| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard, Mia McCarthy and Kierra Frazier | | Presented by |  | | | |  Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign town hall on Oct. 4, 2024, in Fayetteville, N.C., with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.). | Evan Vucci/AP | Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Florida’s 13th Congressional District is one of the rare competitive congressional races left in the state. Democrat Whitney Fox is hoping to unseat Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) in this red-leaning district. As the state has gotten more Republican — and Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed through a GOP-friendly map that wiped out battlegrounds — this Pinellas County district is effectively the only seat getting any national attention. Still, it's not typically on the list of core seats that will decide control of the House; former President Donald Trump would have won the district by nearly seven points with the current lines, according to data from The Downballot. Nevertheless, it’s the only district in Florida that the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has targeted as part of its “Red to Blue” initiative, meaning it might be Democrats only chance to flip a seat in the Sunshine State. It appears unlikely the two rivals will meet up before Election Day; Fox has agreed to a debate but Luna hasn’t responded. Luna’s wrapping up her first term in Congress, where she's gained national recognition as a staunch ally of Trump. She introduced legislation that would call for the arrest of the U.S. attorney general and give Trump the Congressional Gold Medal. She also accompanied the former president to his criminal trial in Manhattan, has been a surrogate on the campaign trail and is a regular guest on Fox News. But in the past few months, Luna’s tone has taken a turn. Most notably, she joined President Joe Biden and praised him during his recent visit to the district to survey hurricane damage, even when the governor didn’t meet up with the president. The Pinellas County district was one of the hardest-hit areas following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “I have been critical of @POTUS Biden, however, he did follow through on his word when we talked, and it’s helping not just Pinellas but Fl as a whole,” Luna said in a post on X. “I appreciate that he chose to not make this political and assisted us as well as @GovRonDeSantis in relief efforts.” But Fox, her opponent, says it's not Luna’s true colors. “I think she knows she’s in a very tight race,” Fox said in an interview with Playbook. “This is what she continuously does. She votes against the interests of the community and then when something like this happens, then she's trying to make up for her misgivings.”
|  Whitney Fox, Democratic candidate for Florida's 13th Congressional District, speaks to supporters during her primary night election watch party in Dunedin, Florida, on Aug. 20, 2024, | Chris O'Meara/AP | Luna’s campaign declined to make her available for an interview about the race. But campaign spokesperson Olivia Carson said she has been helping with the hurricane recovery effort, including “helping constituents with their FEMA applications” and “conducting supply drives for our storm-impacted neighbors.” She also noted Luna’s meet-up with Biden and DeSantis in regards to the recovery efforts and her co-sponsorship of legislation that would add $15 billion to FEMA for storm recovery. (Before Congress left for recess and the storms made landfall, Luna voted against the short-term funding bill that included funding for FEMA.) In the statement, Carson called Fox “a dishonest extreme liberal who is all talk and no action,” who would ban gas cars — a popular Republican attack — and support redirecting FEMA funds to “illegal aliens.” (FEMA funds from storm recovery are not being redirected .) Fox, meanwhile, has tried to shed that “liberal” label. She said she would be a moderate in Congress, adding if elected, she would join the Blue Dogs coalition and Problem Solvers Caucus in the House, two more centrist groups. Even before the hurricane, Luna had shifted her staunch conservative stance on issues. Despite previously describing herself as “pro-life” and implying her support for abortion bans without exceptions for rape, she still hasn’t answered how she plans to vote on Florida’s abortion amendment. Fox’s ads have hammered Luna over the issue, saying she would support a federal ban. And while Carson said Luna is confident about winning alongside Trump this November, Fox predicted a presidential race could increase voter turnout and make the race tougher. “I think that what's going to be different about when Luna won in 2022 — voter turnout was abysmal in 22 here in Florida,” Fox said. “I think that we're going to see a huge difference in the amount of people who get out and vote in this election, because it is a presidential race.” — Mia McCarthy 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: Thank You, Florida Uber Drivers For stepping up during Hurricanes Milton and Helene by helping thousands of Floridians get to shelters and support centers. Your efforts helped keep our communities safe. Learn how Uber drivers stepped up. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | |
TODAY — The Future of Florida Forum and Florida Chamber’s annual meeting in Orlando. Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis is among the speakers.
— Surprise guest at Chamber Forum: “Casey DeSantis pitches Hope Florida to business leaders,” reports Florida Politics’ Drew Wilson. DIDN’T DO IT — “Former Florida Health lawyer says he did not author scolding letters about abortion initiative ads,” reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. “In affidavits made public on Monday, former Florida Department of Health General Counsel John Wilson told lawyers for the Floridians Protecting Freedom committee that he was given a draft of the letters that declared the Amendment 4 TV ad to be an ‘Unsanitary nuisance.’ Wilson said he had no part in drafting the letters, but Ryan Newman, the general counsel for Gov. Ron DeSantis, and Newman’s assistant general counsel, Jared Doty, told Wilson to sign the letters and send them to TV stations on Oct. 3. When Newman directed Wilson to send another round of letters on Oct. 10, he resigned.” TO REVOKE OR TO NOT REVOKE — “Abortion doctor fights to keep license as DeSantis administration pushes for revocation,” reports Florida Phoenix’s Christine Sexton . “The push to revoke the license is going forward even though an administrative law judge who looked at the physician’s actions suggested a $10,000 fine and a reprimand. But the Florida Department of Health has taken exception to the judge’s position and is asking the Florida Board of Medicine to revoke the license of Dr. Candace Cooley. … The case against Cooley is slated to be discussed during the Board of Medicine’s Dec. 6 meeting in Orlando. That would be shortly after voters in the state decide whether to pass Amendment 4.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | | | 
Walt Disney Company CEO Robert Iger attends the world premiere of Marvel Studios' "Deadpool & Wolverine" at the David H. Koch Theater in New York on , July 22, 2024. | Evan Agostini/Invision/AP | NEW DISNEY LEADER — “Disney to name Bob Iger’s successor in early 2026,” reports The Wall Street Journal’s Robbie Whelan . “The announcement Monday marked the first time the company had formally given a time frame for when it aims to name Iger’s successor, a decision that will shape the entertainment giant’s next chapter. Disney said former Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman, chair of its succession committee, would become board chairman on Jan. 2, succeeding former Nike CEO Mark Parker, who plans to resign.” STILL WITHOUT POWER — “Electricity returns in most of Havana, but rest of Cuba is still plagued by blackouts,” reports the Miami Herald’s Nora Gámez Torres. “The Electric Union, the country’s state-run utility, said Monday it was generating only 200 megawatts electricity to service part of six provinces. It takes 3,000 megawatts to power the entire country.” BILLIONAIRES AND JOURNALISM — “Meet the Florida billionaire who wants to be a newspaper baron,” reports The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin. “David Hoffmann, a Florida investor worth $1.6 billion, who has purchased more than 5 percent of Lee Enterprises, one of America’s largest newspaper companies, wants to buy up a controlling stake. Mr. Hoffmann, 72, acknowledged in an interview Friday that investing in local newspapers in 2024 is a somewhat quixotic proposition. But he said that he believes print newspapers are ‘a key part of the American fabric.’ He also thinks Lee Enterprises is undervalued by the stock market and a smart financial bet.” DEADLINE EXTENDED — “Spirit Airlines borrows $300 million, gets extended deadline in debt refinance talks,” reports South Florida Sun Sentinel’s David Lyons . “The Dania Beach-based discount airline, which is still the predominant carrier at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in terms of passengers carried, said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday that its credit card processor advanced a 2025 note extension deadline to Dec. 23. The borrowing consumed the entirety of the available amount of $300 million under a revolving credit facility.”
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | PAGING SPEAKER JOHNSON — “Trump says he supports Congress returning early for hurricane relief,” reports POLITICO’s Natalie Allison . “‘I would be in favor of it,’ Trump said when asked by a reporter whether he agrees with some Republicans, including North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, that Congress should return early to pass more funds.” ESTIMATED $36 BILLION IN LOSSES — “Hurricane Milton likely to be a first test of insurance reforms and spawn a recurring argument,” reports Anne Geggis of The Palm Beach Post . “With Hurricane Milton's passage, storm assessments are well underway across Florida. But one likely outcome, insurance industry watchers fear, is that owners of shredded and torn properties are in for a financial soaking. A vulnerability in Florida's property insurance market — finger-pointing over whether water damage was caused by flood inundation or breaches in the structure that let rain through — is likely being exposed again by Milton's sea surge, devastating winds and torrential downpours along a vast swath of the state, from Siesta Key on the west to Daytona Beach on the east.” NOT LEAVING — “In hurricanes’ wake, expect more homeowners to rebuild rather than move, industry analysts say,” reports South Florida Sun Sentinel’s David Lyons . “Despite the trauma, people in the real estate, financial and property management industries are steadfast that the housing market’s post-storm future will be a rebound, mirroring others of the past: Floridians will continue to rebuild damaged communities, more single-family home and condo developments will be built in places roughed up by the storms, while prices, over the long term, will go up.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | | 
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) speaks on stage during the "Nancy Pelosi on The Art of Power" panel for The Atlantic Festival 2024 in Washington on Sept. 19, 2024. | Jemal Countess/Getty Images for The Atlantic | TODAY ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL — Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) will be at former President Donald Trump’s roundtable in Doral with Latino leaders. Senate Democratic candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell has two campaign stops in Jacksonville, the first of which is with Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison … Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is doing a get out the vote event in Coral Gables with Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, congressional candidate Lucia Baez-Geller, state House candidate Jackie Gross-Kellogg and Miami-Dade clerk and comptroller candidate Annette Taddeo. BY THE NUMBERS — The first day of early voting on Monday saw nearly 377,000 people cast their ballots, according to data being assembled by Fresh Take Florida. Republicans had almost twice as many voters turn out as Democrats. NEW POLLING — The University of Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab has Trump ahead by 10 points in Florida in its latest survey , 53 percent to 43 percent for Vice President Kamala Harris. The Senate race is much closer, with Rick Scott at 49 percent to Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s 46 percent. The two marquee amendments are hovering around the 60 percent threshold needed for passing, but there’s been recent movement. The recreational marijuana legalization amendment was at 66 percent, while the support for the abortion amendment has dropped from 69 percent in July to 60 percent this month. The poll was conducted from Oct. 7-18 (The pollsters acknowledged Hurricane Milton made data collection more challenging.), and surveyed 977 likely voters. It had a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.49 percentage points. WEBSITE OUTAGE — “Many Florida counties’ elections websites were temporarily down on first day of presidential early voting,” reports South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man . “On Monday afternoon, VR Systems, a vendor used by most of the state’s supervisors of elections, responded to questions with a statement from Chief Operating Officer Ben Martin. He said county elections offices began having problems last week. ‘We immediately began investigating the cause and the extent of this issue and remain in communication with Florida Supervisors of Elections. We have engaged external experts and have implemented significant changes since the primary election.’” ROLL THE DICE — “Florida GOP pol plays ‘Kamalopoly’ with grandkids in new ad to highlight Harris’ fiscal, border failures,” reports the New York Post’s Josh Christenson . “Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) is highlighting Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic record in a new ad that shows the congressman putting a political spin on the classic board game Monopoly. In the new TV spot, Gimenez and three of his grandchildren gather around the kitchen table to roll the dice for a round of ‘Kamalopoly’ — but the stakes are higher than normal.”
| | | | A message from Uber: Thank You, Florida Uber Drivers
In the face of Hurricanes Milton and Helene, Uber drivers gave Floridians rides to shelters and support centers. We thank the thousands of Uber drivers who went above and beyond, ensuring that during a time of crisis, no one was left behind. Your dedication made a difference when it mattered most. Learn how Uber drivers stepped up. | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | THREE DAYS BEFORE ELECTION DAY — “Hillary Clinton’s talk in Tampa rescheduled for Nov. 2,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Sharon Kennedy Wynne . “The former first lady and U.S. senator was originally scheduled to be in Tampa Oct. 15. Now her visit to the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts is moved to Nov. 2. She will sit down with a moderator to discuss politics and democracy as well as more personal topics like friendship, aging and marriage. It’s part of her tour in support of her new book, ‘Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty.’”
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — Reps. Darren Soto (D-Fla.) and Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) teamed up for a musical moment, per WKRC. BIRTHDAY: State Sen. Jim Boyd. | | | | 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 | | | | |
