| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | TODAY — It’s Inauguration Day in Washington. (Follow along at POLITICO.)
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Musicians and guests form a conga line during the Republican Party of Florida Inaugural Gala at the Marriott Marquis in Washington on Jan. 18, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | Good morning from Washington and welcome to Monday. Today’s inauguration is just as much Florida’s moment as it is DONALD TRUMP’s. The incoming administration is importing Florida’s policies and personnel into Washington, establishing the Sunshine State’s dominance in the U.S. It's widely expected to copy Florida’s ideas on education, immigration, DEI and more. Florida Republicans are taking it all in. Nowhere was that more clear than the series of events the state Republican party held over the weekend to celebrate, maxing out ticket sales and reveling in how they’d turned the state so red. Rep. BYRON DONALDS (R-Fla.), a close Trump ally who’s considering running for governor, called 2024 a “coming out party” for the state in an interview with Playbook. “Other states are looking to us,” he said. “And so logic dictates that we start to put our imprint on D.C. for the nation. It feels like a long time coming.” On Saturday night, a live band at the Republican Party of Florida inauguration gala performed hits like the Trump-favorite “YMCA,” “September” and GLORIA ESTEFAN’s “Conga” as some attendees joined a conga line, winding their way through the lively gathering. Guests enjoyed an open bar and dined on steak, mini burgers and a mac and cheese bar, and took pictures in front of Trump cutouts. “We’re just doing Florida men and Florida women stuff,” Rep. KAT CAMMACK (R-Fla.) joked to grassroots volunteers that morning about the ruckus the group was making in the atrium of the Marriott Marquis. Florida is a place “where people feel like they can be themselves,” said Rep. MIKE HARIDOPOLOS (R-Fla.), the newest member of Florida’s delegation. He told Playbook he expected Republicans in Congress to bring about “less government, less taxes and more freedom.” Even though this isn’t Trump's first foray to Washington, it's still the first time that Florida has sent someone to the White House. Sure, Trump was originally a New Yorker who was snowbirding in Florida — but now he’s very much viewed by Florida Republicans as one of their own, after spending much of his White House exile period at Mar-a-Lago and creating deep relationships with the grassroots. EVAN POWER, the Republican Party of Florida chair, attributed Trump’s cultural acceptance in the state to his “fighter” posture that Power said a lot of people adopt once they move to the state. “Florida is not where not a lot of people are originally from,” he said. “It's where people go — but you have that fighter ethos in Florida now.” Moving forward, the Florida GOP can expect less financial help from the national party, said ALEXANDER PANTINAKIS, political director for the state GOP, given that Florida’s not considered a battleground anymore. “We are sort of a victim of our own success,” he said, explaining that national resources wouldn’t be pouring in anytime soon. But Florida’s dominance of the national GOP — and American politics more broadly — may only be beginning. “The word is out on Florida,” he said. “It's going to be up to us to keep the state red.” 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.
| | | | Power shifts, razor-thin margins, and a high-stakes agenda. We’ve transformed our coverage—more reporters, more timely insights, and unmatched policy scoops. From leadership offices to committee rooms, caucus meetings, and beyond, our expert reporting keeps you ahead of the decisions that matter. Subscribe to our Inside Congress newsletter today. | | | | | |  | INAUGURATION WATCH | | WHERE THE PARTY AT? — The Republican Party of Florida partnered up with the Republican Party of Puerto Rico for its inauguration festivities, kicking off Saturday with a morning breakfast and an evening gala with 700 guests. Power, the RPOF chair, said he was still fielding requests on Saturday for people who wanted to attend, but they were already at capacity and had to create a wait list. “It’s a good problem to have,” he said. Ticket sales and fundraising yielded $1.9 million for the state party. Swag bags for guests included a clear tote, picture frame, button and charger. SPOTTED: Soon-to-be-Sen. Ashley Moody, Rep. Laurel Lee, Rep. Byron Donalds, Sen. Rick Scott, Florida House Speaker Danny Perez, state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, state Rep. Alex Rizo, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie.
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Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and his wife, Ann Scott, pose for photos near a cardboard cutout of President-elect Donald Trump during the Republican Party of Florida Inaugural Gala at the Marriott Marquis in Washington on Jan. 18, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | Scott stopped in and gave remarks at the gala after he and his wife, ANN SCOTT, stood by a balloon arch and cutout of Trump for 45 minutes to take pictures with guests who formed a line that stretched through the entire room — even as he was then set to host his own “Florida’s Sunshine Ball” just down the street at the Conrad Hotel. Many guests from the RPOF gala made their way to that party as the evening wound down. The 1,500-person ball featured a performance from an elegant string ensemble, and then KID ROCK did a full concert performance. Guests dined on crab cakes and duck tacos. SPOTTED: Soon-to-be Secretary of State Marco Rubio, DOGE’s/Ohio likely gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Cammack, Moody, Donalds. SPOTTED at FIU’s 305 Miami Brunch and Research Showcase on Sunday: Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) and Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.); Kevin Cabrera, Trump pick for U.S. Ambassador to Panama; Benjamin Leon, Trump pick as U.S. Ambassador to Spain; state Reps. Omar Blanco, Juan Carlos Porras and David Borrero; Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo; Miami Mayor Francis Suarez; Sweetwater Mayor Pepe Diaz; North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme; Miami-Dade Elections Supervisor Alina Garcia; Miami-Dade County Clerk Juan Fernandez-Barquin; Miami-Dade Tax Collector Dariel Fernandez; businesswoman and philanthropist Adrienne Arsht; NBCUniversal News Group’ Chair Cesar Conde; BGR Group’s Nick Iarossi, Continental Strategy’s Danny Gomez; NICKLAUS Health System President and CEO Matthew Love.
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | | 
Florida Director of Emergency Management Kevin Guthrie attends the Republican Party of Florida Inaugural Gala at the Marriott Marquis in Washington on Jan. 18, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | FEMA UPDATE — Florida Emergency Management Director KEVIN GUTHRIE met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last week to be considered as the next FEMA administrator, per a person familiar with the meeting who was granted anonymity to relay private conversations. The two spoke for roughly 70 minutes, but there’s at least one other person in the running for the job: Guthrie’s counterpart in Texas, W. NIM KIDD. Asked about the possibility of going to FEMA, Guthrie said he had not been offered anything and referred Playbook to the Trump transition, which didn't respond to an inquiry. MARCO SOLO — Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) is likely to be the only member of Trump’s Cabinet to be sworn in today, reports POLITICO’s Ursula Perano and Jordain Carney. Here’s why: “Under Senate rules and the current calendar, all 100 senators will have to agree to accelerate any final confirmation vote to Monday. … The holdups are due to a combination of procedural, political and paperwork problems.”
| | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | PILE ON: The governor’s office over the weekend added proposed policy language for the bills on illegal immigration and ballot initiatives as legislative leaders remain unenthusiastic about the special session. SPEAKING OF WHICH — As Florida lawmakers prepare for the next illegal immigration crackdown, The Wall Street Journal’s Ruth Simon and Arian Campo-Flores report that “Florida’s 2023 law cracking down on undocumented immigrants has prompted some workers to leave the state and made filling jobs harder for some small businesses. "Still, the law hasn’t resulted in huge disruptions to the state’s labor market, as some predicted. Certain provisions were watered down before the bill passed or in its implementation, and the state has done little to enforce the law.” WINTER IS COMING — The Tallahassee area is gearing up for a rare winter storm, reports the Tallahassee Democrat, just as D.C. is also prepping for its own severe winter conditions that contributed to shifting the inauguration indoors.
| | | | New Year. New Washington. New Playbook. With intensified congressional coverage and even faster delivery of policy scoops, POLITICO’s reimagined Playbook Newsletter ensures you’re always ahead of the conversation. Sign up today. | | | | | | | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | | 
Miami Mayor Francis Suarez greets Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody during the Republican Party of Florida Inaugural Gala at the Marriott Marquis in Washington on Jan. 18, 2025. Moody is set to be the next senator from Florida. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | HOW MOODY PITCHED HERSELF FOR SENATE — Florida Attorney General ASHLEY MOODY got the coveted nod from Gov. RON DESANTIS last week to serve as the next senator from Florida. Though DeSantis shared some of the credentials he was looking for when he spoke about the opening at public events, he didn’t go into details about the interviews he conducted when he was looking for the right fit. Moody herself opened up about it to Playbook in D.C. over the weekend. On how she sold herself for the job: Moody raised the fact that as Florida’s attorney general she “routinely” used litigation to push back on the “federal overreach” of the Biden administration’s executive orders, from immigration to student loans. She argued it created a government that was “off balance.” “Quite honestly, that's not how government is supposed to work,” she said of the challenges. “Congress is supposed to set policy. And the reason why we're seeing so much of this — having to push back on agencies by AGs — is because Congress needs to rein those agencies back in … [Members of Congress] are the ones that are supposed to be the most powerful branch, because they have spending power. They have lawmaking power. AGs do our best to contain it and get our arms around it, but Congress is where it needs to be fixed.” On how she views her relationship with DeSantis: “We both fought together over the last six years against so much of what I was talking about, and I think we did that very deliberately, with the understanding the foundations on which this country was built, understanding the damage to a country when you don't stay within those bounds of power.” She continued: “We both very much believe in what President Trump is trying to accomplish, and that is to set this country back on its right course and make sure that these agencies are following the law and not using agencies to begin partisan warfare, as we've seen over and over again. We're very much aligned with President Trump's agenda.”
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Florida state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia attends the Republican Party of Florida Inaugural Gala at the Marriott Marquis in Washington on Jan. 18, 2025. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | CFO-STAKES — DeSantis still needs to pick Florida’s next chief financial officer now that Trump-endorsed JIMMY PATRONIS is running for Congress. And one person who’s widely viewed as being a lead contender for the job is state Sen. BLAISE INGOGLIA (R-Palm Hill), a close ally of the governor. But Ingoglia told Playbook in Washington this weekend that he had not interviewed with the governor for the job, adding, “I’m sure I’m on the short list.” Should DeSantis pick someone else for the seat, Ingoglia said, then he would defer to the governor’s selection and not run for the office in 2026. Trump-endorsed State Sen. JOE GRUTERS (who just got elected National Republican Committee treasurer) announced a long time ago that he was running, and Ingoglia said would challenge Gruters “in a heartbeat.”
| | DATELINE D.C. | | CAPITOL BATTLE — Rep. ANNA PAULINA LUNA (R-Fla.) is battling with House Speaker MIKE JOHNSON (R-La.) over letting new moms vote by proxy — and has turned to Democrats for help, reports Sarah Ferris of CNN. Luna is looking to use a discharge petition, a rarely used procedural move that forces something to the House floor when a majority of members sign off. “I don’t think that it’s right for the leadership, especially Republican leadership, that prides itself on being pro-family, to be so anti-family,” Luna told CNN. “And really, it’s a slap in the face to every single constituent that we’ve had that sent us to Washington D.C.”
| | TRANSITION TIME | | — BRIAN HUGHES is heading to the Trump administration as deputy national security adviser for strategic communications under soon-to-be national security adviser MIKE WALTZ.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | WILL YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR — A home next to Mar-a-Lago just went on the market for a cool $14.5 million, reports the Palm Beach Post. Homes in the area apparently don’t have to pay the initiation fee to become club members, though they’d still have annual dues. BIRTHDAYS: Erin Huntley, chair of the Orange County GOP …. Rick Oppenheim, former CEO of RB Oppenheim Associates ... J.D. Hicks with J.D. Hicks & Associates ... Former state Rep. Al Jacquet. | | | | 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 | | | | |
