DeSantis revisits a winning issue for him

Jul 24, 2024

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, second from right, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, right, take questions during a Mom's for Liberty function during the second day of the 2024 Republican National Convention near the Fiserv Forum, Tuesday, July 16, 2024, in Milwaukee.

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is aiming to repeat the success he’s had in reshaping Florida school boards.

Last week he endorsed 23 school board candidates as they head into the state’s August 20 primary, saying they got his backing by pledging to focus on “student success, parental rights and curriculum transparency.”

Until 2022, these were sleepy races in the state that typically didn’t get a lot of attention. The electeds are in charge of things like schedules, maintenance, curriculum, supplies and spending. But DeSantis was the first governor in recent memory to make it a thing, tapping into parent frustration in other parts of the country over school closures during the height of the Covid pandemic.

He endorsed candidates during the midterms after he faced run-ins with members and with teachers’ unions during the Covid pandemic, when some school boards tried to defy his ban on mask mandates in public schools.

The intervention in these low-profile contests worked out well for him. He won reelection by 19 points and his school-board picks overwhelmingly prevailed, POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury reported at the time. Now, he’s reengaging in the contests, backing some familiar faces in addition to the new ones announced last week. And he plans to use funding from his newly formed committee to help them win their races, POLITICO’s Gary Fineout reported last month.

DeSantis is backing candidates who support his outlook on education. His agenda has expanded dramatically since 2022 to include a universal school voucher program, an overhauled curriculum on African American history, even more restrictions on LGBTQ+ instruction, more parental consent in the classroom and ways to challenge textbooks.

Asked about the endorsement list, Florida Education Association president Andrew Spar called DeSantis’ education agenda “anti-public school.” “We believe we need people on our public school boards who believe in the Florida Constitution's requirement for a free, high quality, public education for every child,” the union boss said. “They need to care more about our students than they do about pushing a political agenda.”

The conservative parents organization Moms for Liberty founders Tina Descovich and Tiffany Justice told Playbook in a statement that they’d shared their own endorsed candidates list with the governor. “We are thankful that he understands the importance of electing liberty-minded individuals to school boards,” they said.

School board races are technically nonpartisan, but Floridian voters will face a question on the ballot this election to have candidates identify their political affiliations starting in 2026. The Republican Party of Florida wants voters to select “yes” on that question.

DeSantis didn’t preview the endorsements when he was at the Republican convention in Milwaukee last week, though he did talk a good deal about how he has worked to reshape education in Florida. At a Moms for Liberty event, he addressed social media and phone usage, saying the devices shouldn’t be allowed in classrooms.

WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis will hold a press conference in St. Petersburg with Education Commissioner Manny Diaz at 10:30 a.m.

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... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...

POPULATION CHANGES — Florida continues to grow, but there is an expectation that the growth will begin to slow down in 2026 and beyond.

The Office of Economic and Demographic Research met this month and released revised projections recently that show that Florida’s population topped 23 million for the first time in April. This was a result of a modest upward revision due to net migration coming into the state.

Florida is the third largest state in the nation behind Texas and California. In the past year the state’s growth rate was 1.62 percent. It is expected to drop to 1.43 percent in 2025 and 1.33 percent in 2026. The current forecast says that Florida's population will top 24 million sometime in late 2027.

That growth is entirely due to people moving into Florida because the amount of people dying in the state continue to outpace births. Nearly 336,000 people alone are expected to migrate into the state over the next year. Gov. Ron DeSantis has repeatedly touted the wave of people moving into Florida over the last few years as proof that the policies he and Republicans have put in have been attractive to those living in other states, including those run by Democrats.

— Gary Fineout

Photo collage of a giant hand holding a tiny school house in its palm.

Illustration by Claudine Hellmuth/POLITICO (source images via iStock)

NEW EDUCATION OPTION — “‘Microschools’ could be the next big school choice battle,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “Florida Republicans, led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, want to let tiny private schools open in libraries, movie theaters, churches and other spaces where they can fit makeshift classrooms. State lawmakers backed looser rules for establishing ‘microschools’ as part of a sweeping education law that went into effect this month. The little-noticed provision could become a blueprint for states across the country looking to expand private school options.”

POSTED — “Florida takes first step to restrict social media for minors,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “Florida officials introduced a slate of proposed regulations Tuesday to enforce the state’s new social media restrictions for minors, marking the first step toward enacting a law largely expected to face legal challenges from the tech industry.”

UNAFFORDABLE — “Florida’s working households are struggling. Are state leaders doing enough?” by Gabriela Henriquez Stoikow and Alexandra Glorioso of the Miami Herald and Lawrence Mower of the Tampa Bay Times. “Almost half of Florida households are gainfully employed but still struggling to make ends meet, according to a new report published by United Way that lays bare the financial burdens increasingly squeezing Floridians. Of the 8.8 million households in the state, 4 million either were in poverty or unable to afford ‘the basic cost of living in their county’ in 2022, the focus year in the study. Many did not qualify for public assistance.”

ALL RUN OUT — “State-funded home improvement dreams paused as heavy demand closes first step for funding,” by the Palm Beach Post’s Anne Geggis. “My Safe Florida Home, which hands out up to $10,000 per home in state money to help Floridians get their homes storm-ready — and perhaps lower their insurance premiums — has proven wildly popular. So much so that just two weeks after the program reopened, those first in line for millions in state grants, residents older than 60 and on a lower income, exhausted the resources earmarked for the first step on the path to get the money.”

— “Ticketed at a private parking lot? A new Florida law requires more transparency,” by the Miami Herald’s Joanne Haner.

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

NEW LEADERSHIP — “FAMU, UF pick interim presidents with leadership searches coming next,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “A pair of Florida universities choose interim leaders Tuesday, as they prepare to launch searches to find permanent presidents in the face of recent resignations. Florida A&M University trustees picked retired Pasco-Hernando State College President Tim Beard to succeed outgoing President Larry Robinson; former University of Florida President Kent Fuchs is soon taking over for President Ben Sasse.”

BOOK TESTIMONY — “Florida 7-year-old compelled to testify in book ban lawsuit,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “A federal judge ruled Monday that a 7-year-old Florida student must testify in a lawsuit challenging how one school district is carrying out the state’s policies for removing books containing objectionable content. Magistrate Judge Zachary C. Bolitho denied — in part — a protective order sought by the child’s parent to shield them from being deposed by lawyers for the district about how they have been affected by books being removed from their school. But, at the same time, the judge acknowledged the young age of the unnamed student referred to as J.N., who, along with her mother are plaintiffs in the case, and agreed to limit the questioning to 90 minutes.”

BEFORE DESANTIS OVERHAUL — “Audit shows loose finances, violations of state law at New College,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Divya Kumar. “New College of Florida overpaid faculty and administrators, accidentally paid vendors more than once and failed to collect more than $160,000 in student payments, according to a state report chronicling the school’s recent financial activities in recent years. The practices were among several negative findings — including violations of state law — in the state auditor general’s most recent operational audit of the university.” The audit covered a timeframe before DeSantis and his allies remade the school.

FIRST OF ITS KIND — “Finally, a way around exorbitant rental car surcharges for tolls,” by The New York Times’ Elaine Glusac. “One toll authority in Florida aims to eliminate rental car sticker shock. The Central Florida Expressway Authority, based in Orlando, has begun issuing temporary toll passes available free to travelers who rent cars at Orlando International Airport, allowing drivers to pay for toll road access like a local.”

CAMPAIGN MODE

Elon Musk speaks.

Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition in Washington, March 9, 2020. | Susan Walsh/AP

FAMILIAR FACES — “Super PAC tied to Elon Musk is being guided by ex-DeSantis aides,” reports The New York Times’ Theodore Schleifer. “Two Republican operatives who played senior roles helping the presidential campaign of Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida have taken on leadership roles in a new pro-Trump super PAC that could spend tens of millions of dollars in the presidential race and has ties to Elon Musk. The aides, Generra Peck, who initially managed the DeSantis campaign, and Phil Cox, a former head of the Republican Governors Association who ran the DeSantis political operation in the years before his run, are quietly guiding the group, America PAC, according to three people briefed on the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly.”

TICKET SWITCH — “Here’s what Kamala Harris has focused on when it comes to Florida,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Romy Ellenbogen. “Although she’s from California and has few evident ties to Florida, [Vice President Kamala] Harris is no stranger to Sunshine State politics. On multiple occasions, Harris has ventured south to denounce Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ policies on issues like education and abortion. Harris has visited Florida 12 times as vice president. A planned 13th visit, where Harris was slated to speak alongside Republican women in Palm Beach about abortion, was scrapped this month after a gunman shot former President Donald Trump.”

HEATING UP— “GOP stalwart faces two challengers in costly Orlando-area Senate race,” by the Orlando Sentinel’s Annie Martin. “Over the past several months, the race has become among the most expensive in Central Florida, with [Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed Keith] Truenow and [newcomer Bowen] Kou spending several times what candidates in other local Senate districts have raised.”

— “Board candidate says ‘Gender Queer’ is in Pinellas schools. It isn’t,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey S. Solochek.

— “They want to take on Anna Paulina Luna. Here’s where they stand on the issues,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Kirby Wilson.

DATELINE D.C.

NOTICE — “Proposed protection for Alabama shad could mean big changes for rivers in Southeast,” reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. “Federal officials said Tuesday they will consider listing the Alabama shad as an endangered species, a move welcomed by environmentalists who hope it will lead to ‘profound’ changes in river operations across the Southeast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a notice that it would review the status of the fish based on information in a petition submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity.”

OCTOBER TOUR — “Hillary Clinton is coming to Tampa in October,” reports Maggie Duffy of the Tampa Bay Times. “Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former First Lady, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State, is touring the country and making a stop at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa on Oct. 15. Secretary Clinton will sit down with a moderator to discuss politics and democracy as well as more personal topics like friendship, aging and marriage.”

IN WAKE OF SCOTUS DECISION — “Gaetz introduces bill to limit harsh sentences for Jan. 6 defendants,” by the Washington Examiner’s Kaelan Deese. “Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) [introduced] a bill that aims to protect Jan. 6 Capitol riot defendants from retaliation by federal prosecutors when seeking petitions for resentencing.”

— “Economists debate Rick Scott’s assertion the federal budget should be ‘half its size,’” by Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix.

TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

FRIDAY — “Trump will meet with Netanyahu at Mar-A-Lago this week,” reports POLITICO’s Meridith McGraw and Erin Banco. “Former president Donald Trump confirmed plans to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this Friday at his private Mar-a-lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. Netanyahu, who is making a swing through Washington, D.C. to meet with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and members of Congress this week, requested the in-person meeting with Trump.”

ALSO FRIDAY — “Trump to headline conservative Turning Point Action conference in West Palm Beach,” reports the Miami Herald’s Max Greenwood. “Donald Trump will headline a conservative political and religious summit in West Palm Beach on Friday, the right-wing group Turning Point Action announced. The former president is set to deliver the keynote address at the Believers’ Summit, a Christian conservative gathering just a short drive from Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago. The event kicks off Friday at the Palm Beach County Convention Center and runs through Sunday.”

— “Prosecutors ask judge to detain Jupiter man who threatened Trump, Vance before trial,” reports Maya Washburn of the Palm Beach Post.

TRANSITION TIME

— Ballard Partners is expanding into Saudi Arabia with a practice in Riyadh. Leading the Middle East and North Africa office is Jasmine Zaki, who previously served as senior counsel at Bechtel and as an international law practitioner. The other partners are Sheikh Abdullah bin Zaid Al-Meleihi and former Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.).

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ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN

BIRTHDAYS: Former Gov. Charlie Crist … Steve Birtman with Tallahassee Downtown Improvement Authority ... Margo Martin with the Trump campaign.