN HD 36 via The News Service of Florida

All of the qualified candidates had indicated earlier they would run for the House District 36 seat. The Republicans are Bill Gunter of New Port Richey, Jeromy Harding of New Port Richey and James Mathieu of Port Richey, according to the state Division of Elections website. The Democrat is Amanda Murphy of New Port Richey. Qualifying will end at noon today.

OH, SOUTH FLORIDA: FRANCIS SUAREZ TO ABANDON MAYORAL CAMPAIGN via Charles Rabin of The Miami Herald

Miami Commissioner Francis Suarez will pull out of the race for mayor on Tuesday, after a series of miscues by staffers set the fledgling campaign on its heels, sources said.

Suarez has until Tuesday evening to inform the city clerk’s office of his intent to resign his commission seat to run for mayor in order to qualify for the Nov. 5 mayoral race.

Suarez didn’t respond to calls or texts by late Monday afternoon. The city clerk’s office said it had no indication of Suarez’s plans.

Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado, Suarez’s main opponent in November, said he bumped into Suarez at a Starbuck’s coffee shop on Coral Way Monday morning and that they spoke briefly. The mayor said Suarez told him he was mulling over his choices and would make an announcement of some type Tuesday.

“He said he’d get back to me,” said Regalado. “He said he was considering his options.” Without Suarez in the race, Regalado is expected to coast to victory. The only rivals left are relative unknowns.

TWEET, TWEET: @MarcACaputo: Short-lived Miami mayoral campaign of @FrancisSuarez=case study in how immature staffers can kill a campaign

SCOTT STURGILL CAMPAIGN KICKOFF TONIGHT

A battery of supporters for Scott Sturgill including a host committee full of small business owners have lined up to kickoff his campaign for House District 30.  Join them on Tuesday, August 27, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Heathrow Country Club. For questions or RSVP send an email to [email protected]. 

STATE ATTORNEY BERNIE MCCABE ENDORSES BILL GUNTER

Bill Gunter, candidate for House District 36, has received another endorsement from a local law enforcement leader. Bernie McCabe, State Attorney for the Sixth Judicial Circuit, which serves Pasco and Pinellas counties, has joined Gunter’s base of support.  “Bill Gunter is what Pasco County needs”, said McCabe.  “His strong no-nonsense approach to governing will ensure that law enforcement officers and prosecutors have the tools they need to get the job done right.”

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MELBOURNE GREYHOUND PARK, CLUB 52 WANT TO ‘DE-COUPLE’ RACING, GAMBLING via Wayne Price of Florida Today

The money flowing through Melbourne Greyhound Park and Club 52 as a result of live dog races fell nearly 30 percent in the past year. And some — including the track’s general manager, Pat Biddix — see that as a positive. Biddix and many of his colleagues across the state would rather not have to offer live dog racing at their venues, but rather focus on generating revenues through poker rooms and, someday, slot machines. They’re hoping these latest figures, along with support by greyhound support organizations, will convince lawmakers that it’s wrong to link, or “couple,” dog racing with other forms of gambling. That coupling has been in practice since 1996.

In all, Florida’s 13 greyhound tracks are losing a combined $35 million a year on dog races, said a report recently released by New Jersey-based Spectrum Gaming, a consulting firm hired by the state to look at the potential for expanding gambling operations in Florida. Pari-mutuels rely on their poker rooms to stay afloat, the report said.Dog racing opponents argue the study provides further evidence legislators should eliminate greyhound racing when a special Senate gambling committee studies Florida gambling next year.

WHO VACATIONS IN FLORIDA? via Joe Clements of Decision MediaWorks

Tourism is a major driver of the Florida economy. The industry brings in millions of visitors and billions of dollars to Florida every year. Although the recession put a dent in Florida tourism, the visitors are crowding back into Florida again. We decided to take a look at exactly where all these visitors are visiting from. Below is a map of Google searches for “Florida vacation” over the last decade. The numbers are “normalized” so every state’s search volumes are compared to the state with the most searches (in this case, Florida).

Interesting item of note: Florida leads the nation in searches for “Florida Vacation.”  The Mississippi and Ohio valley regions are more interested in Florida vacations than the more populated Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions.

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NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS

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Ernest Cox: Sunniland Family Limited Partnership

Don DeLoach, Danny Jordan, One Eighty Consulting: PC Solutions & Integration, Inc.

Angela Dempsey, Dutko Poole McKinley: Erickson Living

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Kenneth Granger, Capital City Consulting, LLC: Koch, Parafinczuk & Wolf, PA

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Adam Goodman’s better half, Liz. 

TWEET OF THE DAY: @MaryEllenKlas: Commentators often = zealots & wannabes RT @thefix: Want to get depressed about the state of politics? Read a blog comments section. Yeesh.