A morning read of whatâs hot in Florida politics.
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THE WEEK AHEAD via The News Service of Florida
The Supreme Court hears oral arguments next week on whether lawmakers should have to testify in a redistricting case and in a case asking essentially how long does a juvenile sentence have to be to be considered a de facto life sentence.Â
Also this week, Republican voters in Pasco County will vote in a primary election for House District 36, seeking a replacement for Mike Fasano, who was appointed tax collector. And U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius this week comes to Florida as the White House pushes for federal health care law outreach while the state tries to block it.Â
Several legislative candidates hold fundraisers next week as well.Â
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LOOK FOR THE PRESIDENT TODAY …Â
… TOÂ deliver remarks in the Rose Garden … to mark the 5-year anniversary of the financial crisis, discuss the progress we have made to grow the economy and create 7.5 million private sector jobs, and highlight the work we still need to do to strengthen the middle class and those fighting to get into it. He will continue to highlight his better bargain for the middle class, and warn against more self-inflicted wounds from Washington. He will be joined on-stage and in the audience by people that have benefited from his economic recovery proposals over the last five years including small business owners, construction workers, homeowners, consumers and tax cut recipients.”
OBAMA WILL NOT NEGOTIATE ON DEBT CEILING via ABC NewsÂ
On the eve of another fiscal showdown with congressional Republicans, President Obama is outright refusing to negotiate over an increase to the nation’s debt limit, saying doing so would alter “the constitutional structure of this government entirely.”Â
“If we continue to set a precedent in which a president … is in a situation in which each time the United States is called upon to pay its bills, the other party can simply sit there and say, ‘Well, we’re not going to put — pay the bills unless you give us … what we want,’ that changes the constitutional structure of this government entirely,” said Obama.
SUMMERS WITHDRAWS FROM FED CONSIDERATION
Lawrence Summers, a former U.S. Treasury secretary, called President Barack Obama Sunday to say he is pulling out of the contest to succeed Ben Bernanke as chairman of the Federal Reserve.
Summers, who was chairman of Mr. Obamaâs National Economic Council early in his presidency, had been widely believed to be the presidentâs first choice for the Fed job, but opposition from liberals and womenâs groupsâand, importantly, from some Senate Banking Committee Democratsâhas been mounting.
EMAIL OF THE DAY: “What would mke women love Larry?” via Erica Payne of the Agenda Project
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43 HOUSE REPUBLICANS SUPPORT BILL RISKING SHUTDOWN TO STOP ACAÂ via Talking Points Memo
Forty-three members of the House Republican conference have signed on to sponsor an alternate continuing resolution, led by Rep. Tom Graves, that would defund the Affordable Care Act and delay its implementation for one year even at the risk of a government shutdown.
“After weeks of working with and listening to members on how to approach the government funding deadline, it’s clear that House Republicans are united around two goals: keeping the government open and protecting our constituents from the harmful effects of Obamacare,” Graves said. The maneuver left Speaker John Boehner, to say he was unsure what to do next, adding: “They’ll just shoot it down, anyway.”
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Democratic U.S. Reps. Ted Deutch and Lois Frankel will hold a news conference to criticize the decision by the Rick Scott Administration to ban federal health care law outreach workers from trying to give out health insurance enrollment information. 3:30 p.m., Childrenâs Services Council of Palm Beach County, 2300 High Ridge Rd, Boynton Beach.
SEBELIUS TO DISCUSS ACA
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will be in Jacksonville today to talk about the Affordable Care Act. Sebelius will talk about the Obama Administration’s outreach efforts designed to help people access care under the law – efforts being blocked in Florida by the Scott administration. The Jacksonville event on Monday will be followed by a visit Tuesday to Miami, but details of that event haven’t been released yet.Â
SMITH’S LOSER OF THE WEEK (One of): Scott’s Department of Health: “Apparently it’s time to scrap the agency’s official mission â “To protect, promote & improve the health of all people in Florida” â since it refuses to let federal Obamacare “navigators” into DOH offices to help eligible Floridians obtain health insurance.”
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A NEW FRONT IN THE GOP’S WAR ON SCIENCEÂ via Patrick Reis of National Journal
Republicans are going after environmental groups’ last, best line of defense. The environmental lobby has long leveraged three main arguments in its fight for clean-air policies: climate science, jobs, and public health. But ever since Obama took office, Republicans have made strong inroads against the first two arguments, turning the once solid talking points into question marks among moderates and outright liabilities among conservatives. As the administration considers new clean-air regulations for coal-fired power plants and other polluters, GOP lawmakers on the Hill are attacking the fundamental science the Environmental Protection Agency says proves that curbing emissions protects the public from harm.
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS — Senator Marco Rubio is expected to appear at a fund-raising event for Ken Cuccinelli, who is locked in a fierce race for Virginia governor. 11:45 a.m., The Marriott, 500 East Broad St., Richmond, Va.
FIRST LOOK —Â JOE SCARBOROUGH ON HOW THE GOP CAN WIN IN 2016Â via Mike Allen of POLITICO
The “Morning Joe” host’s new book, “The Right Path: From Ike to Reagan, How Republicans Once Mastered Politics–and Can Again,” will be published Nov. 12 by Random House, and is edited by Jon Meacham. The buzz among GOP insiders is that “The Right Path” has the potential to galvanize conservatives in the way Barry Goldwater’s “Conscience of a Conservative” did half a century ago — especially conservatives ready to return to the winning ways of Ronald Reagan, who is on the cover, shown striding down the White House colonnade.
Excerpt:Â “If the Republican Party is big enough to reach out to disaffected moderates like Colin Powell, then it will be big enough to win the White House in 2016, even if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee. The question is whether the GOP will choose to go the way of William F. Buckley or Glenn Beck. The survival of our party depends on that choice. And because I believe in reducing the federal government’s reach, expanding personal freedoms, reforming regulations, balancing the budget, ending foreign adventures, nominating conservative justices, and keeping tax rates as low as possible, I believe that America’s success depends upon a strong Republican Party. Democrats obviously disagree, and will continue their fight for bigger government, higher taxes, more regulations, and the appointment of liberal justices.”
WHY DEMOCRATS HAVE REASON TO FEARÂ via Charlie Cook
Members of Congress who were dreading a showdown on Capitol Hill over authorization of an attack on Syria have been given a reprieve. Even though the midterm elections are still more than 13 months away, the specter of an attack, and the unknown repercussions that could follow, were certainly on their minds. If the United States launched cruise missiles to punish the regime of President Bashar al-Assad for using chemical weapons, what would happen if Syria launched a retaliatory attack against Israel or other U.S. interests in the region? This had the potential to be a big issue in 2014. The combination of a weak economy, disapproval of Obama, and Syria could hurt midterm prospects.
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SUPPORTERS PRESS FORWARD WITH ONLINE SALES TAXÂ via POLITICO Influence
Rep. Steve Womack said supporters of the Marketplace Fairness Act are ready to work with House Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte to reframe or retool the bill depending on which priorities the Virginia Republican outlines as concerns. Speaking to reporters, Womack said he has spoken with Goodlatte, who questioned some of the remaining complexities in the bill. He declined to specifically outline how backers of the legislation would work around Goodlatte’s principals – expected to be released this month – but warned that fundamental changes to the structure, such as raising the small-seller exemption or mandating how the taxes are used, would likely gain no traction. Womack also dismissed the results from a conservative poll released this week that found incumbents who vote for an online sales tax could face a primary challenge. But supporters are quick to point out that a poll produced by TargetPoint Consulting for the Marketplace Fairness Coalition found that 55 percent support an online sales tax measure once they learned how it worked.Â
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BLOG POST OF THE DAY: WHAT RICK SCOTT COULD LEARN FROM JOHN KASICHÂ via Nancy Smith of Sunshine State News
Kasich has “broadened the definition of what a conservative is.” And he’s learned how to play the both-ends-against-the-middle game well. On the one hand, he’s angered his own conservative base by patching things up with muscle-bound Ohio labor and by pushing Medicaid expansion. On the other, he just signed a bill that makes abortion more restrictive.
…Â Kasich has demonstrated clear hands-on leadership in education. Scott would be wise to look at his Ohio counterpart’s $250 million “Straight A Fund” innovation grant and consider how it might further the best possible ends for Florida. It’s turning heads as a star element in Ohio’s two-year operating budget.
What Kasich did was call upon Ohio educators to tap their creativity. It’s a program that aims to reward creative ideas and programs that significantly boost student achievement, dramatically reduce spending or target an impressive share of resources into the classroom. Grants will go to traditional public schools, community schools, STEM schools, individual teachers and “educational consortia,” which include multiple districts, universities, educational service centers or private entities.
The Ohio governor has also embraced a welfare reform issue that reinforces the conservative base — making able-bodied food stamp recipients work. The issue has also won the support of independents and older swing voters.
In 2011 Kasich and Scott were pretty much in the same doghouse. By his moves, by force of his personality, Kasich has broken free. He’s out in the yard again.Â
But even though Quinnipiac gave Scott an overall 40 percent favorability rating and 42 percent unfavorable rating in June — a 7-point improvement from March — he is still tethered by upside-down ratings that disregard the strides he’s made for Florida in less than three years.
He and his team could do worse than look at the progress of Ohio Gov. John Kasich.Â
CANDIDATES SEIZE ON INCOME DISPARITY via William March of the Tampa Tribune
Gov. Scott is aiming his proposed $500 million tax cut at both businesses and consumers, saying its purpose is to âhelp Floridaâs middle class.â The Democratsâ response: Scottâs proposal amounts to âbig giveaways to businesses at the expense of the middle class.â Claiming the mantle of middle class champion is emerging as the moral high ground in politics, a likely campaign issue in the 2014 Florida gubernatorial race and future elections.
The battle for that ground is being fueled by troubling statistics. They show a large and growing gap in income and wealth between the nationâs upper crust and all others, plus a development some consider even worse: increasing economic stratification that makes generations less likely to move up the ladder from their parents.
With a reputation as the land of opportunity, the U.S. by some measures is actually one of the least economically âmobileâ societies among prosperous Western nations…
Americans donât seem aware of the inequality, according to a recent study by Duke psychologist Dan Ariely and Harvard marketing professor Michael Norton. ..
David Azerrad of the conservative Heritage Institute Economics said conservatives need to emphasize to voters that the economy âis not a zero-sum game. With free markets the pie can grow â I donât have to lose a buck for you to make a buck.â
CRIST SHOWS HE’S READY TO ATTACK REPUBLICANS via Brendan Farrington of the Associated Press
Crist said Scott cut school spending by $1.3 billion in his first year in office and then proposed raises for all teachers when it came time to run for re-election.Â
âThis year, to try to start to make good with people in education, he tried to give them a $2,500 bonus. Like thatâs going to do it,â Crist said. âTeachers are not dumb, and they cannot be bought.âÂ
Likewise, he criticized Scott on voting rights and environmental issues and for turning down $2.4 billion in federal money for a high speed rail project. And he came close to saying he will challenge Scott, who has set a goal of raising $100 million for his re-election.Â
âThe middle-class people of this state, they deserve a voice. They deserve to be heard,â Crist said. âWe got a guy up there in Tallahassee saying heâs going to spend $100 million to stop that from happening. Youâve seen that and youâve seen how many people have stepped up to take him on. Talk about a bullying tactic. Well, some of us are not afraid.â
FDP REQUESTS RECORDS IN EXECUTION DATE CHANGE via The News Service of Florida
The Florida Democratic Party said it has submitted an open-records request for communications between the offices of Gov. Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi after Bondi asked for an execution to be rescheduled from the night of her “campaign kickoff” fundraiser. The Democrats’ request covers Scott, Bondi and several of Scott’s top aides.
“Pam Bondi has demonstrated astoundingly bad judgment, putting partisan politics ahead of the most serious duty she has as Attorney General. But we know that’s not the full story,” said Joshua Karp, a party spokesman, in a press release. “Governor Rick Scott has refused to answer questions about his office’s involvement in this gross breach of the public trust, directing all inquiries back to Pam Bondi.”
Scott has said he wasn’t aware of the fundraiser scheduled for this past Tuesday, and Bondi has said it was a mistake to ask for the date to be changed.
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CITIZENS ANNOUNCES NEW CFO, CHIEF RISK OFFICERÂ via The News Service of Florida
John Rollins, who stepped down from the Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Board of Governors on Monday, was hired Friday as the state-backed insurer’s chief risk officer. Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway also announced on Friday that Jennifer Montero, who has been with the company since 1999, will become the full-time replacement for former chief financial officer Sharon Binnun. Binnun stepped down July 5 after six years at the agency. Montero, who was the senior director of accounting, has been serving as acting CFO since Binnun announced she was going to re-enter to the private insurance industry. Rollins, who was the director of analytics at Citizens from 2006 to 2007, was appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to the board two years ago. An actuary, Rollins implied Monday that he was in line for a job at Citizens and that he was stepping down to avoid any potential conflict of interest. Rollins will be paid $255,000 a year. Montero, who was making $ $181,649 a year as director of accounting and deputy CFO, will be boosted to $225,000. Binnun was earning $255,000 when she left.
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BRUTAL EDITORIAL RE: DON GAETZ/CHRIS CLARK via The News Herald
Gaetzâs staff pay raises were symptomatic of the same problem as Clarkâs moonlighting: They may be legal, but they are bad âoptics.â They came at a time when lawmakers had been preaching fiscal austerity while cutting the budget, and state employees had not received a salary increase in several years. It played into the publicâs worst beliefs of elected officials.
The Senate president either is blind to how these moves look to many Floridians, or else he simply doesnât care. Either way, itâs disappointing for someone we often agree with on policy. But thereâs more to legislating than voting the right way.
Gaetz can sit back and defend Clarkâs multiple roles as business as usual in Tallahassee, to which many a Floridian will nod wearily. Or he can take the lead on doing the right thing, as he did with ethics reform this year. He bucked the opposition and eliminated unregulated committees of continuous existence (CCEs), which some legislators had used as political slush funds.
Gaetz earlier this year called the ethics reform bill âa bright line warning to those who would use public office for private gain.â He should heed his own rhetoric and dismantle another of Tallahasseeâs revolving doors.
LAWMAKER PRIVILEGE TO BE ARGUED via The Florida Current
The Florida Supreme Court on Monday will hear oral arguments in a case that could help define the extent of lawmakers’ immunity from testifying about their official duties.
At issue is whether legislators and staff members can be compelled to testify about how new congressional districts were drawn during the 2012 redistricting process. Those maps have been challenged in court by a coalition of voting-rights groups who say they violate the anti-gerrymandering “Fair Districts” standards in the Florida Constitution. In May, the 1st District Court of Appeal struck down an order from Leon County Circuit Judge Terry Lewis that would have required lawmakers to testify about “objective” facts about the redistricting process, though not about their thoughts during the debate over maps.
In a 2-1 ruling, the appeals court said Lewis’ ruling ran afoul of legal principles shielding lawmakers from being forced to talk in court about their official actions.
SPOTTED: Reps. Matt Gaetz and Alan Williams trading lyrics of ‘Piano Man’ after the Florida State University football game at ‘Old School.’
WEATHERFORD SIGNALS SUPPORT FOR AUDITING LOBBYING COMPENSATION REPORTS
Seconding a proposed initiative suggested by Senate President Don Gaetz, House Speaker Will Weatherford said on Friday that he also supports the need for auditing the compensation reports submitted by state lobbyists.
Earlier this week, Aaron Deslatte of theOrlando Sentinel reported that Gaetz asked the Senateâs general counsel to work with the House to determine how to kick-start the audits.
It would appear Weatherford has some suggestions.
âI think itâs critical as we move forward with implementing the law that we create a process that is both transparent and fair,â said Weatherford. âWe need to make sure that the audits are truly random and that no politician can go after a lobbyist they donât like â you know, like the IRS operates.  We also need to set out clear guidelines on how we expect compensation to be reported.â
Gaetz said, according to Deslatte, that the main holdup may be whether the Legislature has budget authority to begin the audits, or whether it would have to wait until the next fiscal year to launch them.
Weatherford said heâs not surprised President Gaetz is bringing up the issue since, as Deslatte reported, lobbyists have enjoyed little scrutiny in reporting what theyâre paid to ply their trade with lawmakers and governors since a law was enacted seven years ago requiring the public disclosure.
âIt doesnât surprise me that Don Gaetz would push for auditing of lobbyist reports,â said Weatherford. âHe has been a leader on ethicâs issues and this is certainly consistent with his efforts.â
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GUNTER REJECTS ACCUSATION HE HID PAST IN APPLICATION WITH PASCO SCHOOL DISTRICT
Bill Gunter, one of three candidates seeking the Republican nomination for House District 36, has not hidden that he was arrested in the 1980s for petty theft.
He also has been arrested a handful of other times, in Manatee County for misdemeanor driving with a suspended license and in Alachua County for battery. Gunter has used his history to tell people about how he turned his life around.
But Gunter rejects accusations by the Florida Times-Union that he failed to disclose his past when he applied in 2007 to become an assistant football coach at River Ridge High School in Pasco County, where he’s seeking to serve.
And the Pasco school district backed him up.
District spokeswoman Linda Cobbe told the Tampa Bay Times that the district requested criminal background checks from the FDLE and FBI on Gunter when he applied, and both came back clean. (The district would not provide those documents, citing an exemption to the state public records law.)
Further, she noted, the district’s application asked 15 questions relating to criminal history. Those asked about convictions and findings of guilt, and not of arrests. Gunter had no convictions — his Alachua County battery charge was tossed by prosecutors, and his Manatee DWSL case had adjudication withheld.
MORE FROM THE HD 36 SPECIAL ELECTION
Gunter far ahead in fundraising (via Bill Cotterell of the Florida Current): Gunter, raise more campaign cash than all three of the other contestants running … Gunter’s campaign has also spent more than all three combined, mostly on mass mailings and other advertising for the GOP primary set for Tuesday. Besides at least $29,500 from the House Republican Campaign fund, Gunter’s contribution list is a virtual roll call of major capital lobbyists and professional organizations that wrote $500 checks.
Poll — A Dem advantage (via the Tampa Bay Times): A poll for the Democratic party by the respected Hamilton Campaigns shows a slight advantage, but within the margin of error, for Democrat Amanda Murphy over Republican frontrunner Bill Gunter in the special election to succeed Republican Mike Fasano in his west Pasco state House District 36. Asked whether they would vote today for a nameless Democrat over a nameless Republican, 37 percent said Republican and 41 percent said Democrat. Asked whether they would vote today for Democrat Amanda Murphy or Republican Bill Gunter, Murphy edged Gunter 40 percent to 39 percent.Â
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FMA TO ANNOUNCE DEALS WITH CHRISTINA JOHNSON, VANCORE JONES
The Florida Medical Association is ready to enjoy the dividends of peace.Â
For the better part of this decade, the FMA has been heavily involved with a series of legislative “wars”, such as the one over the issue of expert testimony or the bitter struggle between optometrists and ophthalmologists. However, during the 2013 legislative session, a cease-fire of sorts on these and other issues was reached by the FMA and its various adversaries.
With these “wars” settled, the Florida Medical Association says it is ready to move forward on a variety of new issues confronting the profession as it adjusts to the ever-changing health care marketplace.
To assist in this transition, the FMA will soon be announcing a pair of high-profile hires.
To bolster the association’s external communications efforts, the Florida Medical Association has inked Christina Johnson and VancoreJones. Johnson, a Republican, is the well-respected chief of On 3 PR, which reps the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, as well as several other clients. Â VancoreJones is home to two of Florida’s most prominent Democratic lobbyists/strategists — Steve Vancore and Screven Watson. Â Â
Look for an official announcement this week.
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
Ron Book, Rana Brown, Kelly Mallette, Ron Book PA: City of Marathon
Todd Bonlarron:Â Palm Beach County
Richard Fidei, Fred Karlinsky: Colodny Fass Talenfeld Karlinsky Abate & Webb PA: Partner Re America Insurance Company
Robert Fingar:Â Florida Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association
Alex Franco:Â Mead Johnson & Company, LLC
Marco Paredes: Department of Health
David Roberts, Akerman Senterfitt:Â Ford Motor Company
LOBBYING REGISTRATION WITHDRAWAL OF NOTE: Randy Enwright, Enwright Consulting Group Inc.: The Home Depot
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CREATIVE IS AS CREATIVE DOES
A new study from a pair of researchers at the London School of Economics contrasts the innovative contributions made by “creative firms” with those of individual “creative workers” across any industry, and determines that “while the emphasis from policymakers has been on the creative industries, workers in creative occupations may also be significant drivers of innovation and economic growth.” writes The Atlantic Cities‘ Richard Florida. The study focused on six measures of product and process innovation, finding that creative workers are crucial to innovation across all industries, and that cities help channel such creative contributions. As Florida concludes, the research “makes clear (that) the better, more effective path to generating the kinds of innovations that underpin job creation and economic growth comes from creative workers in cities.”Â
DATA: FLORIDA AMONG BEST IN NATION FOR BRIDGE CARE via Kyle Hightower of the Associated Press
Whether it’s durable construction, attentive maintenance or just a fortunate geography that doesn’t include the freeze and frost-filled winters of the North, Florida’s bridges continue to be among of the sturdiest in the nation.
An Associated Press study of federal records shows that there are 65,605 “structurally deficient” highway bridges and 20,808 “fracture critical” bridges nationwide – but only a handful of those are in Florida.  A fracture critical bridge is one that doesn’t have redundant protections and is at risk of collapse if a single, vital component fails. Â
The Florida Department of Transportation said that of the 6,661 bridges it maintains and another 2,496 bridges it inspected last year that are owned by local jurisdictions, 17 have structural deficiencies and two are fracture critical. One is a small drawbridge owned by Miami-Dade County that crosses the Miami River. The other, Broad Causeway Drawbridge, is owned by the city of Miami. Combined they have a daily traffic average of more than 25,000. But FDOT says structural deficiencies in both spans are being addressed.
MUST-READ FROM CONTEXT FLORIDA —Â DARRYL PAULSON: BLACK VOTER DISCRIMINATION IN FLORIDA: CIVIL WAR TO RECONSTRUCTIONÂ Full post here
In the first of a six-part series about black voting in Florida, USF Professor of Emeritus of Government Darryl Paulson describes the history of black voter discrimination in the Sunshine State. Â
Paulson writes: “Despite common perception, the 15th Amendment did not guarantee blacks the right to vote. It is stated in the negative. It says the right to vote cannot be denied because of race. The distinction is critical. It allowed the South to develop barriers to voting that would eliminate blacks without coming into conflict with the 15th Amendment…”
From there, Paulson goes on to describe various ways in which black voters were kept from the polls, from the Civil War to Reconstruction. This history is an important preview of the rest of the series to come. Â
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY belatedly to Democratic strategist Barry Edwards and the Florida League of Cities Jenna Titcomb. Celebrating today is Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.
