| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard, Gary Fineout and Kierra Frazier | |  Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign rally, Aug. 10, 2024, in Las Vegas. | Julia Nikhinson, File/AP Photo | Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Vice President Kamala Harris just hit a new benchmark in her presidential campaign: Almost 22,000 volunteers in Florida have signed up to help her get elected. Two-thirds are women, new numbers from the Harris campaign shared first with Playbook show. They’ll be tapped to make phone calls, help with events and knock on doors. The data also show most are over the age of 50. While the vast majority are registered Democrats, a snapshot of 13,000 volunteers shows 12 percent are non-party affiliated and 5 percent are Republicans. “The momentum and the excitement around having her at the top of the ticket is palpable,” said Adrienne Reddick, 59, a Democrat and first-time volunteer. Reddick, who’s from St. Petersburg, said she got involved with the presidential campaign at the end of July after attending a “Win with Black Women” call right after Harris announced her candidacy. She then attended a phone banking event with a sorority sister, Democratic state Rep. Michele Rayner of St. Petersburg, and signed up to make calls to recruit more volunteers and encourage low-propensity voters to turn out. Among the issues drawing Reddick to the vice president is Harris' outspoken stance on abortion rights, she said. Some polling suggests Harris is tightening the contest against former President Donald Trump in Florida, though he’s still has a narrow, 5 point lead in a recent USA TODAY/Suffolk University/WSVN-TV survey. Florida Atlantic University’s Political Communication and Public Opinion Research Lab has the race even closer, with Trump up 3 points. “We have been feeling it, we have been seeing it and it’s nice to see the polling close to back [it] up,” said Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried. “We were ready for the moment, and now we're going to capitalize on it.” But Democrats still have to contend with a sizable gap in voter registration in the state. The latest numbers show that Republicans have about 1 million more active voters in Florida than Democrats, which is a sizable turnaround since Gov. Ron DeSantis took office. Democrats in recent days have said the gap is due to a “systematic and coordinated effort” and a series of “dirty tricks” by the GOP-controlled Legislature and state government, including moving voters from active to the inactive rolls. Available data, however, yields some interesting information. If you combine both active and inactive voters (because inactive voters are still eligible to cast a ballot) then Republicans would still have a lead of nearly 700,000 voters. And the underlying data shows multiple reasons for the growing gap, including that the GOP has registered 932,000 new voters since October 2020 while the Democrats have registered nearly 538,000. Another nugget: There have actually been more Republicans dropped completely off the rolls — such as the death of the voter — since October 2020 than Democrats (Nearly 436,000 versus nearly 409,000). The Trump campaign meanwhile has called Democrats’ “fantasy” about Florida “nonsense,” pointing to the registration advantages for Republicans and issues that are important to Floridians, like immigration and the economy. “The issues that will move Florida voters for a decisive Trump victory in Florida this November are all linked to Harris' weakness, failure, and dangerously liberal record in the White House,” said Trump senior adviser Brian Hughes. “Harris makes the life of every Floridian, and every other American, more expensive and less safe.” — Kimberly Leonard and Gary Fineout 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.
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Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell is seen at the Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, on Jan. 9, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | TODAY — The governor and other state officials face a deadline to decide whether to apply for federal funds that will help families pay for groceries over the summer when kids are out of school. The state turned down the money last year, citing other existing programs such as lunches offered at libraries across the state, but Biden administration officials hammered Florida Republicans over it. In a call with reporters yesterday, state House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell called on the governor’s office and other officials to accept the funding before the deadline but said “we have seen a willingness of the Biden administration to work with states” if they decide to take it up later. The governor’s office didn’t reply to a question about how the DeSantis administration was thinking about the future of the program, which deposits money to food assistance debit cards. REVENUE FORECAST — “Florida will still have a budget surplus, but it's getting smaller,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “Florida legislators should have a healthy — albeit smaller — budget surplus to work with next year, as signs continue to point to an end to the post-pandemic boom that combined with a large infusion of federal aid to fill the state’s coffers. Economists met Wednesday at the state Capitol, where they drew up a new forecast for Florida’s main budget account that predicts that about $2 billion extra should be collected between now and 2026 … Put together, the new forecast projects that legislators will start their annual session in March 2025 with roughly $7.75 billion in unallocated general revenue to be able to use for a new state budget.” ‘A REVOLUTIONARY CHANGE’ — “Buying a home in Florida just got more complicated thanks to new rules,” reports Tampa Bay Times’ Rebecca Liebson. “For decades, sellers have used money from the home sale to pay a commission fee that gets split between their agent and the buyer’s agent. Typically the fee is around 5-6 percent, though the National Association of Realtors says that number has always been negotiable. This long-running practice could be wiped out by two new rules from the National Association of Realtors that set stricter standards for how commission is determined.” OVERTURNED — “Appeals court says Florida attorney general cannot prevent opioid suits from hospital districts, school boards,” reports Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida. “A state appeals court Wednesday ruled that Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody could not prevent opioid-epidemic lawsuits filed by hospital districts and school boards after she reached settlements with the pharmaceutical industry. A three-judge panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal overturned a 2023 decision by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper that said Moody had the power to enter settlements that effectively included trumping separate claims by local government agencies.” AVOIDING CAPITAL PUNISHMENT — “From Dozier abuse to Parkinson’s, condemned killer Cole continues quest for stay of execution,” reports News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders. "Attorneys for condemned killer Loran Cole have asked the Florida Supreme Court for a stay of his scheduled Aug. 29 execution, saying the state’s lethal-injection procedures likely would cause ‘needless pain and suffering’ because of Cole’s symptoms from Parkinson’s disease.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | HAPPENING AGAIN — “Boca Raton couple losing condo unit they’ve owned for 32 years to investor who changed the rules,” reports South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ron Hurtibise. “Court records and correspondence provided by the Fellmans present a story of a long legal battle to prevent The Scully Company, a Pennsylvania-based operator of rental communities, from taking over a condo unit the couple purchased for $65,000 in 1992 — back when the condominium’s declaration stated it would take 100 percent of unit owners to approve any termination. But after buying 175 of the Mission Viejo Condominium units — all of them except the Fellmans’ — the investor took over the governing association and voted to reduce to 80 percent the threshold of unit owners required to approve the termination, court records show.” — “Miami-Dade to review whether school materials contain antisemitism,” reports Axios’ Sommer Brugal. — “University of Florida denies appeal of pro-Palestinian student protester's suspension,” reports Douglas Soule of USA Today Network — Florida. — “'That's on me': Florida A&M interim president discusses resignation order, next steps,” reports Tarah Jean of the Tallahassee Democrat.
| | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | | |  Downed power lines are seen after Tropical Storm Ernesto moved through the area in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, on August 14, 2024. | Jaydee Lee Serrano/AFP via Getty Images | IN THE DARK — “Ernesto leaves hundreds of thousands of people without power in Puerto Rico,” reports the Miami Herald’s Syra Ortiz Blanes. “LUMA Energy, the private company that operates the island’s electrical grid, reported that about 735,000 customers — half of the island — were without power. The number of homes without service appeared to be quickly rising as of Wednesday afternoon.” GROWING GAP — “Citizens wants to hike insurance rates 14 percent. They would have to double them to be competitive,” reports Tom Hudson of WLRN. “The insurer of last resort in Florida isn't meant to be competitive. But if it were, its average premium for regular homeowner's insurance would have to almost double. Citizens Property Insurance policies continue to be significantly underpriced compared to private carriers, according to a company presentation to state regulators earlier this month. It estimates the average homeowner's insurance premium would need to be increased by 96.8 percent to better match competitors.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | COMING UP — The Republican Party of Florida has confirmed speakers for its Florida Victory Dinner in Hollywood, Florida, on September 7: Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. DOWN ON THE FARM — Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) is headed to Florida later this month for a fundraiser hosted by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. Simpson is holding an Aug. 29 fundraiser for the GOP ticket at his farm located north of the Tampa Bay area. The fundraiser was confirmed by a person familiar with the event plans. Simpson, a potential candidate for Florida governor in 2026, did not endorse Gov. Ron DeSantis’ run for president and instead endorsed Trump the same day that DeSantis ended his campaign. Trump endorsed Simpson’s 2022 run for agriculture commissioner. – Gary Fineout TODAY — Democratic Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell will hold a veterans announcement in Miami. YESTERDAY — Former President Donald Trump cast his ballot for the August 20 primary early in West Palm Beach. Trump has pushed for the U.S. to only have same-day voting.
|  Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Asheville, N.C., Wednesday, August 14, 2024. | Matt Rourke/AP Photo | THORNY QUESTION — “A Florida referendum is putting Trump in a bind on abortion,” reports POLITICO’s Natalie Allison and Arek Sarkissian. “In Florida, where Trump is a registered voter, the former president has yet to say how he’ll cast his own vote on the measure known as Amendment 4, which would abolish the state’s newly enacted ban on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. The looming referendum is threatening Trump’s efforts, as he put it in April, to ‘make both sides happy’ with his position, and it’s giving Democrats an opening to continue hammering him.” HIGHLIGHTING POST-ROE AMERICA — “‘Nothing short of barbaric’: Harris’ Florida campaign highlights abortion ban horror stories,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher. “Democrats are hoping to put abortion at the forefront when voters head to the polls in November, viewing it as an issue that will resonate. At [an] Orlando event, two women shared their stories of how abortion bans in other states affected their health. The women also spoke at an event in Tampa on Wednesday.” MOBILIZATION PUSH — “Kamala Harris ascendance drives Hispanic group’s Central Florida door knocking for abortion rights amendment,” reports Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski. “Democratic enthusiasm continues as the Kamala Harris ticket establishes itself, and that’s translating to one organization ramping up its ground game in the Orlando area. Mi Vecino will spend $600,000 on door knocking, with an eye toward mobilizing more than 200,000 Hispanic and Black voters under the age of 35.” FLORIDA GROWN — “DeSantis paints Trulieve cannabis company as 'Canadian' amid recreational marijuana spat,” reports USA Today Network — Florida’s Douglas Soule. “The company [DeSantis is] talking about is Trulieve, the largest medical marijuana operator in Florida, and its top officials contest that description. ‘The fact of the matter is that Trulieve is Florida-born, our products are Florida-grown and we are headquartered in Florida with most of our nearly 4,000 employees living here as well,’ said CEO Kim Rivers in a statement.” REPUBLICANS INTERVENE — “Ads from GOP operative, shadowy group target Democrats in heated Florida Senate race,” reports Orlando Sentinel’s Steven Lemongello. “Mailers to Democratic voters from a shadowy group called the Consumer Rights Action Fund attempt to portray [Carmen Torres, state Sen. Victor Torres’ wife] as ‘Republican-backed,’ claiming her campaign is ‘financed by wealthy Republicans’ who have donated millions of dollars to DeSantis and Trump. The ads also claim without evidence that ‘Big Insurance’ gave tens of thousands to Torres and ‘far-right Republicans.’ The mailers include black-and-white photos of Torres, DeSantis and Trump, and an image of a golden piggy bank.”
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