| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | Presented by |  | | | |  The historic Old Capitol in Tallahassee, Florida, on April 26, 2024. | Brendan Farrington/AP | Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Florida lawmakers seem to have tackled illegal immigration from almost every angle. But with President-elect DONALD TRUMP coming into office again and the Senate voting on a crackdown this week, several key players say they’re ready to address the issue anew. Gov. RON DESANTIS told reporters on Tuesday he wanted lawmakers to do more on illegal immigration, POLITICO’s Gary Fineout reports, including helping Trump with mass deportations. DeSantis is set to meet with Trump over dinner at Mar-a-Lago tonight alongside other Republican governors. And on Wednesday, Florida Attorney General ASHLEY MOODY signed a letter with other GOP state attorneys general pledging to support Trump’s border policies. She also released a list of actions to reporters, outlining a dozen instances in which she’d challenged the Biden administration over immigration. Members of the GOP-controlled Legislature are gearing up with their own ideas. One bill that seems to be gaining traction would end in-state college tuition for young people, called Dreamers, who were brought into the U.S. as young children and have remained without legal status. Repealing the policy was a priority for DeSantis during the last session, even though it was introduced by Lt. Gov. JEANETTE NUÑEZ when she was in the Legislature in 2014. The repeal ultimately was defeated. State Sen. RANDY FINE (R-Palm Bay) and state Sen. DON GAETZ (R-Niceville) introduced the in-state tuition repeal measure this session. Senate President BEN ALBRITTON said he supported the concept, but suggested possibly phasing out the provision over time. Fine, who is running for Congress with Trump’s endorsement and will therefore resign from the Legislature at the end of March, said in an interview he wanted to hold a hearing in the Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee that he chairs about the effects of illegal immigration on government operations, including on the health care, legal and educational systems. He also said he was considering introducing a bill that would categorize it as human trafficking when someone brings their children into the U.S without legal authorization. “I think if you smuggle your kid into the United States you should go to prison,” he said. State Rep. BERNY JACQUES (R-Seminole), who has been among the most outspoken members of the Legislature on the issue, said that by next month he plans to introduce a bill that would “strengthen Florida’s ban on sanctuary cities.” He didn’t want to share precise details because he’s still drafting the bill, but said it would add “consequences to those who run afoul of our ban.” Jacques, who immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti, is also drafting another bill that would beef up citizenship verification for voting. He added that he would support “any proposal that helps President Trump's pledge on mass deportations.” Chamber leaders seemed to brush off the suggestion in November, saying they see it as falling under the purview of the federal government, though Albritton indicated he was open to the idea when addressing reporters again in December. Trump has pledged to remove millions of undocumented people from the U.S. — a move that USA Today Network-Florida estimates could extend to as many as 1.1 million people in the state, depending on the criteria. Florida has guaranteed funded millions of dollars to relocate undocumented immigrants to other states and require businesses to check the residencies of workers and hospitals to do the same with patients. WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis is holding an environment-focused event in Juno Beach at 9 a.m. 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 Alibaba: U.S. businesses are succeeding globally by expanding sales to over one billion consumers through Alibaba’s online marketplace. Alibaba helps American companies do business abroad, generating more jobs and wages back home. In just one year, sales from U.S. businesses contributed billions of dollars to the U.S. GDP and supported hundreds of thousands of jobs. Learn how Alibaba helps drive global success for U.S. businesses. | | | |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | |  A firefighter hooks up a hose to a hydrant while battling the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, on Jan. 8, 2025. | Justin Sullivan/Getty Images | FLORIDA HELPS — DeSantis said Wednesday that Florida was ready to assist California as it faces devastating wildfires — just as California has helped during hurricane season here. “When disaster strikes, we must come together to help our fellow Americans in any way we can,” DeSantis posted on X. “The state of Florida has offered help to assist the people of California in responding to these fires and in rebuilding communities that have been devastated.” ‘IN DANGER OF BEING LOST’ — “People are flocking to Florida. Will there be enough water for them?” by Sachi Kitajima Mulkey and Ayurella Horn-Muller of Grist. “An intensifying climate, overexploitation of groundwater, and a development boom have catalyzed a looming water supply shortage — something that once seemed impossible for the rainy peninsula.” LICENSE CHANGED — “Florida cancels trans activist’s ID over gender change, says it will launch an inquiry,” reports Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times. “DeSantis' administration canceled a transgender activist’s driver’s license after the popular TikToker publicly posted about changing the stated gender on their ID. James Rose, a non-binary content creator who uses they and she pronouns, posted a video in December about changing the gender on their license from male to female. Rose talked about using a ‘loophole’ in the process to replace lost licenses. “In a letter dated Monday, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles told Rose that it had canceled their license and replaced it with one that listed their gender as male.” LEGISLATION ROUNDUP — State Sen. TINA POLSKY (D-Boca Raton) has introduced a bill that would repeal a state ban on same-sex marriage (which has federal protections) … Another bill would prohibit courts from denying parental rights based solely on marijuana use. — “Plants that evolved in Florida over millennia now face extinction and lack protection,” reports Andre A. Naranjo of WLRN. — “DeSantis directs flags to half-staff to honor late Florida Gov. Buddy MacKay,” reports Jim Rosica of USA Today Network-Florida.
| | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | | OUT OF THIS WORLD — “UCF, UF and Embry-Riddle solidify NASA partnership with Kennedy Space Center,” by Richard Tribou of the Orlando Sentinel. “DeSantis and Núñez had a hand in the creation of the consortium, which was spearheaded by Space Florida, the state’s aerospace finance and development authority. Núñez has been the chair of the Space Florida board of directors now for six years.” — “He, she, they, them: Pronoun debate could shift to Florida cities and counties,” reports Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida.
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | | | | 
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz's during a rally for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. | David Himbert/Hans Lucas via AFP/Getty Images | EYE ON GOV MANSION — “In a telephone interview with The New York Times’ [Neil Vigdor] on Wednesday, [former Rep. Matt] Gaetz said that he had spoken to Trump about a possible bid for governor and that he ‘knows that I have that ambition.’ He declined to elaborate on their conversation, other than to say that the president-elect had shared advice with him and that he expected several of Trump’s other allies would contend for the job.” — Gaetz addressed the reports during his new show on One America News network on Wednesday night, saying that “of course” he was thinking of running for governor. “I am the true Florida man after all,” he said. “There are early smoke signals that if a return to Tallahassee is in God’s plan for my family, lots of Florida Republicans would be pretty excited.” He added, however, that it was “silly” to be asked about the 2026 gubernatorial race so early on, when Trump hadn’t even been sworn into office a second time.. “My family and I will think and pray about this,” he said. “We have plenty of time.” BTW — State Sen. JASON PIZZO, the top Democrat in the chamber who is considering his own gubernatorial run, believes he’d have the edge in that race. RPOF — “How Evan Power’s grassroots strategy drives GOP success in Florida,” by James Call of the Tallahassee Democrat. “To put it bluntly, Republicans largely own Florida, politically speaking, and Power's job is to make sure it stays that way. … Power is the head of what may be the most influential state party in the nation.” DNC RACE — Rep. MAXWELL FROST (D-Fla.) is endorsing DAVID HOGG — a Florida native — in his bid to become Democratic National Committee vice chair, with Frost underscoring the need for generational change to win over young voters. The two have worked together on gun violence prevention initiatives. ANOTHER ‘26 LOOK AHEAD — Medical speech-language pathologist ASHLEY PEREZ-BILISKOV is the first person to file to run for the seat in Miami that state House Speaker DANNY PEREZ is term-limiting out of in 2026, reports Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics.
| | | | A message from Alibaba:   | | | | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | LOBBYING PAST — “A ‘business-friendly’ lawyer’s rise from lobbyist to attorney general pick,” by Eric Lipton and Kate Kelly of The New York Times. “While she was Florida’s attorney general, [Pam] Bondi became known for what one lobbying firm called her ‘business-friendly’ attitude. She and her staff agreed to meet with a steady stream of lawyers whose clients … had been targeted by other states for investigations. … Then, in her time as a lobbyist, which began in early 2019, Bondi represented a long roster of corporate clients, including Uber and Amazon. Many of these companies have business with the federal government — and could be subject to scrutiny by a Justice Department run by her, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.” Trump Team response from BRIAN HUGHES: “All nominees and appointees will comply with the ethical obligations of their respective agencies. As attorney general, Pam Bondi will be solely focused on returning the Department of Justice to its true mission of fighting crime, prosecuting criminals and keeping Americans safe.” REPORT COMING — “Attorney General Merrick Garland intends to publicly release special counsel Jack Smith’s final report detailing evidence that Trump criminally conspired to subvert the 2020 election and disenfranchise millions of voters,” reports POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney. “But Garland will withhold from public release a second volume of the report describing Smith’s second case against Trump for amassing classified documents at Mar-a-Lago after leaving office in 2021.” AMERICA MEXICANA — Mexican President CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM reacted sarcastically to Trump’s suggestion to rename the Gulf of Mexico, suggesting the entire continent be renamed, per POLITICO’s Irie Setner.
| | DATELINE D.C. | | — “Florida sues Miramar company to recover $5.8 million Covid overpayment. CEO at the time is now in Congress,” by Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. ACA UPDATE — Florida has the highest number of enrollees of any other state in the Affordable Care Act exchanges, reports Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix. The exchanges allow Americans who don’t get health coverage through work to obtain insurance that the government helps them pay for. So far, 4.6 million Floridians have signed up and more people could still enroll during the next week. HEALTH CARE REFORMS — House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Chair VERN BUCHANAN (R-Fla.) hopes to bring back health care provisions that got dropped from the spending package Congress passed in December, reports Erin Durkin of National Journal. Buchanan “would like measures to reform [pharmacy benefit manager] regulations, modernize health savings accounts, and lower costs for caregivers.” He also has “introduced legislation that would allow individuals to pay for care for a parent out of their” health savings accounts and wants to permanently change federal law so people can meet with doctors over the web from their homes instead of going to a medical facility.
| | TRANSITION TIME | | — CLARE LATTANZE is now communications director for Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.). She was his deputy communications director. Former Communications Director MCKINLEY LEWIS is staff director at the Senate Special Committee on Aging, where Scott is chair. — Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is opening of a new office in Tampa. Shareholder MELISSA KUIPERS BLAKE will be the Tampa office managing partner.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | BIRTHDAYS: Lisa Miller, former deputy insurance commissioner and CEO of Lisa Miller & Associates … (was Wednesday) state Sen. Ileana Garcia.
| | A message from Alibaba: Alibaba’s e-commerce marketplace is having a positive impact on Florida businesses. In fact, Fernando Tamez, CEO of FL-based DS Laboratories says “sales on Alibaba exceeded expectations by 50% in the first year,” and added that Alibaba guided DS Laboratories through every step in the process as they prepared to enter the global market.
DS Laboratories is now hiring more employees at its headquarters in Miami, Florida, to keep up with the growing global demand for its hair and skin care products. In just one year, it is estimated that sales on Alibaba by Florida businesses contributed millions to the state’s GDP and supported thousands of local jobs.
Learn how Florida businesses are achieving global success with Alibaba. | | | | | | | 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 | | | | |
