| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | Presented by |  | | | |  Gov. Ron DeSantis (left) and President-elect Donald Trump | AP | Good morning and welcome to Wednesday. Talk about a truce. President-elect DONALD TRUMP is considering Gov. RON DESANTIS to lead the Defense Department as PETE HEGSETH’s confirmation path seems to be crumbling. The maneuvering — first reported by The Wall Street Journal’s Alex Leary and confirmed by POLITICO by two people familiar with the situation — caught many Tallahassee insiders by surprise Tuesday night. Nothing is decided, however, and Hegseth still has meetings with senators set for today on Capitol Hill and is eyeing an appearance on Fox News with his mother this morning to try to salvage his role. Trump and DeSantis publicly made up over the summer. But there has been some underlying tension over how to shape Florida’s future. Trump selected at least a dozen Floridians to fill his administration so far, leaving DeSantis to move around personnel or set special elections to replace them. Every choice carries with it an understanding that certain politicians’ loyalties will lean more toward DeSantis, while others will lean more toward Trump. A decision to bring DeSantis into the fold would be a huge turnaround — though not an unusual move for Trump, who’s said to enjoy converting past enemies. DeSantis and Trump had a bitter and personal primary battle in which the Trump side mocked DeSantis on everything from his shoes to how he said his name. DeSantis, meanwhile, downplayed Trump’s role in his 2018 governor’s race and said he was insufficiently conservative and didn’t follow through on his 2016 campaign promises. Still, DeSantis and Trump were initially aligned, and by 2022 many Republicans saw DeSantis as the natural heir to the MAGA movement. As a presidential candidate, the Florida governor unveiled a plan for the military that would have eliminated diversity initiatives, banned transgender service members from the military and reinstated members who’d refused a Covid vaccine. Should Trump actually bring in DeSantis, it wouldn't be the first time that he has pulled from the governor’s repertoire. Though DeSantis was often described as “Trump without the baggage” or “Trump lite” by critics, Trump has leaned into some of the policies that DeSantis has embraced, including on education and health care. For instance, he’s set to soon meet with CHRIS RUFO, who advised DeSantis on education policy, and tapped JAY BHATTACHARYA, who advised DeSantis on Covid policy, to lead the National Institutes of Health. Finally, DeSantis heading to Washington would have huge implications for Florida, including the ascension of Lt. Gov. JEANETTE NUÑEZ, who would be Florida’s first woman governor and first governor of Cuban descent, and giving DeSantis a runway for his political future. It could also help to ease Trump’s preferred picks to other jobs, from Florida’s next senator to its chief financial officer. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Instagram Teen Accounts: a protected experience for teens, guided by parents
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Learn more. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | IN MEMORIAM — Trump, DeSantis and ERIC TRUMP attended a memorial on Tuesday in Palm Beach for three law enforcement officers killed in a vehicle crash last month, The Palm Beach Post reported. Crowds came to the South Florida Fairgrounds site to honor the lives of the Palm Beach County Sheriff Office’s LUIS PAEZ, RALPH "BUTCH" WALLER and IGNACIO "DAN" DIAZ. THREE-PART SERIES — “A gambling underworld: Illegal casinos thrive in Florida despite raids,” reports David Fleshler of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “To investigate Florida’s illegal gambling arcades, the South Florida Sun Sentinel visited about two dozen of them, interviewed players, owners, employees and law enforcement officers, and reviewed court filings, government documents, police reports and corporate records.” A couple of findings: — “At least nine Florida gambling arcade companies obtained taxpayer-backed loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration. Several of these companies appear to have included false information on their loan applications about the nature of their businesses. Four were later raided for illegal gambling.” — “Arcades have refused to pay jackpots, insisted on paying winners in installments, and manipulated the machines to prevent large payouts. They pose a particular risk to people vulnerable to compulsive gambling.” AFTER YEARLONG DELAY — “Biden administration OKs Florida KidCare waiver,” by Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix. “The approval will enable an estimated 42,000 children who live in families of four that earn up to $93,600 annually to qualify for Florida KidCare coverage if the state agrees to abide by a federal regulation mandating that eligible children remain enrolled for a full year. The continuous eligibility requirement has been a thorny issue for Florida, which requires families each to pay a monthly household premium of up to $20 for KidCare coverage. The state disenrolls children whose families don’t pay the premium.” FOR ALMOST 6M CUSTOMERS — “Florida regulators back $1.2B hurricane surcharge for FPL customers,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. “The state Public Service Commission, meeting in Tallahassee, unanimously approved an interim storm restoration proposal from Florida Power & Light Co. that is expected to trigger rate increases of about $12 per month for average residential customers through 2025.” ATTENTION TRAVELERS — Fares for Tallahassee International Airport are higher than any other of the top 150 U.S. airports, reports TaMaryn Waters of the Tallahassee Democrat.
| | | | REGISTER NOW: As the 118th Congress ends, major decisions loom, including healthcare appropriations. Key focus: site neutrality. Can aligning hospital and clinic costs cut federal spending, reflect physician costs, and lower patient expenses? Join policymakers and providers to discuss. | | | | | | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | SETTLED — A woman shot in the eye by police with a rubber bullet will receive a $1.9 million settlement from Fort Lauderdale. LATOYA RATLIEFF, who was protesting the murder of GEORGE FLOYD more than four years ago when she was shot, said in a statement that as part of the settlement the police department had agreed to adopt new policies. “My life has changed dramatically since the protest,” she said. “What I once considered as normal is now replaced with ongoing trauma and disability. Throughout this process, there were moments when, both mentally and physically, I was ready to give up. But I tried to focus on the fact that this was important, not just for me but for everyone who seeks to use their voice to create meaningful change.”
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | | 
Hillsborough County, Fla., Sheriff Chad Chronister talks to the media before the first day of school at Sessums Elementary School Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2021, in Riverview, Florida. | Chris O'Meara/AP | HE’S OUT — Hillsborough County Sheriff CHAD CHRONISTER on Tuesday withdrew from consideration to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration. Chronister said in a post on X that the “gravity of this very important responsibility set in.” “There is more work to be done for the citizens of Hillsborough County and a lot of initiatives I am committed to fulfilling,” he said. Chronister faced criticism — largely confined to social media (at least for now) — that he was too “woke." Critics especially drew attention to how his office arrested a Tampa pastor in 2020 for violating Covid quarantine orders to hold services, though the charges against the pastor were ultimately dropped given that the state rolled back its restrictions. And the pastor himself, RODNEY HOWARD-BROWNE, endorsed Chronister for the job in a video they filmed together on Dec. 1, saying they were good friends. The pastor also praised Chronister for his initiatives tackling drug-related crimes in a letter to Trump that he made public. After Chronister withdrew, Howard-Browne criticized “conservatives” (quotation marks his) who “tear you to shreds without giving you the benefit of the doubt.” Chronister’s donation history shows that he has mainly contributed to Republicans, but also toward the reelection of then-President BARACK OBAMA. WHAT’S YOUR ADDRESS? — The Miami-Dade County Commission officially voted to name a street in Hialeah after the president-elect, in a development that Trump acknowledged over on Truth Social. The vote to approve was 9-1. According to Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald: “Only one chose to vote against: Marleine Bastien, a Haitian American who represents areas in northern Miami and nearby communities. She did not expand on her reasons for opposing the tribute to the president-elect, saying simply: ‘I am voting no.’” STAMP OF APPROVAL — Florida Attorney General ASHLEY MOODY led a letter from 30 current and future Republican state attorneys general urging the Senate to back Trump’s selection for U.S. attorney general, former Florida Attorney General PAM BONDI. RELEVANT TO STORM-TORN FLORIDA — “FEMA critic Garret Graves is a contender to lead that agency under Trump,” reports POLITICO E&E ClimateWire’s Thomas Frank. “Graves, who is retiring from the House in January, is one of the most knowledgeable members of Congress about emergency management and has led bipartisan efforts to improve FEMA’s response to disasters. … As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Graves has been an aggressive and sometimes witty questioner of FEMA officials. During the current Congress, Graves introduced bills with Democratic cosponsors to reduce FEMA reconstruction aid after ‘small disasters,’ to accelerate FEMA’s aid payments and to simplify the process for people who apply for disaster money.”
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | | 
The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | TODAY — The Supreme Court is hearing arguments over a Tennessee law (similar to Florida’s) that bans gender-affirming care for transgender minors, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgery. The court is expected to issue a decision by June. ALSO TODAY — A House education subcommittee is holding a hearing on civics in K-12 curriculum, led by its chair, Rep. AARON BEAN (R-Fla.). THIS WEEK — A House bill that will be considered on the floor would promote teaching the “dangers of communism and similar political ideologies” to high school students. DeSantis signed a similar bill into law this year. NOT LETTING IT GO — “Democrat launches push to force release of the Gaetz ethics report,” reports POLITICO’s Anthony Adragna. “Rep. Sean Casten isn’t giving up on his quest to see the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into Matt Gaetz, despite the former Florida congressman withdrawing from consideration for attorney general. Casten took to the floor Tuesday to introduce a new privileged resolution that would force the release of the latest version of the ethics report. House leaders will have two legislative days to schedule a vote, which would only be successful if Casten gets a majority of the House to approve it.” CROSSING OVER — Rep. JARED MOSKOWITZ of Florida on Tuesday became the first Democrat to join the Department of Government Efficiency Caucus, which will support Trump’s presidential advisory “DOGE” commission that’ll be co-chaired by ELON MUSK and VIVEK RAMASWAMY. Moskowitz specifically cited the Department of Homeland Security as an agency that had grown too large and said FEMA and the Secret Service should be spun out to report directly to the president. “Streamlining government processes and reducing ineffective government spending should not be a partisan issue,” Moskowitz said. “I’ve been clear that there are ways we can reorganize our government to make it work better for the American people.” — One policy that the DOGE commission is eyeing is getting rid of daylight saving time, according to The Washington Post’s Dan Diamond, something that Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) has been pushing for years.
| | | | Billions in spending. Critical foreign aid. Immigration reform. The final weeks of 2024 could bring major policy changes. Inside Congress provides daily insights into how Congressional leaders are navigating these high-stakes issues. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | — Fighter pilot JEFF WITT has dropped his bid for Congress in the 1st District to succeed Gaetz and endorsed Trump-backed Florida Chief Financial Officer JIMMY PATRONIS, reports Florida Politics Jacob Ogles. Over in the House, Patronis has been endorsed by House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON, Majority Leader STEVE SCALISE and Majority Whip TOM EMMER.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — The South Florida Sun Sentinel is accepting donations for its Community News Fund. — The “Wicked” book that the new blockbuster film is based off of was removed from libraries in a couple of Florida school districts, reports Douglas Soule of USA Today Network-Florida. Soule explains: “To be sure, the book is a lot different from the musical and the PG movie. It contains drinking, drugs, rape, prostitution, crime and sex parties between humans and animals.” — Fox News’ SEAN HANNITY found a Florida home in Palm Beach County, The Wall Street Journal reports. — Say goodbye to these specialty license plates that aren’t selling, reports the Orlando Sentinel. BIRTHDAYS: Former Rep. Francis Rooney … (Was Tuesday) Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix.
| | | | A message from Instagram: Instagram Teen Accounts: automatic protections for teens
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