Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
Today’s SachsFact is brought to you by the public affairs, integrated marketing and reputation management experts at Sachs Media Group: In the span of just eight hours, the Great Fire of 1901 wiped out a substantial portion of Jacksonville, at the time Florida’s largest city. A combination of sparks and Spanish moss proved a dangerous mix on May 3, 1901. The mix ignited a conflagration that consumed more than 2,300 wood buildings over 146 square blocks, killing seven people and leaving 10,000 homeless. Determined to rebuild, “Florida’s Metropolis” emerged from the ashes within a decade – only this time, constructed of brick, steel, concrete and stone.
DAYS UNTIL Mother’s Day: 6; Jacksonville’s Mayoral Election: 15; Debut of Mad Max: Fury Road: 10; Special Session (Maybe) 27; Major League Baseball All-Star game: 70; Star Wars: The Force Awakens debuts: 234; First Day of 2016 Legislative Schedule: 253; Florida’s Presidential Primary: 315; Florida’s 2016 Primary Election: 484; Florida’s 2016 General Election: 555.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY belatedly to Rep. Ritch Workman (with another year older, maybe Sen. Tom Lee will think him mature enough); lobbyist Donovan Brown, Gershom Faulkner, craft beer enthusiast Tom Scherberger, Rita Solnet. Celebrating today is my good friend Dave Aronberg (two more weeks to his wedding) and Candice Ericks.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD Wyatt Owen Wickboldt, the second son of Steven and Valerie Wickboldt, the incredibly talented Vice President of Communications at the James Madison Institute. He was born Saturday, May 2 at 3:49 p.m. Mom says everyone is happy and healthy. Congrats!
BIG WEEK AHEAD FOR FLORIDA PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS via George Bennett of the Palm Beach Post
Sen. Marco Rubio launched his 2016 presidential campaign last month and two other Florida Republicans appear ready to join him this week — retired neurosurgeon and West Palm Beach resident Ben Carson and former Arkansas Gov. and Panhandle resident Mike Huckabee.
A fourth Floridian, former Gov. Jeb Bush, is also continuing to pursue a not-officially-declared candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. The flood of Florida hopefuls is unusual for a state that has had a dearth of presidential candidates throughout history.
No Floridian has ever been president or the nominee of a major party, and the few Sunshine State politicians who have sought the White House have been underwhelming. Former Sen. Bob Graham‘s 2004 Democratic presidential campaign ended in 2003. Former Gov. Reubin Askew abandoned his 1984 Democratic bid after a last-place finish in the New Hampshire primary.
Rubio announced his candidacy on April 13 in Miami and has zoomed near the top of several national GOP polls.
Huckabee, whose 2008 presidential bid was endorsed by Rubio, has lived in Santa Rosa Beach since 2010. He has scheduled an announcement in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas, which is also the hometown of former Democratic President Bill Clinton. Huckabee has already released a video that leaves little doubt he’s running, but doesn’t say so explicitly.
JEB’S SECRET JERSEY MISSION via Alex Isenstadt of POLITICO
Bush is quietly waging a behind-the-scenes offensive to pick off disillusioned home-state supporters of Chris Christie, the New Jersey governor whose presidential prospects have dimmed in recent months.
Bush’s effort to undermine Christie’s network of donors, power-brokers, and political players is conducted mainly through emails and phone conversations — and he tracks the progress closely.
At a get-together with donors in Miami last weekend, Bush sat down for a private conversation with Lawrence Bathgate, a prominent New Jersey attorney and former Christie donor who is now behind the Florida Republican. During the talk, Bathgate, a former Republican National Committee finance chairman, outlined to Bush a plan to have a majority of the state’s 16 Republican state senators endorse him.
Bush responded with a question. How soon, he wanted to know, would the endorsements start to roll in? And could some of them be announced sooner rather than later?
The attempts to crack the Christie network — both are in competition for the same group of moderate and establishment Republicans — dates back at least to January, not long after Bush launched his presidential exploratory committee. At the time, Bush met with around a dozen New Jersey Republicans for dinner at New York City’s Union Club. He started out the meeting in a surprising way, telling those gathered that they should feel free to ask him anything — no holds barred. One person took him up on the challenge, posing a question to him about his daughter’s struggle with drug addiction.
For months, Bush and his finance chief, Heather Larrison, have been reaching out to New Jersey donors. Once a financial commitment is secured, they typically ask that person for names of friends or associates in the state who might also want to give.
As Christie’s fortunes have seemed to fade amid his sagging polling numbers, fiscal problems at home and fallout from the Bridgegate scandal — on Friday a former political ally of the governor pleaded guilty and two other former officials were indicted for their alleged roles in the affair — Bush’s efforts have ramped up.
BUSH PAC TO HIRE LONGTIME MARCO RUBIO FRIEND AND AIDE FOR HISPANIC OUTREACH via Marc Caputo of POLITICO
Marco Rubio’s longtime friend and 2010 Senate campaign manager is about to be hired as a Hispanic-outreach adviser for the senator’s likely Republican 2016 rival, Bush … Jose Mallea’s hiring by Bush’s Right to Rise political committee is a one-two punch for the former governor: It underscores the depth of loyalty Florida Republicans have for Bush and it shows his intense interest in turning out the Latino vote.
Though a Rubio friend, Mallea is loyal to the Bush family. From 2001-2005, Mallea worked in President George W. Bush’s administration in various appointed posts, including special assistant to White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card. Mallea, who refused comment, plans Friday to resign his post as the national strategic director for the LIBRE Initiative, a Latino-outreach organization tied to the influential Koch brothers. He was hired after the initiative was founded nearly four years ago.
“Jose has a good body of experience from working at the White House to where he is today – he understands Hispanic voters, their behaviors and their beliefs,” said David Custin, a Florida political consultant and lobbyist from Miami-Dade, home to Rubio, Bush and Mallea. “He’s really competent,” Custin said before joking “but he ain’t as good as me.”
Custin said he’s staying neutral in the likely contest between Bush and Rubio, but he noted many won’t and that it’s agonizing for Republicans who like both men. In the end, though, many more Republican consultants, fundraisers and political operatives in Miami and Florida as a whole are likely to side with Bush, who built the GOP in their home county and made it a juggernaut in the state before he became governor from 1999-2007.
CAMPAIGN TAPS WOMEN TO ATTEST TO BUSH’S COMPASSIONATE SIDE via Beth Reinhard of the Wall Street Journal
In his speech to the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Bush told the story of Berthy Aponte, the mother of a disabled child who challenged him during his 1998 gubernatorial campaign to step up and help children like her own daughter.
It’s a safe bet this won’t the last time the all-but-declared Republican presidential candidate will talk about Aponte, whom Bush, the former Republican governor of Florida, credits with pushing him to increase state spending on developmentally disabled children.
The videos are a likely preview of an uplifting and well-financed media campaign by Bush. The personal testimonials serve several of Bush’s goals: they show a human, compassionate side to Bush, who is frequently caricatured as the privileged son and brother of American presidents; they appeal to women, a group that traditionally favors Democrats; and they draw attention to Mr. Bush’s conservative record as governor at a time when his immigration policy and support for Common Core national academic standards are drawing criticism from the conservative base of his party.
Bush’s team is confident these personal stories related to his two terms as a big-state governor will give him leg up over rivals such as Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, who are serving their first terms in a Congress best known for gridlock.
PATRICK MURPHY PITCHES WILLINGNESS TO WORK WITH OTHER SIDE via Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun Sentinel
Appearing before political activists in Broward, the most liberal Democratic territory in Florida, U.S. Senate candidate Patrick Murphy pitched himself as a pragmatist who is willing to cross the political aisle to talk to and work with Republicans.
He said his guiding motivation for everything he does is what’s best for his state. “I’ll work with anyone — if it’s right for Florida.”
The assembled Democrats — eager to capture the state’s Republican-held U.S. Senate seat as part of their hope to wrest back control of the U.S. Senate — liked what they heard. “Not all Democrats are super liberals,” said Bernie Parness, president of the Deerfield Beach Democratic Club, where Murphy spoke at a luncheon that included about 90 party activists, candidates, political consultants and elected officials.
Murphy spent much of his 16-minute speech introducing himself. Though he’s a member of Congress, Murphy, 32, is relatively new in the political world. In his second term in the U.S. House representing northern Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties, he’s best known for how he got there — by defeating tea party Congressman Allen West’s bid for a second term in 2012 — and for avoiding anything that could make him seem like a stereotypical liberal Democrat.
He said he was motivated to get into politics because he was tired of the rancor in Washington, D.C., and horrified by West. “He was the poster child of everything that is wrong in Washington,” Murphy said. “Unfortunately, if you look at the U.S. Senate, it is full of people like Allen West.”
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: The Republican Party of Sarasota hosts a $500 a ticket fundraising reception for California Congressman Darrell Issa, who serves on the U.S. House Committees on Judiciary and Foreign Affairs. Also attending as special guests are Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte, chair of the Judiciary Committee and Georgia Congressman Doug Collins, who also serves on Judiciary. The event is from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. at 1209 Westway Drive in Sarasota.
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ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Gov. Rick Scott will highlight job growth at a 10 a.m. press conference at ALTAIR Training Solutions, 31101 Nafi Drive in Immokalee. Scott then visits Riviera Beach to hold a 3 p.m. press conference, also on job growth, at Lockheed Martin, 100 East 17th Street.
TWEET, TWEET: @AnaNavarro: Folks tell me Rick Scott says he’s weighing ’18 Sen race. If true, best thing he could do, is do his current job well…get a budget maybe?
LOW PRODUCTION, HOUSE WALKOUT: 2015 SESSION HISTORIC FOR WRONG REASONS via John Kennedy of the Palm Beach Post
The Florida Legislature made history over the past two months – but in the eyes of many, it was for all the wrong reasons.
The deadlocked Legislature had the first session walkout anyone had ever seen. The House quit three days early, drawing outrage from Senate Republicans and a lawsuit filed in the state Supreme Court by Senate Democrats. The session’s 231 bills sent to Gov. Rick Scott also marked the lowest production by Florida lawmakers in at least 17 years.
Looking to capitalize, the Florida Democratic Party last week began sending mailers and automated phone calls to voters, criticizing lawmakers in nine Republican-held House districts that are considered ripe for swinging Democratic next year – including that of Rep. Bill Hager.
Senate President Andy Gardiner a hospital executive whose son has Down syndrome, was unable to bring home wide-ranging legislation aimed at advancing education and work opportunities for special needs Floridians. Shelved as well was an effort to establish a statewide water policy, an issue important to House Speaker Steve Crisafulli.
Legislation strengthening oversight of the state’s troubled prison system, an extension of the state’s gambling compact with the Seminole Tribe, and the House’s pitch for $690 million in tax breaks hit an impasse.
Lawmakers earlier did find agreement on rolling back some standardized testing in schools and setting March 15 as the date for Florida’s 2016 presidential primaries – two measures already signed by Scott.
Online voter registration, police and firefighter pension changes, enhanced grandparents’ rights and legislation authorizing the sale of 64-ounce beer “growlers” also were approved.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAY — ‘I REGRET’ ABRUPT END TO LEGISLATIVE SESSION via State Rep. Richard Stark for the Miami Herald
The district in Florida that I was elected to represent may be a part of western Broward County, but once elected, we legislators make decisions that affect people from every part of the state. I take this role very seriously.
Last week, the speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, where I serve, abruptly ended the 2015 legislative session early. Because of this, so much that could have been accomplished was not, and I regret that I could not have done more to make sure that we completed our tasks for this year.
Often elected officials talk about their seats in office. I firmly believe that this seat belongs to the people and not to me, and I am honored to have been elected to represent my area, and the people of so many walks of life.
The speaker made a decision to end this year’s legislative session because the gap in the budget between the Senate and the House of Representatives was so far apart on the expansion of the Medicaid issue that neither side was willing to compromise. Although I am a Democrat in a heavily weighted Republican Legislature, I have the utmost respect for my colleagues on both sides of political spectrum.
The great majority of bills we hear each year are passed with bipartisan consideration. The small number that we do not agree on is where both sides fight hard — and is what makes news. Unfortunately, this year’s Legislature came to an unprecedented standstill because of the inability to bridge these differences.
While I regret that this happened, and offer my apology to the public and believe we could do better, I am optimistic that the Senate and House can come to an agreement.
I hope that the agreement will have a positive effect on Florida’s healthcare system, along with so many other affairs that affect our state as well.
ZZZZ — INSIDERS SAY RICHARD CORCORAN HAS HOUSE REINS via Jeremy Wallace of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune
To hear the insiders talk, one man is responsible for bringing havoc to Florida’s government … It wasn’t the governor … neither the Senate president nor the House speaker.
“Richard Corcoran is the most powerful person in Florida,” one veteran GOP political strategist said following the collapse of the state legislative session last week, when the House abruptly adjourned three days early. “He’s the smartest guy in the room.”
Another insider says the House walkout last week and the tension among state Republican Party leaders that has spurred significant GOP disunity pointed to one person: “Corcoran is really in control.”
On the surface, Corcoran, a Pasco County attorney, is just one of 120 state House members that few Floridians would recognize. But inside the Tallahassee power structure, Corcoran is the House budget chairman who controls the chamber’s spending and, as a designated future House speaker, has immense say over how the Republican Party spends money on campaigns statewide.
Both facts — directly or indirectly — help make Corcoran one of the capital’s most important players.
Corcoran has heard it all, yet dismisses the assessment of his power. His answer to charges he is running the House? The political insiders and the political bloggers just want to split a unified body, he said.
“The absolute most powerful person in the House is the speaker of the House,” Corcoran said. “This was the speaker’s decision.”
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GAUGING THE POLITICAL FALLOUT FROM TALLAHASSEE GRIDLOCK: WILL IT MATTER? via Mary Ellen Klas and Patricia Mazzei of the Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald
The Florida House quit early. Senate Democrats sued. The state still has no budget, and no one has figured out a compromise on how to pay for health care. But last week’s legislative meltdown in Tallahassee, dramatic and dysfunctional as it was, doesn’t appear to threaten the political future of Republicans who control both chambers of state government — or of anyone else in their party running for office in 2016.
Most GOP state lawmakers remain in safe, conservative-leaning districts. Democrats have only a thin bench to challenge the ones who don’t. And there’s little indication that many Floridians are aware that their state Legislature, an institution followed far less closely than Congress, is gridlocked.
A rundown of what happened: The House adjourned three days early, which was historically unprecedented, to protest a budget impasse and reject Senate demands to discuss Medicaid expansion under the federal Affordable Care Act. The Senate, united in rare bipartisan accord, stayed in town, passing bills to the empty chamber across the hall and accusing the House of violating the state Constitution with its early exit.
Will any of it matter?
“I think there will be very little political fallout,” said Steve Vancore, a Democratic political consultant and pollster.
“GOP infighting could mean trouble in 2016” via Lloyd Dunkelberger of Halifax Media Services
“Nancy Detert still on fence about 2016” via the Sarasota Herald Tribune
UNEASE, POSSIBILITY OF DEADLOCK AWAIT FLORIDA LEGISLATURE’S SUMMER SESSION via Matt Dixon of the Naples Daily News
After a health care funding fight hijacked the end of the regular legislative session, House and Senate members who have spent the past few weeks arguing will have to return to Tallahassee this summer to write a state budget.
Most members agree that a cooling-off period will be helpful. But when they return to work, Medicaid expansion under Obamacare, the issue that dominated the past two months, will no doubt again play a dominate role.
“Obviously, this House is not interested in expanding Medicaid,” said House Speaker Steve Crisafulli. “That will have to be the first topic of conversation.”
That philosophical difference not only impacted legislative business, but also strained relationships between the two chambers. That conflict was magnified Tuesday when the House decided to adjourn three days before the official end of the session. The move instantly killed some bills still in play, and angered the Senate.
“There will probably be some hard feelings in the Senate based on what they [the House] did,” said Senate President Andy Gardiner.
EDITORIAL: FIXING THE BROKEN FLORIDA LEGISLATURE via the Tampa Bay Times
The Florida Legislature is broken. The depressing drama that played out in Tallahassee last week highlighted the legislative branch’s structural flaws … the system is rigged to benefit the most partisan lawmakers from both political parties, protect incumbents and amplify the voices of lobbyists and large campaign contributors. There is a better way. Here are five changes to the state Constitution that could repair the broken Florida Legislature and should be considered by voters:
Repeal term limits: Voters added eight-year term limits for legislators to the Constitution in 1992, and that has not been good for the institution. House members in particular become powerful leaders before they are ready, and more power has shifted to the more experienced lobbyists. There is a lack of institutional memory, familiarity with complicated issues and life experience.
Create an independent redistricting commission: An independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission could draw more balanced, competitive districts. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether such commissions are constitutional, but the court should uphold them and Florida voters should create one.
Revive multimember districts: Too many single-member districts are personal fiefdoms. Incumbents are immune from challenges and cater only to their core supporters. Larger, multimember districts could create more balance, give voters more options and force lawmakers to appeal to a broader group of constituents.
Create open primaries: Political parties hate this, but imagine that voters could choose which primary election to participate in just before they cast their ballot. That would empower more voters, make primary elections more competitive and force candidates from both political parties to moderate their positions.
Demand campaign finance reform: Too much money sloshes around Tallahassee. At the very least, candidates for statewide office and the Legislature — and incumbents — should be required to instantly report all contributions to their political committees. If political cash cannot be limited, it can be better exposed for Floridians to see.
FLORIDA CHAMBER: SPECIAL SESSION OFFERS SECOND CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT via Phil Ammann of Florida Politics
After a stubborn budget impasse, capped off by an abrupt adjournment by the Florida House, most will agree the 2015 Legislative Session was something of a disappointment. Among those particularly dissatisfied with the outcome this year is the state’s business community, led by the Florida Chamber of Commerce.
But hope remains for a victory, as Tallahassee now faces a sort of “sudden death overtime.”
Although 2015 didn’t produce – as the Chamber diplomatically puts it – “anticipated results,” the state’s leading business trade association believes a special legislative session will give Florida’s business sector a second chance.
“A special session, or several sessions, brings the hope that legislators can hit the reset button and pick up the business of making Florida more competitive,” said Chamber CEO Mark Wilson in a statement.
Now lawmakers get another shot at making things right, through a special legislative session.
Among the Chamber’s unresolved priorities: Smarter healthcare coverage in Florida; a comprehensive water quality policy; targeted tax reforms to help lower both business expenses and cost of living; school choice and pension reforms. The chamber also suggests bigger opportunities for children with special needs and increased investment in marketing Florida as a business haven.
Even before a special session, however, the year was not a total loss. In the Chamber’s 2015 win column: an education accountability bill (recently signed into law by Gov. Rick Scott), an infrastructure bill designating freight and logistics zones, a growth leadership measure and a private property rights bill.
SPECIAL SESSION RAISES FUNDRAISING QUESTIONS via Matt Dixon of the Naples Daily News
With a billion-dollar battle forcing the legislative session off the rails, lawmakers are in the unique position of being able to hold political fundraisers just before they meet in a special session to approve the state’s nearly $80 billion budget.
Legislative rules don’t allow lawmakers to raise political money during the state’s two-month legislative session. House members officially ended their session on Tuesday, while the Senate formally adjourned Friday.
As long as the chambers are not in, members can raise money for their campaigns and political committees, which can accept unlimited contributions, up until the point a special session begins. A health care funding fight prevented lawmakers from passing a state budget during regular session. They will return this summer to hammer out a deal before the June 30 end of the fiscal year.
Some lawmakers have urged caution over holding fundraisers leading into a budget vote because it looks bad — some who helped them raise money may return during the special session to ask them to support legislation. But with the rising cost of campaigns and expanding election cycles, many lawmakers are not likely to wait to raise campaign money.
The incentive for donors to pony up leading into the special session is increased because it will include the state budget that funds all aspects of state government, including priorities pushed by special interest groups throughout the session.
FLORIDA LEGISLATORS PUSH BILLS TIED TO THEIR PRIVATE JOBS via Gary Fineout of the Associated Press
During the recently-concluded legislative session, Senate President Andy Gardiner constantly warned about the threat to the state’s hospitals if they were to lose more than $1 billion that now comes from the federal government.
There’s a good reason Gardiner understands hospitals: he works for one.
Gardiner’s employment is legal, but it highlights a common practice in the Florida Legislature. Many legislators have places where their professional lives and legislative work overlap. The 46-year-old Gardiner is a vice president with Orlando Health, a network of private, nonprofit hospitals that receives state funding. Gardiner’s pay is almost $200,000 annually and it includes incentives tied to hospital performance, including how well it does financially.
Other Florida legislators whose professional and political careers have collided include: Republican Sen. John Legg, who works at a Pasco County charter school, has the lead role in shaping education laws including those that deal with charter schools. Charter schools are privately run but receive public money.
Rep. Eric Fresen, a Miami Republican, sponsored a measure this year that could result in millions of local school district taxes being shifted to charter schools. Fresen works for an architectural and design firm that gets contracts to build charter schools. His sister is married to the head of one of the state’s leading charter school management companies.
Sen. Bill Montford, a Tallahassee Democrat, is deeply involved in education legislation. Montford’s day job? He earns nearly $200,000 a year from the association that represents school superintendents. During one committee meeting this session, Montford intervened to make sure a school superintendent could testify.
Rep. Randolph Bracy, an Orlando Democrat, was hired in mid-February as an economic development consultant by the city of Ocoee. Emails obtained by The Associated Press show that on March 13 Bracy’s office submitted requests to obtain state money for the city, including a request for more than $800,000 to pay for a sidewalk trail.
CLOCK RUNNING DOWN FOR BLACKJACK AT STATE’S SEMINOLE CASINOS via James Rosica of the Tampa Tribune
Time could be running out to play blackjack in Tampa, Immokalee and at other casinos run by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.
In 2010, the state granted the tribe exclusive rights to offer card games like blackjack in return for a $1 billion minimum cut of the take over five years.
That agreement, part of what’s called the “Seminole Compact,” expires at the end of July.
Renewal talks between the tribe and Gov. Rick Scott’s office came to a standstill earlier this year.
If there’s no renewal, the compact says the tribe is supposed to shut down its “banked card games” within 90 days.
One way to avoid that fate would be an agreement in the next few weeks to be approved by lawmakers when they return in special session to finish the state budget before June 30.
But the tribe’s lawyer also has said the tribe may still have other legal grounds to offer blackjack, suggesting the Seminoles could pursue those rights in court.
MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROPONENTS FIRE UP INITIATIVE FOR 2016 BALLOT via Jerome Stockfisch of the Tampa Tribune
Opponents of a 2014 medical marijuana campaign that ultimately proved unsuccessful insisted that any law allowing sick people to ingest the drug should be crafted by the Legislature, not enshrined in the state constitution.
But with the 2015 legislative session closing with no action, pot proponents said they’ll be back crisscrossing the state with petitions to put the issue on the 2016 ballot.
Not one of the bills addressing wider use of medical marijuana even received a committee hearing. A bill fine-tuning the “Charlotte’s Web” law passed last year moved to the full Senate floor, but was a casualty of the late-session chaos. That measure allows a non-euphoric strain of cannabis to be used for certain conditions.
People United’s 2014 incarnation landed a 58 percent majority in the November election, coming up just short of the 60 percent needed for a constitutional amendment. There were 3.4 million “yes” votes, a half a million more than Gov. Scott received in his successful bid for a second term. Proponents felt that might provide momentum for legislative action.
John Morgan, managing partner of the Morgan & Morgan law firm and the major donor to the medical marijuana effort, said he’s on board again.
“I was hoping — like many of you — that our legislators would wake the hell up, realize that the science is there, the will of the people is there, and that a delay not only hurts patients, it’s going to hurt them in the next election,” Morgan said in the latest email blasted by People United.
The group said it has addressed some of the “loopholes” cited by opponents in last year’s campaign.
MATT GAETZ TALKS TO MARC CAPUTO here
Gaetz on Sunday broke his silence after the controversy and told POLITICO that he singled out Joyner and Bullard because they were lead boosters of Medicaid expansion and plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Asked about Joyner’s statement about race and Medicaid expansion, Gaetz said in a written statement: “That’s ridiculous. ObamaCare expansion is bad for Floridians of all races, religions and backgrounds. While I greatly respect the work Sen. Joyner has done to advance civil rights throughout her life, unfortunately now she is using race to demonize those who simply disagree with her views and tactics. The House disagrees with ObamaCare expansion because it will invalidate real health insurance for 257k Floridians, it will borrow against the futures of our grandchildren and health outcomes won’t improve. The race of the President and ObamaCare supporters in Florida is immaterial.”
STILL MY TOP-TALKER: “Matt Gaetz’s tweet speaks to an immaturity and a generational divide in legislative politics“
EDITORIAL: SEAWORLD MOUNTS AN UNCONVINCING DEFENSE via John Crisp via the Tribune News Service
Last week the toymaker Mattel announced the discontinuation of its SeaWorld-related merchandise, including SeaWorld Trainer Barbie.
This move is part of the backlash to the release of the powerful 2013 documentary “Blackfish,” a film that calls into question SeaWorld’s safety practices, as well as its treatment of marine mammals, especially orcas. … Now SeaWorld has begun to suffer repercussions. Entertainers … canceled previously scheduled appearances, and Southwest Airlines has ended its long-term promotional partnership with the park. The consequences are real and painful: SeaWorld stock fell by 50 percent in 2014, and attendance at its parks dropped by a million.
But the best defense is a good offense. SeaWorld is deploying a print and video campaign centered on attractive, young killer whale trainers.
In an ad in my local newspaper, Kristi assures us that, as a mother of two children herself, she would not work at a place that separates “killer whale moms” from their “dependent calves.”
The word “dependent” seems carefully chosen, and Kristi admits that young whales are, in fact, separated from their mothers, but only after they are “weaned and socially independent.”
But this way of thinking has several problems. The killer whale’s natural habitat is a complicated matrilineal pod based on lifetime associations that, common sense tells us, simply cannot be managed according to the practical requirements of SeaWorld’s various performance venues.
The transparent disingenuousness of the current SeaWorld public relations campaign is an index on the corporation’s desperation. Considerable revenue is at stake. But so is considerable misery on the part of these seagoing beasts.
FLORIDA GROWERS WORRY ABOUT CUBAN IMPORTS via the Associated Press
Some of Florida’s agriculture experts say normalizing relations with Cuba could threaten the state’s citrus and vegetable crops.
… Florida growers fear lax inspections at U.S. Department of Agriculture border checkpoints will allow the importation of pests and fungal disease that would harm Florida crops.
Adam Putnam … sent letters to the state’s congressional delegation opposing plans to end the Cuban trade embargo. Gov. Scott also cited concerns about invasive pests in his statement opposing any lifting of the trade embargo.
Agriculture experts say they are concerned about the bacterial diseases citrus greening and citrus canker. They are also concerned about fungal diseases including citrus black spot and laurel wilt.
“If you look at the kind of plant pest and diseases we’re fighting in the state, it may leave some people to believe (the USDA) is not doing a very good job,” said Mike Stuart, president of the Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, the trade group for most non-citrus crops in the state. “We’re a magnet for pests and disease. It’s a major concern.”
Florida growers say they also have concerns about increased competition from Cuban for agricultural products.
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FIRST POST-SESSION TRANSITION — CAMERON YARBROUGH JOINS GUNSTER YOAKLEY
Tallahassee governmental relations consultant Cameron Yarbrough to Gunster
Yarbrough worked out of his own shop, Yarbrough Consulting, this regular Session, where he advocated on behalf of major clients like Motorola Solutions, the private Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida and contact lens retailer 1-800-Contacts.
Yarbrough also has a significant pari-mutuel advocacy focus, representing Tampa Bay Downs and Tampa Greyhound Track.
Gunster Yoakley & Stewart is the oldest commercial law firm in Palm Beach County, having been in operation since 1925. The firm’s government affairs team represents clients in a broad range of industries such as telecommunications, transportation, and energy, as well as regulated industries like gaming and alcohol.
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
Brian Ballard, Christopher Hansen, Ballard Partners: Ultimate Health Plans
Matthew Blair, Corcoran & Johnston: Ronald Miller; Thomas & Karen Brandi; Javier Soria
Ashley Boxer: South Broward Hospital District
Paul Bradshaw, Paul Mitchell, Southern Strategy Group: One Watermark Place of the Palm Beaches Condominium Association
Donovan Brown, H. Douglas Bruce, Nicole Fried, Tom Gallagher, Trevor Mask, Meredith Woodrum Snowden, Katherine Webb, Colodny Fass: Johnson University; Miami Dade Limestone Products Association
Alison Dudley, A. B. Dudley & Associates: Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida;
Martin Fiorentino, Thomas Griffin, Joseph Mobley, Mark Pinto, The Fiorentino Group: Ventura Ranch
John Grosskopf: North Florida Community College
Erik Kirk, Kirk Consulting: Kyra Info Tech
Matthew Leopold, Carlton Fields: The Villages
Jason Merritt, Victoria Weber, Hopping Green & Sams: Florida Coalition for Capital
Lisa Miller, Lisa Miller & Associates: SkyeTec
Erika Alba, Jonathan Kilman, Paul Lowell, Jon Yapo, Foley & Lardner: Columbia Care
Timothy Stanfield, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney: Florida Governmental Utility Authority; Government Services Group; McDonald’s Corporation; Vertex Pharmaceuticals
TODAY ON CONTEXT FLORIDA: MATT GAETZ, TRAINS, HEALTHCARE CLARITY AND TECH & POLITICS
Today on Context Florida: Even those who disagree with the arch conservative Rep. Matt Gaetz concede that the only place he is more brilliant than he is when delivering a speech on the floor of the Florida House is when he is at a keyboard or on his smart phone and broadcasting to his friends and followers. That is, says Peter Schorsch, until last week. Just as House lawmakers were putting together their annual “trains” – cramming multiple, tangentially related bills into hundreds of pages of amendments so they could pass them all at the eleventh hour – a funny thing happened, says Julie Delegal. They upped and quit. Daniel Tilson believes Floridians deserve clarity on healthcare reform. After years of confusion and consternation caused by opponents of the Affordable Care Act, it’s no wonder much of Main Street Florida is unfazed by or unaware of details of last week’s melodramatic work stoppage in the Florida Legislature. When it comes to state politics, writes Joe Clements, co-founder and CEO of Strategic Digital Services, America’s largest technology companies are aloof and arrogant. He argues that tech and politics have much in common. Relationships, whether one or one million, are of critical importance in both spaces, and the tech industry should understand their intricate and delicate nature.
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