| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | Presented by Duke Energy | | 
Florida Senators Joe Gruters, right, and Gary M. Farmer Jr. look on during a legislative session, Friday, April 30, 2021, at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. | Wilfredo Lee/AP | Good morning and welcome to August. Republican state Sen. Joe Gruters has bucked the governor and his party on pot. The Sarasota lawmaker, an ally to former President Donald Trump, announced yesterday that he supports Amendment 3, a ballot question that would legalize marijuana for recreational use for adults 21 and up. He released his statement with Smart & Safe Florida, the organization that’s backing the measure. The group described his stance as matching up with his opposition to government overreach, whether it be on schools, guns or taxes. The announcement came as the effort against Amendment 3 has been ramping up, with support from Gov. Ron DeSantis. The “Vote No on Three” campaign announced new hires last month, and on Tuesday the Florida Police Chiefs Association and the Florida Sheriffs Association formally opposed the amendment, warning of a “negative public safety impact.” Gruters and DeSantis have clashed before, including when Gruters supported Trump for president and then accused DeSantis of retaliating against him by nixing some of his hometown projects from the budget. Gruters is running for chief financial officer in 2026 and has Trump’s endorsement already. Gruters’ stance is also in conflict with the Republican Party of Florida, of which he is a former chair. RPOF opposed the amendment in May, warning in a resolution that it would “benefit powerful marijuana special interests,” “put children at risk” and harm tourism. But the announcement was not a complete surprise to party insiders. One who spoke with Playbook on condition of anonymity said that even though they didn’t know the formal statement was coming, Gruters had expressed to GOP leaders how he felt about the pot amendment. Morgan Hill, spokesperson for Smart & Safe Florida, said the campaign approached Gruters about the possibility of backing the amendment and that he “agreed that no one should go to jail for simple possession of marijuana, and that Floridians deserve the same freedoms that more than half the country already has.” She did not say to what extent the group was trying to peel off other Republicans, noting that GOP voters have also supported legalization. DeSantis has told the public that he thinks pot legalization would make the state stink and create a bad environment for families. He also raised concerns about pot being smoked near schools. The Smart & Safe campaign has said it supports lawmakers creating regulations about where and when pot could be bought and used, but elected officials would need to reach a consensus because rules aren’t already spelled out in the amendment’s language. Gruters himself pushed to let local governments ban smoking on public beaches. A representative for the “Say No On Three” campaign declined to comment on Gruters’ announcement. A recent memo from the group’s pollster, Ryan Tyson, showed support already slightly exceeded the 60 percent threshold needed for passage, but noted that since February support had not increased despite millions spent pushing the amendment. Gruters didn’t respond to questions from Playbook. In a statement he said legalization would “give Floridians access to safe products, generate significant revenue for critical public services and create new job opportunities for Floridians.” The amendment doesn’t specify where revenue would go, meaning the Legislature would need to hash it out. Jamie Miller, a consultant for Gruters who ran his last state Senate campaign, said it was typical of Gruters to “march to the beat of his own drum.” “The one thing about Joe is that he stands up for what he believes in,” Miller said. “And sometimes he surprises people with what those things are.” — Mia McCarthy contributed reporting. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget in the campaign reporting that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Duke Energy: Duke Energy is always working hard to find ways to help customers save. Already this year, Duke Energy has received approval to lower rates for residential customers in Florida twice! We also offer customers easy-to-use energy efficiency programs and tools like Usage Alerts and Pick Your Due Date to help Florida customers take more control over their energy use and bills. Learn more about how much customers can save with this new, lowered rate. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | DROPPED — “Florida ethics panel rejects complaints over DeSantis air travel and golf simulator,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “Florida’s ethics panel has tossed aside complaints that Gov. Ron DeSantis violated gift laws by accepting air travel to promote his book last year and by his use of a golf simulator delivered to the governor’s mansion by a wealthy donor. The Florida Commission on Ethics voted unanimously at a closed-door session last Friday to reject the complaints, one of which had been filed against him by the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign Legal Center and came in the wake of news stories written about the governor.” FOURTH-HIGHEST STATE — “Targeted for deportation by Trump, undocumented immigrants [in Florida] pay billions in taxes,” reports John Kennedy of USA Today Network — Florida. “The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a liberal, nonprofit think tank, showed in a report released Tuesday that an estimated 747,000 undocumented immigrants in Florida paid more than $1.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2022.” SEX DISCRIMINATION FIGHT — “Florida, other states scrambling after judge rejects Title IX argument,” reports News Service of Florida. “Hours after a U.S. district judge ruled against them, Florida and three other states late Tuesday asked an appeals court to temporarily halt a new federal rule about sex-based discrimination in education programs. Attorneys for Florida, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and other plaintiffs scrambled after U.S. District Judge Annemarie Carney Axon on Tuesday issued a 122-page decision that rejected a request for a preliminary injunction against the rule, which deals with Title IX, a landmark 1972 law that bars discrimination in education programs based on sex.”
| | | | DID YOU MISS IT? On Tuesday, POLITICO and McKinsey convened three conversations in D.C. with policymakers and space experts, including NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The discussions also featured a panel of experts, an interview with Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) and an executive conversation with McKinsey's Ryan Brukardt.
The conversations focused on the next great innovation frontier – the space industry, including deeper discussion around which sectors of the global economy see their growth arc in space and what the role of government leaders is in expanding and regulating the growing number of orbital ideas. CATCH UP AND WATCH HIGHLIGHTS HERE | | | | | | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | SCHOOL HARDENING DAY 1 — “Safety commission backs grant to help boost safety in Florida’s private schools,” by the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Lisa J. Huriash. “Police departments statewide will soon be urged to apply for a slice of a $5 million grant to figure out how to make their private schools safer. The Private School Security Assessment Grant Program was announced Tuesday at the first of a two-day Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Safety Commission meeting, where officials said the school security for private schools throughout Florida has not ‘kept pace’ with improvements made at public schools.” SCHOOL HARDENING DAY 2 — “Legislative clarification may be needed on school safety law, commission says,” reports Jay Waagmeester of the Florida Phoenix. “The Florida Legislature made another jump in school safety protocol during its 2024 session, requiring classrooms to be locked when students are present, but the law may not be clear enough, according to some members of a school safety commission.” AUDIT OUT — “Inspector General: Guardianship Program of staff violated state law in sales of properties,” by WLRN’s Joshua Ceballos and Daniel Rivero. “The Miami-Dade Office of the Inspector General on Wednesday released its final 137-page audit report on the Guardianship Program of Dade County — detailing a lack of oversight in the nonprofit's property sales section that led to the questionable sales of dozens of homes belonging to vulnerable people. The report comes more than a year after WLRN reported that the agency was repeatedly selling properties to a small network of buyers who would then sell them for big profits.” TRANS ATHLETE BACKLASH — “Divided School Board suspends mom of transgender athlete for 10 days,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Scott Travis. “A Monarch High employee accused of allowing her transgender daughter to play girls sports in violation of state law will be suspended for 10 days and moved to a different job, a divided Broward School Board decided Tuesday. Jessica Norton, 50, an information management specialist and coach at the Coconut Creek school, was one of at least eight district employees investigated, but the only one to face discipline. An investigation concluded that her child, now 16, played volleyball for two years at Monarch, as well as soccer and volleyball at nearby Lyons Creek Middle.” — “After debris concerns, SpaceX to shift Dragon capsule landings from Florida to California,” reports Richard Tribou of the Orlando Sentinel. — “Norma Padgett, who falsely accused the Groveland Four of rape, dies at 92,” by Ryan Gillespie, Cristóbal Reyes and Stephen Hudak of the Orlando Sentinel.
| | | | A message from Duke Energy:   | | | | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | — “Hurricane forecast: A rainy Florida sideswipe or a festering Gulf storm threat?” by Ryan Truchelut of WeatherTiger. CAT FUND — “Florida hurricanes risk wiping out reserves of state reinsurer,” reports Bloomberg’s Nic Querolo. “More frequent Atlantic hurricanes threaten to increase property damages in Florida — forcing the state-backed reinsurance provider to sell more debt to meet coverage demands. Should a major storm make landfall in the state and cause losses on par with Hurricane Ian — which is estimated to have cost $9.5 billion — that would eclipse the roughly $7 billion in projected reserves for the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, according to a report by Moody’s Ratings.” SECONDARY EFFECTS — “Rising temps, rising anxiety: Climate change creates emerging mental health challenge,” by Claire Grunewald of the Miami Herald. “Flooding tides. Soaring temperatures. Even species disappearing, like a rare cactus declared this month forever ‘extirpated’ from the Florida Keys. Many troubling signs of climate change in South Florida are visible — but one that affects a growing number of people is not. It’s called climate anxiety, a fear of what the future may hold in a warming world.”
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | TONIGHT — Gov. Ron DeSantis is in California raising money to help support former President Donald Trump’s election. AMENDMENT 2 — “Outgunned hunting, fishing amendment opponents get boost from Sierra Club,” reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. “A fledgling campaign opposing a proposed state constitutional amendment to protect ‘traditional’ means of hunting and fishing received a donation from Sierra Club, the first significant investment from a green group toward the campaign. NoTo2.org, which opposes Amendment 2 on the November ballot, last week received $50,000 from the Sierra Club, Chuck O'Neal, the political committee's chair, told POLITICO on Wednesday.” ELECTION LAWS — “Amid new ballot drop boxes limits, Florida's shorter hours cause voting rights worry,” reports USA Today’s Bart Jansen. “Florida adopted restrictions for drop boxes in 2021 to strengthen election security, even though studies found the boxes secure and trustworthy. The new law required election staffers to monitor drop-off locations during early voting hours, which eliminated some curbside boxes and ended the possibility of stopping by after regular working hours or on most weekends.”
| | | | A message from Duke Energy: What’s better than lowering rates? Lowering rates twice! Already this year, Duke Energy has received approval to lower rates for residential customers in Florida two times. These savings can go a long way, especially as temperatures rise. Warmer temperatures can mean customers need to use more energy to stay cool, so this is great news for customers. In addition to lower rates, Duke Energy also offers a variety of energy-saving tips and programs to help customers save energy and money.
Learn more about how Duke Energy’s new, reduced rate helps customers save. | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | |  Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., gestures while speaking during the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. | Scott Applewhite/AP | LETTER TO FED — “Matt Gaetz accuses Facebook, Google of censoring info on Donald Trump assassination attempt,” reports Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles. “The Fort Walton Beach Republican sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas accusing Facebook and Google of censoring information. ‘Numerous news outlets have reported various irregularities in search results and home pages,’ Gaetz said. ‘For example, Facebook has acknowledged that it censored an authentic photograph of Donald Trump as ‘false information’ and Google has acknowledged that it excludes and does not autocomplete results for searches relating to the Trump assassination attempt.’” — “All the ex-president’s men at Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners,” by Dan Christensen of the Florida Bulldog.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | ALOHOMORA — “Harry Potter land at new Universal theme park will be Ministry of Magic,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Sharon Kennedy Wynne. “Universal Orlando is conjuring another wizard-themed land for its new theme park Epic Universe, now under construction. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic will span both the magical London offices and the streets of Paris in the 1920s from the more recent ‘Fantastic Beasts’ movies, Universal revealed on Wednesday. The theme park, estimated to cost more than $1 billion before its opening in 2025, is designed like a hub with spokes that lead to five new immersive lands. Fans enter through a tunnel (or ‘portals’ as the park calls them) that allow for a wow factor as it opens into a highly themed world.” — “Can you hunt alligators year-round in Florida? Everything to know about gator hunting,” by Lianna Norman of USA Today Network — Florida. BIRTHDAYS: Former state Rep. Jennifer Sullivan, former state Sen. Garrett Richter. | | | | 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 | | | | |
