Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
Today’s Rise and Shine Fact-iversary is brought to you by Sachs Media Group, the state’s dominant public affairs PR firm:
Happy Birthday, Lafayette County! On this date in 1853, the Florida Legislature formed Lafayette County from part of Madison County in North Central Florida, naming it after the French general who assisted the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Lafayette, which is one of Florida’s least populous counties with fewer than 9,000 residents, enjoys some birthday company this week – nearby Madison and Hamilton counties were both established on December 26, 1827. Lafayette County is bounded on the east by the historic Suwannee River, immortalized in song by Stephen Foster – who, amazingly enough, never actually laid eyes on the river he made famous across the continent.
Now, on to the ‘burn…
TWEET, TWEET: @WillWeatherford: Not a fan of @BarackObama policies but if he did contribute to shutting down the Internet in North Korea he gets cool points in my book!
POLL: AMERICANS’ JOB OUTLOOK REACHES PRE-RECESSION LEVELS via Lucy McCalmont of POLITICO
Americans’ outlook on jobs has reached levels not seen since before the recession, according to a new poll.
Thirty-six percent of Americans — the highest number since November 2007, and up 6 percentage points since last month — said now is a good time to find a quality job, a Gallup poll released Monday showed.
And while 61 percent of those surveyed still believe it is a bad time to find a job, this number has also steadily dropped, from 66 percent last month.
The Gallup poll comes on the heels of a strong jobs report released earlier in December. The U.S. economy added 321,000 jobs in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
The Gallup poll was conducted Dec. 8-11, 2014, and surveyed a random sample of 805 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
JEB BUSH’S TIES TO DONORS PUT RIVALS IN A BIND via Patrick O’Connor and Beth Reinhard of the Wall Street Journal
Jeb Bush’s announcement that he will explore a White House bid threatens years of painstaking spadework by other Republicans who have cultivated many of the wealthy donors loyal to the former Florida governor’s family.
Bush is heir to a vaunted network of Republican contributors built over his family’s two presidencies, his own governorship and other campaigns. It is one of the most formidable assets in GOP politics and could hamper the fund-raising of Republican potential rivals, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
The donors’ ties to the Bushes also could undercut possible interest in a third White House campaign by Mitt Romney. If the 2012 GOP presidential nominee runs, he would compete for the same contributors, many of whom helped finance his latest campaign.
Early signs suggest that devotion to the Bush clan may trump newer relationships. Two leading members of Rubio’s Senate fundraising team—lobbyist Charlie Black and Dirk Van Dongen, the head of a trade association—have suggested they would lean toward the former governor if both men pursued the Republican presidential nomination.
Bush began laying the groundwork for his announcement earlier this month, touching base with donors and severing his business and civic commitments.
That legwork allowed Bush to hit the ground running. After posting his plans last Tuesday on Facebook and Twitter, he called Rubio, associates say. He then huddled the next day with roughly two dozen friends and some loyal donors in Coral Gables. He wrapped up the week with meetings with other fundraisers in Dallas and Chicago, while reaching out to donors elsewhere. Other trips are in the works, including one to Washington.
The Florida gathering illustrates how Bush would benefit from his family’s legacy. The event included a number of donors who supported Rubio’s 2010 Senate race and have given money to his PAC. But their allegiance to the Bush family dates back decades. Tampa-area developer Mel Sembler, for example, met Bush when he rented space for a campaign office to his father in 1979. George H.W. Bush later appointed Mr. Sembler as ambassador to Australia. George W. Bush tapped him to be ambassador to Italy.
HOW JEB AFFECTS THE FLORIDA SENATE RACE via Alexis Levinson of Roll Call
Bush’s presidential exploration roiled Capitol Hill last week. Back in his home state, pols also had their eye on another Sunshine State Republican, Sen. Marco Rubio, whose own presidential ambitions could kick off a pivotal open-seat race for Senate.
Rubio has expressed interest in running for president, and he’s made clear he will not run for both that office and Senate at the same time. Following Bush’s announcement, Rubio said in a statement that his decision will not be impacted by “who else might be running” for president.
If Rubio seeks re-election, Democrats’ decision to invest in the race will be far more complicated. The senator is well known and a strong fundraiser, with $3.1 million already in the bank as of the end of September.
Florida Democrats don’t have a deep bench of potential statewide candidates, exemplified most recently by former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist’s unsuccessful comeback bid as a Democrat this year. Still, party operatives said they view the seat as a good pick-up opportunity in a year when the party must net five seats to secure the Senate majority.
Rep. Patrick Murphy and Rep.-elect Gwen Graham are the most-often mentioned potential Democratic Senate contenders. Murphy won re-election in a competitive district last month by 20 points, raising an equally impressive $5.1 million for the race.
Earlier this month, Murphy told CQ Roll Call he was “thinking about it.” In the conversation outside the House chamber, he painted himself as a “bipartisan” and “independent” Democrat who focuses on local issues.
PETITION DRIVE FOR 2016 WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR EX-FELONS TO REGAIN VOTING RIGHTS via Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times
Civil rights and voting rights groups have quietly launched a grass-roots petition drive in Florida to make it easier for ex-felons to regain the right to vote.
Their goal is to ask voters in 2016 to change the Florida Constitution so that people who broke the law can vote again after completing their sentences, including probation.
Florida is one of four states in which a felony conviction includes the permanent loss of civil rights, including voting, the right to hold public office and serve on a jury. To regain those rights, a felon must petition the governor and Cabinet for clemency, a cumbersome process that can take 10 years or longer. The state has a current backlog of 20,000 clemency cases.
A statewide initiative on the 2016 presidential election ballot is the next step by supporters, including the ACLU, NAACP, League of Women Voters and members of the Florida Restoration Rights Coalition, led by Desmond Meade, a former drug addict and street criminal who became an honors graduate of Miami-Dade College and went to law school at FIU.
Meade has estimated that 1 million Florida residents are permanent “second-class citizens” who have served their time and pay taxes but can’t vote.
Petition forms are being circulated to political clubs, churches and grassroots political groups by a Clearwater group called Floridians for a Fair Democracy.
The proposed amendment says: “Any disqualification from voting arising from a felony conviction shall terminate and voting rights shall be restored upon completion of all terms of sentence including parole or probation.” The automatic restoration would not apply to people convicted of murder or felony sexual offenses.
To get the proposal before voters, supporters must climb a series of hurdles and collect more than 683,000 valid voters’ signatures by February 2016.
SPECIAL ELECTION SHOWS STUPIDITY OF WRITE-IN via Bill Cotterell of the Tallahassee Democrat
Taxpayers will spend some $150,000 for a special election, which we already know will be won by former state Rep. Jamie Grant. He was easily re-elected just last month but has to go through a replay because of the Legislature’s refusal to fix a stupid quirk in Florida election rules that it could have repaired years ago.
There was a handful of open House primaries this year, without write-ins to disenfranchise voters in a one-party heat. That’s good for voters, who get to choose a representative, even when their party doesn’t field a candidate.
That’s what the Constitution Revision Commission had in mind in 1998, when it provided for open primaries in one-party races. But a legal interpretation by the Division of Elections held that a write-in candidate is a real candidate — and, therefore, an office sought by two Democrats or two Republicans is not legally decided until the general election.
However sincere they may be in their own minds, write-ins are not real candidates. There are none in the Legislature or Congress. Florida has never elected one to state office. Many of them are simply making mischief – cynically closing primaries and denying the vote to thousands of non-party voters who might otherwise participate.
In some years, you’ll see lobbyists or campaign consultants hanging out at the Division of Elections in the final hour of qualifying, to see which primaries might be open. If a friend is in danger of having to appeal across party lines, a supporter can sign up as a write-in, thus limiting both the number and the philosophical range of voters who the chosen candidate needs to contact.
When filing as a write-in, candidates don’t have to pay any fees, gather any number of signatures or do any campaigning. Their work is done, once they’ve closed the primaries for the real candidates.
***Today’s SUNBURN is brought to you by Bright House Networks, a trusted provider of industry-leading communications and networking services to businesses of all sizes, from startups to large, multi-site organizations. Our Enterprise Solutions provides the fiber connectivity, cloud and managed services today’s large organizations demand, while our Business Solutions team works with small- to mid-size companies to ensure they get the right services to fit their needs and their budget. Find out why so many businesses in your area trust their communications needs to Bright House Networks. Learn more at brighthouse.com/business. ***
FLORIDA CAPITOL GETS SATANIC DISPLAY via The Associated Press
The Satanic Temple has set up a holiday display in the Florida Capitol’s rotunda.
The diorama showing an angel falling into a pit of fire went on public display Monday. Writing across the top says, “Happy Holidays from the Satanic Temple.”
Groups in recent years have been allowed to put up displays – initially religious in nature – in the Statehouse rotunda because the area is considered to be a public forum. Non-religious groups responded with displays that included a Festivus pole – based on the TV series “Seinfeld” – made of beer cans and a depiction of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
The Department of Management Services rejected the Satanic Temple’s display last year, saying it was “grossly offensive.”
The state allowed the display this year, following threats of legal action from the non-partisan group Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
BLOG POST OF THE DAY – DBPR BOY WONDER WILLIAM NICHOLSON SPICOLA: WHO DID HE KNOW? via Nancy Smith of the Sunshine State News
In case you think the old adage “it’s who you know” only pays off in the private sector, you might want to consider a promotion made last week at one of the busiest, lawyery-ist state offices in Tallahassee.
“Effective January 5, 2014, William Spicola will be the new General Counsel for the Department of Business and Professional Regulation,” reads DBPR Secretary Ken Lawson’s statement to staff.
Spicola replaces J. Layne Smith. After four years as general counsel at DBPR, Smith “has made the personal decision to move on to new opportunities,” DBPR spokesperson Chelsea Eagle said.
At DBPR, Smith was responsible for 70 attorneys, 62 of them full-time; at the Lottery, he will be responsible for two — including himself.
The strange part of all this is, Smith was liked and respected among DBPR staff. He was widely credited with having streamlined the department’s legal operations, bringing a private-sector mentality to DBPR and dramatically cutting down on each attorney’s caseload, especially the number of year-old cases languishing in the files.
So, was Secretary Ken Lawson displeased with Smith’s work? I don’t know. When I asked, the people most likely to know turned squirrely. Lawson was unavailable and Peter Antonacci, the governor’s general counsel, turned me over to Chelsea Eagle in DBPR communications.
EDITORIAL: FUND AFFORDABLE HOUSING via the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
The combination of low wages and high housing costs creates a financial struggle for many Floridians. To the state’s credit, though, it had the foresight, 22 years ago, to create an effective tool for boosting the supply of affordable housing.
That tool is known as the Sadowski housing trust funds: a pool of money to be used throughout the state to finance or subsidize construction, renovation or purchase of homes and apartments in a price range geared toward everyday workers — the kind we all depend on. The funds also help to create and preserve housing for the elderly, the disabled and the homeless.
As a tool for carrying out constructive public policy, the Sadowski funds — named after the late legislator William Sadowski — are ingenious. The money comes from a slice of the documentary stamp tax on real estate transactions. That levy was increased a smidgen in 1992 to bring in revenue for the state’s affordable housing trust funds. The increase was agreed to by builders and real-estate interests, who recognized that the money would be plowed back into their industries and the Florida economy — a win for everyone.
The documentary-stamp approach has another advantage: Its revenues rise during times of high real-estate values — when there is the greatest need to fund more affordable housing.
Money has been shifted
But starting about a decade ago, the political consensus that created the Sadowski tool eroded. State lawmakers restricted the trust-fund revenue or shifted it to other purposes during the recession.
As a result, the financing of affordable housing suffered. Hundreds of millions of dollars, which could have enabled a substantial increase in moderately priced housing for hard-pressed Floridians, went toward other causes.
EDUCATION OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE PLANS TO REVIEW TESTING via John Kennedy of the Palm Beach Post
Florida Education Commissioner Pam Stewart followed up on a campaign promise made by Gov. Rick Scott, announcing the state was launching a new review of standardized testing in schools.
Stewart said she also was establishing the Keep Florida Learning Committee to look at areas where the state can further deregulate the school system, increase parental involvement, review instructional material and track the introduction of Florida Standards over the next year.
Florida Standards are the state-crafted version of the national Common Core Standards, which have become a political flashpoint, proving especially divisive within Republican ranks.
Scott has tried to straddle the divide over Common Core, which tea party groups condemn as a federal government overreach but is backed by many establishment Republicans and education leaders.
Among the most prominent Common Core advocates is former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, now a potential White House contender. He endorses the idea of creating generally accepted national learning standards for students.
Scott supports Common Core, but has gotten state education leaders to revamp the national approach as a rebranded Florida Standards. He also appears intent on cooling rising anxiety among many parents about the increase in standardized testing that is accompanying the Florida Standards, being introduced statewide for the first time this school year.
In announcing the Keep Florida Learning Committee, Stewart also issued a call for volunteers interested in serving on the panel.
FLORIDA GETS ENGLISH LEARNER FLEXIBILITY via The Associated Press
The U.S. Department of Education has approved a request from Florida officials for flexibility on testing students still learning English.
Gov. Scott announced Monday that U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan granted a petition from Scott and Florida Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart asking that the state be allowed to withhold Florida schools and teachers from accountability for English language learner achievement on state tests until after two years of instruction.
Florida had been granted an extension from No Child Left Behind in August, but federal officials previously declined the state’s request regarding English language learner accountability.
Education leaders including Miami-Dade Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho had backed the state’s request.
Florida has more than 265,000 students who are learning English as a second or even third language.
LEGAL MEMO HAS ACTIVISTS, CLERKS FEUDING AS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE DEADLINE APPROACHES via Matt Dixon of the Naples Daily News
Local clerk of courts offices across the state say they will not begin issuing same-sex marriage licenses, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that paved the way for same-sex weddings to begin Jan. 6.
The local clerks hesitant to issue same-sex marriage licenses are relying on a legal memo from Greenberg Traurig, a law firm that represents the Florida Association of Clerks and Comptrollers. In that memo, the firm’s attorneys say that clerks could still face prosecution for issuing same-sex marriage licensees “until a binding order is issued by a court of proper jurisdiction.”
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled in August that Florida’s ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, but said it would not take effect until Jan. 5 so appeals could move forward.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi’s request to extend that ban. Greenberg Traurig advised clerks that it thinks the ruling only applies to tiny Washington County, which is the only county formally listed in the lawsuit challenging Florida’s ban.
Clerks in at least St. Lucie, Orange, Indian River, Martin and Lee Counties have already said they will not issue same-sex marriage licenses next week because of Greenberg Traurig’s memo.
Activists who support same-sex marriage said the Supreme Court ruling removed any confusion and blasted the Greenberg Traurig memo.
Others say there could be legal ramifications for clerks who refuse to issue same-sex marriage licensees.
The constitutionality of the state’s 2008 same-sex marriage ban is currently before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. That court also rejected Bondi’s attempt to extend the ban beyond Jan. 5, but has not ruled on the underlying case, which means the court could still up hold the ban in a future ruling.
***This year the Florida Smart Justice Alliance is hosting their 4th Annual Smart Justice Summit on January 12-14 at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota. Over 300 policymakers are expected including state legislators, judges, sheriffs, police chiefs, state’s attorneys, public defenders, county correctional officers, probation & parole, DCF/DJJ/DOC employees, behavioral healthcare providers, policy experts, and others on panels discussing successful evidence-based practices in the criminal justice arena. The goal is to maintain public safety while insuring that taxpayers get the best bang for the dollar. Keynote Speaker – Bexar Co., TX Sheriff Susan Pamerleau, first female sheriff for San Antonio. To get a 10% savings on registration click here.***
COLLEGE BOWL-GAME REVENUE MAKES FLORIDA ECONOMY A WINNER Full story here
No matter what team wins in the first-ever college football playoffs, there will be one true champion – Florida.
Post- season bowl games expect to bring millions in extra revenue to state and local economies, according to “Touchdowns, Tackles, And Tax Revenue,” a new Economic Commentary from nonprofit public policy research institute Florida TaxWatch.
Florida is hosting eight out of the 38 bowl games, more than any other state, in the 2014 Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) National Championship season.
“For 80 uninterrupted years, Florida has welcomed fans across the nation to the Sunshine State for postseason bowl games, including Championship Games,” said Florida TaxWatch CEO Dominic Calabro. “Bowl games give Florida an incredible opportunity to show off our vibrant communities and impeccable attractions and resources.”
In addition, seven of the eight bowl games played in Florida this season feature two out-of-state teams. The only local school to participate in a Sunshine State bowl game is the University of Central Florida.
What this means is that 15 schools and their fans will be visiting the Sunshine State possibly for the first time.
For the 2011-2012 Capital One Bowl and Champs Sports Bowl held in Orlando, TaxWatch estimates visitors spent nearly $5.61 million on accommodations, $3.74 million for food and dining, and increased attendance at both Walt Disney World and Universal Studios Parks. Hosting four out-of-state teams, the economic impact of Orlando Bowl Week was estimated at between $70.9 million and $88.6 million.
The 2012-2013 Orange Bowl, which held the last BCS National Championship, brought in $298.1 million, including $127 million in direct spending, and $4.9 million in tax revenue.
In Tampa Bay, the Outback Bowl this year could have an economic impact of up to $40 million.
CONTEXT FLORIDA: FLORIDA DEMOCRATS, THE ENVIRONMENT, TAMPA BAY RAYS AND TORTURE
On Context Florida: The Florida Democratic Party is going through a soul-searching exercise headed by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson says Florida House Democratic Leader Mark Pafford. Nevertheless, it is important not to overlook a fundamental reason for the number of Democrats in the Florida House: Redistricting. Whether candidates or elected officials want to acknowledge the truth, environmental matters is always important in Florida. From a statewide perspective, Bruce Ritchie offers his top 10 environmental stories from 2014. The 2008 American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays may be on their way out of Florida, says Bob Sparks. A move is not imminent, but recent events with the St. Petersburg City Council increase the odds that Miami may eventually be the only remaining Major League Baseball team in the long term. Torture and complicity in torture were felonies under U.S. law long before George W. Bush moved into the White House, writes journalist and radio host David Swanson, under both the torture statute and the war crimes statute. Nothing has fundamentally changed about that, other than the blatant lack of enforcement for several years running.
Visit Context Florida to dig in.
FLORIDA TREND MAGAZINE NAMES MIAMI AS “FLORIDIAN OF THE YEAR”
Florida Trend Magazine’s 2014 “Floridian of The Year” is not an individual, but the entire City of Miami. Calling it the “The Most Exciting City in the World,” Miami was at the forefront of every trend in 2014. Tourism grew, real estate continued a strong recovery, and unemployment fell. County schools won national recognition for improvement. Even as Miami entered the ranks of a global city, its vibrant downtown living scene is still on the rise. Florida Trend’s January issue is in the mail to print subscribers now. For digital subscribers, the issue will be available for access or download next week.
HOUSE OF CARDS via Digg
Not the kind you’re thinking about, and way cooler. Watch and be mesmerized.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nikki Lowrey and Mark’s better half, Amy Zubaly.
