| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Kierra Frazier | | Presented by |  | | | BRACING FOR THE STORM: “Helene forecast to rapidly intensify and hit Florida as a major hurricane," reports CNN. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 41 counties, per USA Today Network — Florida, while “Leon Schools ponders closing multiple days,” reports the Tallahassee Democrat. WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis is holding a press conference in Tallahassee at 9:30 a.m. with Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie. (Tune in at the Florida Channel.)
|  Law enforcement officials work at the crime scene outside the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, on September 16, 2024. | Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images | Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Former President Donald Trump is picking sides over the parallel investigations into the second apparent attempt on his life. In an irate statement posted on Truth Social Monday, Trump accused the Justice Department and FBI of “mishandling and downplaying” the apparent assassination attempt earlier this month. He wants to have Florida law enforcement take over the case if federal investigators can’t work “honestly and without bias” as they look into the suspect, Ryan Routh, over the incident that occurred at his West Palm Beach golf course. Trump fired off the comments as Routh was inside the federal courthouse in West Palm Beach appearing for his detention hearing, where he was denied bond. Importantly, Trump posted his thoughts on the investigation before the hearing had concluded. Inside that courtroom — where reporters were ordered not to disturb the proceedings by leaving prematurely — Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Dispoto announced that the Justice Department had probable cause to charge Routh with attempted assassination under a federal statute that makes it a crime to attempt to kill a major-party presidential candidate. Republicans had been frustrated over the fact that Routh initially got slapped only with federal gun charges, but it was always a possibility that federal prosecutors might file a more serious attempted assassination charge as they worked to establish motive and intent. Such charges would carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. But that’s not the only aspect Republicans, including Trump, are concerned about. They’ve also openly questioned how federal investigators can separate out their probes into Trump as a defendant with their investigations in which Trump is a would-be victim. Gov. Ron DeSantis has suggested the arrangement is improper and said he’s concerned some information will get withheld, and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Monday urged the FBI to share its evidence for the state’s already-launched parallel investigation, saying she’d learned they “may not cooperate.” The perception of this investigation has been shaped by the first assassination attempt in Butler, Pa. Republicans and even some Democrats have been dismayed about the lack of information that’s been uncovered on Thomas Crooks, the shooter who was killed at the scene that day. But Monday’s hearing that Playbook attended underscored just how different the Florida case is, largely because Routh is still living and much of the inner workings of the investigation play out in court filings and hearings. Dispoto and Christian Hull, one of the FBI agents leading the investigation, provided painstaking detail in court about the allegations against Routh: How he’d logged Trump’s appearances in a notebook over a couple of months, how he’d sat in wait at a part of the fence by the golf course made to look “nothing short of a sniper’s nest” and how he’d written a letter promising $150,000 to anyone who succeeded in an assassination. (Donald Trump Jr. blasted the DOJ’s decision to release that “bounty letter” in an interview with the Daily Wire, saying it would put his father in even more danger.) Routh’s attorneys countered that he’d merely attempted a publicity stunt and that he’d had an unsophisticated, untrained approach. But prosecutors ultimately argued that Routh was both a flight risk and a danger to others, and the judge agreed and denied his release. It's not clear yet whether prosecutors' plans to put attempted assassination charges before a grand jury will satisfy Trump. Regardless of where Florida’s investigation goes, it does have some political advantages. Other than helping to keep patching things up with DeSantis, the move could also serve to elevate the profile of Moody, who’s considering running for governor in 2026. 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. Editor’s note: Monday’s newsletter included a story from the Guardian in which the headline was later changed. Monday’s newsletter has been updated with the new headline.
| | | | 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. | | | |  | TALLAHASSEE TOPLINE | | |  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis listens as Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks during a press conference regarding an apparent assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump on September 17, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | MAYBE LATER — “Florida attorney general skips defending law banning open carry,” reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “Florida’s Republican attorney general won’t fight a challenge to the state’s ban on openly carrying firearms, sidestepping a court fight in the nation’s third largest state. Ashley Moody, who was first elected in 2018, has routinely sued President Joe Biden’s administration and publicly complained about authorities who refuse to follow the law. But her office turned down requests to represent a state prosecutor and a county sheriff who were the named defendants in a federal lawsuit brought by a gun rights organization that argues the ban violates the 2nd and 14th Amendment. This means that Moody … is skipping a potentially game-changing lawsuit that could result in guns being carried publicly in the tourist-dependent state.” MAKING IT WORK — “As curriculum demands increase, Florida schools seek ways to fit it all in,” reports Tampa Bay Times’ Jeffrey S. Solochek. “As lawmakers have pushed to add more lessons to the mix, such as 9/11 history and anti-communism information, the pressure has grown to find time to fit it all in. Pasco County schools this year decided to create a humanities block for the youngest grades, combining social studies and reading as often as possible. Many educators raised concerns about how to give the approach better than lip service. The district created detailed plans and offered several trainings to get everyone ready. So far, some teachers said, it’s making a difference.” LENDING A HAND — “Conservative legal group defends state’s anti-Amendment 4 abortion website,” reports Christine Jordan Sexton of the Florida Phoenix. “A conservative legal organization is coming to the defense of Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida and efforts by the DeSantis administration to defeat Amendment 4. Liberty Counsel and its allied Liberty Counsel Action on Monday weighed in on a request by a Palm Beach County lawyer to block AHCA from maintaining a website that contends the abortion access measure threatens the safety of women. The agency has also put up television and radio ads urging people to visit the website.” ‘PATTERN OF FEAR AND NEGLECT’ — “More misinformation on COVID vaccines? Clinicians and scientists take aim at Ladapo,” reports KFF Health News’ Arthur Allen, Daniel Chang and Sam Whitehead. “A prominent Florida doctor expressed dismay that medical leaders in the state, leery of angering Gov. Ron DeSantis, have been slow to counter anti-vaccine messages from Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo, including the latest COVID bulletin. Ladapo is a DeSantis appointee and the top official at the state health department.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | NO BAIL — “Judge denies request to release 11-year-old charged in Port Orange school threats,” reports Brenno Carillo of the Daytona Beach News-Journal. “The 11-year-old boy accused of threatening to shoot up one of two Port Orange schools last week will remain in custody after a judge denied his attorney's request for home confinement release Monday morning. Circuit Judge David S. Wainer III denied the request based on the boy’s Detention Risk Assessment Instrument score of 17 … The boy made his appearance via video, while his attorney, mother, family members and other supporters packed the courtroom at the Volusia County Courthouse Annex on Orange Avenue in Daytona Beach.” MORE SECURITY — “Campus gun arrests, school shooting threats spark new push for metal detectors,” reports Orlando Sentinel’s Silas Morgan. “The recent arrests of students at three Central Florida high schools — Boone, Lake Brantley and Ocoee — for bringing guns or gun parts onto their campuses, along with the arrest of students in Apopka and Sanford for posting online threats, has some parents pushing for a reconsideration. In Seminole County, an online petition urging metal detectors at Lake Brantley has gained 2,675 signatures as of Friday, prompted by the arrest of a student last week who brought an unloaded handgun onto campus.” RALLYING AGAINST A TAX HIKE — “Downtown Miami owners oppose tax hike as they face quality of life and condo issues,” reports Miami Herald’s Rebecca San Juan. “Residents pushed back on the tax proposal for three key reasons — quality of life concerns, inflation and rising condo assessment fees. Residents said their quality of life has deteriorated due to poorly cleaned streets and abandoned storefronts down Flagler, litter, dog feces, and challenges with the homeless population.” 300,000 ACRES — “Orlando gives initial OK to massive Deseret Ranches annexation,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Ryan Gillespie. “Facing fierce opposition from dozens of environmental activists, Orlando city leaders on Monday endorsed the annexation of Deseret Ranches, a move that would massively expand the city’s boundaries, taking in tens of thousands of acres of undeveloped ranches and wetlands. By a 6-1 vote, the annexation gained the initial approval of the council. It faces a second and probably identical vote next month, bringing the ranches into the city ahead of Election Day, when county voters consider a ballot measure putting stricter rules on such a move.” REVIEWING BODY CAM FOOTAGE — “Orlando police investigate officers’ use of force on pro-Palestine protesters,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Cristóbal Reyes. “The Orlando Police Department has opened an investigation into its officers’ handling of pro-Palestine protesters Saturday as a peaceful rally at Lake Eola Park turned into a clash that resulted in the arrest of eight demonstrators.”
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | DÉJÀ VU — “'Still suffering': Residents in Florida's new hurricane alley brace for Helene impact,” reports Tallahassee Democrat’s Ana Goñi-Lessan, James Call and Jeff Burlew. “There was so much damage in Perry that locals joked their slogan had become ‘Blue Tarp City.’ Those blue tarps were still on roofs in neighborhoods across town when Hurricane Debby, a Category 1, hit the county in August. ‘They didn’t have insurance to repair them,’ [Michelle] Curtis said.” MAYORS MEETING — The Florida Republican Mayors Association held a roundtable with Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) yesterday to raise concerns about the property insurance crisis. The group also announced at the meeting that it supports a bill Scott introduced that would let people deduct as much as $10,000 in homeowners insurance premiums from their taxes, and said it wants to keep working with elected officials on solutions.
| | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | — GOP state Rep. Fiona McFarland’s campaign released her first TV ad for this cycle, which spotlights her service in the Navy and in the Legislature. — Smart & Safe Florida, the campaign pushing for cannabis legalization through Amendment 3, is out with a new ad that talks about how illicit marijuana can cause harm because it’s unregulated. — “Ex-Dolphin Ricky Williams backs Amendment 3 to ‘end prejudice over cannabis’ in Florida,” per Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics.
| | | | 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?
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Learn more about how Uber partners with transit agencies to improve access to public transportation. | | | | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | RAISING SUSPICIONS — “Ex-CIA officer from Tampa, others had raised concerns about Trump assassination suspect,” reports The Associated Press. “What was done in response that could have stopped Routh or at least put him under greater scrutiny is not entirely clear. The agencies involved either did not respond to queries from The Associated Press, have no record of such a report or had questions about whether the report warranted further investigation. But some people are asking whether federal agencies are vigilant enough or even equipped enough to deal with a growing number of potential threats that are brought to their attention every day.”
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | ENGAGED — Timmy Briseno, director of advertising at Starboard and a Trump campaign alum, proposed to Sadie Thorman, comms director for Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and a Trump HUD alum, at Gravelly Point last weekend. They met at a “Trump Tuesday” happy hour at the Trump hotel in March 2018. Pic … Another pic BIRTHDAY: Generra Peck of P2 Public Affairs, former chief strategist for the DeSantis presidential campaign. | | | | 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 | | | | |
