| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | | Presented by |  | | | | 
Then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at the Trump National Doral Golf Club in Doral, Florida, on July 09, 2024. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | During a local swearing in ceremony this week for Miami-Dade County elected officials, President-elect DONALD TRUMP seemed to be everywhere. The swearing in happened on the newly named Donald J. Trump Avenue. One of the officials played the Trump rally anthem “God Bless the USA” after taking her oath. Versailles — the famed restaurant Trump visited after he became the first ex-president in U.S. history to be arraigned — was among the sponsored caterers. It’s a long way away from where the county was just eight years ago, when HILLARY CLINTON won by 30 points over Trump. In 2022, Gov. RON DESANTIS won Miami-Dade by 11 points. By 2024, Trump matched that. During the election, Trump stopped several times in Doral (where he also has property), even though his campaign never saw him as being in danger of losing Florida. And he not only won — he brought a slate of other Republicans along with. Some were through endorsements, including supervisor of elections ALINA GARCIA and Sheriff ROSIE CORDERO-STUTZ. “It gives instant ID, name recognition to a lot of folks that are running, … Make no mistake, for a city like Hialeah, the president's endorsement was very, very important, and I think it helped all of them to victory,” said Hialeah Mayor STEVE BOVO, who hosted the swearing in. Bovo said he believed Miami-Dade voters moved away from Democrats because they overly focused on social issues. Garcia had a similar argument, accusing Democrats of messaging too much on abortion and marijuana legalization. Miami-Dade Mayor DANIELLA LEVINE CAVA, a Democrat who’s known for bipartisanship and cruised to victory in August under a job that’s technically nonpartisan, had her own takeaway about the 2024 election. In a statement to Playbook, she said her campaign was “people powered” and could be a model for national and state Democrats, as long as they’re willing to engage year round and invest here. “My message of taking care of business, caring about our residents and their concerns, and leading an efficient and effective local government resonated with our voters,” she said. “It’s how I will continue to collaborate with all leaders across governments, and political spectrums.” But foreign policy also appears to be a key factor. Garcia’s swearing-in speech notably raised human rights violations in Venezuela and Cuba. And several House members have also said previously that they believe certain postures the Biden administration took toward Latin America played a role in shaping voters in the Hispanic-American majority county. Trump had put Cuba on the list of state sponsors of terrorism during his first term, imposed sanctions and restricted travel to the Communist country. Heading into his next administration, his secretary of State pick is Sen. MARCO RUBIO, himself of Cuban descent. On Tuesday, the Biden administration lifted the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism in exchange for the release of political prisoners, reported POLITICO’s Eric Bazail-Eimil. Florida House Republicans were furious. Rep. CARLOS GIMENEZ (R-Fla.) called Biden a “pathetic coward” in a post on X. The move also drew condemnation “in the strongest terms” from the Florida Democratic Party, with chair NIKKI FRIED calling it “naive to think that this negotiated exchange would signal a change in treatment for the Cuban people.” WHERE’s RON? Gov. DeSantis is holding a press conference in Winter Haven at 10 a.m. with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey and Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Director Dave Kerner. 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 ... | | IN THE SWING OF THINGS — Trump and DeSantis golfed together on Tuesday, just as DeSantis is preparing to make a decision about who to appoint to fill the Senate seat currently occupied by MARCO RUBIO. Trump on Tuesday backed DeSantis’ push for a special session amid vocal objections from Republican leaders in the Legislature, reported POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. DeSantis has pledged that Florida would do everything it could to help with Trump’s mass deportation promises and has indicated that he has insight into what the incoming administration has planned. Other items the two men could possibly be ironing out include who DeSantis will choose as chief financial officer. Trump endorsed state Sen. JOE GRUTERS (R-Sarasota), though he has repeatedly clashed with DeSantis and is unlikely to get the nod. WORTH NOTING — DeSantis on Tuesday ordered flags in state buildings to fly at full staff on Inauguration Day, writing in a memo that it was an “important tradition” that represents a “season of new hope and limitless potential for America’s future.” The flags will return to half-staff the next day to honor the late former President JIMMY CARTER. POWER STRUGGLE — Numerous other Republicans aside from Trump have backed DeSantis’ call for a special session since Monday — and many of them are in the running for top roles in Florida politics. There were posts from Reps. KAT CAMMACK (R-Fla.), who was interviewed about Rubio’s Senate seat, as well as state Sen. BLAISE INGOGLIA (R-Palm Hill), who wants to become Florida’s next chief financial officer. Florida House Speaker DANNY PEREZ took the feud up a notch on Tuesday by endorsing Gruters for CFO. “Whether as chairman of the Republican Party of Florida or helping President Trump secure a landslide victory across the Sunshine State, Joe knows what it takes to get the job done," he said in a statement. "There is no question that President Trump’s choice is Florida’s choice to lead our state forward.” Other legislators just want more information before the special session. “I think it [would be] helpful to all of us, certainly to me, for the governor to express some sense of the landing zone, some idea of where he wants these issues to land,” Republican state Sen. DON GAETZ told POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. “Because otherwise, we wind up with a special session that either wanders or one that just concludes without doing anything.” And then there was trolling. State Sen. RANDY FINE (R-Palm Bay) complained over social media that he had to read about the special session on X, which prompted someone to enlarge the proclamation and put it on an easel outside his Tallahassee office. Per POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: “Speculation abounds among lobbyists, legislators and staff on what the game plan will be later this month. Will legislators come to town that day and then immediately adjourn like they did in 2010 when they opposed then-Gov. Charlie Crist’s special session request? Or will lawmakers start the special session and just let it drag on with no action by week’s end? There is also a scenario where potential pressure from the governor and his allies leads to legislative leaders backtracking. Stay tuned.”
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Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson | Bruce Ritchie/POLITICO | SIMPSON ON IMMIGRATION — Agriculture Commissioner WILTON SIMPSON said on Tuesday that Trump's plan to deport immigrants who entered the country illegally, which could extend to as many as 1 million people in Florida, should not have much effect on the agriculture industry. Speaking to reporters after a presentation to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Simpson said the "vast majority" of agricultural workers were in Florida legally on H2A visa program. "I'm not sure it does anything to the ag industry," Simpson said of immigration crackdown. Simpson, who was endorsed by Trump in 2022, said the president-elect "cares about the farming industry" and will take on the "convoluted" federal H2A visa program. "If they will simplify that process and let smaller farmers have access to H2A workers, we will not have any of those kinds of problems here in the state of Florida," Simpson said. — Bruce Ritchie STILL WAITING — Citizens Property Insurance Co., the state’s property insurance backstop provider, hasn’t resolved new rate increase requests, reports Jim Saunders of the News Service of Florida. What’s happening: “The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has not ruled on the proposal, which the Citizens Board of Governors approved in June. The proposal, for example, could lead to an average 13.5 percent rate increase for the most-common type of Citizens policy, known as homeowners’ multi-peril coverage.” Another nugget from Citizens: The company paid out $823 million in claims tied to the 2024 hurricane season, reported Jackie Llanos of the Florida Phoenix. Lawmakers are frustrated with the insurance market, sharing horror stories during committee meetings on Tuesday, reported Jon Hurtibise of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
| | TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP | | | 
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) meets with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of State, before a meeting in Schumer's office at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Dec. 10, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | ALL EYES ON RUBIO TODAY — Sen. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.) is set for his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this morning, where he’ll say that under Trump he’ll put the U.S. first, according to excerpts of his remarks provided in advance to Playbook. “Every dollar we spend, every program we fund, and every policy we pursue must be justified with the answer to three simple questions," he' plans to say. "Does it make America safer? Does it make America stronger? Does it make America more prosperous?” He also plans to allude to how his parents fled from Cuba during the 1950s before the Communist revolution. “Because of them, I had the privilege to be born a citizen of the greatest nation in the history of the world,” he plans to say. “And to be raised in a safe and stable home, by parents who made their children’s future the very purpose of their lives. (Tune in at 10 a.m.) Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) will introduce Rubio, he told a crowd during the swearing in for local officials in Hialeah. Rubio is expected to cruise through the Senate because he has close relationships and the policy chops that make him highly qualified for the job. Scott predicted on Monday that Rubio would be the first Cabinet member sworn in by Trump. “I think he's going to do a great job,” Scott said. “We have somebody that cares about what happens all around the world, and is a great student. But on top of that, he cares about Latin America, which so many people in this part of the state and country care about. He's just going to do a fabulous job. If you look at anything that happens to Latin America, you're going to be able to thank Marco Rubio.” The timeline: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding its Rubio markup on Jan. 20 — Inauguration Day — which means it could vote on his nomination and then bring it to the floor for a vote as early as that night, reports Chad Pergram of Fox News. — “Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Americas? Hearing poses test as Trump packs diplomatic team,” by Michael Wilner, Jacqueline Charles, Nora Gámez Torres and Antonio Maria Delgado of the Miami Herald. BONDI ALSO UP — Former Florida Attorney General PAM BONDI’s selection to be Trump's attorney general is headed before the Senate Judiciary Committee today and Thursday. (Tune in at 9:30 a.m.) What Sen. DICK DURBIN, the top Democrat on the committee, plans to say: “You have many years of experience in law enforcement, including nearly a decade of service as attorney general in one of the largest states in the nation. But I need to know you would tell President Trump ‘No’ if you are faced with a choice between your oath to the Constitution and your loyalty to Mr. Trump.”
| | | | A message from Alibaba:  
| | | | | CAMPAIGN MODE | | UP LATER THIS MONTH — DeSantis is fundraising in Miami on behalf of Republican Iowa Gov. KIM REYNOLDS, per an invitation obtained by Playbook. Reynolds endorsed DeSantis during the 2024 presidential primary, and the two bonded over shared policies during the pandemic. JUST OUT — “The City of Doral Vice Mayor Maureen Porras has left the Democratic Party and registered as a Republican, stating that one of the reasons she switched party affiliation was because ‘socialist ideas’ have seeped into the Democratic Party,” scoops Javier Manjarres for The Floridian. ‘PENDULUM’ — Florida Democratic Party Chair NIKKI FRIED officially announced on Tuesday that she would be running for reelection. The election is set to take place Jan. 25 in Central Florida. “Our mission is bigger than one election,” she said. “Our journey to rebuild will continue for many elections to come. And consistency is key. Stability is key.”
| | DATELINE D.C. | | PASSED IN HOUSE — A bill from Rep. GREG STEUBE (R-Fla.) to restrict transgender athletes from playing in cisgender women’s sports passed the House on Tuesday, reports POLITICO’s Bianca Quilantan. Two Democrats joined and another voted present. MORE TIME FOR TAXES — The IRS has given some Floridians until May 1 to file their taxes, given the hurricanes it faced last season, reports C.A. Bridges of USA Today Network-Florida.
| | TRANSITION TIME | | — KENNETH PRATT is joining the state and local government affairs team at Citi, where he’ll be working from Tallahassee representing Florida and other states in the Southeast region. He has been senior vice president of governmental affairs for the Florida Bankers Association.
| | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | | — Agencies want Floridians to report when they see invasive Asian eels, per Axios Tampa Bay. — Good for turtles, bad for swimmers and a stinky health hazard for beachgoers. Florida beaches are expected to get extra seaweed this year, reports Bill Kearney of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. BIRTHDAY: Ed George, former journalist and former communications director for the Department of Lottery.
| | A message from Alibaba: Florida businesses like DS Laboratories are achieving global success through Alibaba's online marketplace. It wasn't until the Miami-based company partnered with Alibaba that they started to see an uptick in international sales.
Fernando Tamez, CEO of DS Laboratories, was surprised by how quick and easy it was to start selling globally through Alibaba's e-commerce platform. "I think the ONLY way to enter [an international] market is to partner with Alibaba." He went on to say that "at first, Alibaba seemed too good to be true. Now, we're jumping into every single program they offer."
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.
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