| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Mia McCarthy | | Presented by |  | | | |  Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) walking to the lectern to speak during the Republican National Convention on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in Milwaukee. | Scott Applewhite/AP Photo | Good morning and happy Friday. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is the lone Republican member of the Florida delegation who won’t say how she’ll vote on the state’s abortion ballot referendum — even when pressed about it by POLITICO. “I think it's a state's rights issue,” she said in a brief interview with Playbook on Capitol Hill in Washington on Thursday. “I don't think that questions of policy should be placed on the ballot, and I think that there's some things that are up for debate within the medical community alone.” Pressed again, she said, “The Supreme Court said, as a federal legislator, that my opinion on the matter doesn't really matter.” Pressure is mounting from the right for Luna to state a position. Gov. Ron DeSantis last weekend called out elected officials who hadn’t publicly shared how they’d vote on the ballot measure, known as Amendment 4, which he has been working to defeat through a political committee, media appearances, his state health agency and discussions with Christian groups. If passed, the referendum would make abortion legal until viability, which is around 22 to 24 weeks of pregnancy, and then after when a provider determines it’s needed for health reasons. Luna occupies one of just two districts in Florida that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has targeted to flip. She’s a close ally to former President Donald Trump, having campaigned with him in battleground states and sat in the VIP box with him during the Republican National Convention. In November, she’ll be going up against Democrat Whitney Fox, a former transportation official who has made reproductive rights central to her campaign. Luna hasn’t always been evasive on abortion. She expressed her opposition during her first run for Congress in 2019, then regularly described herself as “pro-life” and praised the overturning of Roe v. Wade. In an interview last year with EWTN, Luna recalled being in a science lab in college where she dissected a chicken embryo, and said it showed her that “life does begin at conception.” She also implied she didn’t support rape exceptions for abortion, sharing that her husband was conceived during a rape, and adding that she supported a six-week restriction in Florida. But when asked at the Capitol how she will vote on Florida’s abortion amendment, given that “you said you’re pro-life, but haven’t said how you’d vote on this,” she replied, “that’s not true,” and added that, “I actually have spoken on it to my constituents” but didn’t elaborate on her vote or her current stance on abortion. “I answered your question,” she said after POLITICO pressed her twice more. Luna’s campaign didn’t respond to a follow-up list of questions. In recent months, Luna has turned the reproductive health conversation toward IVF. After a brief controversy over her name being incorrectly added to a Democratic-led IVF bill, she introduced her own bill, which would cut off federal funding from states that ban IVF. She told POLITICO in March this was because she was not allowed to amend the other bill and had issues with some of the language. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, an influential anti-abortion group, gave Luna an A+ rating in January. Asked about her latest comments, Autumn Christensen, vice president of public policy for the organization, said it was “confident that the entire Florida delegation will unite to defeat Amendment 4.” Taryn Fenske, political spokesperson for DeSantis, praised lawmakers “who have stepped up” and added that “we hope those that haven't, will still do so,” citing the broad language of the amendment. Meanwhile, Democrats have used Luna’s avoidance against her. “Floridians already know the truth,” Lauryn Fanguen, spokesperson for DCCC, said of Luna. “She’s an overzealous, anti-abortion rights extremist who votes to take away women’s rights and drag Florida backwards.” Fox, her Democratic opponent who supports the abortion amendment, accused Luna of “hiding from voters,” saying that they “deserve to know where their representatives stand” on Amendment 4 and said it “proves she knows her extreme anti-choice views are out of step with Florida voters.” But Luna also indicated Thursday that she doesn’t think abortion rights will be the deciding issue for voters. Democrats are “trying to pivot on that because the No. 1 issue for people right now is inflation and immigration,” she told reporters. “Roe v. Wade has been overturned. That's a state's rights issue. The fact that they're even trying to dupe voters into thinking otherwise is a complete farce.” — Mia McCarthy and Kimberly Leonard 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 ... | | RESHAPING EDUCATION — “DeSantis pushed for post-tenure review of Florida professors. The first results are in,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “The results of initial tenure reviews across the state’s public universities show that most faculty in Florida — 91 percent — either met or exceeded the expectations set by their universities, a performance that earned them bonuses or raises. But the outcome was more damaging for a small minority. More than 60 faculty members statewide didn’t meet expectations and were given one year to course correct or else face termination, in addition to the 10 that were shown the door this year.” DAY IN COURT — “Florida’s high court poised to protect DeSantis’ congressional map that helps GOP,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “Florida’s highest court on Thursday expressed skepticism about scrapping the congressional map muscled into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis that helped Republicans flip the House two years ago. The legal battle over Florida’s congressional map finally reached the state Supreme Court, which is now almost completely made up of DeSantis appointees. The case centers on whether legislators — at the insistence of the state’s GOP governor — should have followed voter-approved standards that provide protections for minority voters. The DeSantis map dismantled a North Florida seat held by former Rep. Al Lawson, a Black Democrat, and split Black voters into four districts.” ELECTIONS POLICE ACT — “FDLE: Georgia man arrested for petition fraud related to Florida’s marijuana amendment,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Silas Morgan. “Colton Brady, 34, of Fayetteville, Georgia, was arrested on an FDLE warrant in Georgia on Sept. 5, for submitting 71 invalid constitutional initiatives forms throughout Florida related to Florida’s Amendment 3, according to an FDLE press release. The investigation that led to Brady’s arrest was led by FDLE’s Election Crime Unit. In its release, the agency also said 17 people have been charged with petition fraud following its investigations, though it did not say during what time frame nor did it say if Brady’s case was part of that group. Those 17 people are accused of fraud related to marijuana, casino and abortion initiatives, the FDLE release said, ‘involving more than 34,000 invalidated petitions.’” BALLOT FIGHT — “Another lawsuit challenges DeSantis’ anti-Amendment 4 website,” reports Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida. “The lawsuit, filed in Leon County circuit court by attorneys for the Floridians Protecting Freedom committee, seeks a temporary injunction to prevent the agency from continuing to disseminate the information online and through television and radio ads.” FEAR OF DESTRUCTION — “Tearing down history? Tallahassee mayor asking state officials to save The Gladstone,” reports James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat. “Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey will formally ask the state to delay a plan to demolish a historic downtown home to widen the security perimeter for Gov. Ron DeSantis and the First Family at the governor's mansion. At Wednesday's meeting of the Tallahassee City Commission, commissioners agreed with Dailey that he should petition the state to delay the razing of The Gladstone till January and include the Tallahassee Historical Society in discussions about the fate of the 127-year-old boarding house.” — “Florida appeals court wades into FSU-ACC fight,” reports Dara Kam of News Service of Florida.
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | | | 
A copy of the book "And Tango Makes Three" is photographed on a bookstore shelf in Chicago, Nov. 16, 2006. | Nam Y. Huh/AP | ‘WATERSHED MOMENT’ — “Florida county restoring dozens of books to school libraries after ‘book ban’ lawsuit,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “A central Florida school district this week agreed to restore 36 books that were challenged and previously pulled from campus libraries in a settlement of a federal lawsuit fighting how local officials carried out the state’s policies for shielding students from obscene content. The settlement reached by Nassau County school officials and a group of parents, students and the authors of the removed children’s book ‘And Tango Makes Three’ marks a significant twist in the ongoing legal battles surrounding Florida’s K-12 book restrictions, which have been derided as ‘book bans’ by opponents. Under the agreement, that book and others such as the ‘The Bluest Eye’ by Toni Morrison and the ‘The Clan of the Cave Bear’ by Jean Auel will once again be available to students after being removed last year.” MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER COUNTY — “Florida school board pays over $100K to defend ban on book about same-sex penguin pair,” reports USA Today Network — Florida’s Douglas Soule. “The Escambia County School Board has paid a law firm at least $107,000 to defend its removal of ‘And Tango Makes Three’ after a federal lawsuit was filed by its authors … And that doesn't take into account the flurry of legal activity over the summer; the last expensed services in the documentation were from June.” BLINKEN ACTS — “U.S. sanctions Venezuelan judges, election officials who helped suppress election results,” reports the Miami Herald’s Michael Wilner. “The Biden administration sanctioned a raft of Venezuelan judges, election officials and other allies of Nicolás Maduro on Thursday for their role in suppressing the presidential election results last month. Most of the 16 individuals targeted for U.S. sanctions and visa restrictions, issued by the Treasury and State departments, occupy senior roles in Venezuela’s National Electoral Council — which falsely declared that Maduro had won the election — and the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, which ruled that the electoral council’s actions were legitimate. Other individuals include Maduro allies in the national assembly.” RUNNING UP THE TAB — “Lavish catering under ex-UF president Ben Sasse: $38,610 sushi bar, holiday party that cost nearly $900 per person,” reports Garrett Shanley of Fresh Take Florida. “The guest list that night included UF’s top brass and officials with the university’s fundraising foundation, who solicit big checks for education programs from wealthy donors. With a student choir caroling in the background, Sasse personally welcomed guests as they arrived at the old president’s mansion on campus, and later toasted them from two open bars serving unlimited alcohol. The bill for the liquor was listed as $7,061.” — “Arrests of Miami-Dade's homeless residents skyrockets since new law,” reports WLRN’s Daniel Rivero.
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | BREWING — “The next tropical storm could form in the Atlantic soon. It’s headed west, slowly,” reports Alex Harris of the Miami Herald. “All six named storms that formed this hurricane season have made landfall somewhere, including Francine, which crashed into Louisiana as a Category 2 hurricane Wednesday evening. The next potential named storm — tropical depression 7 — could break that streak. The latest forecast track from the National Hurricane Center keeps would-be Gordon far out to sea, with a slow crawl west for the next few days and a potential curve away from land by early next week.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | | 
Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff speak to supporters at a watch party following a debate with former president Donald Trump in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. | Dominic Gwinn / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP |
TODAY — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is doing a presidential campaign event on behalf of his wife, Vice President Kamala Harris, in The Villages.
SENATE RACE — “Democrats claiming Florida Senate seat is in play haven’t put money behind the effort to make it so,” by The Associated Press’ Stephany Matat. “According to data from AdImpact, which tracks spending on advertising by political campaigns and their surrogates, Republicans have outspent Democrats on Florida’s U.S. Senate race by roughly a 4-to-1 margin through Sept. 11, $12.7 million to $3.2 million. Based on ad spots currently reserved through the general election, that margin is expected to grow.”
| | | | 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 — Senate Budget Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) will be hosting a roundtable with Rep. Darren Soto in Kissimmee to discuss “how harms from climate change are increasing out-of-pocket insurance costs for Florida families, and how that also poses risks to the federal budget.” They’ll also be doing a roundtable in St. Petersburg tomorrow with Rep. Kathy Castor and Democratic state Reps. Darryl Rouson and Lindsay Cross. BACKLASH — “Florida Democrats call on DOJ to investigate DeSantis’ abortion amendment review,” reports Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times. “In the letter, the Democrats said they are ‘fully supportive of robust, transparent investigations into instances of signature fraud,’ but said ‘the DeSantis administration’s tardy, opaque, unusual, and redundant investigation does not appear to be of this nature.’” VERDICT RENDERED — “St. Petersburg Uhurus guilty of conspiracy, not guilty of acting as Russian agents,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Dan Sullivan. “The Uhurus said their support of Russia was free speech. On Thursday, a federal jury said it was a crime. After a weeklong trial that touched on complicated issues of national security, foreign relations and the limits of the First Amendment, a panel of eight men and four women found three members of the St. Petersburg-based African activist group guilty of conspiring to act as unregistered Russian agents. But the jury found the group not guilty of the more serious charge of acting as agents of a foreign government.”
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — Actress Brooke Shields met with Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) this week on Capitol Hill, where they discussed a bill he co-introduced with Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) that would update tax deductions for performing artists. BIRTHDAYS — Berneice Cox, former CEO of the United Way of the Big Bend … (Saturday) Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ... Apopka Mayor and former legislator Bryan Nelson … (Sunday) The Fiorentino Group’s Cody McCloud … Brewster Bevis, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Florida. | | | | 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 | | | | |
