Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Mitch Perry, Ryan Ray, and Jim Rosica.
ANNOUNCING INFLUENCE MAGAZINE’S GOLDEN ROTUNDAS — THE DEFINITIVE AWARDS FOR THE LOBBYING INDUSTRY
Hollywood has the Oscars, music the Grammys. The best in television are awarded Emmys, the best of Broadway receive Tonys. Even the political consulting industry offers awards — the Pollies — to the best in its industry.
Florida’s governmental affairs industry now has the Golden Rotundas to recognize the best in the field.
On March 15, INFLUENCE Magazine will reveal the winners of this year’s Golden Rotundas in several categories:
— Lobbying Firm of the Year
— Boutique Lobbying Firm of the Year
— Lobbyist of the Year
— In-house Lobbyist of the Year
— Lobbying Win of the Year
— Best Lobbyist in several sectors, including Agriculture, Education, Gaming, Health Care, and Insurance.
Just as the INFLUENCE 100 is now the new benchmark of who are the most powerful people in Florida politics, the Golden Rotundas will be the new industry standard for those in the lobbying business.
The winners of the Golden Rotundas will be determined — just like the Academy Awards are voted on by those in the movie business — by those who work in the influence industry.
The Golden Rotundas will recognize a firm or a lobbyist’s body of work for 2015 — not a firm’s history or a lobbyist’s career.
The Lobbying Firm of the Year can only be awarded to a company ranked in the Top 30 for legislative branch compensation (as listed by LobbyTools). Each of the Top 30 firms has one ballot and must rank the top 3 firms other than itself.
Boutique Lobbying Firm of the Year will be awarded to a company with four or fewer full-time registered lobbyists. Voting is open to all registered lobbyists.
Lobbyist of the Year will be awarded to the individual whose professional success stood above all others in 2015. All public sector and private sector lobbyists who are actively retained or employed as lobbyists and are registered with the State of Florida as a lobbyist are eligible. Voting is open to all registered lobbyists.
In-house Lobbyist of the Year will be awarded to an individual registered to lobby on behalf of his/her employer (that is not a lobbying firm). For example, Stephanie Smith is an in-house lobbyist for Uber. Voting is open to all registered lobbyists.
Lobbying Win of the Year will be awarded to a firm, individual, association, or lobbying team for a specific success accomplished in 2015. Nominations are now being accepted. The winner will be determined by the publisher.
The sector awards for Agriculture, Education, Gaming, Health Care, and Insurance will be awarded to the individual whose accomplishments in these individual silos stood above all others in 2015.
Voting is now underway and closes at 11:59 p.m. on January 31.
I will contact a representative from each of the Top 30 firms (by compensation) for their ranking of the Lobbying Firm of the Year.
To complete a ballot, email your selections to [email protected]. You must include your name and you must vote in at least 3 categories. Only one vote per person. Entries cannot be changed. ALL BALLOTS ARE CONFIDENTIAL.
I reserve the right to add to the award categories and to revise any of the rules for eligibility and voting. My goal is for the lobby corps to recognize the best of the business, so if a suggestion is made that will improve the process this first year of the Golden Rotundas, it will be implemented.
Winners will be featured in the Spring 2016 edition of INFLUENCE MAGAZINE, which reminds me…
SUBSCRIBE TO INFLUENCE MAGAZINE – “INFLUENCE is what a magazine would look like if George Magazine had been about Florida politics.” A one-year subscription to INFLUENCE Magazine is $25 and can be purchased at InfluenceMagazineFlorida.com.
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DRIVING THE DAY — FIRST CABINET MEETING OF THE YEAR – The Florida Cabinet meets Thursday, for the first time since Department of Revenue head Marshall Stranburg and Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty said they were taking a walk.
Amid the sundry agenda items, there’s this: “Discussion of appointments for Department of Revenue executive director and Office of Insurance Regulation Commissioner.”
It’s kind of stuck in there amid a myriad of Cabinet minutiae: Gov. Rick Scott giving out his Shine Awards, and awarding the Champions of Service, and his Young Entrepreneur Award, and his Business Ambassador Award.
We’ve said it before: “It’s not like replacing a department head could generate any problems, right? Oh, wait…”
Another first awaits the Cabinet: A presentation of the Department of Economic Opportunity’s Economic Growth Report by its new executive director, Cissy Proctor.
Proctor, who took the reins at DEO earlier this month, appeared at the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Capitol Days last week. If those remarks were a preview, expect a bullish outlook.
“We can’t rest now,” she said. “The momentum we’ve built up over the past five years is really remarkable … Florida is beating the nation in the Top 10 states in private sector job growth. In fact, Florida has beat Texas eight months in a row.”
On a more serious note, Environmental Protection Secretary Jon Steverson also is scheduled to present the “University of South Florida’s Final Report on the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys.”
Scott and the Cabinet had agreed to let USF researchers, led by Dr. Erin Kimmerle, find and identify human remains at the defunct but notorious boys’ reform school in the state’s Panhandle. First Coast News reported Wednesday that they had identified seven bodies through DNA, with more pending.
ATWATER, BONDI & PUTNAM’S 2016 PRIORITIES via Brendan Farrington of the Associated Press – Citrus, rape kits, credit card skimmers, synthetic drugs, life insurance, water, medical bills, racketeering and Iran. That is the short version of the legislative priorities for Florida’s three independently elected Cabinet members. While they can’t sponsor or vote on bills or sign them into law, the Cabinet members hold important leadership roles in state government and each is working with lawmakers to pass legislation.
ATWATER wants … to require life insurance companies to routinely check to see if policy holders are still alive. He said companies check records so they can stop paying annuities when someone dies, but don’t apply the same practice for life insurance claims … to amend a Florida law that bans the state from investing in companies that do business with Iran. Current law allows the president or Congress to lift the sanctions. … to force health insurance companies to pay claims for emergency care even if the patient seeks treatment with an out-of-network hospital or doctor. The idea is to make sure consumers don’t get stuck with enormous medical bills in situations where they don’t have the time or ability to choose where to seek treatment.
BONDI WANTS a law requiring law enforcement agencies submit DNA collected during a rape investigation to the state’s crime lab within 21 days. … a law to help prevent the sales of synthetic drugs. A bill would redefine synthetic drugs so that the state wouldn’t have to constantly update the chemical compounds used to make them. It also would enable the state to suspend the retail licenses of stores that sell synthetic drugs … to let the government seize property and assets of people charged with racketeering in order to provide restitution to victims.
PUTNAM WANTS a bill that seeks to protect Florida waterways and drinking water supply and Rick Scott plans to sign it Thursday. The bill is designed to help protect springs and groundwater while cleaning Lake Okeechobee, the northern Everglades and other waterways … to require gas stations to install protections to prevent thieves from putting credit card skimmers into pumps. … funds to research citrus greening and for a program that helps clear abandoned citrus groves so the bacterial disease that kills citrus trees doesn’t spread.
ACTUAL PRESS RELEASE via Putnam’s office: “The Great Florida Cattle Drive ’16 Prepares for 1800s-Style Cattle Drive”
JON STEVERSON GRILLED ON FRACKING, TIMBER HARVESTING, HUNTING IN STATE PARKS BY SENATE PANEL via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics – Steverson was formally confirmed in his position by members of the Senate’s Ethics and Elections Committee … came only after he was grilled by the panel about controversial decisions or statements made under his watch the past year. If he hadn’t been confirmed … he would have been the first agency head in more than two decades to be ousted from office for failing to win Senate confirmation. Joe Negron pressed Steverson on whether he supports timber harvesting and cattle grazing to help parks boost their income. To a question from … Don Gaetz, Steverson said he doesn’t have statutory authority to stop an energy company that wants to come to Florida to use fracking. Jeff Clemens pressed further, asking whether if the DEP said fracking is harmful to Florida’s environment, could he not stop such a plan. Steverson replied that in such a situation, he could reject the proposal. He also said that without such evidence, he couldn’t deny a permit just because it’s fracking.
LA. INSURANCE DEPUTY OPTS OUT OF RACE TO REPLACE FLORIDA’S KEVIN MCCARTY via Adam Cancryn of SNL.com – Louisiana Deputy Insurance Commissioner Ron Henderson has no interest in becoming Florida’s next top insurance regulator, Louisiana Insurance Commissioner James Donelon told SNL. Henderson, who was on … Scott‘s short list for the job in 2015, is pre-emptively removing his name from consideration this time around. He has not discussed the position and would refuse an interview if asked, Donelon said. “I asked him the other day when I heard it was going to be open, and he said absolutely not,” Donelon said. “He’s not interested in interviewing nor leaving.”
PERSONNEL NOTE — JOEL BROWN STEPS IN AS CFO JEFF ATWATER’S NEW PRESS SECRETARY via Florida Politics – The Republican staffer and campaign aide comes to the job via the Tampa Bay area, where he was a regional director of Atwater’s operations there. Previously Brown had served as campaign coordinator and district assistant to longtime Pinellas U.S. Rep. C.W. “Bill” Young, and later ran the state House campaign of his son Bill Young. “It is with great excitement that I announce I have accepted the position of Press Secretary in the Office of Florida CFO Jeff Atwater,” said Brown in a social media post.
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SENATE STARTS SUSSING OUT SEMINOLE BLACKJACK DEAL via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics – The votes against a new Indian gambling agreement started piling … as senators verbally shellacked … Scott’s policy guru about the terms of the deal. The Regulated Industries Committee held a workshop on the Seminole Compact, with Scott policy director Jeff Woodburn acting as point man to formally present the details. No vote was taken; among other things, the committee oversees the state’s gambling industry. After sometimes withering questioning from GOP Sen. Anitere Flores and Democratic Sen. Gwen Margolis, both from South Florida, committee chair Rob Bradley joked, “I take that as two ‘no’s?” Sen. Jack Latvala … piped in: “I would hate to dispute the chairman but … three.”
SEMINOLE GAMING CEO: NO SIDE DEAL WITH MICCOSUKEE via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics – Jim Allen, head of the Seminole Tribe of Florida’s gambling arm … denied that the Seminoles have any agreement with the state’s Miccosukee Tribe to not ask for their own blackjack deal. Before a Senate workshop on the proposed Seminole Compact, which would renew the tribe’s exclusive deal to offer blackjack in Florida, lobbyists representing other gambling interests privately mused whether the Seminoles had a “side agreement” with the Miccosukee. “Not accurate,” Allen told reporters. “I think the leaders of the tribe would need to comment on that, but I can tell you there’s nothing in any of our legal documents … that has any reference to the Miccosukee, other than, if they do negotiate a compact for a better deal, we have a ‘me too’ clause.”
HOUSE COMMITTEE GIVES EASY APPROVAL TO BILL OPPONENTS SAY WILL ‘GUT’ FLORIDA SUNSHINE LAW via Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald – The measure, HB 1021 by Greg Steube … would give judges the discretion to determine if government agencies will pay the legal fees of a lawsuit when they are found in violation of the law. It also requires that a person who intends to file a lawsuit give the public agency notice at least five business days in advance. The bill [is] vigorously opposed representatives of a coalition of public records advocates who believe it will “gut” the state’s already hard-to-enforce Sunshine laws by removing the only penalty that exists against violators. “Without a penalty provision when the government is wrong, there is no incentive to be transparent and provide citizens with access to information about governmental decision-making,” said Barbara Petersen, president of the First Amendment Foundation … “The result will be fewer challenges brought by citizens, which will certainly result in less government transparency.”
‘DIGITAL ASSETS’ BILL HEADING TO SENATE FLOOR via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics – The Senate Rules Committee unanimously OK’d the bill (SB 494) … making it available to be heard on the Senate floor. Under the bill, someone of a person’s choosing could have access to and control their financial accounts, social media and almost anything else the person has online after their death, such as “emails, text messages, online photographs, documents stored in the cloud, electronic bank statements, and other electronic communications or records.” The “asset” manager could be next of kin, a friend, an attorney, or anyone the person selects.
HOUSE HEALTHCARE PANEL BACKS MEASURE ALLOWING TELEHEALTH OPTIONS via Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster of Florida Politics – The House select committee on affordable healthcare access … voted 14-0 to introduce the measure as a committee bill. Among other things, it authorizes licensed health care professionals to use telehealth to deliver health care services within their scope of capacity and gives out-of-state health care professionals the opportunity to deliver services if they register with the Department of Health, meet eligibility requirements and pay a fee. Rep. Chris Sprowls said the bill also “encourages efficiency in the health care system” to determine whether there should be an in-person visit.
DESPITE LESS REVENUE, HOUSE WILL BUILD $1 BILLION TAX CUT PACKAGE via Arek Sarkissian of Political Fix Florida –A revenue estimating conference … by the Florida Department of Economic and Demographic Research predicted the state would collect $31.257 billion in revenue … $395 million less than the $31.652 billion predicted during the last estimating conference in October. The total loss of general revenue is $388 million and the state lost another $7 million from a budget amendment that passed after the October revenue conference … lawmakers will have less money on hand when they create next year’s spending plan, but it was not clear how it would affect the previously projected surplus amount of $635 million. Despite the decreased revenue, House Finance and Tax Committee Chair Matt Gaetz … said he was confident in a $1 billion tax cut package. “There’s always money to grow the economy and cut taxes.”
FLORIDA SHERIFFS PUSH PLAN TO PROTECT CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT HOLDERS via Hanna Marcus of the Tampa Bay Times – Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri supports the proposal aimed at clarifying Florida laws related to inadvertent displays of firearms without legalizing complete open carry. The proposal was presented as an alternative to open carry legislation bills and would require someone to intentionally and deliberately violate concealed carry always before they can be arrested. Additionally, it would create immunity for lawful citizens that accidentally display firearms, create a requirement that allows people to explain circumstances before and creates the presumption that a concealed carry permit holder is lawfully carrying.
STATE CONSERVATION LANDS BILL WATCHED WARILY BY ENVIRONMENTALISTS via John Kennedy of the Palm Beach Post – The legislation (CS/HB 1075) proposes a host of new standards for overseeing, acquiring and disposing of state lands and is supported by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. But the measure by Rep. Matt Caldwell … also is being watched warily by conservation groups. Some fear DEP’s earlier discussion of park management plans that include expanding hunting, grazing and timbering activities at some of Florida’s state parks. Last year, a similar bill by Caldwell could have opened parks and other conservation lands to “low-impact agriculture.” While the lawmaker has dropped that provision from his new bill, the sweeping proposal raised fresh concerns about what could be included in land management plans and how some acreage could be traded or leased to private companies. Others also warned they opposed parts of the legislation which they said could authorize use of voter-approved Amendment 1 environmental dollars on pipes, pumps and other hardware for water projects.
FLORIDA COURT CLERKS AND COMPTROLLERS TO HIGHLIGHT NEED FOR FUNDING BOOST via FloridaPolitics — The Florida Court Clerks & Comptrollers is scheduled to make a presentation to the Senate’s criminal and civil justice appropriations committee Thursday. The group is expected to discuss the constraints put on the court system because of that deficit, plus options for addressing the financial woes in the long- and short-term. The court system has been Courts across the state have made cuts to make up for a deficit in a state trust fund that feeds their budgets.
FIRST IN SUNBURN — NEW CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM GROUP LAUNCHING TONIGHT via Florida Politics – A new criminal justice reform organization is holding a kickoff event Thursday in Tallahassee with anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist as featured guest.
The Coalition to Advance Justice will hold the invitation-only reception to introduce the organization to key lawmakers and policy influencers. It will be at the James Madison Institute, the Florida-based conservative think tank, and sponsored by Bridges of America, a substance-abuse treatment and community re-entry program headquartered in Orlando.
The new group is led by Jim DeBeaugrine, a former longtime staff director for the House Justice Appropriations Subcommittee and Executive Director of the Agency for Persons with Disabilities. He is currently a lobbyist who represents an array of Florida nonprofits. The initial board is composed of members representing a broad range of professional disciplines involved in the criminal justice system in the state of Florida.
ON TODAY’S GOVERNORS CLUB LUNCH BUFFET MENU: Florida’s Capitol may be hectic during Session, but lawmakers can recharge and refresh at the Governors Club for a delicious lunch buffet, which Thursday includes Chicken Tortilla Soup; a sandwich board with Ham and Swiss, Roast Beef and Gouda, Turkey and Cheddar; Chef Salad Bar; Stuffed Pork Loin with Demi Crème Sauce; Dry Rubbed, Smoked Barbecue Chicken with Hickory Smoked Southern Comfort Demi Glaze; a Chef’s Choice Starch and Seasonal Vegetable; and finishing with Assorted Mini Desserts.
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KEN DETZNER REPORTS ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION ON TRACK TO BEGIN OCTOBER 2017 via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics – “Last year I made a promise that I would commit 110 percent to the online voter registration development,” Detzner told the Senate Committee on Ethics and Elections. “Our team and I have followed through on that promise.” Detzner said the timeline for online voter registration system is still on schedule to begin in October 2017. He reminded lawmakers that security remains his top priority: “We are doing everything we can to ensure that Florida voters have a reliable and secure network, and our consulting cyber security experts.”
LEGISLATURE WON’T APPEAL REDISTRICTING RULING via Jeremy Wallace of the Tampa Bay Times – State Sen. Bill Galvano … told Senate President Andy Gardiner … the Legislature should let court-ordered maps go into effect, even though he says there were legal issues that were open to appeal. “My recommendation is for us not to appeal, and the Senate President has agreed,” Galvano said. The decision leaves the state with a new map that will recast Florida’s political landscape, giving millions of people new representation and bolstering Democratic chances in 2016. Voters in South Tampa, East Hillsborough, and large portions of Pasco County will get new state senators, as a result of the map. In Miami-Dade, it casts incumbents against one another in potential new districts in a presidential election cycle.
WITH SENATE MAPS SET, POLITICAL JOCKEYING BEGINS via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida – The chamber’s Republican leaders … [will] not appeal a circuit court decision siding with plaintiffs who filed a 2012 legal challenge to the existing state Senate maps … there is now a certainty as to what the maps will look like. As a result, dominions will begin to fall, including figuring out how to handle situations where incumbents are in the same districts. The map now favors Democrats based on performance data, but few expect them to take the chamber for two reasons: candidate recruitment and fundraising. A lot of the focus will be on South Florida, which now includes new Democratic-leaning seats, and a seat in the Tampa region where House minority leader Dana Young has already committed to run. [Oscar] Braynon has hinted he would like Janet Cruz, the House’s top Democrat, to run for the seat. The new map includes South Florida seats with lower Hispanic voting age populations, which helped those seats “perform like Miami-Dade, a bit Democratic,” Braynon said.
NORA PATTERSON GRABS SUPPORT FROM MORE THAN A DOZEN LOCAL OFFICIALS via Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster of Florida Politics – Patterson snagged the support of more than a dozen local officials, including former Senate President John McKay, in her bid for state Senate … Patterson is running in Senate District 28 to replace Sen. Nancy Detert … Here’s the list of the others: Mollie Cardamone, Former Sarasota Mayor and Commissioner; Lisa Carlton, Former State Senator; Bill Furst, Sarasota County Property Appraiser; Jacqueline Moore, Mayor of North Port; Earl Moreland, Former State Attorney; Lou Ann Palmer, Former Sarasota Mayor and Commissioner; Irwin Pastor, Town of Longboat Key Commissioner; Tony Sawyer, Vice Chairman of Sarasota County Charter Review Board; Fred Soto, Former Sarasota Mayor and Commissioner; Shannon Staub, Former Sarasota County Commissioner; Terry Turner, Former Sarasota City Commissioner; Caroline Zucker, Sarasota County School Board Member.
RUTH’S LIST PICKS 7 FLORIDA CANDIDATES AS “WOMEN 2 WATCH” via Florida Politics – Pro-abortion rights Democratic organization Ruth’s List included seven 2016 Florida House and Senate candidates … puts them in line for financial and campaign support. The only Senate candidate on the list so far is Lauren Book … Loranne Ausley in the safely Democratic House District 9 seat … House District 114 candidate Daisy Baez … House District 47 candidate Beth Tuura … House District 63 candidate Lisa Montelione … House District 103 candidate Ivette Petkovitch … House District 59 Democrat Rene Upshaw-Frazier.
JOURNALISTS REJOICE: KIM DANIELS IN HD 14 RACE via AG Gancarski of Florida Politics – Daniels, picked as one of this site’s 5 People to Watch in Jacksonville Politics in 2016, was first linked to a potential run this summer. [She] was an unfailingly interesting Council member. The details of her divorce came out during her re-election campaign, with questions emerging about her residency in the district … Her rhetoric revolving around expansion of the Human Rights Ordinance to the LGBT community helped to mobilize LGBT activists and straight allies in support of her runoff election opponent, Anna Brosche. Daniels was involved in a brawl at a polling place, which she spent an entire sermon one March afternoon discussing. “When this lady addressed me, she grabbed me. It was part of the deal,” Daniels said. “She set me up.” It got worse from there.
ED SMITH SUBMITS ENOUGH SIGNATURES TO QUALIFY FOR HD 41 RACE via Florida Politics – “The campaign has got momentum,” Smith said. “I thank everyone who signed a card for me and I have enjoyed meeting new friends along the way.” The former Winter Haven police officer is the first candidate in the race to qualify through the petition method and is one of three Republicans running for the seat currently held by term-limited Republican Rep. John Wood.
JACKIE TOLEDO FILES FOR DANA YOUNG’S HD 60 SEAT via Florida Politics – Toledo, who narrowly lost the City Council District 6 seat in a runoff election against Guido Maniscalco in 2015, made the announcement on her Facebook page. “After heavy consideration I have decided to announce my candidacy for State Representative, District 60,” Toledo writes. “I would like to thank everyone for the phone calls encouraging me to run. With your help, we can continue the fight to make transportation a top priority and provide a safe environment for our families.”
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GOP PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE TO BE HELD MARCH 10 IN MIAMI via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times – At the University of Miami … five days before the winner-take-all Florida primary. The debate will be hosted by CNN and the Washington Times. Will Bush still be in the race? Rubio?
FAU POLL: DONALD TRUMP HAS BIG LEAD OVER OPPONENTS IN FLORIDA via Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster of Florida Politics – Trump has a 32-point lead over his closest competitor in Florida … leads the pack with nearly 48 percent. His closest competitor is … Cruz at 16.3 percent. Rubio and Bush are neck-and-neck in Florida, with 11.1 percent and 9.5 percent respectively. On the Democratic side … Clinton maintains her lead … at 62.2 percent while Sanders is at 25.9 percent.
JEB BUSH AND MARCO RUBIO TIED FOR THIRD IN NEW HAMPSHIRE, POLL SHOWS via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times –Bush has climbed to third place in New Hampshire, tied with Rubio, according to a new poll. The CNN/WMUR poll shows Bush and Rubio with 10 percent of the vote each. That’s still far behind leader Trump, who has 34 percent. Cruz is second with 14 percent. Christie has 6 percent, as does Kasich.
BUSH AND RUBIO HAVE SPENT $91 MILLION, SO FAR, ON TV ADS via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times – The numbers come from NBC News and its ad tracking partner SMG Delta. Ad spending to date: Team Bush: $58.8 million ($55.9M from Right to Rise Super PAC, $2.9M from campaign); Team Rubio: $32.6 million ($11.6M from campaign, $11.2M from Super PAC, $9.9M from 501c4); Team Sanders: $12.8 million (all from campaign); Team Clinton: $11.6 million ($11.4M from campaign, $200K from Priorities USA Super PAC); Team Christie: $11.4 million ($10.9M from Super PAC, $480K from campaign); Team Kasich: $10.8 million ($267K from campaign, rest from outside groups); Team Carson: $4.6 million ($4.4 million from campaign, $200K from Super PAC); Team Cruz: $4.2 million ($1.9M from campaign, rest from outside groups); Team Trump: $4 million (all from campaign); Team Fiorina: $1.0 million (all from Super PAC); Team O’Malley: $219,000 (all from Super PAC).
— “Florida’s Presidential-Politics Bubble Looks Ready to Burst” via Ed Kilgore of New York Magazine
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FAU POLL: DAVID JOLLY LEADS GOP U.S. SENATE FIELD, BUT MANY STILL UNDECIDED via Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster of Florida Politics – Jolly is at 27.8 percent, polling ahead of Republican rivals … Ron DeSantis and … Carlos Lopez-Cantera, who are both at 7.7 percent. While Jolly has a 20-point lead over his opponents, the poll found 50 percent of respondents said they were undecided. On the Democratic side … Alan Grayson leads Patrick Murphy, 27.1 percent to 19.5 percent. Much like the Republican race, a large number of respondents — 45.4 percent — said they were undecided.
USED NEWS: “Beruff considering U.S. Senate run” by Zac Anderson of the Sarasota-Herald Tribune on Wednesday, two days after FloridaPolitics first reported the possibility. Sorry, Zac, that you had a possible U.S. Senate candidate in your backyard and didn’t know about it.
***A special message from Florida’s horsemen: While legislators debate using hard-earned taxpayer dollars for corporate relocation incentives, Florida employers who’ve been hard at work for decades could lose everything, thanks to “decoupling”— a Big Casino cash grab and gambling expansion plan tucked inside the Seminole Compact. It seems senseless to kill established Florida businesses, while spending public money in hopes new business may materialize. But Florida could do just that when “decoupling” leaves horse racing investors with NO WAY to do business and NO CHANCE to recoup financial return. Gambling policy should be about growing Florida’s economy. Not padding the pockets of Big Casinos. Florida’s horsemen oppose decoupling in ANY form. NoDecoupling.com.***
NEW EVIDENCE POINTS TO GIANT 9TH PLANET ON SOLAR SYSTEM EDGE via Marcia Dunn of the Associated Press – The solar system may have a ninth planet after all … 5,000 times bigger than outcast Pluto and billions of miles farther away, say scientists who presented “good evidence” for a long-hypothesized Planet X … The gas giant is thought to be almost as big as its nearest planetary neighbor Neptune, quite possibly with rings and moons. It’s so distant that it would take a mind-blowing 10,000 to 20,000 years to circle the sun. Planet 9, as the pair of California Institute of Technology researchers calls it, hasn’t been spotted yet. They base their prediction on mathematical and computer modeling, and anticipate its discovery via telescope within five years or less.
NEW ‘SUICIDE SQUAD’ TRAILER SPOTLIGHTS THE ‘WORST HEROES EVER’ via Brian Truitt of USA TODAY – Bad guys? Check. Explosions? Check. Excellent use of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody? Check. It’s all here in the new Suicide Squad trailer, which promises — and delivers — the “worst heroes ever.” So right about now you’re thinking, “What the !@#$ did I just witness?” Well, here’s what you need to know: The assassin Deadshot (Will Smith), insane bat-loving (but not Batman-loving) villainess Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and Aussie nutjob Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) are convicts who are called into service by a government agent (Viola Davis) for a mission so dangerous that it’ll likely end in their deaths. Succeed, however, and they get their criminal records wiped clean. Which would be hella good for someone like Enchantress (Cara Delevingne), a demonic-looking figure who you probably don’t want to bring home to Mom. And then there’s the Joker (Jared Leto). He’s not part of the squad but being that he and Harley go way back and he’s certifiable, the Bat-baddie is probably going to get in the way.
WHAT RYAN SMITH IS READING — ‘STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII’ RELEASE DELAYED TO DEC. 2017 via Jake Coyle of the Associated Press –The release of “Star Wars: Episode VIII” has been delayed from May 2017 to Dec. 15, 2017, the Walt Disney Co. announced … the date change means that the franchise will again look to dominate movie theaters in the holiday season. It has proven a lucrative match for “The Force Awakens,” which has made a record $861 million domestically and $1.88 billion globally in five weeks of release. Disney offered no reason for the delay, but rumors have recently swirled that writer-director Rian Johnson(“Looper”), who is taking over for J.J. Abrams, is rewriting the script. Production is set to begin next month in London.
TWEET, TWEET: @josefelixdiaz: Congrats to @RepCTrujillo and his beautiful wife on the birth of their fourth baby, Felipe. Mom and baby are happy and healthy
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to good guy Jon Costello
