| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | |  Former President Donald Trump walks out of court and toward the media following the verdict in his hush money trial, in New York, Thursday, May 30, 2024. | Mark Peterson/New York Magazine via AP, Pool | Good morning and welcome to Friday. Donald Trump was found guilty yesterday in the New York hush money trial. The unanimous conviction makes him the first former president to become a convicted felon. Justice Juan Merchan will hold Trump's sentencing hearing on July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention starts in Milwaukee. A rotating cast of Republicans from Florida had joined Trump during his Manhattan trial, and some of them immediately hit the airwaves to come to the former president’s defense. Potential running mate Rep. Byron Donalds, who’s otherwise considering a run for Florida governor in 2026, went on Fox News to criticize Republicans who haven’t spoken out about the case. “What the radical left is counting on is your silence and your submission,” he said. Sen. Rick Scott, who’s running to be the next Senate GOP leader, shared a photo of himself standing with Trump on one of his trial dates and described the case as “election interference.” Sen. Marco Rubio, who’s also on Trump’s veep shortlist, said on Fox News that the verdict would help elect Trump. “What happened today in America is similar to what I grew up hearing about happening in Cuba,” he said in a social media post accompanying the clip, before taking that same message to Sean Hannity’s show later last night. Others echoed Trump’s talking points that the “real verdict” would be cast by voters in the Nov. 5 election. Still more Florida Republicans, including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, shared Trump’s fundraising page. The Republican Party of Florida linked off to their fundraising page with a picture of Trump’s mugshot. Florida Senate president Kathleen Passidomo said in a statement provided to Playbook that she had “faith in our democracy” and that voters would get a say. “I believe they will stand with President Trump,” she said. Even former presidential primary rival Gov. Ron DeSantis, who’d mocked the salacious details of the case last year, defended Trump, saying on X that the process was politically motivated to “get” him. “It is often said that no one is above the law, but it is also true that no one is below the law,” he said. “If the defendant were not Donald Trump, this case would never have been brought, the judge would have never issued similar rulings, and the jury would have never returned a guilty verdict.” Democratic members of Florida’s delegation, including Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Frederica Wilson and Lois Frankel, had similar talking points to President Joe Biden’s campaign, saying that no one was above the law. “For a man who used fraud to try to influence the outcome and then tried to overturn a fair election and consistently disregards the law, this ruling is no surprise,” Wasserman Schultz said. “And it affirms that the rich and powerful — and even ex-presidents — still face accountability in America.” What comes next is anyone's guess. Trump, now a convicted felon, can still run for president, even if he ultimately ends up incarcerated. But if he can vote is a bit more circumstantial for the Florida man, especially after the fight around reenfranchisement after Amendment 4 passed in the state in 2018. Election attorney Mark Herron, who worked as the general counsel for the Florida Democratic Party, told POLITICO’s Gary Fineout that Trump will still have the right to vote in the state in November if his felony conviction is on appeal as planned. Trump's legal peril continues with the other cases. But the cases, including the one he’s fighting in Florida for allegedly hoarding classified documents after he left office, are unlikely to go to trial before the election. 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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Debris from destroyed homes and structures floats in a canal in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, one day after the passage of Hurricane Idalia. | Rebecca Blackwell/AP | TOMORROW — Hurricane season begins in Florida, and there’s a tax holiday kicking off then as well that lasts a couple of weeks so people can start to stock up on needed supplies. SIRENS — “Warning signals are flashing for homeowners in Texas and Florida,” by Bloomberg’s Prashant Gopal. “In some Texas and Florida cities, foreclosures are rising, suggesting early signs of distress in the once booming housing market. The likely reasons: rising property taxes and insurance premiums and higher interest rates that make it increasingly difficult for homeowners struggling with mortgage payments to sell their properties or refinance their way out of trouble.” VETO PEN READIED — “DeSantis moving toward vetoing hemp bill,” by CBS News Miami’s Jim DeFede. “At the same time Gov. Ron DeSantis has come out against a constitutional amendment to legalize marijuana in Florida, he is likely to throw an unexpected lifeline to the hemp industry by vetoing a bill that would regulate and limit the sale of cannabis products such as Delta 9, according to four sources familiar with the discussions inside the governor's office. If signed into law, Senate Bill 1698 would restrict the sale of THC products, such as Delta 9. It would also prohibit the manufacturing and sale of the increasingly popular and more potent products containing Delta 8 and Delta 10. Hemp supporters have said that if the bill became law, it would decimate the hemp industry, throw thousands of people out of work, and cost the state billions in revenue.” SLIME TIME — “Groups ask feds to set toxic algae limits in Florida waters, claiming state will not,” by POLITICO's Bruce Ritchie. “Environmental groups on Thursday asked the federal government to set limits on toxic algae in Florida waters because they said the state has refused to do so. The Center for Biological Diversity and other groups said Florida's waters have some of the nation's worst algae blooms, costing local economies hundreds of millions of dollars in lost tourism, declining property values and losses in commercial seafood.” ‘SAFE HAVEN’ EXPANSION — “Unwanted babies may be surrendered in Florida. These are changes in new law signed by DeSantis,” by USA Today Network — Florida’s C.A. Bridges. “As of July 1, parents will have up to 30 days to surrender newborn infants at hospitals, fire stations and EMS services without penalty under a new bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis Wednesday. Parents without transportation may also call 911 to arrange a pickup. Current law allows babies to be surrendered no questions asked within seven days.” DROP IN TIPS — “After Florida left voting system, tips about illegal voters plummeted,” reports Lawrence Mower and Ivy Nyayieka of the Tampa Bay Times. “When Gov. Ron DeSantis opted last year to remove Florida from a multistate voter data-sharing agreement, advocates and elections officials feared it would become harder to detect illegal voting. New data shows they might be right. DeSantis’ voter fraud unit last year received 93 percent fewer referrals from other states about double-voters than it did the year before, an analysis by the Times/Herald shows. The voter fraud unit received 72 tips from other states about people suspected of casting ballots in Florida and another state in the same election, a third-degree felony under Florida law. That’s down from at least 986 in 2022.” INVASIVE — “Next ‘Python Challenge’ to take place in the Everglades set for mid-August,” by Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry. “The annual event, which pays people bounties to capture Burmese Pythons, is organized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District and has taken place since 2013.”
| | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | | |  People visit the Magic Kingdom Park at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., April 18, 2022. | Ted Shaffrey, File/AP | | FIFTH PARK? — “Disney plan calls for investing up to $17B in Orlando, DeSantis-backed district says,” by the Orlando Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher. “Florida’s tourism oversight district is poised to adopt a new development agreement with The Walt Disney Co. that officials say will bring up $17 billion of investments at Disney World over the next 10 to 20 years … In the 15-year agreement, Disney pledges to fund at least $10 million in affordable housing projects and create a local business hiring program that would award a minimum of 50 percent of the value of all construction work to Florida-based businesses … The agreement covers about 17,300 acres owned by Disney, according to a legal announcement. It authorizes a maximum of five major theme parks, one more than Disney operates in Central Florida now. Company officials have not announced a fifth theme park.” FINAL LAWSUIT — “The Parkland tragedy lives on in court as building demolition approaches,” by the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Rafael Olmeda. “The last lawsuit stemming from the 2018 mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas has no scheduled start date. There are 52 plaintiffs, representing the families of the 17 students and staff who were killed, the 17 injured, and 18 families of students who were terrorized and psychologically traumatized but not physically wounded. The defendants are the Broward Sheriff’s Office and three men working at the school who, according to the plaintiffs, could have done more to stop the shooter and save lives.” HARASSMENT ALLEGATIONS OVER FOUR MONTHS — “Woman who traveled to Texas with DeSantis’ State Guard says she was sexually harassed,” by Ana Ceballos of the Miami Herald and Lawrence Mower of the Tampa Bay Times. “The leader of a small unit sent to the Texas-Mexico border by Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Florida State Guard repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances toward a woman he supervised, according to the woman’s attorney, who says the organization responded to complaints by retaliating against the victim and a witness who reported the behavior. Michael DiGiacomo, a high-ranking member in the State Guard, is accused of making crude remarks about the woman’s genitalia and body and uttering other demeaning comments in front of other State Guard members.” PROPOSED FINANCING — “New draft agreements show closer look at [Jaguars] non-relocation clauses, cost of stadium renovations,” by David Bauerlein and Hanna Holthaus of the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union. “A draft non-relocation agreement would require the Jaguars to play their home games in Jacksonville for the full length of a new 30-year lease, and if the team left town before then, it would pay a sliding amount to the city in financial damages. Those damages would total several hundred million dollars for most of the 30-year period if the Jaguars broke away from Jacksonville. The Jaguars would have to pay an amount equal to 100 percent of taxpayer spending on the stadium if if the team left in the first 14 years of the lease and starting in the fifteenth year, the amount would drop by 6.25 percent each year.” ‘UNJUSTIFIABLE KILLING’ — “What to know about airman Roger Fortson’s fatal shooting by a Florida sheriff’s deputy,” by The Associated Press’ Terry Spencer and Tara Copp. “Fortson, 23, had no criminal record, and there is no evidence he was involved in the disturbance that led to the deputy being called to the apartment complex. Fortson was alone in his apartment, and his girlfriend has said she and Fortson were having a normal video conversation when the deputy began pounding on the door.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | ‘PUT THE SWORD DOWN’ — “Ron DeSantis hopes to raise at least $10M to boost Trump,” by NBC News’ Matt Dixon. “The fundraising events will begin as soon as July and likely run through September, the DeSantis adviser said, with multiple events expected in Texas, California and Washington. The plan is to tap into states where DeSantis already had substantial donor networks from his own presidential bid to be able to quickly raise cash for Trump.” COMPLAINTS — “Candidates accuse Gilzean’s office of ‘radio silence’ on needed info about petitions,” by the Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Lemongello. “Several candidates say the Orange County elections office run by interim supervisor Glen Gilzean kept them in the dark about petitions that would allow them to qualify to run without paying a filing fee. The candidates say the office didn’t inform them how many of their signatures were valid until well past the submission deadline. A candidate can file for free using a petition or pay a fee that can run into the thousands of dollars. The elections office is required to certify the signatures.”
| | DATELINE D.C. | | SCOTUS DECISION — “Supreme Court: NRA can sue ex-official it says tried to blacklist it after Parkland shooting,” by Lindsay Whitehurst of The Associated Press. “A unanimous Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for a National Rifle Association lawsuit against a former New York state official over claims she pressured companies to blacklist it following the deadly 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Giving the NRA a new chance to prove its case, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote that ‘the critical takeaway is that the First Amendment prohibits government officials from wielding their power selectively to punish or suppress speech.’”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | TRANSITION TIME | | — Olya Moskalenko is now VP of PR at communications and marketing firm Ingage Biz in Miami. She most recently was a PR and content strategist at Rubenstein Public Relations and goTRG and is also a former CCO at Anchor.
| | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | |
WEEKEND WEDDING: Celia Glassman, assistant director of legislative and regulatory policy at EY, on Sunday married Dave Schacht, a manager for business transformation at EY. They wed at the First Congregation Sons of Israel synagogue in St. Augustine, Fla. with a reception at the Lightner Museum. The couple met in 2020 at Salt Line. Pic ... Another pic
SPOTTED: Robert O’Brien visiting Peter Navarro in prison at FCI Miami on Wednesday. It was a “purely personal visit to a friend going through a rough time,” a person close to O’Brien told our colleague Daniel Lippman. BIRTHDAYS: Elizabeth Dos Santos of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart’s office ... former state Sen. Charlie Dean … former state Sen. Daryl Jones … (Saturday) State Sen. Danny Burgess … Tallahassee Democrat’s Jeff Burlew … Lyndee Rose of LOTUS Strategies … journalist Jake Stofan of Action News Jax … (Sunday) Former state Rep. Mike Hill … Political analyst and consultant Chris Ingram. | | | | 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 | | | | |
