| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | |  Then-President Donald Trump stands with then-GOP Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis during the president's Make America Great Again Rally at the Florida State Fair Grounds Expo Hall on July 31, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | Good morning and welcome to Monday. First Walt Disney World, now Donald Trump. Gov. Ron DeSantis seems to be making amends all over the place. The latest bombshell, from Sunday, is that DeSantis sat down with Trump in South Florida to ask how he could help with the former president’s campaign, in an early sign that he’s eager to put their bitter feud from the 2024 Republican presidential primary behind them. The Trump campaign said that DeSantis was the one who requested they sit down and talk. A third Florida man, real estate broker Steve Witkoff, set it up. The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey first reported the Miami summit, and POLITICO confirmed it independently with half a dozen sources familiar with the meeting. This comes with the backdrop of DeSantis not ruling out a 2028 White House run. After endorsing Trump for president — then publicly trashing his electability and veep recruiting methods — the governor has turned inward and made several changes to retool his persona and approach, including posting personal videos to social media, showing gratitude to donors and ending a long-running feud with Walt Disney World. Up to this point, DeSantis had cast himself as an executive who wouldn’t back down and wasn’t afraid to seek retribution. But while DeSantis revamped, Trump was making it clear that he was still the undisputed leader of the GOP — and, by extension, Florida, the state they both call home. Trump has endorsed candidates at the congressional and state level. And his team also blasted DeSantis as “small” or unwanted whenever the governor seemed to make comments that suggested he wasn’t sufficiently devoted to the former president. That ongoing dynamic would have made it difficult for DeSantis to go to the next level in his political career, especially if Trump wins the presidency in November. Slowly, a noticeable shift began to form. As Playbook was first to report in early April, DeSantis told donors as an aside during a retreat in Hollywood that he would be fundraising for Trump’s campaign. That was a key part of the conversation with Trump yesterday. And for Trump, that's a solid offer. While he’s already on track to win Florida, DeSantis’ involvement could help direct a significant sum toward his campaign coffers, which are under strain thanks to his various legal challenges. Remember: DeSantis was popular with a GOP donor class who was looking to move beyond Trump, and raised a staggering $200 million for his own gubernatorial reelection (money that later was parlayed toward his failed presidential bid). “It’s a great development and makes perfect sense for Trump, DeSantis and all Republicans,” Roy Bailey, who was one of three finance chairs for the DeSantis presidential campaign, told Playbook. “Gov. DeSantis had a really strong volunteer finance team and if we could plug that in and help Trump then that’s what we need to do — and want to do. It’s important to all get together and row in the same direction.” DeSantis had shown other signs in recent weeks of holding his fire against Trump. During his presidential campaign he accused Trump of not being “pro-life.” But a couple of weeks ago he demurred when POLITICO asked during a press event in Hialeah whether he thought Trump should say how he was voting on an abortion referendum, as a way to encourage voters to oppose it. Three fundraisers for DeSantis who didn’t know about the Trump-DeSantis meetup told Playbook they thought the move was “smart” all around. Trump backers agreed that it was time to make peace. “It is a very positive sign for our party that the governor and Trump reconcile after the primary,” said GOP state Rep. Juan Carlos Porras of Miami, who was an early Trump endorser despite most of the Legislature backing DeSantis in the primary. “Only through party unity can we hope to take back the White House and I applaud Gov. DeSantis for extending his help to get President Trump elected.” WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis is holding a press conference in Jupiter at 9 a.m. with Agency for Persons with Disabilities Director Taylor Hatch. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
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Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY. | | | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | IN MEMORIAM — More than 500 people honored former Florida senator, governor Bob Graham at old Capitol on Friday: — “Public officials who paid their respects to Graham [included]: Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, Casey; Florida Supreme Court Chief Justice Carlos Muñiz; former Republican Lt. Gov. Bobby Brantley; Tallahassee-based Democratic state Rep. Allison Tant; Democratic Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey; former Tallahaseee-based Democratic state Sen. Loranne Ausley; Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried, and former Republican state Senate President Jim Scott,” reported the Miami Herald’s Alexandra Glorioso. — “Graham lay in state at the Florida Historic Capitol Museum, having brought into the building by military and state law enforcement honor guards,” reported the Tallahassee Democrat. “Adele Graham paused for a moment, laying a hand on the casket after it was carried to the second floor landing.” — “He always had time to talk. He didn’t have an entourage or anything like that. It would just be him. A humble servant of the people, always willing to listen, always accessible," James Stansbury, a state land use planner, told James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat.
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Former Florida Gov. and Sen., Bob Graham speaks as he and other family members help open his daughter Gwen Graham's gubernatorial field office on July 24, 2018, in Miami. | Wilfredo Lee/AP | SIGNED INTO LAW — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure into law late in the day Friday that will restrict access to vapes by allowing state Attorney General Ashley Moody to post a list of banned products her office views as trying to entice minors. The law — one of 28 the governor signed on Friday — marks a bit of a departure for DeSantis, who vetoed an all-out vape flavor ban four years ago because he said it would hurt small businesses and push consumers into the black market or back to regular cigarettes. CAMPUS PROTESTS — “Controversy: UF may trespass protestors engaging in prohibited activities,” reports Lillian Lawson of the Gainesville Sun. “A pro-Palestinian protest at the University of Florida has turned controversial as the university has threatened student and employee protestors with a ban from campus if they engage in prohibited activities. Students and members of the UF community gathered Wednesday at the Plaza of the Americas for an emergency protest in solidarity with Gaza amidst the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, demanding the university to divest from Israel and apartheid. Since then, protestors have continued to occupy the campus.” … Other Florida universities have seen protests but they “have been smaller, quieter and without the forceful police presence seen at many other campuses,” reports Divya Kumar of the Tampa Bay Times. STARTING WEDNESDAY — “A haven no more: Women’s groups brace for Florida’s 6-week abortion ban,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Christopher O’Donnell. “Nonprofit groups are warning they may not be able to meet the increased demand for help from women from Florida and other Southeastern states to travel for an abortion.” PUSH TO DELAY — “DEP asks federal appeals court to allow it to issue wetlands permits,” reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. “The Florida Department of Environmental Protection said Friday it has asked a federal appeals court to delay a lower court ruling that removed the state’s authority to issue some wetlands development permits. DEP said in a memorandum Friday that it seeks to resume processing more than 1,000 federal 404 wetland permit applications that were filed before a judge sided with environmental groups in a lawsuit.” PRESSING AHEAD — “First Amendment challenge over Florida children’s book removal goes forward,” reports Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida. “A federal judge has ruled that two authors and a student can pursue First Amendment claims against the Escambia County School Board over the removal of the children’s book ‘And Tango Makes Three’ from library shelves.” — “Reports of dying fish flood this Florida hotline. Here’s what people are seeing,” by Max Chesnes of the Tampa Bay Times. SPOTLIGHT ON LAWSUIT — “Chinese professors warn of ‘culture of fear’ in Florida after DeSantis’ hiring restrictions,” reports POLITICO’s Siena Duncan. “After losing his top pick for a postdoctoral assistant to another college, University of Florida professor Zhengfei Guan knew who was to blame: Gov. Ron DeSantis. Guan, a Chinese national with lawful permanent residence in Florida, and two Chinese Florida International University students filed a lawsuit last month looking to block a law that bans state universities from ‘agreements’ with people from a ‘country of concern,’ including China, Iran, Venezuela, Syria, Russia, North Korea and Cuba. In practice, this has caused public universities to avoid hiring students from those countries for assistantships.” INVESTIGATION — “At least 17 people died in Florida after medics injected sedatives during encounters with police,” reports The Associated Press’ Ryan J. Foley and Carla K. Johnson. “Three of the fatal incidents occurred in Orlando. Others were reported across the state, from Tallahassee to Tampa to West Palm Beach. Two incidents involved drugs administered by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue paramedics. The deaths were among more than 1,000 that AP’s investigation documented across the United States of people who died after officers used, not their guns, but physical force or weapons such as Tasers that — like sedatives — are not meant to kill. Medical officials said police force caused or contributed to about half of all deaths.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | RESUMING TRAVEL — “When will flights resume between Miami and Haiti? American Airlines making changes,” by the Miami Herald’s Vinod Sreeharsha and Jacqueline Charles. “American Airlines will resume flying between Miami and Port-au-Prince on May 9, just over two months after suspending flights in and out of Haiti due to civil unrest and security concerns. The move comes one day after the country installed a new nine-member presidential council that will help the country form a new government.” — “Orlando Commissioner Hill’s case part of ‘epidemic’ of elder abuse, experts say,” by Annie Martin and Ryan Gillespie of the Orlando Sentinel. — “FDLE drops Commissioner Matlow's Sunshine Law complaint against Mayor Dailey,” reports Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat.
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | … DEADLINE LOCKS IN CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES … — “Florida GOP Rep. [Bill] Posey abruptly announces retirement,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “Posey’s announcement — if made earlier — could have easily attracted a spirited Republican primary, with politicians from the state’s Space Coast region already eyeing the seat once Posey retired. Florida’s 8th congressional district is a solid Republican seat. Instead the 76-year-old incumbent’s announcement came shortly after qualifying officially ended and after his hand-picked replacement — former state Senate President Mike Haridopolos — had already quietly jumped into the race.” — “Scott and Mucarsel-Powell are raring for a fight. They’ll have to win primaries first,” reports the Miami Herald’s Max Greenwood. — “Luther Campbell isn’t running for Congress. With no opponent, Cherfilus-McCormick automatically wins reelection,” by the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man. “With no other candidate coming forward to challenge the Broward-Palm Beach county Democrat by the deadline, Cherfilus-McCormick is headed back to the House. She’s the only Florida member of Congress who didn’t draw an opponent.” — Rep. Matt Gaetz drew a challenger, per Jim Little of the Pensacola News Journal. … See the full list of congressional candidates in Florida, per Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times … “Florida Democratic Party chairperson Nikki Fried touted her group’s effort to find someone to run in every congressional race, the first time it had done so since 2018. Currently, 20 of the 28 Florida seats in the House are held by Republicans.” — “Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle coasts to 7th term without opposition,” reports Charles Rabin of the Miami Herald. “The longest-serving state attorney in Miami-Dade County history coasted to a seventh term Friday, when a noon filing deadline passed and no other candidate surfaced.”
|  Florida State Sen. Shevrin Jones is seen during a hearing at the Florida State Capitol Jan. 11, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images | NEW LEADER — “Miami-Dade Democrats tap state Sen. Shevrin Jones to lead struggling party,” by the Miami Herald’s Max Greenwood. “Miami-Dade Democrats elected state Sen. Shevrin Jones on Friday to lead their flagging party, putting a rising political star and ally of President Joe Biden at the helm of the state’s largest county Democratic organization. Jones’ victory over three other candidates — Biscayne Gardens Chamber of Commerce President Bernard Jennings, Miami-Dade College Democrats President Manuel Fernandez and Miami-Dade Progressive Caucus’s Angel Montalvo — caps off a chaotic month for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party that saw now-former Chairman Robert Dempster booted out of his job and a tumultuous race to succeed him.” … The Miami-Dade Democrats also opened up a new office in Miami Gardens on Sunday. ‘MAKE OR BREAK’ — “Do Florida Hispanics support the marijuana and abortion amendments? What the polls say,” by the Miami Herald’s Syra Ortiz Blanes and Max Greenwood. “For Florida’s vast and influential Hispanic electorate, it’s not clear if abortion access is going to be the winning issue that Democrats and activists hope it will be. While polls show that many Hispanic Floridians support a measure to protect abortion rights, they are less likely to embrace it than state voters as a whole.”
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S ENERGY SUMMIT: The future of energy faces a crossroads in 2024 as policymakers and industry leaders shape new rules, investments and technologies. Join POLITICO’s Energy Summit on June 5 as we convene top voices to examine the shifting global policy environment in a year of major elections in the U.S. and around the world. POLITICO will examine how governments are writing and rewriting new rules for the energy future and America’s own role as a major exporter. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | | |  Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL). | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images | FORMER DESANTIS OFFICIAL — “Democrats find their Florida man,” by POLITICO’s Gary Finout. “The Jared Moskowitz show is having a moment. And it may just be the start for the Florida Democrat. Less than two years ago, Moskowitz was greeted with suspicion by some of his fellow Democrats for once working for Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis. But he quickly made a name for himself on the Hill with attention-grabbing stunts and quick-on-his-feet jabs at House Republicans.” FLORIDA JOINED IN — “17 states challenge federal rules entitling workers to accommodations for abortion,” by The Associated Press’ Andrew Demillo. “Republican attorneys general from 17 states filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging new federal rules entitling workers to time off and other accommodations for abortions, calling the rules an illegal interpretation of a 2022 federal law.”
| | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | | IN-DEPTH PROFILE — “The most feared and least known political operative in America,” by POLITICO’s Michael Kruse. “Susie Wiles, the people who know her the best believe, is a force more sensed than seen. Her influence on political events, to many who know what they’re watching, is as obvious as it is invisible … Wiles is not just one of Trump’s senior advisers. She’s his most important adviser. She’s his de facto campaign manager. She has been in essence his chief of staff for the last more than three years. She’s one of the reasons Trump is the GOP’s presumptive nominee and Ron DeSantis is not.” FLORIDA SUMMIT — “Trump camp plans sit-down with outside groups after FEC relaxes coordination rules,” by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt. “Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is inviting prominent outside groups to a private meeting [this] week in Palm Beach, Florida, to talk about working together and planning for the election … The sit-down, which the letter describes as a ‘meeting of the political minds,’ is aimed at discussing ‘collaborat[ion]’ and ‘priorities and plans’ for the general election.”
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | PAW-SITIVELY OPPOSITE — As social media reacted with horror to news that South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem had once killed her dog, the DeSantises embraced love of pets by drawing attention to another rescue dog in search of a fur-ever home. The lab-shepherd mix, Essentia, was soon adopted by a Miami-Dade detective and his wife. (Reminder: In 2023, Noem’s spokesperson slammed DeSantis, through the National Review, over his record on abortion prior to him signing a six-week restriction into law.) — “2024 hurricane names: From Alberto & Rafael to Braylen and Makayla, there are 42 on the list,” by Jennifer Sangalang of the Naples Daily News. BIRTHDAYS: Broward Circuit Judge Gary Farmer … veteran Florida photographer Mark Wallheiser … former state Rep. Renier Diaz de la Portilla. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
