| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Kierra Frazier | |  Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) speaks during the last night of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images | Good morning and happy Friday. The Democratic convention found its Gen Z political star in Florida. Rep. Maxwell Frost took the big stage last night to rally fellow Democrats on the urgency of climate change. He framed tackling the issue as an act of love and patriotism and talked about how, as a “Florida Man,” he faces extreme weather events through seeing hurricane-ravaged neighborhoods and workers in sweltering heat. “This election is about every drop of water that we consume,” he said, “and every breath we breathe.” Frost spoke on the same night that Vice President Kamala Harris ceremoniously accepted the presidential nomination for her party. He plans to campaign on her behalf in several states in the coming weeks. Frost has never attended Democratic convention before. But he was all over the week’s events and even exhausted his voice, Louis Jacobson of PolitiFact reported in the Tampa Bay Times. Frost’s team said that on Tuesday he did 14 press interviews and four speeches, and collaborated with about a dozen content creators. On Wednesday morning at the Florida delegation breakfast, he worked to energize his home state, declaring, “We’re already a blue state. We’ve just got to prove it,” even as the state party remains out-fundraised and out-registered by Republicans. The only other Floridian to take the main stage this week was Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. But it was likely a no-brainer for the DNC to invite the 27-year-old Frost to speak to last night’s future-facing themes. Frost is the youngest member of Congress and has long been on the Biden — now Harris — campaign advisory board. Before going to Congress, Frost was the organizing director of March for Our Lives, the gun violence prevention organization that formed after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. President Joe Biden established an Office of Gun Violence Prevention last year that was modeled after legislation Frost introduced. “Frost has been a powerful surrogate for this campaign since day one, highlighting Vice President Harris’ fight for young people on the issues that matter most," Jasmine Burney Clark, the Harris campaign's Florida state director, told playbook in a statement. But Frost has also voiced concern with an aspect of the DNC’s programming. The party declined to offer a speaking slot to delegates from the uncommitted movement, which represents voters who selected “uncommitted” on their ballots to try to pressure the U.S. to stop sending arms shipments to Israel and demand a ceasefire in Gaza. Georgia state Rep. Ruwa Romman, a Democrat who is Palestinian, had prepared a speech in support of Harris for the convention stage. Frost posted on X that Romman would have been “a unifying speaker for peace.” He has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and was the only member of the Florida delegation to vote against a House resolution condemning antisemitism on campuses, though he later said he wished he’d voted differently. He and several other House members from Florida also voted against a bill that would change the definition of antisemitism in federal discrimination law. He even touched on the war in last night’s speech. “We must always remember,” he said, “that peace is essential to our climate and war destroys our environment.” 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. PROGRAMMING NOTE: Playbook will not be publishing from Aug. 26 through Sept. 2. We’ll be back to our normal schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 3. |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | | | 
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson speaks at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, on Nov. 4, 2023, in Kissimmee, Florida. | Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP | UNITING AGAINST — “DeSantis administration plan to develop parks draws rare bipartisan opposition,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “In a rare show of bipartisan resistance, the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis is running into opposition over a newly-announced plan to add golf courses and lodging to several renowned Florida parks. The proposal quickly triggered criticism not just from environmental groups but also from leading Republican political figures, including Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo and Rep. Matt Gaetz. The proposal from the Department of Environmental Protection, dubbed the “Great Outdoors Initiative,” would add pickleball courts, golf courses and additional cabins and lodges at state parks and beaches across the state. Simpson said he had not even heard about the proposal until media outlets such as The Tampa Bay Times publicized the fast-moving plans that will be the subject of public hearings next week.” … The DeSantis response … “Jeremy Redfern, the governor’s press secretary, said in an email that the state's department of environmental protection and parks division are ‘looking at recommendations for ways to enhance Florida’s parks to make them more visitor-friendly.’ He said the initial proposals were based on public input and ‘may not all be approved,’ and final decisions would be made after the public comment and review period.” LONG-RUNNING BATTLE — “Florida pursues 'game changer' overhaul of voter eligibility process,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “Florida says it will soon let convicted felons know within 90 days if they are eligible to vote, a move that is being called a ‘step forward’ by the group that had once sued the state over its complicated eligibility process … The Department of State, which reports to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, on Thursday proposed a rule that would establish new deadlines for someone who had been previously convicted of a felony to ask about their voting rights. Currently, the state allows individuals to ask for an advisory opinion on their eligibility status but there were no requirements on how quickly the state must respond. Only 49 opinions have been issued over the past two and a half years.” ‘HIGH VOLUME OF ERRORS’ — “Florida families are seeking consistent care following Medicaid unwinding,” reports Health News Florida’s Gabriella Paul. “In Florida, it’s estimated that around 550,000 children lost Medicaid coverage since May of last year, when the state began purging enrollees. The state’s process for redetermining Floridians' eligibility for Medicaid has also come under fire, with many health advocates citing a high number of complaints over the accuracy and timeliness of termination notices sent to enrollees.”
| | | | DON’T MISS OUR AI & TECH SUMMIT: Join POLITICO’s AI & Tech Summit for exclusive interviews and conversations with senior tech leaders, lawmakers, officials and stakeholders about where the rising energy around global competition — and the sense of potential around AI and restoring American tech knowhow — is driving tech policy and investment. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | STILL NO RECORDS — “Maduro’s Hand-Picked Supreme Court Calls Him Venezuela’s Election Winner,” reports Kejal Vyas of the Wall Street Journal. “Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Thursday declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of last month’s disputed elections and tried to discredit opposition evidence that the strongman lost in a landslide, deepening the country’s political crisis. The court’s ruling was expected, as it is stacked with loyalists to Maduro’s ruling Socialist Party. Maduro, who has ruled with an increasingly authoritarian bent over 11 years, tasked the court with refereeing the election dispute, part of a strategy to combat fraud allegations after the July 28 vote where Maduro claimed victory without presenting detailed electoral data.” FLORIDA CONNECTION — “No evidence docs related to misconduct allegations against Frank Stronach exist: court,” reports the Canadian Press. “An Ontario court has rejected a bid by Frank Stronach’s granddaughter to compel the family business to disclose any documents that might exist related to complaints of sexual misconduct against him and settlements involving complainants. Selena Stronach filed a motion in an ongoing lawsuit last month, arguing media coverage of the sexual assault allegations against her grandfather suggest it is likely the alleged misconduct ‘occurred in the corporate environment and included the misuse of corporate assets.’ The court has dismissed her motion, finding there is ‘simply no evidence in the record that the requested documents exist.’” Stronach businesses gave generously to Florida political committees, entities and elected officials over the years, Playbook previously reported. REAL ESTATE — “Florida homes owned by corporate investors: 117,000 — and counting,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Teghan Simonton and Rebecca Liebson. “Corporate real estate investors own more than 117,000 single-family homes across Florida, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis in the state by the Tampa Bay Times. Experts say these investors capitalized on the state’s population growth and minimal renter protections … It’s a change felt far beyond Tampa Bay, where earlier this year the Times found investors own nearly 27,000 homes across three counties. The same corporations have sprawled around fast-growing metro areas like Jacksonville and Orlando.” NOTHING TO SEE HERE — “UF cooperating with audit of Sasse’s finances, interim president says,” reports Tampa Bay Times’ Divya Kumar. “[Kent] Fuchs said he believed much of [Ben] Sasse’s spending was to support his vision to shake up the university. He said the UF is working with the governor’s office on an audit, which he doesn’t expect will find anything unusual… Every president has a different style, Fuchs said. Some have small staffs, others large. As interim, he said, his staff will be smaller than when he was president.” STAYING SAFE — “Florida’s locked door law vexes schools,” reports Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey S. Solochek. “School district officials in Pasco and Pinellas counties this week detailed some of the problems they’ve encountered while implementing Florida’s new law on locking all campus doors and gates whenever students are present — a law they warned would be tough to put in place while it was still being written. They made plans to include a call for change in their 2025 legislative platform. And they’re not alone.” CONNECTING COMMUNITIES — “School choice and a history of segregation collide as one Florida county shutters its rural schools,” reports The Associated Press’ Kate Payne. “As some districts are being forced to close schools, administrators are facing another long-avoided reckoning: how to integrate students in buildings that remain racially and economically segregated. In the Florida panhandle, one tiny district plans to consolidate its last three stand-alone elementary schools into one campus because there aren’t enough students to cover the costs of keeping the doors open. But the Madison County School District’s decision to do so has exposed tensions around race in a community where for years some white families have resisted integrating public schools.” — “Lawmakers condemn arrival of Cuban Communist Party leader who’s come to live in Miami,” reports the Miami Herald’s Syra Ortiz Blanes. | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | |
PEAK SEASON — “National Hurricane Center tracking 3 tropical waves as peak of hurricane season nears,” reports USA Today Network — Florida’s Jennifer Sangalang. “For the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico, tropical cyclone formation is not expected during the next seven days. That's according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. However, the hurricane center is tracking three tropical waves in the Atlantic.”
HURRICANE HELP — “Florida rolls out Activate Hope Program, aimed at helping hurricane survivors,” reports Central Florida Public Media’s Danielle Prieur. “Floridians can go directly on the Hope Florida website after a storm to request assistance with food, household goods, home repairs and more. Gov. Ron DeSantis said buses affiliated with the program will also be deployed to hard-hit areas after a storm.”
| | | | 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 | | | |  Former Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) | Getty Images | NAMES SET — Florida Republicans and Democrats have come up with their list of 30 electors for the Electoral College and have submitted the names to Gov. Ron DeSantis. Tomorrow is the deadline for the executive committees of the two parties to turn in their lists. The slate of electors will cast Florida’s electoral college votes for either former President Donald Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris depending on whoever wins Florida’s popular vote in November. Many of the electors are state and county party officials including Republican Party of Florida chair Evan Power and Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried. The GOP list also includes incoming state Senate President Ben Albritton, incoming state House Speaker Daniel Perez, Attorney General Ashley Moody, former Attorney General Pam Bondi, state Sens. Joe Gruters and Randy Fine, Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Miami-Dade County Commissioner Kevin Marino Cabrera. The list of Democrats includes Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan, former Rep. Val Demings, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, Rep. Jane Castor and former Rep. Stephanie Murphy, state Sen. Shevrin Jones, attorney Mitchell Berger and attorney and Democratic National Committee finance chair Chris Korge. — Gary Fineout LOW TURNOUT — “Most Florida voters sit out the August primary,” reports WLRN’s Tom Hudson. “Preliminary data indicates just 22.4 percent of registered voters participated in the primary election season. That is the lowest turnout during a presidential election year since 2012.” — “Ron DeSantis' political star is tarnished after key Florida primary night losses,” reports NBC News’ Matt Dixon. | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Scott Franklin ... former state Rep. Margaret Good … former Rep. Andy Ireland … Peret Pass with Pass Consulting Group … (Saturday) Former state Sen. Rob Bradley … Linda Kleindienst, former editor at Rowland Publishing and former state capital bureau chief for Sun-Sentinel … Former journalist turned pilot Troy Kinsey … (Sunday) former Tallahassee Democrat publisher Skip Foster … POLITICO’s Gary Fineout … (Aug. 26) former state Sen. George Gainer … Christian Cámara, president of Chamber Consultants ... Lindsey Curnutte, vice president at P2 Public Affairs, formerly with DeSantis campaign ... (Aug. 27) state Rep. Robin Bartleman … Roger Stone … former Florida Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll … Melissa Stone, CEO Calvary Strategies … former state Rep. Wengay Newton … (Sept. 2) Rep. John Rutherford … State Rep. Spencer Roach.
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