| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | | |  The Florida Historic Capitol sits near the 22-story New Capitol building; together, they are part of the Capitol Complex on July 25, 2023 in Tallahassee, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | Good morning and welcome to Monday. It’s going to be a jam-packed few days ahead. Today, members of the Republican Party of Florida are descending on Tallahassee to remove Christian Ziegler as chair and to vote on his replacement. Current vice chair Evan Power is ahead of national committeeman Peter Feaman for the top job. Gov. Ron DeSantis endorsed Power while the Trump campaign showed it also supports him through endorsements from U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz and state Sen. Joe Gruters, both MAGA Republicans. Former President Donald Trump himself isn’t expected to weigh in directly, said Brian Hughes, Florida director for the Trump campaign. (Check out Anthony Man’s story about the candidates and their differences in the South Florida Sun Sentinel.) On Tuesday, DeSantis will deliver his State of the State address. He’ll have to fly back from Iowa to deliver the remarks and will turn right back around to appear at a Fox News town hall where he’ll face questions about women’s issues while continuing to campaign in the last week before the Jan. 15 caucuses there. DeSantis’ speech kicks off the 60-day Legislative session, where lawmakers have already said they plan to boost health care access and to deregulate education (here’s a good “Five things to watch,” from John Kennedy at USA Today Network - Florida). Two new major bills also posted over the weekend, one to bar minors under 16 from social media sites and another to have age verification for websites, per POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. The session kickoff is also a time of celebration and networking happy hours. (Tell us about your event and who attended for a spot in Playbook: Kleonard@politico.com.) Wednesday is a big courts’ day for two major cases. Federal Judge Allen Winsor in Tallahassee will hear arguments over whether to make Florida place all candidates running for the Democratic nomination for president on the March 19 primary ballot. Only President Joe Biden is listed now, meaning no Democratic primary is planned. Another major hearing affecting policymaking is over book removals in Escambia County public schools. Federal Judge T. Kent Wetherell in Pensacola will weigh whether to dismiss the First Amendment suit from parents, authors, publisher Penguin Random House and the free-speech group PEN America. Oh, and there will be a very closely watched CNN debate on Wednesday night between DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley as the duo try to best each other to face off directly against Trump. This will be the first time they’ll square off without other candidates onstage. The fight has turned increasingly bitter in recent days, with DeSantis saying on Fox News over the weekend that he would not, “under any circumstances,” join a Haley ticket for president. — WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis' campaign hasn't posted his stops for today yet, but he's spending a significant amount of time in Iowa in the homestretch ahead of the caucuses and is delivering his State of the State address tomorrow. | | A message from CVS Health: Learn how we’re delivering the future of health care. More here. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | |  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis reacts to applause as he gives his State of the State address during a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. (AP Photo/Phil Sears) | AP | FROM OFFICIAL SCHEDULE — DeSantis had a call on Saturday with emergency management director Kevin Guthrie following a tornado in the Fort Lauderdale area. ON TAP TODAY — The House Ways and Means is considering changes to Florida's Homestead exemption. Democratic leaders in the Legislature will address reporters' questions about the forthcoming session. (Tune in.) PREVIEW — “DeSantis’ State of the State address might be as much for Iowa voters as it is for Floridians,” reports The Associated Press’ Brendan Farrington. “The speech kicking off Florida’s annual legislative session comes exactly a week before Iowa’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, and DeSantis has been spending much more time in the Hawkeye State than the Sunshine State in recent weeks. So it won’t be a surprise if his sixth State of the State is as much a message to Iowa voters as it is a forecast of his continued vision for Florida.” SLOWING DOWN — “Florida lawmakers return to Tallahassee with lighter agenda as DeSantis focuses on Iowa,” by the Miami Herald’s Ana Ceballos and the Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower and Romy Ellenbogen. “While things could change quickly, more than a dozen lawmakers and consultants interviewed by the Herald/Times say they’re expecting a less explosive session than in recent years, when the GOP-controlled Legislature approved restrictions on transgender care, a six-week abortion ban, limits on what can be taught in public schools and a historic expansion on school choice, among other polarizing issues. “But a slower pace in Tallahassee, they say, is not an indication that DeSantis is losing influence over the legislative process as he struggles on the national stage. Like the governor, many Republicans say that after pushing Florida further to the right in recent years, they expect a sleepier session as the race for the Republican presidential nomination plays out.” DEAD END? — The FDA just cleared the way for drug importation. What now? asks POLITICO. Pharma companies and the Canadian government — longtime opponents of bulk drug importation — are unlikely to sanction the flow of prescription drugs over the border. Canada has adopted regulatory guardrails to ensure drugs can’t be exported if it would exacerbate domestic supply issues, and drugmakers have indicated they won’t allocate more product to Canada than is earmarked for the country. PAY ADJUSTMENT — “State pensions for public workers in Florida could be boosted under new legislation,” reports James Call with USA Today Network - Florida. “A bipartisan proposal in the Florida Senate restores a 3% annual cost-of-living adjustment denied to new hires beginning in 2011. If passed, some 151,000 retired state, county and municipal workers would see an increase.” — “At Florida A&M, students are wary of political influence on race education,” by Sharon Johnson of The Associated Press GUN BILL — “A Florida Republican's proposal would lower the state's gun-buying age,” reports News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders. It would move the legal age back to 18, which would reverse a provision enacted after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. WISH UPON A STAR — “Orange lawmakers advance long-shot bill repealing DeSantis’ Disney board takeover,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher. The bill would undo the governance structure that DeSantis pushed after the company objected to a school curriculum measure, the Parental Rights in Education Act that critics deride as the “Don’t Say Gay” law. The Democratic-majority Orange County delegation advanced the measure to the Legislature, which holds a GOP supermajority. LAWSUIT — “Republican state Rep. Carolina Amesty filed a lawsuit against the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday, claiming parts of its August story on her family’s university and finances were false and caused ‘permanent harm to her reputation,’” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Lemongello. | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | | | 
University of Florida President Ben Sasse. | Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images | POLITICAL DOLLARS — “What’s politically ‘celibate’ UF president Ben Sasse gonna do with his $2.67 million in campaign cash?” asks Dan Christensen of the Florida Bulldog. “He has options. He could return money to people who contributed to him. He could contribute to federal, state or local candidates subject to various dollars limit. He could hand out unlimited amounts to federal and state Republican or Democratic (unlikely) parties. He could give unlimited amounts to Super PACs or 501 (c) organizations, including dark money 501 (c) (4) organizations, or 501 (c) (3) charities like the UF Foundation or the Florida Bulldog (unlikely).” RENEWABLES — “Why people don’t have to pay anything for electricity in this Florida community,” by the Washington Post’s Nicolás Rivero. “It’s not because of subsidies, but by design: All of the 86 homes built or planned in Hunters Point, a residential development about an hour south of Tampa, boast 14 solar panels and a 12-kilowatt-hour home battery in the utility closet.” NOPE — “Judge denies Miami Herald request to release master list of Jeffrey Epstein ‘J. Does,’” reports Julie Brown of the Miami Herald. “The Herald argued that releasing the list — consisting of the names of all those in the Epstein-related court file except victims of the late sex trafficker — would provide transparency and that a number of unexplained name redactions in already-released documents didn’t seem to correspond with victims. Judge Loretta Preska, in rejecting the request, noted her concern that releasing the list would violate the privacy of some individuals and create a circus of innuendo.” SCAM — “Two Miami-Dade business owners are going to prison for more than eight years for running a massive $93 million Medicare fraud scheme that involved the recruitment of Cuban immigrants,” reports the Miami Herald’s Jay Weaver. — “Can Florida’s corals survive climate change? Fate of one small reef may hold the answer,” reports the Miami Herald’s Alie Skowronski | | | | A message from CVS Health:   | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
DATELINE IOWA — On Jan. 6 anniversary, DeSantis accuses Democrats of waving ‘bloody shirt,’ reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. DeSantis chided Democrats and the media on the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol by contending they have used the attack as a “bloody shirt” to “impugn” Americans.
He has called the attack a “riot” but his comments Saturday on Fox News may mark the first time he has leaned into a term associated with the political battles held in the immediate shadow of the Civil War. 2026 — Florida attorney and Dem fundraiser John Morgan floats potential run for governor, report POLITICO’s David Kihara and Arek Sarkissian. Prominent Florida trial attorney John Morgan, known as the godfather of Florida’s medical marijuana amendment and a Democratic fundraiser, may add another title to his résumé: Florida governor. Morgan last week teased a potential 2026 run on social media, saying “maybe I should run for Governor… as an Independent” in response to a recent story about DeSantis touting Florida’s gradual minimum wage hike. | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
— This Florida lake could be home to 30,000 alligators, per USA TODAY Network - Florida
BIRTHDAY: Former State Rep. Rene Plasencia … Senior U.S. District Judge Alan S. Gold ... Florida International University’s Brian Van Hook | | A message from CVS Health: Whether in the community, at home or virtually, consumers want health care that is convenient, personalized and affordable. And we’re delivering. By connecting each step of your care – from a medical appointment to a trip to the pharmacy to ongoing check-ins with your care team – we’re making healthier happen together.
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