Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Mitch Perry, Ryan Ray, and Jim Rosica.

Welcome to the first day of October. In the Schorsch household, this means it’s time to begin preparing for what you see in the picture above (although we’ve moved since that photo was taken.) My Clark Griswoldesque obsession with hanging outdoor lights from every inch of our home starts today with me dragging boxes and boxes of Halloween kitsch from the garage. It will take a couple of days (and the help of my friends from Decorating Elves) to complete the project, but when it’s done, the whole world — or at least our poor neighbors who will be blinded by the tens of thousands of LED lights — will know the holidays are here!
In the political world, the first of October means the barrage of apocalyptic fundraising emails will subside (at least until the end of the month) and new laws go into effect.
Nearly 30 new laws go into effect today, ranging from prohibiting placing “tracking devices” on people’s cars and outlawing “revenge porn” to making it a crime to impersonate a firefighter.
One omnibus highway law becoming law allows a law enforcement agency to spend up to $5,000 “to cover funeral and burial expenses of a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty.” It also requires an “18 inch square, red flag on all loads that extend four feet or more beyond a vehicle.”
— HB 197 creates a second-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 60 days in jail, for “installing a tracking device or tracking application on another person’s property without the other person’s consent,” according to the staff analysis.
— SB 538 outlaws “sexual cyberharassment,” commonly known as revenge porn, when someone posts an explicit image of another online without permission.
— SB 1010 adds firefighters and state arson investigators to the list of officials that it is illegal to impersonate. A lawbreaker faces a third-degree felony.
Hello October! (And I’ll post pictures of this year’s Halloween lighting display soon.)
***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.***
‘IT’S POLITICAL BULLSHIT,’ DONALD TRUMP SAYS OF JEB BUSH-MARCO RUBIO FRIENDSHIP via Patty Mazzei of the Miami Herald
Trump surprised reporters — and got big applause — Wednesday at a New Hampshire town hall where he cursed at least twice, including to dismiss the friendship between Republican presidential rivals Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush.
“It’s political bullshit,” Trump declared.
“They hate each other,” he insisted. “Trust me. I know.”
BUSH ON MARCO RUBIO: HE FOLLOWED MY LEAD via Ashley Killough of CNN
Bush painted his longtime ally Rubio as a follower and Trump as an “entertainer” on Wednesday, arguing in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash that he’ll go the distance because of his own background as a “proven leader.”
In a subtle but significant swipe, Bush tried to cast a shadow on Rubio’s experience as a first-term senator, saying the country has already tried a fresh face who promised hope and change, referring to President Barack Obama.
As Bush’s support has dropped dramatically in the past few months — a new national poll had him in fifth place — Rubio has seen a recent surge. Both are taking a slow and steady approach, hoping to peak at just the right moment before the February primaries and caucuses.
It’s an awkward situation for the two men… Both hail from Miami and are fluent in Spanish, and they’re also competing for the mantle as the Republican who can help broaden the GOP base. Pressed Wednesday on why Bush thinks voters should support him over Rubio — who regularly says it’s time to “turn the page” rather than elect “the most familiar name” — Bush pointed to his tried-and-tested experience.
TWEET, TWEET: .@HillaryClinton’s stance on #KeystoneXL earns a “Give me a break.” I have a plan to embrace the energy revolution.
BUSH ON WASHINGTON REDSKINS TEAM NAME: ‘I DON’T THINK IT SHOULD CHANGE’ via Rick Klein of ABC News
Bush is siding with the Washington Redskins’ right to keep the team’s name, despite protests from Native American groups and pressure from Congress to force a change.
“I don’t think it should change it,” Bush said on the inaugural episode of “The Arena” radio program, set to debut Friday afternoon on Sirius XM’s POTUS Channel 124. “But again, I don’t think politicians ought to be having any say about that, to be honest with you. I don’t find it offensive. Native American tribes generally don’t find it offensive.”
Bush cited the NCAA’s decision to let Florida State University keep its Seminoles nickname in 2005, while Bush was the governor of Florida, in explaining his thinking on the name for Washington’s football franchise.
“We had a similar kind of flap with FSU, if you recall, the Seminoles. And the Seminole tribe itself kind of came to the defense of the university and it subsided,” he said. “It’s a sport, for crying out loud. It’s a football team. Washington has a huge fan base — I’m missing something here, I guess.”
FLASHBACK: Redskins owner Daniel Snyder gave $100,000 to the Right to Rise Super PAC supporting Bush’s campaign.
BUSH TURNS PERSONAL IN CONFRONTING HEROIN’S TOLL IN NEW HAMPSHIRE via Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times
“It’s not just a question of a loss of life or a loss of the potential of one person, which is phenomenal,” Bush said at the Catholic Medical Center in Manchester, N.H. … “I can go into meetings and I know the families who have suffered because of this. It’s very easy to see. You can see it drained out of your face.”
TWEET, TWEET: @KilloughCNN: oops. Bush says he wants to go “to Tallahassee and fix this big mess” but corrects himself to say DC. “I’m not going back to Tallahassee.”
RUBIO HIT BY LEFT AND RIGHT AS HE MOVES BACK INTO SPOTLIGHT via Alex Leary of the Tampa Bay Times
As Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC prepared for a conference call this morning to bash Rubio’s family leave proposal, Trump tweeted about a story about how Rubio has been propped up by Miami billionaire Norman Braman.
“Anyone reading this profile of Marco Rubio would never vote for him. Never made ten cents & is totally controlled!” Trump tweeted.
Welcome back to the spotlight, Mr. Rubio.
Rubio’s strong debate performance and growing enthusiasm from supporters in early states has brought more attention — and scrutiny. He has tried to keep a lower profile to avoid the attacks Bush has endured, but that balance will become increasingly more difficult as the GOP field narrows.
— “Democratic women blast Marco Rubio’s paid family leave program, saying it’s missing the ‘paid’ part” via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Rubio has a town hall in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and an event in Dallas. H/t to POLITICO 2016 Blast.
CNBC SETS 3 PERCENT POLLING FLOOR FOR MAIN GOP DEBATE STAGE via Hadas Gold and Alex Isenstadt of POLITICO
CNBC will include an undercard forum for low-polling GOP candidates at the next Republican debate on Oct. 28, assuaging some of the fears and complaints from the campaigns who have little hope of making the main stage.
CNBC has set a floor of 1 percent in polls conducted by NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN and Bloomberg released in the five weeks before the debate — between Sept. 17 and Oct. 21 — in order to participate in any part of the debate, being held in Boulder, Colo.
Candidates who have an average of 3 percent in polls will be on the primetime, 8p.m. EDT debate stage, CNBC announced on Wednesday. A 2.5 percent average will be rounded up to 3 percent. All other candidates with at least a 1 percent in any poll will be invited to the undercard debate.
According to the most recent polling averages, the main debate stage would feature Trump, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Rubio, JBush, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee and Rand Paul, whose 2.75 average would be rounded up to 3. According to the most recent polls, the undercard debate stage if held today would feature Gov. Bobby Jindal, former Gov. George Pataki and former Sen. Rick Santorum, but neither Sen. Lindsey Graham nor former Gov. Jim Gilmore have hit 1 percent in one of the recognized polls.
MEANWHILE … HILLARY CLINTON RAISES $28 MIL IN PAST 3 MONTHS, BERNIE SANDERS JUST BEHIND via the Associated Press
Sanders raised about $26 million for his presidential campaign in the past three months, his campaign said Wednesday, nearly matching the $28 million take of Clinton.
The bulk of Clinton’s total came from fundraisers hosted by big donors across the country, many held in the traditionally Democratic treasure-chests of Manhattan and Hollywood. She raised at least $19 million from about 60 events where admission typically cost $2,700, the biggest donation allowed by law.
Sanders’ total was fueled almost entirely by small donations, largely given online, underscoring the draw of his insurgent campaign among the grassroots of the Democratic Party. The campaign has held just seven traditional fundraisers since launching at the end of April, said Sanders campaign spokesman Michael Briggs, compared to a total of more than 110 for Clinton over the same period.
***Today’s SUNBURN is brought to you by Jamestown Associates, one of the most successful political and public affairs consulting firms in Florida and the nation. Jamestown produces victories for our clients by creating TV, radio, mail and digital advertising that gets the voters’ attention and their votes. Persuasive ads. Personalized attention. Detailed review of demographics, past election results and history. Understanding the client. Understanding Florida. Single-minded focus on winning. Jamestown’s work has been recognized with 50 Pollie and Reed awards. See how we can help you win. Visit JamestownAssociates.com***
GOP SENATE CANDIDATES TAKE DIFFERING APPROACHES TO GOV’T SHUTDOWN via Michael Auslen of the Tampa Bay Times
When the U.S. House voted Wednesday afternoon to avoid a government shutdown, the two Republican congressmen eyeing a U.S. Senate seat from Florida took completely different approaches.
Rep. David Jolly voted in favor of a continuing resolution that keeps the federal government open on a temporary basis. But Rep. Ron DeSantis joined 150 other Republicans in voting against the resolution.
“My concern within the caucus is those members who truly think that shutting down government is a legitimate tool,” Jolly said. “We empower President Obama every time we shut down government.”
The shutdown push was driven by opponents of Planned Parenthood who stood firm against funding the organization.
“Continuing resolutions are no way to legislate,” DeSantis said in a written statement. “Today’s continuing resolution extends the spending priorities of the Harry Reid Senate from 2014, fails to direct money away from organizations like Planned Parenthood.”
LABOR-BACKED RETIREE GROUP BACKS PATRICK MURPHY IN DEMOCRATIC SENATE PRIMARY via George Bennett of the Palm Beach Post
Florida Alliance for Retired Americans President Emeritus Tony Fransetta once said Rep. Alan Grayson would make an “excellent” Senator, but his labor-backed group has endorsed Rep. Patrick Murphy over Grayson in the Democratic primary for 2016.
FLARA, headquartered in Wellington and affiliated with the national Alliance for Retired Americans, has about 200,000 members in Florida.
“Patrick Murphy is a strong, persistent fighter for Florida’s seniors,” Fransetta said in an endorsement statement released Tuesday by the Murphy campaign. “When Florida’s seniors need him, from Social Security to Medicare to clean air and water, Patrick has always been there for us — always. He’s fought against cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Without a doubt, Patrick is the best choice for Florida’s seniors.”
TWEET, TWEET: @HouseFloor: 10:00:27am – The Speaker designated the Honorable David W. Jolly to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
MUST-READ OP-ED: “I CHOSE TO HELP REBUILD MY OLD CUBA” via Mike Fernandez for the Miami Herald
“Just a few years ago I – and so many others – would have expected mass protests at the thought of the Cuban and American flags being raised at each other’s embassies. Then, weeks ago, just that came to pass, and not a mouse was seen banging a cooking pan with a wooden spoon in our own Little Havana. How time has changed us. I see real maturation on the U.S.-Cuba issue, but also know that so many have taken a wait-and-see attitude, with arms crossed. I urge Cuban Americans on the sidelines to take charge of their destiny and not allow others to define destiny for us. We can (1) hang on to the chapter that has already been written, or (2) accept it for what it is, and become a relevant contributor to the future.”
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Gov. Rick Scott will zig-zag across the state on Wednesday highlighting recent job growth, traveling to first to Daytona Beach where he’ll make a jobs announcement at Total Quality Logistics at 10 p.m., before heading south to do the same at Shaw Development in Bonita Springs at 2 p.m.
ADAM PUTNAM’S POLICY SPEECH ALREADY DRAWING QUESTIONS via Tom Palmer of the Ledger
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam‘s recent speech about the need to act on water policy to make sure the development machine keeps spinning is, unsurprisingly, not passing without comment around the state … [but] Putnam has opposed EPA rules intended to reduce pollution and to protect wetlands.
ALAN HAYS, COLLEGE PRESIDENT HOPEFUL, SEES A NEW OPPORTUNITY via Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times
Republican Sen. Alan Hays of Umatilla, a candidate for the presidency of his hometown state college, also is said to have his eye on the high-paying job of Lake County supervisor of elections. Contacted Wednesday, Hays didn’t deny it.
“I’m keeping my options open. I’m not ruling out anything. That’s all I need to say,” Hays told the Times/Herald.
Hays is an announced candidate for re-election to the Senate in 2016. If the retired dentist also retires from the Senate, it would add another layer of unpredictability to the power struggle between Sens. Joe Negron and Jack Latvala for control of the Senate in November 2016. Hays is a Latvala supporter.
Lake County’s long-time election supervisor, Emogene Stegall, is retiring, and Hays’ possible interest in the $120,000-a-year elections post was noted in a recent Orlando Sentinel column. Two senators have said they expect Hays to forgo re-election in favor of the elections post, but Hays says that’s premature.
SOUTH FLA. LAWMAKER REFILES ‘PALCOHOL’ BILL via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics
State Sen. Gwen Margolis will try again to get the sale, possession and use of powdered alcohol, or “palcohol,” banned in Florida.
Margolis, a Miami-Dade Democrat, filed her bill (SB 392) on Wednesday for the 2016 Legislative Session, which begins in January.
A similar bill she sponsored last session passed the Senate on a 35-2 vote but died in the House. Some lawmakers were skeptical of a ban, saying the substance should instead be regulated like other alcoholic products.
But Margolis has said palcohol was an oncoming public safety issue that needed to be taken out. Palcohol can be sold in pouches equal to one shot and then mixed with water, juice or another beverage. As reported earlier this year, its inventor once promoted it as something that could be spirited into concerts.
BLOG POST OF THE DAY — LEGISLATORS ‘PRETENDING’ TO LIVE ON MINIMUM WAGE? INEFFECTIVE, LAZY, OFFENSIVE via Leslie Wimes for Sunshine State News
At least 18 Florida lawmakers started living on minimum wage this week to draw attention to the need to increase the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour … part of something called the “minimum wage challenge,” a campaign by the Service Employees International.
These 18 lawmakers, all Democrats, will live on $17 a day for five days. Or will they?
The lawmakers will eat on $17 a day. Except they will cheat when the cameras aren’t rolling … REAL minimum wage workers don’t have that luxury. They certainly don’t get to cheat. They don’t get to put on and take off poverty as if it’s a Halloween Costume.
Do publicity stunts like these hurt more than they help? No tomfoolery. No dog and pony show. No Halloween costumes. No offensive role-playing. Just hard work to help poor people.
STATE PANEL TALKS DOLLARS AND CENTS OF MEDICAL POT via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics
The state’s Financial Impact Estimating Conference, made up of various state officials, met Wednesday to go over nearly 600 pages of reference material on the medical marijuana ballot initiative initiative.
One estimate in the materials showed administrative costs to the state of more than $1 million, but also showed such costs would likely be offset by regulatory fees, meaning a net neutral, but Alan Suskey, a representative of Drug Free America, told panel members that Colorado was spending $15 million a year on enforcement and education efforts.
Amy Baker, the Florida Legislature’s chief economic adviser, also said there was continued “uncertainty over taxability” of medical pot. California had projected revenue of $58 million-$105 million from its taxing of marijuana, a background paper showed.
The amendment, supported by Orlando trial attorney John Morgan, is a second attempt to get medicinal pot into the state constitution. A similar initiative failed to get the required 60 percent approval last year by three points.
FISH AND WILDLIFE WANTS JUDGE TO DISMISS BEAR HUNT CHALLENGE via Daniel Ducassi of POLITICO Florida
Lawyers for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission asked a circuit court judge on Tuesday to toss out a lawsuit by a conservation group and a Central Florida man aimed at blocking Florida’s first bear hunt in more than 20 years.
FWC approved the hunt in April, and the hunt is set to last at least two days starting Oct. 24.
There is no limit on how many permits will be issued. More than 1,900 hunters have applied. The hunt can be called off after the third day when the quota of 320 bears is reached, although opponents argue that number will likely be exceeded.
FWC argues that the hunt is needed because the state’s bear population of roughly 3,000 has grown too large and bears are now forced out of their habitat to search for food in neighborhood trash cans.
5 FIRED AT MIAMI-DADE LOCKUP WHERE TEEN DIED IN BEAT DOWN via Carol Marbin Miller of the Miami Herald
At a since-shuttered juvenile corrections center in Pahokee, staff members used Snickers bars to get kids to beat each other up. In Broward County’s juvenile lockup, free iced tea has purportedly been similarly employed.
Department of Juvenile Justice administrators won’t say if they think that’s what happened to Elord Revolte, the 17-year-old who died last month after a vicious attack by more than a dozen detainees at the Miami-Dade juvenile lockup.
But they did say this late Wednesday evening: Five staffers at the lockup, including three supervisors, have been fired for infractions that include failing to oversee detained children and falsifying official reports. And a special team will be dispatched from the agency’s Inspector General’s Office on Thursday to initiate an investigation into allegations that “honey buns” have been used as bounties for beat-downs.
Citing “mountains” of air quality data and public health records, representatives from South Florida’s public health field and the sugar industry on Wednesday struck back against opponents of cane burning, an industry practice that sugarcane growers deem necessary to bringing the crop to market in Florida.
Judy Sanchez, a spokeswoman for U.S. Sugar, referenced legal threats made by organizations such as the Sierra Club and characterized them as nothing more than an attempt to “disrupt our business operations.”
Sanchez was joined by Pat Dobbins, a former medical officer for the Florida Department of Health in Hendry and Glades Counties, who also raised doubts about arguments that are being made in an attempt to link cane burning to negative health outcomes.
According to Dobbins, the health community is “unanimous in agreeing that cane burning does not pose a threat to the health of the communities near where it occurs.” Dobbins pointed to the state’s regulatory requirements for cane burning and local monitoring, which show South Florida’s agricultural areas are “as clean as any other part of the state.”
***SUNBURN is brought to you in part by Bascom Communications & Consulting, LLC, a top-notch public affairs, political communications and public relations firm. Visit www.bascomllc.com to read about their growing team, success stories and case studies.***
BOB LOTANE BATTLES GREAT ODDS TO DIRECT BENEFIT RACE via Jennifer Portman of the Tallahassee Democrat
Robin Lotane would have traded her cancer for all of it — the wheelchair, the useless legs, the curled hands — everything her husband Bob Lotane lives with today, a year after a random mosquito bite left his body ravaged.
Facing certain death five years ago, Robin, an accomplished 48-year-old attorney, was willing to try anything.
On Saturday — a day after his 57th birthday — Lotane will be honoring his late wife by serving as race director of the Robin Lotane Hurricane Run to benefit the Capital Area Red Cross in SouthWood. The race began in 2007, spearheaded by Robin, a former chief assistant state prosecutor and long-time Red Cross board member. After her death in 2010, Bob kept it alive in her honor.
This time last year, odds were good the race would memorialize both of them.A former marathon runner and gym rat, Lotane has endured the physical challenge of his life, clawing back from total paralysis wrought by West Nile virus.
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
Keith Arnold, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney: Westcor Land Title Insurance Company
Doug Bell, Marnie George, Mike Harrell, Buchan Ingersoll & Rooney: AbbVie, Inc.
Louis Betz: Metrotech Net
Dean Cannon, Larry Cretul, Cynthia Lorenzo, Kirk Pepper, Richard Reeves, Joe Salzverg, Capitol Insight: Leon County School Board, Self Storage Association
Nick Iarossi, Jen Gaviria, Chris Schoonover, Capital City Consulting: Florida Healthy Kids Corporation
Cynthia Henderson, Cynergy Consulting: Metrotech Net
Jason Unger, GrayRobinson: iPic Entertainment
CONTEXT FLORIDA: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT, COLUMBA BUSH AND BLINDLY FOLLOWING ‘GREEN’
On Context Florida: A new voice has emerged in the debate about capital punishment, and, in one respect, Julie Delegal says it echoes a very old one. Marc Hyden is a former field director for the National Rifle Association — sealing forever his street cred as a deep-dyed conservative. His new gig is coordinating a group that rose from the ground up, in CPAC meetings around the country: Conservatives Concerned About the Death Penalty. Columba Bush writes about the 27th anniversary of National Hispanic Heritage Month – from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 this year – the month-long recognition of the many contributions Hispanics and Latinos have made to our country. Michael Bass warns not to just blindly follow all ‘green’ trends — do the research first. Bass is tired of people who portray themselves as somehow better environmentally than others just because they follow the latest trend without thinking it through. He points out glaring inconsistencies about such people and describes some simple steps anyone can take to really reduce his or her impact on the environment.
Visit Context Florida to dig in.
DOWNTOWN DISNEY GIVES WAY TO DISNEY SPRINGS via Associated Press
Downtown Disney has become Disney Springs and the popular Walt Disney World complex is also getting a new look.
The name change was made officials during a ceremony on Tuesday at Waterview Park next door to Jock Lindsey’s Hangar Bar, which has an Indiana Jones-theme. On Wednesday, a new restaurant, Morimoto Asia, opens to the public.
Keith Bradford, the vice president of Disney Springs, said the new name is “a huge milestone.” And, he said, “there’s plenty more to come.”
The Orlando Sentinel reports the Disney Springs project was announced in 2013. The renovation includes an increase in dining, shopping and entertainment options that should be completed in 2016. Two parking garages and a new link to Interstate 4 are also in the works.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ryan Banfill of Sachs Media Group.