últimas notícias

INAUGURATION DAY — After surviving a primary he was not supposed to win and a general election that spiraled into a recount, Republican Ron DeSantis is finally governor. He fought hard to get here, but the win comes with little honeymoon period. DeSantis, who takes the public oath of office later Tuesday, will have to cobble tougher his first roughly $90 billion state budget proposal by the end of the month, pick three state Supreme Court justices, and finalize some top-tier administration appointments. After today, the pomp and circumstance of inauguration day will quickly fade, leaving nothing but a handful of first-year defining decisions.

No. 46 — “As DeSantis gets keys to governor’s mansion, defining issues await,” by POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon: After eight years of Florida politics dominated by Gov. Rick Scott, Florida gets a new governor on Tuesday. Republican Ron DeSantis technically became Florida’s 46th governor at midnight, but Tallahassee will be packed with big events to celebrate his public inauguration. Along with the pomp and circumstance, DeSantis is expected to offer clues about what to expect during his first year in office. Read more

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As one governor assumes office, the outgoing Florida governor’s super PAC raises coin in a shutdown D.C. …

SHUTDOWN BALLING — To celebrate Rick Scott officially becoming Florida’s junior senator, his New Republican PAC is throwing a “black tie optional” Sunshine Ball in D.C. tonight at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on Constitution Avenue NW. A few Scott critics (including a Republican) flagged the event to us as an example of the governor-turned-senator entering his new job on a tone-deaf note in the capital amid a federal government shutdown. While many federal workers go without pay, special interests can pony up $100,000 for a “Platinum” sponsorship (includes VIP reception, photo op, VIP ball section access, special recognition), etc.

GREEN-EYED LADY — “Incoming first lady will make environment a priority,” by POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie: Casey DeSantis, who becomes Florida’s first lady on Tuesday, said cleaning up Florida’s waterways will be a top priority for her in Tallahassee. Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis, who is scheduled to be sworn in Tuesday, was elected last fall as toxic algae blooms and red tide choked state waters and focused attention on discharges from Lake Okeechobee. DeSantis told reporters after an inauguration prayer breakfast this morning that she’s been “very passionate” about cleaning up the water. “It’s not a left versus right — it is a right versus wrong,” she said. “We need to make sure we clean up the water in this state because it’s the lifeblood of our economy.” Read more here

RON AIN’T RICK — “Don’t expect Ron DeSantis to govern Florida like Rick Scott,” by Miami Herald’s David Smiley: Read more

RON ON THE MOVE — “Ron DeSantis plans swift action once in office,” by AP’s Gary Fineout: Read more

GO TIME — “Florida’s New Governor, Ron DeSantis,” by Florida Trend’s Jason Garcia: Read more

NEW GOV, OLD FACES — “Who’s on Ron DeSantis’ team that will govern Florida?” by Bradenton Herald’s Samantha J. Gross: Read more

…TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP…

ACLU VS. RUBIO — “ACLU Says Marco Rubio Is Pushing a Free-Speech Crackdown,” by New Times’ Jerry Iannelli: “The First Amendment protects Americans from being punished by the state for the things they say. The ‘state’ part here is key: You are not being censored, for example, if you’re fired from your job as a newspaper columnist because you got caught hanging out with a neo-Nazi biker gang. Quite a lot of people don’t seem to understand the definition of government censorship. One of these people is apparently Sen. Marco Rubio, who last week stated that one of his first priorities in Congress this year is passing a demonstrably anti-free-speech bill. The American Civil Liberties Union this morning condemned the measure because it would ‘weaken the First Amendment right to boycott.’” Read more

CAT SCRATCH FEVER — “Ted Nugent slams Marco Rubio’s proposed firearms bill: ‘The devil is in charge’,” by Yahoo’s Taryn Ryder: “The outspoken conservative rocker got his followers all riled up Monday when posting about the news that Rubio reintroduced a bill that would make it easier for courts to disarm dangerous people, the Sun-Sentinel reports. ‘Oh sure! Everybody knows that big brother government can be trusted to determine which of us can be trusted,’ Nugent, 70, shared on Facebook. ‘Maybe Hillary or Eric holder or James Comey could be in charge of such decision making. Sleep comfortably at night America the devil is in charge.’” Read more

TRUMP WATCH — “Florida voters sour on Donald Trump, new poll suggests,” by Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “Florida voters have turned sharply more negative about Donald Trump than they were at the beginning of his presidency. Polling data released Monday by Morning Consult show 46 percent of the state’s voters approving of Trump’s performance in December, with 49 percent disapproving. That’s a net negative of 3 percentage points. Nationwide, 44 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s performance last month and 52 percent disapproved, a net negative of 8 percentage points.” Read more

SHUTDOWN COSTS — “Michael Waltz, Ross Spano among House members forgoing pay until government shutdown ends,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Lemongello: “Two freshmen congressmen from Central Florida are among the growing number of House members and senators who are not accepting paychecks as long as the government is partially shut down. U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, R-St. Augustine, and U.S. Rep. Ross Spano, R-Dover, who both represents parts of Lake County, announced they will be working for free while 800,000 federal employees go without pay.” Read more

— @conorhurley: “I think @MarcACaputo had an assessment of @RossSpano’s ability to pay for his illegal loans on a congressional salary. Without that ill-begotten pay how on earth will #fl15 Rep Spano pay his tithe to Carreno and Hunt?” (Background on Spano’s illegal loans and financial woes is here)

… 2020 VISION …

FLORIDA MAN — “Joe Biden running for president? His brother thinks so,” by Palm Beach Post’s George Bennett: “Former Vice President Joe Biden’s youngest brother believes Biden will launch a 2020 campaign for president and win over the ‘disaffected’ voters Democrats lost to Donald Trump in 2016. ‘I think we’re going to run,’ Palm Beach County resident Frank Biden told The Palm Beach Post in an interview. ‘You can say that ‘Frank thinks his brother’s going to run.’ Now, he could surprise me. But I know the family’s behind him 100 percent.” Read more

HOW POLITICIANS CHOOSE VOTERS — “Local elections office ready for felons who want to vote. The state may be another story,” by Bradenton Herald’s Mark Young: “More than 1 million prior felons in the state of Florida will be eligible to vote as of Tuesday morning when the Florida Voting Felons Rights Act takes affect after passing in the November general election with 64 percent of the vote. Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Mike Bennett said he won’t know for sure until later this week, but he doesn’t expect his office to be inundated with former felons looking to get registered.” Read more

… DATELINE TALLAHASSEE …

DUE PROCESS? — “Judge questions Scott’s suspension of Broward County elections official,” by POLITICO Florida’s Alexandra Glorioso and Marc Caputo: A federal judge on Monday expressed concerns with Gov. Rick Scott’s suspension of former Broward County elections chief Brenda Snipes, with whom he had feuded during a hotly disputed recount after the November midterms. Snipes sued Scott and the Florida Senate last month, claiming the governor maligned her and the Senate violated her due process rights when it denied her a hearing. Snipes had announced her resignation just before Scott signed an executive order vilifying her performance and suspending her. She later rescinded that resignation. She wants her job reinstated and Scott’s order dismissed. Read more

FRIED AT LAST — “Fried calls for stronger enforcement of water quality regulations,” by Bruce Ritchie: Agriculture Commissioner-elect Nikki Fried on Monday said she will take a leadership role enforcing agricultural water quality regulations. Fried will be inaugurated Tuesday as the only statewide elected Democrat and the first from her party to serve on the elected Cabinet in eight years. She rose to office as toxic algae blooms, red tide and nutrient pollution sources — including agriculture — were making headlines. “There has been no enforcement of best management practices,” Fried told POLITICO after visiting a Tallahassee food bank. She said her department has a “tremendous” impact on water quality and will be taking a leadership role on the issue. Read more here

POPULAR — “Galvano ‘surprised’ by Scott’s last-minute appointments,” by POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon: Senate President Bill Galvano said Monday that he was caught off guard by Gov. Rick Scott’s decision to make more than 70 appointments just days before fellow Republican Ron DeSantis moves into the governor’s office. “I was surprised that he made so many so close to a new governor taking office,” Galvano said. The Senate must confirm a vast majority of the appointments, making its perception of the move an important one. Galvano said Scott’s decision was surprising, but said it was too soon to say whether it will affect the confirmation process. “I will give some deference to the governor [DeSantis],” Galvano said. “But it will ultimately come down to how the Senate wants to act.” Read more

INTERESTING CANDIDATE — “Former FDOT official named in billboard scheme applies to lead agency,” by Matt Dixon: A former Florida Department of Transportation official involved in a scheme to dole out illegal billboard permits applied to become Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis’ first transportation secretary on Monday. Kevin Thibault served in a number of agency leadership roles under former FDOT Secretary Stephanie Kopelousos, who was recently hired to serve as DeSantis’ legislative affairs director, and is now among six people who have formally submitted their applications for the post. In 2011, a grand jury found that Kopelousos made Thibault the leader of a plan to give 110 billboard permits to Salter Advertising, a panhandle company with strong ties to the region’s political leaders. The firm obtained the permits with the help of the late Greg Evers, who was a Republican House member representing the area. Read more

…GUNSHINE STATE…

ONE NATION, UNDER SURVEILLANCE — “High-tech cameras that recognize you are coming to Broward schools,” by Sun-Sentinel’s Scott Travis: “The next time you step onto a Broward County school campus, the video camera may not only watch you, but remember you. The Broward County School District plans to install a $621,000 surveillance system that includes facial-recognition technology. The technology can be used to check each face against a database of expelled students, sex offenders, felons and other potential troublemakers.” Read more

EVIL — “Shots fired at paramedics after they responded to call, cops say,” by Bradenton Herald’s Sara Nealeigh: Read more

…HURRICANE HOLE…

WHAT TOOK SO LONG? — “State revokes the license of a Hollywood nursing home where 12 people died after Irma,” by News Service of Florida’s Pedro Portal: “Moving forward with an administrative law judge’s recommendation, the state Agency for Health Care Administration has issued a final order to revoke the license of a Broward County nursing home where residents died after Hurricane Irma in 2017. The agency issued the 17-page order Friday against the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. Gov. Rick Scott’s administration in 2017 moved to revoke the license, but the nursing home challenged the decision in the state Division of Administrative Hearings.” Read more

THE DEAD — “Heavily damaged by Hurricane Michael, cleanup work beginning at city cemeteries,” by News Herald’s Ed Offley: “In this post-hurricane world, even the deceased have had to wait their turn. In the twelve weeks since Hurricane Michael struck, signs of progress have begun to appear all over the city as its contractor, CrowderGulf Inc., has picked up over 2.3 million cubic yards of debris along city streets and alleys. Now, City Manager Mark McQueen said Friday, workers are turning to a task that is just as important: clearing fallen trees from the three cemeteries that the city manages.” Read more

…THE SLIME…

THE ENEMY IS US — “Bill cracks down on residential lawn fertilizers; requires bans and buffers near estuaries,” by TCPalm’s Cheryl Smith: “A bill aims to crack down on fertilizer use on residential lawns. The bill would require each Florida county and municipal government to adopt the state’s fertilizer law and require residents to use only fertilizers containing 50-percent slow-release nitrogen on their lawns.” Read more

…PENINSULA AND BEYOND…

GENDER GAP COSTS — “Miami-Dade Women Earn 15 Percent Less Than Men, Report Shows,” by New Times’ Jessica Lipscomb: “Although female workers still earn far less than men do, research has shown the gender pay gap in the U.S. is slightly narrowing. But a new report from Florida International University says the wage gap has actually increased in Miami-Dade County in recent years. According to the most recent data from 2016, women who work full time make 15 percent less than their male counterparts. The prior report showed a difference was only 13 percent.” Read more

PUPPY MILL WAR — “Commissioner seeks to restrict sale of dogs, cats in Brevard County pet stores,” by TCPalm’s Dave Berman and Wayne T. Price:“County Commission Vice Chair Brian Lober has introduced legislation to restrict the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores within Brevard County. Lober says he is targeting what’s known as ‘puppy mills’ and ‘kitten factories.’ ‘It is widely believed that these commercial breeding facilities where dogs and cats are mass-produced in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions continue to exist, at least in part, because of the sale of dogs and cats in pet stores,’ Lober said in his agenda report to fellow commissioners.” Read more

FRIES WITH THAT? — “In aftermath of viral McDonald’s fight, workers plan strike to demand training, protection from violence,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Sara DiNatale: “Area McDonald’s employees plan to abandon their posts amid the lunch-rush, calling for the fast-food chain and others like it to better protect workers after a local cashier was attacked at the counter in an altercation captured on video. The workers, mainly involved with the Fight for $15 movement calling for an increased minimum wage, plan to walk out of their stores starting Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the St. Petersburg, Tampa and Orlando areas, according to a news release put out by organizers.” Read more

— “Venezuela Supreme Court judge flees to U.S. to protest Maduro,” by AP: “A Venezuelan Supreme Court justice and longtime government loyalist who fled the socialist country for a new life in the United States called Nicolas Maduro an incompetent president leading the once-wealthy country to ruins. Christian Zerpa’s embarrassing defection came days before Maduro begins his second term amid calls from critics and the international community to relinquish power.” Read more

…ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN…

NYT’S JONATHAN WEISMAN (@jonathanweisman): “Inbox from the Swamp: ‘Akin Gump is pleased to announce that former Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) have joined the firm’s public law and policy practice in Washington, D.C.’” The announcement

— “Liberals push for a Green New Deal as the way forward on climate change,” by Miami Herald’s Alex Daugherty: Read more

— “Killer clown trial tentatively set for November,” by Sun Sentinel’s Lois K. Solomon: Read more

— “Son of Miami ‘cocaine godmother’ stars in ‘Cartel Crew,’ new VH1 reality series,” by Sun Sentinel’s Johnny Diaz: Read more

— “Why a cold front this week may mean frost for parts of South Florida,” by Palm Beach Post’s Kimberly Miller: Read more

— “‘One of the worst we’ve ever seen’: Farmers reeling after record rain in 2018 destroys crops,” by Pensacola News Journal’s Annie Blanks: Read more

— “Shoo-ins fill most local ballots,” by Daily News’ Tony Judnich: Read more

— “Whale sightings cropping up all along coast of Volusia, Flagler counties,” by Times-Union’s Dinah Voyles-Pulver: Read more

— “Lakeland Police Chief Larry Giddens announces retirement, ending 34-year career — 5 years as boss cop,” by The Ledger’s Allison Guinn: Read more

— “Small number of mailed ballots for special election returned,” by The Ledger’s Mike Ferguson: Read more

— “At Canaveral National Seashore, government shutdown turns around joy seekers,” by News-Journal’s Mark Harper: Read more

— “Florida Gas Prices Sink To 26 Month Lows,” by North Escambia: Read more

HAMPTON INN? — “Couple skips out on $10,000 hotel bill in Florida Keys, cops say,” by Sun Sentinel’s Aric Chokey: “A couple racked up more than $10,000 in charges at a Florida Keys hotel and then skipped out without paying, authorities say. Monroe County Sheriff’s officials say Lee and Ashley Roe stayed at the Hampton Inn in Key Largo on five separate occasions in recent months. Hotel managers told investigators the unpaid bills ran from October to nearly mid-December.” Read more

WOW — “Sheriff: Sarasota teacher spreads feces before child’s party,” by Herald-Tribune’s Elizabeth Djinis: “A professional dispute between a Sarasota County School District principal and her substitute teacher led to an arrest last month when the teacher allegedly spread human feces on the tables and grills of a local park where the principal was hosting a birthday party for her child later that day, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.” Read more

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