Sunburn for 9/23 — A morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics

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

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THE WEEK AHEAD

It’s Christmas in September as lawmakers return to the Capitol this week for four days of committee meetings. 

FIVE QUESTIONS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

What will the fallout from Alex Sink’s decision not to run for governor in 2014 look like as her loyalists and supporters scramble to find a place on Charlie Crist’s burgeoning bandwagon?

Will former Gov. Jeb Bush embrace Crist’s embrace of Common Core?

Will Gov. Rick Scott double down on his criticism of Common Core with an executive order distancing Florida from the feds?

How nasty will the direct mail and other paid media being distributed in the special election for House District 36 get?

How sharp will the teeth, which the Legislature puts in place to audit lobbyists’ compensation reports, be?

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8 DAYS UNTIL OBAMACARE LAUNCH! 

REIGNITED BATTLE OVER HEALTH LAW via Michael D. Shear of the New York Times

Officials said the rollout would include a presidential event this week in New York with former President Bill Clinton and a health care speech by Mr. Obama on Thursday in Maryland. Michelle Obama will urge mothers and veterans to enroll their families. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. will host a nationwide conference call, with nurses, to enlist them in the effort to spread the word. Members of the president’s cabinet will fan out across the country, lobbying constituent groups to prod their members into action. Those efforts will eventually be augmented by a Madison Avenue-style advertising campaign by insurance companies, which officials say are poised to spend $1 billion or more to attract millions of new customers. …

“We will have to create buzz and engagement and adjust and reach people in a sustained way from October to the end of March,” said Tara McGuinness, who is leading the health care communications effort inside the White House. … The [RNC] has begun what it calls a month long awareness campaign, with a television booking operation, to make sure that pundits opposed to the law are always available to counter its boosters. The committee’s effort has already booked local and national politicians on radio programs like ‘The Hugh Hewitt Show’ and cable TV programs like ‘The Mike Huckabee Show.’ [The NRCC’s] site counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until what it calls the ‘Obamacare Train Wreck.’ … White House officials call the Republican efforts a ‘sabotage campaign.’

TRIBUNE EDITORIAL: FLORIDA SHOULD TAKE THE $51 BILLION 

We call on Weatherford, and Gov. Rick Scott, to re-evaluate that decision now that the state’s business leaders and major health-care providers are pleading with them to reverse course and take the money. 

Those pleadings were joined by some prominent Tampa voices last week: Bob Rohrlack, head of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce; John Petrila, chair of the University of South Florida College of Public Health; and Jim Burkhart, president of Tampa General Hospital.

“Sit down with us and work with us and let’s work out a solution,” Burkhart said at the press conference organized by the League of Women Voters last week. They were speaking indirectly to Weatherford, Scott and lawmakers who will be gathering in Tallahassee this week for committee meetings in advance of the legislative session that starts in March.

WHY FLORIDA IS GROUND ZERO IN OBAMACARE WARS via Marc Caputo of The Miami Herald

Florida isn’t just a battleground state for presidential elections; it’s ground zero in the nation’s Obamacare wars.

It’s all about demographics. And geographics.

Retiree-heavy Florida has a surplus of voting seniors nervous about Obamacare’s changes. But Hispanics — the state’s least-insured but fastest-growing population — tend to support the Affordable Care Act.

The fourth-most populous in the nation, Florida is the most-diverse political swing state and has the nation’s second-highest rate of the uninsured, nearly 25 percent.

Active Democratic voters, who outnumber Republicans by more than 500,000, learned last year from President Obama’s campaign that the law can be a political plus — especially among Hispanics — after it was a millstone in 2010.

Republicans control the state power structure and have fought Obamacare in court with new laws, at the ballot box and on TV.

Two of the most-recognizable Republican figures in the fight against the act: Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Rick Scott, who’s up for reelection next year and launched his political career four years ago by founding a group opposed to Obamacare. 

So 2014 could become a political tie breaker over the Affordable Care Act, which has remained unpopular overall in Florida since its passage.

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ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: NANCY PELOSI IN TAMPA TODAY

Pelosi will speak in Tampa Monday afternoon on an economic agenda for women at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.

The office of U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor said Pelosi will discuss issues like equal pay, paid family leave and medical leave and affordable child care as part of an initiative called “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds.” More than 100 women from around the Tampa Bay area have been invited to the event, which is not open to the public.

LAWMAKERS PREFER THE IPHONE

According to a survey conducted by Meet the Press, 58% of the House of Representatives uses an iPhone, compared to 23% who use a Blackberry. 

RNC BEATS DNC CASH HAUL AGAIN via POLITICO

The Republican National Committee beat the Democratic National Committee in fundraising for the sixteenth straight month, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday.

The Republicans outraised their Democratic counterparts by about $2.5 million in August. The GOP raised $6.8 million to the Democratic Party’s $4.3 million.

It’s another disappointing fundraising period for the Democrats, who are mired in their worst fundraising year in the last decade.

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ #3 ON LIST OF TEN “POOREST” MEMBERS OF U.S. HOUSE

Wasserman Schultz, in addition to being chair of the Democratic National Committee, is also part of the second-most-exclusive political club — one of the ten “poorest” members of Congress.

With more than $1 million in debt, the Miami Beach Democrat joins the bottom of the list of 535 lawmakers in the House and Senate, compiled by Jay Hunter for Roll Call as part of the “50 Richest” project.

These ten may not actually be in the “poor house,” but the two Republican and eight Democratic lawmakers are businesspeople, farmers and career politicians who carry enormous amounts of debt.

In most cases, however, these legislators can still be considered wealthy (at least compared to most Americans), but what sets them apart is their smallest net worth and liabilities of more than $500,000.

Wasserman Schultz spent most of her career in public office, starting as a Florida state legislator, which helped her make number three on the list with a total of $1.04 million in debt. She now carries two mortgages with a combined worth of at least $750,000, as well as $350,000 in home equity and personal loans.

As of 2012, she had also amassed credit card debt of around $50,000.

Assets include $100,000 in stock held by Steve Schultz (the congresswoman’s spouse) in the community bank where he works, and bank accounts that include college savings plans for her three children.

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SINK SINKS OUT

Ending months of speculation, former Florida Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink said Friday she will not run for governor against incumbent Republican Rick Scott in 2014, further fueling “will he or won’t he” chatter about Democrat Charlie Crist.

“After careful consideration, I have decided that the best way for me to make a positive and lasting impact on our state is to continue the work we’ve started together,” Sink, 65, said in an e-mail. “I plan to continue my involvement with the Florida Next Foundation, working to build a state of innovation and inspiring the next generation of young Florida leaders. And, of course, I am going to be supporting candidates who I believe share my vision that Florida can be a state of opportunity for all of its citizens.”

Those close to Sink have said that the death of her husband, Bill McBride, in December played a role in her decision to stay out of the race.

… FUNDRAISING A FACTOR via William March of the Tampa Tribune

In an interview, Sink said there was no single, decisive reason for her decision, but acknowledged that raising the money for what promises to be a tough race was a consideration. 

Fundraising is “always a factor when you’re considering making a run for any office,” she said. “You have to figure out whether you can raise the resources, and it’s not going to be as easy as four years ago when we had an open seat.”

CRIST REACTION: ”I loved working with Alex on the Florida Cabinet and I’m sure it won’t be the last time we work together. Florida needs Alex Sink and I’m excited about what’s happening at her Florida NEXT Foundation.” 

DOCKERY: I WOULD SUPPORT CRIST OVER SCOTT via Julie Kliegman of the Tampa Bay Times

Dockery said Friday that she’ll support Crist if the 2014 governor’s race comes down to him and Republican Rick Scott.

“I can’t see a scenario by which I would stand by a Scott administration,” the Lakeland Republican said after speaking to a crowd of 30 at the Tiger Bay Club of Tampa.

Dockery frequently criticized Scott during her speech. In particular, she took issue with his positions on the environment, transportation, education and private prisons.

HONEST ASSESSMENT OF SINK via Jeff Henderson of Sunshine State News

Even though she won a statewide contest in 2006 and kept it close against Scott, few Democrats were chomping at the bit for a second Sink campaign. She and McBride had many of the same problems. They rose up the Democratic ladder without building records in office. McBride came out of nowhere to beat Janet Reno in 2002 to take on Bush, while Sink won her first office when she bested Tom Lee in 2006. But neither Sink nor McBride showed voters enough to be elected governor. It simply wasn’t enough for Florida voters that McBride isn’t Bush. And it wasn’t enough for voters that Sink isn’t Scott.

Sink promised to stay active on Friday and perhaps she will. But she’s heading to the sidelines, and that means the shadow boxing and charades about other candidates offering major challenges to Crist and Scott are starting to come to an end. Florida can ready itself for a showdown between Scott and Crist.

LOOKING FORWARD: DEM. ELITES TO RAISE MONEY WITH CRIST ON SEPT. 29

In yet another sign of the outpouring of love the FDP has for Crist, party chair Allison Tant will host a champagne brunch headlining the once (and possibly future) gubernatorial candidate next week.

Crist will be the “special guest” at the September 29 event, reports Anthony Mann in the Sun Sentinel. The brunch is at the Miami home of Joe Falk and Mark Scott who were major fundraisers for the Obama campaign in 2012. Mann writes, “It’s not exactly a secret” that many in the Democratic Party establishment are pining for Crist “to ride in and save the party by seeking to regain his old office in his new party.” 

MY LIST OF WINNERS AND LOSERS EMERGING FROM SINK’S DECISION Full blog post here. 

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IN OP-ED, CRIST TELLS SCOTT TO GET OFF THE FENCE ON EDUCATION Read it here

Crist had an op-ed column in Sunday’s Tampa Bay Times:

… And over the last few years, management of Florida’s public schools has been an unmitigated disaster. In addition to cutting school funds during the current governor’s tenure, Florida has had four different education commissioners in less than three years and countless missteps, including once having to redo school grades because so many schools were rated poorly.

First, Gov. Rick Scott needs to get off the fence and lead Florida’s embrace of the national Common Core Education Standards. These standards have been adopted by 45 states and will allow our children to be equal to their peers nationally. Further, these standards — which cover language arts and math — are much more in depth than the Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) and our own Sunshine State Standards. That is why as governor, I supported the movement to Common Core.

Tea party and other outliers have called for a rejection of these standards because they were promulgated under the umbrella of a “national” effort. Truth be told, their opposition probably has less to do with education than the fact the standards, started under President George W. Bush, were finalized while President Barack Obama was in office.

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BRISE, GRAHAM REAPPOINTED TO PSC via Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida

Gov. Rick Scott kept the Florida Public Service Commission intact on Friday, reappointing commissioners Ronald Brise and Art Graham to four-year terms.

Brise and Graham, whose current terms were set to expire in January, were selected over four other finalists. Brise serves as chairman of the utility-regulatory commission, while Graham is a past chairman.

Last September, Scott also reappointed Commissioner Lisa Edgar to the five-member panel. Commissioners make $130,036 a year, a salary that is expected to increase by $1,000 on Oct. 1, according to the state budget.

Brise and Graham were appointed to the commission in 2010 by former Gov. Charlie Crist and then reappointed to their current terms by Scott, reports Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida. Brise, 39, previously served as a state House member from Miami-Dade County, while Graham, 49, served on the Jacksonville City Council.

The new terms will begin Jan. 2 and end Jan. 1, 2018. The four other finalists included Ken Littlefield, a former House member who briefly served on the commission before Crist replaced him in 2007.

CITIZENS EXPECTS TO DROP BELOW 1 MILLION POLICIES via Jim Turner of the News Service of Florida

The state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp. may drop below 1 million policies for the first time since 2005, while its employees could start to occupy fewer buildings in the coming year.

Citizens, which stood at a bloated 1.5 million policies a little more than a year ago, could be around 600,000 policies before the next storm season approaches.

However, Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway said Friday a more reasonable number would be just over 900,000.

Gilway credited the pending reduction to recent takeout efforts by private companies and to the anticipation of using a new clearinghouse to help direct what are expected to be many of the least-risky policies into the private market.

“The difference in the entire makeup of Citizens in the last 14 months is staggering,” Gilway said during a board meeting that mostly focused on informational updates. 

UNDER-REPORTED STORY OF THE WEEKEND: DCF OVERSEER OF SEXUAL PREDATORS RESIGNS via The Ledger

After a newspaper raised questions about his views, a Florida Department of Children and Families official involved in making decisions about sexual predators has resigned.

The Sun-Sentinel of South Florida reported that Dan Montaldi, who was in charge of identifying sexual predators who are too dangerous for society, resigned Thursday. That was a day after the Sun-Sentinel reported that Montaldi had advocated in writing a narrow definition of a predator and defended the rights of sex offenders.

“Dan Montaldi no longer works for the department,” DCF spokeswoman Alexis Lambert said.

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DIVERSITY SHAPES LEGISLATURE’S MAKE-UP via James Rosica of the Tampa Tribune

As the Legislature begins to deliberate policy affecting the whole of Florida, its members bring to the discussion identities and influences that look different from those of the state they represent. 

Florida, for example, has an almost equal split between men and women but almost three quarters of lawmakers are male. And Republicans outnumber Democrats in the Legislature almost 2-1, but there are more registered Democrats than Republicans in the state — about 4.7 million compared to 4.2 million. 

Researchers have written volumes on gender and party representation in lawmaking bodies, but now are starting to look at other demographics — such as occupation, religion and family status. 

Indeed, besides their positions on specific issues, a candidate for public office will campaign on what’s been called “identity politics” — touting his or her standing as a churchgoer, or a veteran, or a business owner.

… Another concern of researchers is the lack of working-class folks among lawmakers. Lawyers still make up a plurality of Florida House members. 

“With so many lawyers, there are fewer people from other types of backgrounds, and the big one that gets left out are people who do manual labor and service industry jobs,” Carnes said. “When you think about the occupational backgrounds of our politicians, the big imbalance is that only white collar jobs are represented.”

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LEGISLATIVE STAFFING MERRY-GO-ROUND

With a hat-tip to LobbyTools, here is latest on who is on and who is off the legislative staffing merry-go-round. 

Still on: Chase Daniels moved from Sen. Charlie Dean’s district office in Inverness to the district office in Ocala.

On: John Piskadlo has joined Sen. Jeremy Ring’s office as legislative assistant.

On: Yale Olenick and Jeremy Shir have joined Sen. Eleanor Sobel’s office as legislative assistants.

Off: Landra Robeson has left her job as legislative assistant for Sen. Geraldine Thompson.

On: Bill Wegle Jr. has joined the House Bill Drafting Service as a writer. 

On: Ramani Nimmakayala has been brought in by The House Office of Information Technology as a Senior .Net Developer

On: Jessica Armstrong has replaced Ben Bowman in Rep. Dennis Baxley’s office.

On: Benjamin Smith is a new legislative assistant to Rep. Jim Boyd.

On: Christina Disbrow replaces Robert Vaughn as district secretary in Rep. Katie Edwards’s office.

On: Eired Jackson is Rep. Kathleen Peters’s new district secretary.

On: Barbara Davis is Rep. Kevin Rader’s second district secretary.

Off: Lauren Williams has left the employ of Rep. Matt Gaetz as his district secretary.

Off: Jennifer Bobo no longer works for Rep. Clay Ingram. 

Off: Elwood Fisher has departed Rep. Elaine Schwartz’ office, as has Rep. John Wood’s district secretary Sarah Chevrier. 

SEN. JEFF BRANDES BILL WOULD REQUIRE LAWMAKERS TO BE IN ‘INVESTMENT’ RETIREMENT PLAN via James Rosica of the Tampa Tribune

Brandes filed a bill that would require elected officials—including senators and representatives—to be in the state’s ‘investment’ retirement plan, rather than the traditional pension system.

In an interview, he said he was concerned about officials who serve in the House, get vested in the pension plan, and go on to the Senate or other higher office with an aim to maximize their pension payments.

“We should be focusing on public service and not seeking a large pension from the state of Florida,” said Brandes, who is enrolled in the investment plan. 

His bill would make membership in the investment plan “compulsory” for elected officials and senior managers who enroll on and after July 1 of next year.

TWEET, TWEET: @JeffreyBrandes: Today I filed SB184 because elected officials should be serving for the #FL public not the FL #pension 

REP. MIKE HILL’S FIRST BILL WOULD CUT LICENSE AND VEHICLE FEES via Gary Rohrer of the Florida Current

Rep. Mike Hill filed his first bill Wednesday since winning a special election this summer. The bill, HB 61, would cut driver’s license and vehicle fees raised by lawmakers in 2009. It’s a companion bill to SB 156, sponsored by Sen. Joe Negron. The legislation is similar to this year’s SB 1832, also sponsored by Negron, which would have cut vehicle registration fees by $12. The House wouldn’t go along with other provisions in the bill that would have eliminated a $225 million tax break for insurance companies, but eventually agreed to phase in the fee reduction over five years.

Hill, a black man who eschews the label “African-American,” is a favorite of conservatives and his “redshirt freshman” status could give him a head start in the race for House speaker in 2020. He won a special election this year to replace Rep. Clay Ford, who passed away in March of cancer.

The cut in license and vehicle fees was also suggested during Gov. Rick Scott’s tour across the state this past week to solicit ideas to match his goal of $500 million in tax cuts next year.

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FUNDRAISING LINEUP FOR TONIGHT

…FOR REPS. ADKINS, MCBURNEY, RAY, RENUART, VAN ZANT AND PORTER

Join them from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Governors Club Capital Room.

…FOR REPS. BRODEUR AND WORKMAN

Speaker Designate Steve Crisafulli, and Chairmen Richard Corcoran and Jose Oliva invite you to a fundraising reception benefiting the re-election campaigns of Reps. Jason Brodeur and Ritch Workman. Join them from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Governors Club Board Room.

…FOR CHRIS LATVALA

A late add to Monday’s schedule: Chris Latvala’s supporters will celebrate his House District 67 campaign with a reception that includes some of Central Florida’s most prominent lawmakers. Florida Dental Association Governmental Affairs office, 118 East Jefferson Street. The event begins at 5:30 p.m.

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10 THINGS I LEARNED AT THE FAPL CONFERENCE

Last week, the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists convened in Orlando for their annual conference. Not only did I attend the proceedings, but one of my projects, Context Florida, sponsored a reception for attendees. After all, there’s no surefire way to ingratiate yourself than to pick up a bar tab.

Because my wife, Michelle, and Baby Ella were in tow, I was not able to attend all of the panels and presentations. Still, I was able to glean some interesting nuggets from what was essentially Adams Street at Universal Studios.

– As much as it occasionally sounded as if the FAPL conference was a love-fest for SaintPetersBlog, few things can make this blogger feel more insignificant than when a well-heeled lobbyist approaches and asks for the spelling of SaintPetersBlog.com — an act that indicates they have never viewed the site. No one ever goes up to Mary Ellen Klas and asks for the spelling of the Miami Herald. That said, I did see “Sunburn” — my morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — on a lot of iPads. 

– Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, who delivered a luncheon address to the organization, is a nerd. A brilliant, numbers-rattling-off-the-top-of-his-head, forward-thinking nerd. Atwater delivered more interesting statistics than a Freakonomics podcast. And he did it all with wit and self-effacing charm. 

– Melanie Brown of Johnson & Blanton may be the most infectiously positive person with whom I’ve ever chatted. Erin Daly follows close behind. 

– Keyna Cory knows how to organize a silent auction! 

– Matt Dixon, a reporter for the Florida Times-Union, did not receive as warm a reception as I would have expected. Dixon is the “it” reporter right now in Tallahassee, yet when he finished his speech to the FAPL, he was asked just one or two questions and was not mobbed after he left the dais. With his “Florida Morning” email and ability to scoop the Times/Herald bureau, Dixon has established himself as one of the best reporters covering the capital. Yet, you would not have known this from the cold shoulder he seemed to receive from the lobby corps. 

– The Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists is serious about wanting the Legislature to audit the compensation reports submitted by lobbying firms. So much so that they have sent a letter to Senate President Don Gaetz and House Speaker Will Weatherford requesting that the group be allowed to “provide input and offer our assistance.” The association “stands ready to provide suggestions to the Legislature on ways to streamline the current regulations relating to lobbying including an online client registration process, electronic payment of registration fees and streamlined access to the Capitol predicated upon successful background checks.” 

– Christina Johnson of On 3 PR sounds like she is getting into pre-roll. Ask her what that means. Listening to Johnson present, as well as Sarah Bascom and Ron Sachs, it’s clear to me there is a gigantic struggle in the public relations industry over how much attention should be paid to new and social media. The appropriate ratio between traditional and new media is still not clear.– I only caught a glimpse of it, but the panel on post-secondary education, with Dr. Ed Moore among the presenters, was an hour chock full of the kind of wonkiness Florida’s decision-makers need to hear more of.

– Lobbyist Carlos Moya is even better looking in person than he is online. He’s one of those guys who looks as if he just stepped out of a commercial for Ketel One. Moya billed his presentation on lobbying Florida’s multicultural Legislature as “sharp-elbowed.” 

– Associated Industries of Florida’s Ryan Tyson is quickly earning a reputation as one of the brightest “young” minds in state politics. His data-driven presentation on how Florida’s changing demographics will impact upcoming elections is nothing if not eye-opening. In fact, I’m not sure some of the people Tyson has presented his findings to want to hear what he has to say, but they ignore him at their own peril. Bottom line, Tyson may be the Cassandra of Florida politics, boldly predicting a future some do not want to hear.

Thank you to FAPL executive director Mark Landreth and his team for the warm hospitality while making sure the conference’s trains ran on time.

KEN PRUITT LOBBIED FOR IRC LOBBYING JOB, THEN DROPPED OUT UNDER SCRUTINY via George Andreassi and Henry A. Stephens of TCPalm

Pruitt was the first candidate in the running for up to $100,000 in lobbying fees to help Vero Beach sell its electric utility to Florida Power & Light Co.

But the former Florida Senate president dropped out of contention after a reporter with Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers started asking officials about his candidacy for the lobbying job.

Pruitt could have faced a potential conflict of interest if he won the job, a Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers investigation found. That’s because Pruitt would have been paid to lobby a statewide agency whose leadership includes two Fort Pierce officials.

“I think that there are definite conflicts there and that there would probably be much better choices, especially less controversial choices than Mr. Pruitt,” said County Commissioner Bob Solari. “I don’t follow the actual goings on in St. Lucie County very closely, but my feeling is that would not go over too well in Indian River County. There are people who weren’t happy with the idea Mr. Pruitt has a government job as well as the consulting work, and they expressed some concerns about that and basically let me know they didn’t think it was wise for us to consider him strongly as a lobbyist choice.”

NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS

Julie Fess, Fred Karlinsky, Colodny Fass Talenfeld Karlinsky Abate & Webb: Elements Property Insurance Company

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ENGAGED: Two ace reporters, Kat McCrory of the Miami Herald and Mike Van Sickler of the Tampa Bay Times. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY belatedly to Al Lawson. Celebrating today is John Fox and Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Bob Henriquez.