| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Kierra Frazier | | Presented by |  | | | |  Tropical Storm Helene is forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane before it makes landfall Thursday. | National Hurricane Center | Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. State Rep. Allison Tant spent Tuesday distributing sandbags, loading food and water into cars, calling a humanitarian aid group and checking in with rural counties to see what resources she could send their way ahead of Hurricane Helene. The Tallahassee Democrat has been hands-on for several storms since Hurricane Michael in 2018, when she wasn’t even in elected office. Back then, she said, people started calling her to ask if she knew where they could find supplies for people with disabilities, given that she has a son with special needs and was an advocate in the field. “Now, being in the state elected position, I know who to contact,” Tant, who is the former chair of the Democratic Party of Florida, told Playbook in a phone interview. “When I'm worried about something,” she added, “I have to do something, work on something.” As Helene — which is now a tropical storm and is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane by the time it makes landfall tomorrow — moves north in the Gulf of Mexico, a “sense of dread” has filled her district, Tant said. Some residents still haven’t been able to get all the water off their properties from when Hurricane Debby hit in August. The hurricane is forecast to be massive, with winds stretching about 200 miles outside the eye of the storm, which will travel from the Florida Keys to directly hit the Panhandle and already-battered Big Bend, POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian reported. Forecasters expect strong winds even in Central Florida and storm surges all along the Gulf coast. Parts of numerous counties are already under evacuation orders. Schools, courts and legislative offices are closing. President Joe Biden approved a pre-landfall emergency declaration. “Big storms cause big problems,” Jamie Rhome, National Hurricane Center deputy director, said in an update to the public Tuesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis is leading the state’s response alongside Kevin Guthrie, the state’s emergency management director. The two of them, along with Attorney General Ashley Moody, are holding a press conference this morning to update the public on the storm’s latest path and how to stay safe. (Tune in at the Florida Channel.) About 18,000 line workers are on standby to restore power once it’s safe to go into the area, and 3,000 National Guard members are ready to help with storm efforts. Other elected officials are pitching in. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) will be in Florida today visiting Bay, Franklin and Taylor counties to receive a briefing from local emergency officials and to give safety guidance. Scott, a former governor who oversaw Florida’s response to several hurricanes, has been posting multiple updates about the storm after conversations with the National Hurricane Center. And Rep. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.) met with Ken Graham, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Weather Service. Other elected officials from Florida amplified messages over social media about sandbag and shelter locations, preparing safety kits and how to sign up for emergency alerts. State lawmakers are especially concerned about Tallahassee, given that it is forecast to be in the storm’s direct path and that the area got hit by tornadoes in June. Tant said the “beautiful, majestic” trees in Tallahassee pose a problem during storms because the water saturates their roots and the winds strain them, causing them to fall over onto power lines, cars and people’s homes. “It just seems like if it’s not one thing it’s another,” state House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell told Playbook in an interview. Driskell, of Tampa, spent Tuesday calling school districts, utilities and the port authority. She also planned to check in with mayors and said her office was ready to help connect constituents with state resources if they can’t get power back quickly. “It’s important as an elected official to try to be that connective tissue between entities and constituents,” she said. 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 Uber: How does Uber expand transit access in Florida?
Every week, Uber helps over 3,000 people get to and from Brightline stations across Florida. On average, riders travel nearly 6 miles to connect to Brightline, extending their reach far beyond the tracks. Learn more about how Uber is working with transit agencies in Florida and across the country. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | FOR YOUR RADAR — A Florida appeals court is asking the state Supreme Court to weigh in on a key question involving voter fraud arrests pursued by the DeSantis administration. Terry Hubbard was one of roughly 20 people arrested in 2022 and charged with voter fraud. The arrests were highlighted during a press conference held by the governor. Hubbard registered to vote and participated in the 2020 elections even though he had been previously convicted of a felony. Hubbard received a voter ID card but his conviction for sex crimes made him ineligible to vote. A Broward judge threw out the charges against Hubbard and ruled the statewide prosecutor who pursued them did not have jurisdiction. But a divided appeals court ruled this summer that the charges could be reinstated. The 4th District Court of Appeal, following a request for reconsideration, asked the state Supreme Court to answer whether the statewide prosecutor can prosecute crimes related to registering and voting in a statewide election. — Gary Fineout ‘WELL WITHIN ITS RIGHTS’ — “In abortion fight, Florida Gov. DeSantis says he's exempt from election interference law,” reports USA Today Network — Florida’s Douglas Soule. “‘The executive branch is well within its rights in expressing its concerns about a proposed amendment to the State’s governing charter,’ [Ashley] Moody's legal team wrote. In suing Moody, DeSantis and Jason Weida, secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration, a Lake Worth attorney had asked the Florida Supreme Court to intervene and stop what he accuses of being illegal government interference.” OCTOBER 1 — “Florida homeless, ‘Margaritaville’ laws to take effect,” reports the CBS News Miami Team. “In all, 34 laws that passed during the 2024 legislative session will take effect, with the homeless changes drawing the most attention. … The new Florida law bars local governments from allowing people to sleep at places such as public buildings and in public rights of way. Local governments would be allowed to designate areas for homeless people to sleep.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | NO STATE OVERSIGHT — “These maternity homes offer sanctuary, but it can feel oppressive,” reports The New York Times’ Laura C. Morel. “In many parts of Florida, where housing costs are soaring and lawmakers have sharply curtailed abortion access, pregnant women and teens who need a safe, stable place to live are increasingly turning to one of their few options: charity-run maternity homes. … But Florida allows most homes to operate without state standards or state oversight. An examination by The New York Times and the investigative podcast and radio show Reveal found that many homes require residents to agree to strict conditions that limit their communications, their financial decisions and even their movements.” LEGAL FEES ADDING UP — “FSU has spent over $3 million in legal fees on court battle against the ACC, records show,” reports Tallahassee Democrat’s Liam Rooney. “As of Sept. 11, FSU has spent $3,027,681.29 on legal fees, with the highest single billing of $272,444.98 coming on Aug. 1. The bulk of that money – roughly $2.3 million – has gone to the Greenberg Traurig law firm, with the rest going to Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, a Birmingham, Alabama-based law firm that also has an office in Charlotte, N.C.” SNAPCHAT THREAT — “Father turns in 10-year-old son after he allegedly threatened to 'shoot up' Florida school,” reports USA Today’s Saleen Martin. “A high school student told school staff that they talked to someone on Snapchat who said they were going to carry out a shooting at the school. ‘It’s yalls last day,’ the message continued. According to the sheriff’s office, investigators worked Wednesday night and Thursday morning to find the person who made the threat. Someone with the Safe Schools Division at the Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 10-year-old Woodville boy.” HIGHER ED RANKINGS — “UF, USF drop in U.S. News college rankings; other Florida schools gain,” reports Tampa Bay Times’ Divya Kumar. “The University of Florida slipped from sixth to seventh among public universities, two years after back-to-back top 5 rankings. The state’s flagship school also fell two spots to No. 30 among all universities in the United States, public and private.” The rankings from U.S. News. BACK TO THE NEGOTIATING TABLE — “Stuart reverses course, will seek to renegotiate deal for a Brightline train station,” reports Treasure Coast Newspaper’s Keith Burbank. “‘We need to find a way to make this work,’ Mayor Campbell Rich said, citing a number of benefits that would come with a station such as reducing pollution; the availability for travel and access to resources elsewhere in Florida; and as a legacy for future generations. Rich, though, also stressed that anything worthwhile must be paid for. According to the land lease agreement with Brightline, which Stuart commissioners rescinded two weeks ago, the city could be on the hook for up to $45 million.”
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | LOOP CURRENT — “How a red-hot patch in the Gulf could make Hurricane Helene stronger as it nears Florida,” reports Miami Herald’s Alex Harris. “What makes the loop current such good hurricane fuel is that its hot waters aren’t just at the surface, they’re hundreds of feet deep. And the extra salty Caribbean waters mean that the layers of hotter water don’t mix well with the slightly colder waters beneath. So when storms churn through the current, they can keep drawing in new, hot water for a good bit longer than other areas of high sea-surface temperature ocean.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | | 
Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, center, speaks after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Coral Gables, Fla. | Marta Lavandier/AP Photo | INVESTING IN FLORIDA — “Why aren’t Democrats spending money on the Florida Senate race?” reports Tampa Bay Times’ Kirby Wilson. “It’s unclear whether national Democrats will spend big on Florida. Recent evidence says [Debbie] Mucarsel-Powell’s race may not be the wisest investment. Florida is a notoriously expensive state for campaigns because of the cost of airing television ads in its 10 major media markets. Senate Democrats have to spend big to hold seats in Ohio and Montana — states arguably redder than Florida. The party currently holds a slim 51-49 majority in the Senate.” — “Will the Fight for Abortion Care Help Debbie Mucarsel-Powell Win in Florida?” by Elle’s Seamus Kirst. SURPRISE CONTRIBUTION — “Comcast, a backer of reproductive rights, donates to DeSantis’s anti-abortion PAC,” reports The Bulwark’s Marc Caputo. “After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision in 2022, telecommunications giant Comcast announced it would give employees seeking to terminate a pregnancy as much as $10,000 to travel from states with strict anti-abortion laws to those with greater protections. Two years later, Comcast cut a check to one of the main groups seeking to restrict abortion rights. This month, the telecom giant sent $50,000 to Ron DeSantis’s Florida Freedom Fund, the political action committee launched by the governor to block an abortion rights initiative in the state.” COUNTERING THE NATIONAL UNION — “Every Teamsters union in Florida backs Kamala Harris for President,” reports Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles. “The council said the Democratic candidates’ ‘strong record on workers’ rights and advocacy stands in clear contrast to that of the Republican nominee, Donald Trump.’ The chapter action followed a decision by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters not to endorse for President this year, citing a division in polling of its national membership.” … NEW TV ADS … — Floridians Protecting Freedoms launched its first ad in Spanish on Monday to encourage voters to support Amendment 4 on abortion rights. It’ll run statewide. — The “Say Yes on 3” campaign to legalize recreational marijuana has a new ad for TV and digital ad arguing that alcohol laws should not be looser than those on cannabis.
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | | 
Attorney General Merrick Garland speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Washington. | Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo | THE SEQUEL — “Aileen Cannon set to oversee apparent Trump assassination attempt case in Florida,” by POLITICO’s Kimberly Leonard and Josh Gerstein. "The federal judge who presided over — and threw out — the criminal classified documents case the Justice Department brought against Donald Trump is now set to oversee the case into the latest apparent assassination attempt against the former president. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, was randomly assigned the attempted assassination case Tuesday after a grand jury in Miami returned a five-count indictment against Ryan Routh in connection with the Sept. 15 incident at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla." The indictment includes: attempted assassination of a presidential candidate, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime and assault on a federal officer, as well as two charges he already faced: being a felon in possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Attorney General Merrick Garland previewed the assassination charges in an unrelated press conference with reporters on Tuesday. He was also noncommittal about whether federal investigators would cooperate with a separate investigation undertaken by Florida officials. “Our job is to ensure full accountability here,” Garland said. “We always seek to cooperate and to get assistance from state and local law enforcement to the extent consistent with and appropriate with the law and appropriate with respect to the investigations. FIELD TRIP — Members of the congressional task force investigating the attempted assassinations into former President Donald Trump are planning a site visit to Florida, Punchbowl News first reported. The timing is still in flux, but three of the House members are from Florida: Republican Reps. Michael Waltz and Laurel Lee and Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz. ALREADY REPORTED — “'A legitimate psychopath': Palm Beach County nurse recalls meeting would-be Trump shooter,” reports Palm Beach Post’s Wayne Washington. “Still, after [Chelsea] Walsh said she reported [Ryan Wesley] Routh to DHS and the FBI [in June 2022 and April 2023] , Routh was in position just beyond Trump's golf club to be a mortal threat to the former president, a reality that angers Walsh. ‘I told the proper authorities, and they didn't do anything,’ Walsh said.”
| | | | A message from Uber: Expanding transit access in Florida
Did you know that every week, Uber helps over 3,000 people get to and from Brightline stations across Florida?
Key stat: On average, riders travel nearly 6 miles to reach these stations—extending Brightline’s reach far beyond the tracks.
From MiamiCentral to Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, and Orlando, Uber is making it easier for Floridians to access public transit.
Learn more about how Uber partners with transit agencies to improve access to public transportation. | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | TODAY — At 10:15 a.m., Rep. Aaron Bean (R-FL) is holding a hearing on “Innovative Teacher Preparation: Properly Equipping America’s Educators” in the subcommittee on early childhood, elementary and secondary education. (Tune in here.)
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.) … state Rep. Michele Rayner … Christina Johnson, president of ON 3 Public Relations. | | | | 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 | | | | |
