| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard and Kierra Frazier | | Presented by |  | | | Good morning and welcome to Thursday. The race for an open seat that represents much of Palm Beach County is a matchup between Democrat Rachelle Litt, a consultant pharmacist and former municipal government official, and Republican Meg Weinberger, a self-described “political outsider” who's an animal rescuer, chairs the Palm Beach chapter of Moms for Liberty and has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. House District 94 seat is being vacated by term-limited GOP state Rep. Rick Roth. It’s one of 16 state House contests that the Florida Democratic Party wants to turn blue. Litt said her experience as a nonpartisan councilmember, vice mayor and mayor of Palm Beach Gardens prepared her for this job and to address complex issues that she has grown to understand well. Weinberger said she was deeply passionate about helping people with special needs and in foster care. Litt, a former longtime community and hospital pharmacist, is running on a promise to expand the medical workforce as well as health care coverage and access, including for the agricultural Belle Glade area of the district where patients have to drive a long way to get care. “We need more health care providers in the state Legislature,” she said. “There are less than a handful that have any connection to health care.” She said the bipartisan Live Healthy Act that passed last session was a “great start” and put strong funding in place, but she worries that attacks on minority communities as well as restrictions on LGBTQ+ rights and abortion will cause more medical providers to leave the state. She was on President Joe Biden’s team on health equity, in part to help address the fact that women are underrepresented in clinical trials. Weinberger is the president of the animal sanctuary Rescue Life. If elected, she said, she hopes to introduce a bill that would create a state-run task force dedicated to addressing animal cruelty, saying there had been increased awareness about animal abandonment after a man tied his dog to a fence post during Hurricane Milton. Similar occurrences have overwhelmed animal shelters throughout the state, and Weinberger said she believes another way to address the problem is through teaching families how to care for their pets. “I’m a big believer in you only know what you are exposed to,” she said. “Many people don’t understand because they’re never taught.” Both candidates recognize property insurance costs are the No. 1 issue for constituents. Litt wants to introduce the state House version of a bill from state Sen. Lori Berman (D-Boynton Beach) that would bring together an independent insurance task force to find solutions. She also wants to obligate insurers to cover properties if they are already in the auto insurance business in Florida. A lack of affordable housing is another key reason Litt said she was running. She wants the state to fully fund the Sadowski Fund, which is supposed to be set aside to build affordable housing but has in the past been diverted to other areas. Weinberger said she became involved with Moms for Liberty because she didn't believe schools were teaching enough basic life skills such as paying taxes and how to keep a budget. She also said she was concerned about the possibility of allowing transgender students to play in sports. “That blew my mind that it was a conversation we would ever be having,” she said. “That resonated a lot.” “There’s no one better to fight for your child than a parent, especially in education,” she added. “If parents want a seat at the table, I think it’s important to listen.” Litt disagrees, saying that educators and the Florida Education Association, which is the state’s teachers’ union, should determine curriculum rather than parents and others with a “culture war vendetta” given that families have different beliefs. “It is up to the parents to teach personal values or religious values at home,” she said. “That doesn't belong in the public schools system.” 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 ... | | |  Gov. Ron DeSantis listens as Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody speaks during a press conference regarding an apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 17, 2024. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | COMPLAINT FILED — “Florida AG sues DOJ over blocking its investigation into Trump assassination attempt,” by POLITICO’s Kimberly Leonard . Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has asked a judge to stop the Justice Department from blocking the state’s investigation into Ryan Routh, the man charged with attempting to assassinate former President Donald Trump. The filing marks the latest escalation in a turf war between the FBI and Florida over the alleged crime from Sept. 15, which happened at Trump’s golf course in West Palm Beach, located about 20 miles north of Mar-a-Lago. BACK TO COURT — “Florida teachers unions head to trial over anti-union law,” reports The Associated Press’ Kate Payne. “A trial is scheduled to begin at a federal courthouse in Tallahassee in the case brought by the Florida Education Association and a slate of county-level labor groups against the state agency that regulates unions. They sued over a law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023 that requires more public workers to pay dues in order to keep their unions alive, while simultaneously making it harder for employees to pay those dues.” AN ‘EXTREME REMEDY’ — “‘Angel financier’ is funding legal effort to throw abortion off the Florida ballot,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Romy Ellenbogen and the Miami Herald’s Ana Ceballos. “While the donor’s identity remains a mystery, the funds are helping fuel a high-stakes legal challenge that could toss out the amendment even if it passes with 60% voter approval next month.” MORE WORK NEEDED — “Florida Everglades restoration is progressing, but scientists say it needs improvement,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Bill Kearney . “[The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s] recommendations include incorporating the varied ramifications of climate change into restoration plans and doing a better job of partnering with the Seminole and Miccosukee indigenous tribes, which have lived in the Everglades for centuries. Working closely with tribes would better protect cultural heritage tied to the land, and give biologists a deeper understanding of the ecosystem over time — tribal knowledge of how the Everglades works that has been passed down over centuries.”
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | SUBSCRIBE TO LOCAL NEWSPAPERS — “The extent of local news coverage can vary greatly depending on where one lives. Some of the most populous states, such as California, New York, Texas and Illinois, are home to more than 400 news outlets each. Yet the large populations of these states mean they can have some of the fewest news outlets per capita. Florida, for example, has more than 22 million residents, yet is home to just one news outlet for every 100,000 people,” per the State of Local News report from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. ‘PROUDLY CELEBRATE’ — “Miami teachers union survives representation fight,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury . “Florida’s largest teachers union, United Teachers of Dade, overwhelmingly won the right to represent about 24,000 educators Wednesday in an unprecedented organized labor fight for the state. UTD, which has represented Miami Dade County teachers for nearly 50 years, scored 73 percent of the vote against the emerging Miami-Dade Education Coalition, linked to the conservative Freedom Foundation group, to stay on as the local bargaining union. … With this victory in hand, Miami’s teachers union now must face the ongoing challenge of raising its membership to avoid another election under a law championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.” REBUILDING — “DeSantis announces financial aid for Big Bend fishing industries affected by hurricanes,” reports the Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry . “Florida’s commercial fishing industry is estimated to generate ‘close to $10 billion’ in annual revenues to the state, DeSantis said during a press briefing held at the Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee. The governor said preliminary surveys taken after Helene’s hit indicated tremendous damage in the region.” ‘VANDERBILT FL’ — “'We are overjoyed': Palm Beach County gives green light to Vanderbilt in West Palm,” reports the Palm Beach Post’s Mike Diamond. “The contract calls for Vanderbilt to spend at least $2.4 billion in the first 25 years and $5.3 billion in the first 50 years ‘in connection’ with the school and related operations.”
| | | | A message from Uber:   | | | | | ...HURRICANE HOLE... | | FLORIDA CHIP — “October KidCare premiums waived for children in Hurricane Milton’s path,” reports Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix . “In all, the program agreed to waive premiums for 140,000 children, more than 72 percent of its enrollment, living in 52 counties. The cost to cover the waived premiums is $6.45 million, according to the release announcing the decision.” NOT ENOUGH — “FEMA offered free hotel stays to displaced residents. Pickings are slim,” reports the Tampa Bay Times’ Shauna Muckle . “Residents were notified of their eligibility last week. The list of options, however, is short. Too short to accommodate the wave of demand from displaced residents tired of squeezing into spare rooms or crashing on couches.” LATE SEASON HURRICANE — “Could Tropical Storm Patty form next week? National Hurricane Center tracks 2 tropical waves,” reports the Pensacola News Journal’s Brandon Girod . “Tropical storms that form late in the Atlantic hurricane season tend to veer into Central America, like Nadine, or head north-northeast toward Cuba, Hispaniola and the Bahamas, according to AccuWeather. Determining the path Tropical Storm Patty could take would require knowing where it forms, its intensity and other non-tropical features in the area that would influence its movement.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | | 
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks out against Amendment 4, which would protect access to abortion, during a news conference with Florida Physicians Against Amendment 4 in Coral Gables, Florida, on Monday, Oct. 21, 2024. | Lynne Sladky/AP | TODAY — Gov. Ron DeSantis is doing a live interview in front of an audience in Fort Myers with Florida Voice. The event will also feature Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo. YESTERDAY — “Second gentleman in Broward lambastes Trump, urges Florida Democrats to round up every possible vote for Harris,” reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man and Abigail Hasebroock. Second gentleman Doug Emhoff “and several other speakers at a ‘Get Out The Vote’ rally in Hallandale Beach seized on the latest revelations about Trump. Retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, who was Trump’s longest-serving White House chief of staff, said this week that the former president had made positive comments about Adolf Hitler. ‘I’m also speaking as a Jewish person,’ Emhoff said. ‘We can’t look away from this. This is as real as it gets’” WHAT ABOUT THE VP? — “Kamala Harris ‘is literally everywhere right now.’ Just not in Florida,” by Max Greenwood and Syra Ortiz Blanes . “As the race between Harris and her Republican rival Donald Trump enters the home stretch, the vice president has yet to make a campaign stop in Florida, a longtime swing state that now appears solidly out of reach for the vice president. Since launching her presidential bid in July, she has spent most of her time bouncing between the handful of battleground states that are expected to decide the outcome of the presidential election. Trump, on the other hand, has maintained a weekly presence in his adopted home state, as of late.” HAITIAN VOTER OUTREACH — “DNC makes 5-figure ad buy targeting Haitian voters in Florida,” reports Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles. “ The DNC purchased print ads in L’Union Suite and Le Floridian, two Haitian-owned publications in South Florida. The ads make an appeal in Haitian Creole and in English encouraging voters to make a plan to vote. It directs voters to the DNC’s IWillVote.com website. Similar ads will run on digital platforms.” — “Kamala Harris makes her pitch to Black men voters. Here’s how South Floridians feel about it,” reports the Miami Herald’s Raisa Habersham. COSTLY BILLS — “After Amendment 3, the future of medical marijuana could be in lawmakers’ hands,” reports Central Florida Public Media’s Joe Byrnes. “In the most recent tally, Florida has approved 2,396 doctors to recommend medical marijuana for 882,438 patients with qualifying medical conditions. A good number of those, somewhere between 13 percent and 18 percent, are thought to be seniors. If the amendment, which needs 60 percent of the vote, passes, patients will eventually need to decide if they want to keep their card, which costs $75 a year and requires a doctor's visit every seven months. Those costs can add up to more than $400 a year.”
| | | | 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. | | | |
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | EARNING NATIONAL LATINO SUPPORT — “The political journey of a top Latino strategist for Trump,” by The New Yorker’s Geraldo Cadava . “Many of the Latinos the Trump campaign is focussing on — the ones whose support he needs — come, like [Carlos] Trujillo’s family, from working-class backgrounds, are religiously devout, and are first-and-second-generation Latinos fearful of authoritarian governments like the ones they or their parents left behind. When I asked Trujillo, whom I met at the Republican National Convention last summer, about the irony that people who had fled dictatorships seemed ready to lend their support to a man who, by all indications, is a would-be dictator, he responded, ‘A dictator doesn’t leave office. A dictator persecutes their political opponents, their opponent’s supporters and weaponizes institutions. Trump never did that. Democrats have.’”
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