Sunburn – The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics.
By Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Mitch Perry, Ryan Ray, and Jim Rosica.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALIA FARAJ-JOHNSON
To help us celebrate the birthday of one of Sunburn’s favorite people, we asked two people who know her well to offer their thoughts:
Sarah Bascom: “Where do I start in putting into words my happiest birthday wishes for Alia Faraj-Johnson. Most people would think of writing about her professionalism, her myriad of accomplishments and her impressive resume as a communications professional.But what comes to my mind when I think of Alia is her love for her family. To really know Alia is to watch her interact with her best friend and husband, Rob Johnson, her lively daughter Peyton and her mother Laila. That is the Alia that my family has come to know as a dear friend. So happy birthday to one of my dearest friends, Alia Faraj-Johnson! We can sneak away for tequila shots when Laila is distracted! Love, The Bascoms”
Ryan Duffy: “Happy Birthday to Alia, who has been a good friend a colleague for many years. I have been proud to call Alia a friend since she hired me in Governor Bush’s press office more than a decade ago. No matter the issue, there is never a question of how hard she will work for your cause. Our clients know that she is the total package: a true professional, a resilient taskmaster, and a tornado of activity that seeks to overwhelm the opposition. It has been great working with her over the years and I am privileged to be able to learn from her every day at H+K. Happy Birthday, Alia!”
IT’S DEBATE NIGHT IN AMERICA!
The Republican candidates for president will gather Wednesday for their third debate amid fresh volatility in an already chaotic race, with Ben Carson surging past Donald Trump in Iowa and one-time front-runner Jeb Bush under pressure to prove he’s still a viable candidate for the GOP nomination.
The soft-spoken Carson has been a low-key presence in the first two GOP debates, but the retired neurosurgeon is likely to get more attention from moderators — as well as his fellow candidates — after a series of preference polls show him atop the field in Iowa.
Trump has already shown he’s eager to take on Carson, jabbing him for his speaking style and raising questions about his Seventh Day Adventist faith.
“We’ll see how Ben holds up to the scrutiny,” Trump said Tuesday on MSNBC.
Meanwhile, Bush will be grasping for momentum after one of the most trying stretches of his White House campaign. Slower-than-expected fundraising has led Bush to slash spending and overhaul his campaign structure, and he’s voiced frustration with the way the unusual race has progressed.
If the election is going to be about fighting to get nothing done, he says, “I don’t want any part of it.”
There will be 10 candidates on stage in the prime-time debate in Boulder, Colorado, all seeking a share of a smaller spotlight: this debate on CNBC will run for only two hours after the last affair went on for more than three.
The four lowest-polling candidates will participate in an earlier undercard event: South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former New York Gov. George Pataki. None has gotten close to breaking into the upper tier of candidates.
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES HAVE BECOME MUST-WATCH TELEVISION via Mark Barabak of the Los Angeles Times – The surprise hit of this television season … It’s the prime-time presidential debates … Much of that can be credited to Trump … and to Bernie Sanders, the charismatically cantankerous Vermont senator … the year’s other political phenomenon. In a sense, the two are cast members, along with the rest of the presidential candidates, in a wonky form of reality TV. “We can’t wait to see who’s going to do what onstage, and how they respond to one another,” said Marty Kaplan, a former Democratic campaign strategist who teaches in the communications school at USC.
NEXTGEN CLIMATE TO AIR NEW TV AND DIGITAL ADS DURING GOP DEBATE via Mitch Perry of Florida Politics – With the emphasis on the economy, the GOP presidential candidates may actually field a question or two on their thoughts on climate change [during the] debate … NextGen Climate has announced that they will air an ad on broadcast and digital platforms during the debate, calling on our next president to lead the world on climate change action and lay out a plan to achieve more than 50 percent clean energy by 2030. The ad will run on CNBC as part of a six-figure national TV and digital buy.
THE NEXT DEBATE via Hadas Gold of POLITICO – The next GOP primary debate on Nov. 10 will feature an undercard debate, Fox Business Network announced Tuesday… The main stage debate will be moderated by Fox Business Managing Editor Neil Cavuto and Global Markets Editor Maria Bartiromo, along with Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Gerard Baker.
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POLL DU JOUR: Carson now leads the Republican presidential field nationally, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll. Carson takes 26%, followed by Trump with 22%, Rubio with 8%, and Bush and Carly Fiorina with 7% each. Cruz, Paul, Mike Huckabee and John Kasich each finished with 4%.
DONALD TRUMP SAYS HE’LL STAY IN TO WIN, EVEN IF RUNNING FROM BEHIND via the Associated Press – Responding to Carson‘s surge in Iowa … Trump said … he’ll stick with the presidential race, even if he loses the luxury of running from atop the polls. “I’m in it to the end” … He conceded he might lose his bid for the Republican nomination. “It’s certainly a possibility that I won’t make it … I’ll still be proud of my effort because I think I’ve done very well. I’m not a politician; I’ve run so far a great race … At the right time … I’m willing to spend whatever is necessary.”
NEW VIDEO AHEAD OF E-BOOK RELEASE PORTRAYS JEB BUSH, EMAILER via Patricia Mazzei of the Miami Herald – Bush‘s full e-book, built around some of the emails he received and responded to as Florida governor, comes out next week — and so his campaign debuted a new web video … highlighting the presidential candidate’s love for the medium … emphasis on his email was intended to draw a contrast with … Hillary Clinton, who has been plagued by questions about her private server as U.S. secretary of state … the more immediate effect of the book release might be to change the story from the Bush campaign’s salary and budget cuts last week.
“Bush picks up endorsement from former Sen. Alan Simpson” via Jordan Frasier of NBC News
FLA INSIDER POLL: STILL OPTIMSTIC ABOUT BUSH, BUT MUCH LESS SO via Adam Smith of the Tampa Bay Times – Political pros who know … Bush best remain bullish — albeit far less so than a couple months ago — about Bush’s prospects, despite his well-chronicled troubles of late … Tampa Bay Times Florida Insider Poll … found a strong plurality of Florida’s most plugged in political players … expect Bush will not only win Florida’s presidential primary March 15 but also the Republican nomination. Among more than 160 participants … 44 percent predicted Bush will be the nominee, 32 percent predicted Rubio, and 22 percent predicted Trump.
BUSH LAGS RIVALS IN EARLY-STATE SPENDING via Matt Viser of The Boston Globe – Bush is being outspent in the crucial early presidential caucus and primary states, while … Trump has quietly been building a competitive, ground-level campaign operation … Bush has spent less money in the first four states — Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada — than some of his top Republican rivals … Bush’s campaign says the FEC disclosures distort the true picture, because staffers hard at work in New Hampshire — where he is now focusing — are paid through a common Florida address, and their help on the campaign is not reflected in state-by-state expenditures. Still, even with those salaries factored in, Bush does not have the sort of staffing advantage heading into the heat of the campaign that he once boasted he could build … Trump has spent nearly $1 million in the early states, eclipsing all of his rivals, particularly in New Hampshire, where he just opened two more campaign offices.
JEB’S MCCAIN COMPARISON via Henry Jackson of POLITICO – Bush, short on money and long on staff, is reaching for a flattering analogy these days: John McCain‘s go-for-broke comeback win in New Hampshire in 2008. “The campaign was basically over,” Bush said at a campaign event … “Everybody said it. All the pundits said, ‘It’s over, why waste your time?'” But McCain never quit, Bush noted: “He won New Hampshire, he won Florida, he won the nomination and he should have been president.” There’s just one problem: McCain’s own people aren’t buying the comparison. “McCain was the only guy in the world that could have come back in the world from where we were, which was dead broke and running around on commercial flights and everything,” said Charlie Black, a top adviser for McCain’s 2008 campaign. “I think it’s bulls—,” said another former top McCain aide who is now working for one of Bush’s rivals. … who was more charitable? John McCain. “I think they’re valid comparisons” McCain [said] … arguing that most primary voters “are really not focused on it.”
DONOR DEFECTION via Nick Gass of POLITICO – Rubio has secured the endorsement of Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz, a Georgetown University law professor and member of the Federalist Society board of directors. He had previously donated $25,000 to the super PAC backing Jeb Bush.
MEANWHILE … BEN CARSON TURNS UP AT BROWARD GYM, PRAYS WITH MMA FIGHTER via Anthony Man of the Sun Sentinel – Carson, the ultra-soft spoken candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, met up Tuesday with someone who’s the exact opposite: mixed martial arts fighter Vitor Belfort. Their rendezvous was at OTB Fight gym in Coconut Creek, where Belfort endorsed Carson’s presidential candidacy. They also prayed together.
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MAP SHRINKING PALM BEACH COUNTY’S SENATE SEATS SET FOR VOTE — BUT COULD BE THREATENED BY CHANGES IN MIAMI-DADE via John Kennedy of the Palm Beach Post – Redrawn district boundaries that cost Palm Beach County a state Senate seat were positioned … for final approval, but changes made in Miami-Dade County could undermine the plan in courts … late-hour changes that rework three Hispanic majority districts – bolstering their already heavy minority populations while removing the risk that three incumbent senators could be forced to run for the same seat. “I think we just made it unconstitutional with that last amendment,” said Sen. Jeff Clemens … “You can’t draw a map with the intent to benefit an incumbent. Everyone knows that.”
TWEET, TWEET: @oscarjb2 presented a Frankenstein version of a map. The @FLSenate just zombied it.
CHALLENGERS OFFER ALTERNATIVE, ASK LEGISLATURE TO CONSIDER IT via Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald – The coalition of voters groups led by the League of Women Voters said they were “very disheartened to witness” the passage of an amendment Tuesday by Sen. Miguel Diaz de la Portilla. They alleged it was a violation of the constitutional ban on incumbency protection, known as a “tier one” standard. The amendment “unpairs Senator Diaz de la Portilla — the amendment’s sponsor — from facing Senator Flores in District 40 in [map] 9090, and increases the Republican performance of Senator Diaz de la Portilla’s new district in 9124 [District 37],” wrote David King, lead lawyer for the challengers. “These tier-one violations cannot be ignored, particularly when Senators have already criticized the base map selection process as one designed to avoid paring incumbents.”
King’s letter included an alternative map drawn by a redistricting expert and Democratic consultant John O’Neill, who drew the map approved by the court in the challenge to the congressional redistricting map. King enumerated the defects in the Legislature’s map and requested that lawmakers consider theirs instead.
OSCAR BRAYNON TO VOTE AGAINST PROPOSED SENATE MAP via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida – Braynon … will vote against a proposed state Senate map when it comes up for a final vote … has been the redistricting point-person for the 14-person Senate Democratic caucus. Republicans lead the chamber, but are fractured because of an ongoing fight over who will become Senate president … which gives Democrats an unusual amount of power. In order to pass the map that got initial approval … Democrats would need to be in support of the proposal. “I am a no,” said Braynon … “I still can’t support the plan.”
BIZARRO PRESS RELEASE via Miguel Diaz de la Portilla: “Why would Senate Democrats hold a partisan caucus meeting on a constitutional issue expressly designed to avoid such political favoritism?” asked Diaz de la Portilla, an attorney whose district includes a large Hispanic population that is home to Cuban exiles. “This proposed Democratic caucus position, along with the amendments offered by Sen. Jeff Clemens, are as partisan as it gets. The Democrats should not be so brazen in their blatant disregard for the Florida Constitution.”
TWEET, TWEET: @Fineout: State Sen. @BillGalvano: “This is not the end of the process, really the first volley.”
MEANWHILE … SUPREME COURT REJECTS REP. DAN WEBSTER’S REQUEST FOR ‘SEAT AT THE TABLE’ IN REDISTRICTING CASE via Michael Auslen of the Tampa Bay Times – Webster … won’t be allowed to intervene in the congressional redistricting case that he fears could eliminate his district, the Florida Supreme Court ruled … rejected Webster’s argument that he deserves a “seat at the table.”
FIRST ON FLORIDA POLITICS — GROUP FILES PROPOSED ANTI-GAMBLING EXPANSION AMENDMENT via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics – Voters in Charge political committee … chaired by John Sowinski, who also heads the Orlando-based No Casinos … [filed] The amendment [that] would “ensure that Florida voters shall have the exclusive right to decide whether to authorize casino gambling in the state … by making citizens’ initiatives the exclusive method of authorizing casino gambling.” The language makes clear … that there’s no intent to “limit the ability of the state or Native American tribes to negotiate gaming compacts (for) casino gambling on tribal lands, or to affect any existing gambling on tribal lands.”
RICK SCOTT BOBS AND WEAVES ON SEMINOLE BLACKJACK QUESTION via Jim Rosica of Florida Politics — Scott … wouldn’t say what he’ll do if the Seminole Tribe of Florida later this week refuses to take down its card tables when a deal expires that let it offer blackjack at its casinos … “I’m going to take the right amount of time to make sure I take care of all the taxpayers … I want to take care of our state; I want to make the best deal I can.” … [Pointedly] asked if he was prepared to seek enforcement of the agreement … U.S. marshals going onto tribal land and into casinos to seize tables, cards and other game-playing equipment … “My legal team is reviewing it … We’re going to do the right thing for the state.”
WHAT THE GOV’S OFFICE IS READING –– NORTHROP GRUMMAN WINS USAF BOMBER CONTRACT via Wayne Price and Dave Berman of FLORIDA TODAY – Northrop Grumman … won the much-coveted Air Force contract to design and manufacture a highly classified, long-range stealth bomber … will be a huge boost for the Space Coast, and Florida … $500 million capital investment … at its already growing and flourishing operations at Melbourne International Airport, and also 1,500 additional jobs paying an average annual wage of $100,000 in support of the program … Northrop Grumman has 1,300 employees in Brevard County and 4,400 in Florida.
ASSIGNMENT EDITORS: Gov. Scott will highlight job creation at two events, with the first one beginning 10:30 a.m. at Amazon, 1760 County Line Rd. in Lakeland. Later, the governor will be at 1st Choice Aerospace — the company that chose to expand in Florida over Kentucky. The event begins 3 p.m. at 3361 Enterprise Way in Miramar.
STATE LANDS DIRECTOR QUITS AMID QUESTIONS ABOUT $500,000 PARKS CONTRACT via Craig Pittman and Steve Bousquet of the Tampa Bay Times – For the second time in two years, the boss of Florida’s state lands division has quit amid questions about oversight of the state Department of Environmental Protection and its state parks system under Gov. Scott. On Friday, state lands division director Kelley Boree quit after the Tampa Bay Times had been asking the DEP the past month about a sole-source $500,000 contract awarded to a company founded by another DEP employee and her husband. As the Times awaited answers, the DEP canceled the contract. Boree’s resignation came the next day.
IT’S NOT TOO EARLY TO BE THINKING ABOUT FLORIDA’S CONSTITUTIONAL REVISION COMMISSION via John Kennedy of the Palm Beach Post – The Constitution Revision Commission is set to meet again in 2017. The 37-member panel last met in 1997 and a highlight of changes recommended then and later approved by voters was reducing the Florida Cabinet from six members to three — a move that strengthened the power of the governor. … More big things could be ahead for the next commission. And the Tallahassee-based Leroy Collins Institute is kicking off a look at the tasks and potential sweep of the still-to-be-named commission, today at Florida State University. … (Former Gov. Bob) Martinez … will moderate one of three panels at an event running from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., today. It will be live webstreamed on the Florida Channel.
FLORIDA PROPERTY INSURERS GET HIGH MARKS IN HURRICANE ‘STRESS TESTS’ via Jeremy Wallace of the Tampa Bay Times – Even if Florida gets blasted by four hurricanes in one season as it did a decade ago, 67 Florida-based insurance companies tested by the state have enough of a financial cushion to handle the damage, according to a new report touted by the state’s top financial regulator … CFO Jeff Atwater praised the results … the report, which shows every Florida-based insurer passing every “stress test” scenario, should inject a new level of confidence in Florida’s rebounding insurance industry … some companies performed significantly better than others. Nine companies emerged from the test with a remaining surplus between 110 percent and 140 percent of what is required. But 30 emerged from the test with more than 500 percent of the required surplus.
STATE LAWMAKERS PROPOSE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT TO BAN FRACKING IN FLORIDA via Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster of the Naples Daily News – A Miami Democrat has filed a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to ban all forms of well stimulation in Florida. Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez filed the resolution (HJR 453) on Tuesday. If approved by the Legislature, the ban would be placed on the ballot for approval during the next general election. Sen. Jeremy Ring, a Margate Democrat, is sponsoring a similar proposal (SJR 358) in the Senate.
BILL WOULD WAIVE FLORIDA STATE PARK FEES FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR via Troy Kinsey of Orlando News 13 – Admission to the state parks range from $1 to $10 per person, but under new legislation, those fees could disappear for an entire year. A new bill … would waive admission fees to all 174 state parks beginning July 1, 2016. The idea behind the bill is to encourage more people to enjoy the beauty of the Sunshine State’s outdoors. Conservationists, however, are worried that if the fees go away, the state might look for new ways of raising money, like allowing logging and cattle grazing on state park land.
MYSTERY SURROUNDS LARGEST DONOR TO RIVAL SOLAR POWER BALLOT INITIATIVE via Jeremy Wallace of the Miami Herald — A group calling itself “Let’s Preserve the American Dream” gave $200,000 to the utility-backed Consumers for Smart Solar … the largest donation yet. But who that group is shrouded in mystery … The PAC’s chairman is Ryan Tyson … who also works as the vice president of Associated Industries of Florida … Tyson’s PAC did not report giving any money to Consumers for Smart Solar, despite their assertion it did. According to the Florida Division of Elections, Let’s Preserve the American Dream gave no campaign donations in September. But Consumers For Smart Solar reported getting the check for $200,000 on Sept. 30.
***Florida horsemen fear “decoupling” will trigger a statewide gambling avalanche, extract money out of Florida’s economy and siphon it back to Big Casinos, disabling our heretofore successful horse racing industry from competing for business with other, more horse racing-friendly states. It tells potential investors that “Florida is closed for business.” NoDecoupling.com is an advocacy outreach by United Florida Horsemen, which comprises nearly 350,000 horsemen from the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the Florida Quarter Horse Racing Association, the Florida Quarter Horse Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, Florida Standardbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association, National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, American Quarter Horse Association and U.S.Trotting.***
SCRUTINY, CONTROVERSY LED OFFICIALS TO HALT BEAR HUNT EARLY via Bruce Ritchie of POLITICO Florida — A day after they halted the state’s first black bear hunt in 21 years just two days in, Florida wildlife officials said … it was too soon to talk about lessons learned, or to say whether there will be a hunt next year … the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission cut it short as the number of bears killed approached the 320 statewide quota … officials still defended their decision to allow the hunt, saying they had known it would be a learning experience since the state had gone more than two decades since the last hunt. Hunting rules prohibited the killing of bears with cubs, but opponents said hunters wouldn’t know if cubs were away from their mothers only briefly when they were shot … the final number of bears killed wouldn’t include orphaned cubs that were left to die.
PERSONNEL NOTE – MICHAEL WICKERSHEIM TAKES OVER AS DCF’S LEGISLATIVE DIRECTOR via Kevin Derby of the Sunshine State News – The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) named … Michael Wickersheim as legislative affairs director to replace Tim Parson who is now executive staff director for Florida’s Drug Policy Advisory Council. Wickersheim worked as deputy director of legislative affairs for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and was an aide to state Sen. Jeff Brandes.
4TH FLOOR FILES TALKS WITH MONICA RODRIGUEZ ABOUT CAPITALISM, ADRENALINE RUSH AND HAKUNA MATATA via Florida Politics – Describe your political persuasion … “I believe in Capitalism and personal responsibility. I think taxes are way too high. My parents are Cuban so I hate anything that resembles communism or socialism.” What are you most looking forward to during the Legislative Session? “Conference. I love the adrenaline rush and the camaraderie with colleagues. And taking my 5-year-old to a client lunch at the Governor’s Club buffet (becoming one of my favorite traditions).”
NEW ON THE TWITTERS: @ReviseFLcon
NEW LOBBYING REGISTRATIONS
Brian Ballard, Michael Abrams, Ballard Partners: Emergency Communications Network
Sarah Bascom, Bascom Communications: F4 Tech
Robert Beck, Adams St. Advocates: Keith Diamond, P.A
Yeline Goin, Becker & Poliakoff: SST
Thomas Harrington, Capital Alliance: Florida Association of Nonprofits
Jerry Lee McDaniel, Sarah Carroll, James Mcfadden, Monte Stevens, Southern Strategy Group: Apple Inc.; Moffitt Cancer Center
Lonna Peterson: Cognosante
Katherine San Pedro: AT&T
Michael Wickersheim: Department of Children and Families
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Aaron Dietrich and my ol’ professor, Bill Pfeiffer.
