By Marc Caputo ([email protected]; @MarcACaputo) with Kristen East ([email protected]; @kristenicoleast)
Happy Tuesday, Florida Playbookers. Jeb Bush this morning visits La Progresiva Presbyterian School in Miami and then holds a morning town hall with high school students. At 7 p.m. in Coral Gables, Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson attends a closed-press AIPAC forum at Tempe Judea concerning the Iran-nuke deal. Before we get to those complicated politics, there’s some news in the Florida Senate presidency race:
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THE DUDE DOESN’T ABIDE – “Galvano: Senate won’t be led by coalition,” by POLITICO’s Matt Dixon and Marc Caputo: The Florida Senate’s Republican leader, future Senate President Bill Galvano, is staying neutral in his chambers tough leadership race, but he said he wanted to be clear that one tactic is out of bounds: Cutting deals with Democrats.
“As majority leader of the Republican caucus of the Senate, that is an activity I would not abide,” Galvano told POLITICO Florida. “As leader of that caucus, I believe we are going to act as a unified body.” But the 16-member caucus is more strained than ever amid the battle between Sen. Joe Negron and Sen. Jack Latvala to see who will become the next president of the chamber in 2017-18. For months, word has surfaced that Latvala plans to get some fellow Republicans to join with the 14 Democrats in the chamber to deliver the senate presidency. http://politi.co/1JtDyUd
BOOK ‘EM –“Lauren Book announces bid for Fort Lauderdale Senate seat,” by POLITICO’s Marc Caputo: Lauren Book, crusader against child sex abuse and daughter of one of Florida’s top lobbyists, officially announced Monday her State Senate bid for a Fort Lauderdale seat that should be hers for the taking. http://politi.co/1PHCQX8
PALM BEACH PAIR — “Ben Carson of West Palm Beach joins Donald Trump atop Iowa poll,” by Palm Beach Post’s George Bennett: “West Palm Beach resident Ben Carson is tied with part-time Palm Beacher Donald Trump atop a new Monmouth University poll of likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers. That follows a weekend Des Moines Register poll that showed retired pediatric neurosurgeon Carson within the margin of error against front runner Trump in Iowa. In the new Monmouth poll, Carson and Trump get 23 percent apiece and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is third at 10 percent. So a majority of Iowa Republicans favor candidates who have never held office and are stressing their credentials as non-politicians.” http://pbpo.st/1LGq2zn
TRUMP-CARSON SURGE – It’s not just Iowa, but nationally as well that Trump and Carson are on top. Last night, a PPP survey for MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow showed Trump at 29%, Carson at 15%, Jeb at 9%; Carly Fiorina at 8% and Rubio at 7%. The Maddow Blog centered more on the pitiful position of the cellar dwellers — “Chris Christie, Rand Paul scraping the bottom in new PPP poll,” by Maddow Blog’s Will Femia: http://on.msnbc.com/1NJRboo
NONPOLS BEATING POLS – Remember at the beginning of the summer the GOP race was governors v. senators? Yeah. That’s gone. It’s now politicians v. nonpoliticians. And the politicians are losing in the PPP survey. The poll numbers of the three nonpols – Trump, Carson, Fiorina – are beating the 14 pols 52-45 percent. Even if the 3 percent undecided are allotted to the pols, the nonpols still win.
TRUMP-WALKER TAG TEAM — “Jeb Bush faces distorted attacks from Walker, Trump,” by The Tampa Bay Times’ Alex Leary: “The campaigns of Scott Walker and Donald Trump released videos today that attack Jeb Bush on the Iran deal and immigration. But both are distortions of Bush’s position. Walker’s video implies Bush favors the Iran nuclear deal. Bush does not, but he’s shown caution (at times) about how quickly it could be unraveled by the next president. Walker is shown in the video saying he would kill it on ‘Day One,’ which is the name of the ad.” http://bit.ly/1NSUwRg
ISRAEL PARTITION – If there’s any short-term legacy to President Obama’s Iran nuke-deal, it’s that some Democrats – particularly in Florida — are seriously divided or conflicted, with Jewish members feeling particular pressure from AIPAC and other Israel backers. Grayson and Rep. Lois Frankel are undecided as is DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Rep. Alcee Hastings is Florida’s most-notable non-Jewish Democrat to oppose it. Grayson’s Senate race opponent, Rep. Patrick Murphy, on Monday came out in favor. http://1.usa.gov/1X8wxl1
NO, IT’S NOT WHAT CHAMBERLAIN SAID – Murphy’s most-memorable line from his statement of support is that he hoped the deal would ensure “peace in our time.” Conservatives jumped, pointing out that Hitler “appeaser” Neville Chamberlain had said as much. Except that he didn’t. Chamberlain’s quote was actually “peace for our time.” But what’s one preposition really mean, anyway?
CLC v. MURPHY – One of Murphy’s Republican rivals in the Senate race, Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera got his shots in as well on Twitter, addressing the Democrat directly. Check It out:
— @PatrickMurphyFL: “Here’s why I’m supporting the nuclear agreement with Iran as the best available option:” http://1.usa.gov/1X8wxl1
–Carlos Lopez-Cantera @LopezCantera: “@RepMurphyFL, a better deal could be an option if enough democrats with courage stood up for Israel and against a nuclear Iran.” http://bit.ly/1PHRiOJ
HASTINGS HELL NO — “House Democrat Denounces Iran Nuke Deal, Supports Israeli Strike Against Iran (Audio),” by the Shark Tank’s Javier Manjarres: Rep. Alcee Hastings: “If I was at table, what would I have led with. What I would have led with is, ‘you need to give me good faith gesture now, and that is, release the three hostages,’ adding that ‘when the Iran deal commenced, the world found out that Iran had the capability of building 1 to 10 nuclear weapons in a 2 to 3 month span. What in the hell is going to make us they aren’t going to cheat again?… The president recently said that the people that supported the Iraq war are the same people that are in alliance with the Ayatollah and his functionaries, he did not say it that way, but you get my drift. I did not vote for the Iraq war Mr. President, and I am going to vote against your Iranian deal.” http://bit.ly/1X8rNfi
FACES OF HATE — “Wasserman Schultz Should Go To The Ovens (Video),” by the Shark Tank’s Javier Manjarres: http://bit.ly/1JywurE
TESTING D-DAY – “Lawmakers: If state tests are invalid, developer must be held accountable,” by POLITICO’s Jessica Bakeman: “If Florida’s new state exams are deemed to be invalid, the company that developed the tests should be held contractually accountable, state lawmakers argue. Tuesday is the statutory deadline for a third-party review of the Florida Standards Assessments, computer-based exams that were plagued by technical difficulties when they were first administered earlier this year. Gov. Rick Scott and the Legislature ordered the expensive review, which is being performed by Utah-based Alpine Testing Solutions under a $594,000 contract, and halted the release of test scores pending the results.” http://politi.co/1LOZqPG
FEES? FIE! – “Groups pushes Bondi to crack down on “resort fees” by POLITICO’s Matt Dixon: “A Washington-based consumer group is asking Attorney General Pam Bondi, Florida’s congressional delegation and federal officials to put a stop to what they say are deceptive fees tied to hotel and resorts. The group, Travelers United, says some hotels will advertise a nightly rate but later in the booking process add a “resort fee” that can range from $25 to more than $75. http://politi.co/1fS0WSS
SOLAR FLARES — ‘Solar choice’ group poised for court battle with utilities by POLITICO’s Daniel Ducassi: Floridians for Solar Choice—a coalition of clean energy advocates and conservative groups—called for fewer solar power regulations on Monday ahead of oral arguments at the Florida Supreme Court regarding the ballot language for their proposed constitutional amendment. The group is poised to defend the language of their initiative on Tuesday, and convinced they’ll come out on top. http://politi.co/1PHlCcg
SCOTT’S KY JOB — “Scott hopes to lure away companies from Kentucky by POLITICO’s Daniel Ducassi,” Governor Rick Scott will head to Kentucky as part of his campaign to lure businesses to Florida. The trip, scheduled for September, continues Scott’s strategy of meeting with businesses in other states in hopes of persuading them to relocate to Florida. Every state Scott has visited so far has a Democratic governor, and so does Kentucky. “Florida’s business climate is better than Kentucky’s in almost every way,” Scott said in a press release. http://politi.co/1EtPk43
CAPITAL CITY PROSECUTOR LEAVING– “Meggs not seeking re-election,” by POLITICO’s Matt Dixon: “State Attorney Willie Meggs has announced he will not run for re-election after more than three decades in office, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. Meggs, 72, was first elected in 1985 to be the top prosecutor for a circuit that covers six counties in the eastern portion of the Florida panhandle. Defense attorney Sean Desmond is the only candidate who has filed to replace Meggs, but it is expected that Pete Williams, who almost beat Megs in 2012, will again run.” http://politi.co/1N5K3Tq
BAD JUDGE — Florida Supreme Court to reprimand judge for campaign finance violations by POLITICO’s Danny Ducassi: The Florida Supreme Court is set to publicly reprimand Circuit Judge Victoria Griffin Tuesday morning. Griffin admitted to violations of Florida’s campaign financing laws and the Code of Judicial Conduct. She was elected to the 19th Judicial Circuit—which covers Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties—in 2014. http://politi.co/1Fdl8Ff
AGENT MEANY — “Pensacola FDLE supervisor suspended,” by Pensacola News Journal’s Kevin Robinson: “Eli Lawson, special agent supervisor at the FDLE Pensacola Regional Operations Center (PROC), was suspended 10 days for violating agency codes of conduct. The misconduct mainly stemmed around inappropriate comments Lawson reportedly made to or about his subordinates, according to the investigation report. … Lawson implied to employees that two agents were engaging in sexual activity instead of training. Lawson also admitted to calling an overweight special agent ‘ham sandwich’ when he couldn’t remember the employee’s name.” http://on.pnj.com/1JHYb2q
–“FDLE wants another $3.4m to investigate officer-involved shootings,” by POLITICO’s Christine Sexton: FDLE spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said Monday that local law enforcement agencies referred 63 officer-involved shootings to the department last year — a 31 percent increase from the year before. The number of requests for investigations has risen 117 percent over the last five years. http://politi.co/1hsyrMw
MORE FOR LESS? — “Preventing health complications could save Florida money, expert tells panel,” by POLITICO’s Christine Sexton: “A doctor and health data systems researcher told a blue-ribbon panel eyeing Florida health care costs Monday that the state could save money by reducing potentially preventable events and complications, and by rewarding health care providers for doing so. In so doing, Florida could follow in the footsteps of states like Texas and Maryland.” http://politi.co/1hsqHtV
HOW ABOUT MONEY? — “DCF worker gets national honor for ferreting out millions in fraud,” by POLITICO’s Christine Sexton: “Nicolena Ferrentino — a Department of Children and Families employee who helped save more than $2.2 million in 10 months for ferreting out public assistance fraud in 2,200 cases — recently was awarded a national fraud-fighting group’s top honor. The United Council on Welfare Fraud honored Ferrentino, who oversees her agency’s Centralized Special Investigations unit in Miami, with the Dorothy Forney Memorial Award. http://politi.co/1Eu14DM
DETROIT? — “Fort Lauderdale trails Detroit in contest for 100,000 books,” by POLITICO’s Jessica Bakeman: http://politi.co/1KXOMAg
DRAWING LINES, CASES — “Redistricting war expands in federal courts,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Jim Saunders: http://bit.ly/1EwWXaa
— “Senator Nelson calls for independent redistricting commission for Florida,” by The Tampa Bay Times’ Jeremy Wallace: “The repeated failures of the Florida Legislature to redraw the state’s congressional districts is a sure sign that Florida needs to create an independent commission to do the work, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said during a stop in Tallahassee on Monday.” http://bit.ly/1UnZ0PH
FAM FIGHT UPDATE — “Officials say FAMU is on right track despite woes,” by Florida Times-Union’s Margie Menzel: http://bit.ly/1Uiyb4w
FRANKENFOOD FIGHT — “UF prof donates Monsanto grant to food pantry,” by The Gainesville Sun’s Jeff Schweers: “Kevin Folta, the University of Florida plant professor whose emails were targeted by an anti-GMO activist group, wishes he could give back the $25,000 grant he received from Monsanto. But he said the biotech and seed company has no mechanism for accepting the money, so the grant will be put to other uses — feeding University of Florida’s food-insecure students and staff.” http://bit.ly/1N5LPDY
DOWN TICKET — “Meet the Dems eyeing Fla Attorney General office,” by The Tampa Bay Times’ Adam C. Smith: “[S]everal significant Democratic names bubbling up for the attorney general’s race in 2018: Former prosecutor and state Sen. Rod Smith, who ran unsuccessfully for governor, in 2006, is seriously looking at it. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler, an attorney and another of Democratic former stand out in the Florida House, also is interested in the job as he faces term limits in Fort Lauderdale. But Seiler…is also seriously looking at running for Chief Financial Officer in 2018. A fresher face on the Democratic bench seen as a serious AG prospect is Democratic state Rep. Jose Javier Rodriguez, a graduate of Brown and Harvard Law.” http://bit.ly/1MYGYmg
POISON!! — “Florida’s poison control centers launch first phase of redesigned website,” by Florida Times-Union’s Dan Scanlan: “Florida’s poison control centers have launched the first phase of a redesigned website to make residents more aware of daily poisoning risks and accurate information on a wide array of potentially toxic exposures in the state. Fatal poisonings are a leading cause of accidental deaths in Florida, and the risk is not confined to small children anymore, according to the Florida/USVI Poison Information Center – Jacksonville.” http://bit.ly/1PHBhbA
BEAR TRAP!! — “FWC to trap Bella Terra bear,” by Fort Myers News-Press: “The Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission will attempt to trap a nearly 400 pound black bear that has been roaming the Bella Terra community in Estero since the weekend. If trapped, the bear will have to be euthanized, the FWC said. The bear has been wandering neighborhoods in the large community off Corkscrew Road. FWC officer Stuart Spode said trapping is used if the bear is determined to be a danger to people or property or if it becomes habituated to people. Officer Collazo was going to try to haze or force the bear back to the area of the trap.” http://on.wtsp.com/1X7QPel
SOUNDS KINDA FUN — “Kim Komando: Can you shoot down your neighbor’s drone?,” by Kim Komando of The Kim Komando Show, for the Pensacola News Journal: “Drones are great for taking spectacular aerial shots, exploring new areas or just flying for the sheer fun of it. But nosy people can also use them to take a peek at things they shouldn’t, including your property. Would you know what to do if your meddlesome neighbor decides to fly his drone a little too close to your property? Should you call the police? Should you shoot it down? What does the law say? The laws regarding drones and unmanned aircrafts have been pretty vague until just recently. Court cases in the last year have exploded with drone complaints, ordinances and new legislation that makes flying and disarming these speedy gadgets more restricted than ever before.” http://on.pnj.com/1hsM9z0