Good Thursday morning.
People Get Ready— Both of Florida’s major political parties are undergoing some behind-the-scenes — and public — hand-wringing over who their next leaders should be.
Stroll On— Republicans, fresh off one of their most successful campaign cycles ever, are poised to pick a successor to state Sen. Joe Gruters and the process is heating up in advance of the February vote.
You Shook Me— As POLITICO’s Matt Dixon points out, there is chatter about trying to turn the chairman vote between current Vice Chair Christian Ziegler and Leon County GOP Chair Evan Power into some sort of proxy battle between former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis. (Some in DeSantis world insist this isn’t the case, but it’s out there.)
Blue Wind— Then there’s the Democrats. It’s only been a few days since Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz abruptly resigned. Some potential candidates such as former state Rep. Sean Shaw have already said they won’t run for the post.
Over, Under, Sideways, Down— Others such as Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow have said yes, even though there remain lots of eligibility questions, including some Democrats who insist the rules require him to resign from his elected post in order to be considered. The Sun Sentinel reported on Wednesday evening that the chair of the Broward Democrats — Rick Hoye — is also getting in.
A Day in the Life— Former state Sen. Annette Taddeo — fresh off a bad loss in a bid for Congress — could become a potential frontrunner if she gets in … but if she wants to run for public office again, should she?
Shapes of Things— Meanwhile, a lot of Democrats are chiming on what the party should do. Progressives, amid the big losses, have been insisting now is the time to change the rules about who votes in party primaries as well as who is allowed to vote on the party chair.
You Know What I Mean— Steve Schale, a longtime Democratic consultant who helped out with a super PAC backing Joe Biden for president in 2020, penned a lengthy post where he put it bluntly: The party needs to find someone who can raise money, round up volunteers, and register voters to win elections. Schale also included a warning. “The job is utterly thankless and impossible. Period. Full stop.”
— WHERE’S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is holding a news conference in The Villages with Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Florida Playbook will not publish on Monday, Jan. 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. After the hiatus, we’ll be back to our normal schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 17. Please continue to follow POLITICO Florida.
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GETTING CHIPPY — Race for Florida GOP chair heats up ahead of 2024, by POLITICO’s Matt Dixon: Running to fill the post are Christian Ziegler, the party’s current vice chair, and Evan Power, who chairs the Leon County Republican Party and is RPOF’s statewide chair of chairs, overseeing other county-level party leaders. The race has, at times, gotten quietly contentious among party insiders as both candidates build coalitions and try to flex through a series of endorsements ahead of the vote next month. Past political work and quiet questions about loyalty have been used by both sides to build support ahead of the early February vote in Orlando.
THE OTHER PARTY— “Broward Democratic Party Chair Rick Hoye announces run for Florida Democratic Party chair,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “‘I feel that I am uniquely qualified to move our party forward after the disappointing losses that Florida Democrats have incurred since President Obama won the state twice,’ Hoye said in a written statement.”
— “Chris Sununu says Ron DeSantis ‘would do well’ in New Hampshire primary,” by Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski
— “Jacksonville City Council rejects Mayor Curry’s ‘proposed resign to run’ referendum,” by Florida Times-Union’s David Bauerlein
— “Book excerpt: What Florida tells us about the future of U.S. politics,” by Washington Post’s Philip Bump
GEARING UP— Trump prepares to open next phase of 2024 campaign in South Carolina, by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: During a Wednesday interview with POLITICO, senior Trump advisers Brian Jack, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles pushed back on the idea that Trump had so far run a low-energy effort, pointing to his opening of a campaign headquarters in West Palm Beach, Fla., his activity in key primary states over the course of the 2022 midterm election and the initial build-out of senior staff. They said the forthcoming South Carolina event, among other moves, was evidence that the former president was taking important steps to set himself up for the GOP nomination during the opening days of the race.
— “As Donald Trump mounts his 2024 presidential bid, his support among Texas officials is waning,” by Texas Tribune’s Patrick Svitek
DIGGING DEEPER— “Trump campaign officials got subpoena asking new questions about Jan. 6,” by Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey, Devlin Barrett and Rosalind S. Helderman: “A wide-ranging subpoena sent to Trump campaign officials last month shows new areas of investigative interest as part of the Justice Department’s extensive Jan. 6 criminal probe, according to a copy reviewed by The Washington Post, and lawyers say a grand jury focused on the day’s events and related fundraising has increased its activities in recent months.”
— “Judge will allow prosecutors to use Trump’s ‘stand back and stand by’ comment in Proud Boys trial,” by CNN’s Holmes Lybrand and Hannah Rabinowitz
PUSHING BACK — “‘We will not go down without a fight,’ students vow amid DeSantis’ GOP takeover of Florida college,’” by USA Today Network-Florida’s Kathryn Varn and Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Steven Walker: “Within a day of the governor’s announcement to turn New College into the likes of Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian liberal arts school in Michigan, students had created a Twitter account to build momentum around a campus movement to push back against DeSantis. A group of about 50 students met on campus Monday night to come up with a unified platform and mission statement on how best to move forward. At the same time, a regularly scheduled meeting of the 18-member alumni association Board of Directors drew 200 students and alumni eager for direction and support.”
TO COURT— “Florida accused of violating order in ‘Stop WOKE Act’ case,” by News Service of Florida’s Dara Kam: “Plaintiffs challenging a state law restricting how race-related concepts can be taught in higher education accused Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration Wednesday of violating a federal judge’s order that blocked parts of the law from being enforced. Chris Spencer, one of DeSantis’ chief lieutenants, late last month directed state education leaders to require colleges and universities to ‘provide a comprehensive list of all staff, programs and campus activities related to diversity, equity and inclusion and critical race theory.’”
MEANWHILE— DeSantis, companies still fighting over anti-‘woke’ workplace law, by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: The legal battle between the DeSantis administration and a group of businesses challenging the state’s “anti-woke” workplace rules continues to play out in appeals court. The companies, including honeymoon registry technology company Honeyfund.com, in a filing Wednesday urged an 11th Circuit Court of Appeals judge to uphold a ruling that determined Florida’s “Stop-WOKE” law violates the free speech rights of businesses.
Pro— Attorneys for the state, representing DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and the commissioners of the Florida Commission on Human Relations, instead contend that the law prevents employers from forcing their employees to attend certain training sessions.
Con— Lawyers representing the businesses in the dispute pushed back against that idea on Wednesday, claiming that the law is “unconstitutionally overbroad” and prohibits a “substantial” amount of protected speech — namely “advocacy of ideas the State disagrees with.” “Because the State of Florida is not an autocracy, but rather governed by the United States Constitution, the Stop WOKE Act cannot stand,” attorneys for the companies wrote.
‘HE TREATS THEM LIKE PAWNS’ — “White House accuses DeSantis of making a ‘mockery’ of migration response in Florida,” by McClatchy D.C.’s Michael Wilner: “The White House issued a sharp rebuke of Ron DeSantis on Wednesday after the Florida governor activated the state’s National Guard in response to a surge in Cuban migrants arriving by sea, accusing the Republican of ‘creating a problem’ as the Biden administration is attempting to crack down on border enforcement. ‘We have seen Gov. DeSantis do political stunts. That is how he perceives to fix this issue from Florida,’ White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at a press briefing.”
HER STORY — “Rep. Wilson shares pain of carrying stillborn pre-Roe: ‘We can’t go back,’” by Washington Post’s Kyle Melnick and Mariana Alfaro: “While House members debated abortion-related legislation on Wednesday, [Rep. Frederica] Wilson opened up on the floor, saying that over five decades earlier, she’d ‘almost died’ during a pregnancy that ended in stillbirth.”
TRANSITIONS — Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.)’s congressional office has promoted a number of staffers: Josh Woodward is now deputy chief of staff for policy and previously was legislative director; Jacquelyn Hunter is now digital director and previously was press assistant; Reba Hicks is now creative director and previously was field representative; Christina Lassiter is now legislative aide and previously was legislative correspondent; Brown Simmons is now legislative correspondent and previously was staff assistant; Dave Hill is now director of military and veterans affairs and previously was military and veterans liaison; and Adeline Sandridge is now deputy chief of staff for communications and operations and previously was communications director. (From POLITICO’s Daniel Lippman)
‘IT’S INGRAINED IN OUR COMMUNITY’ — “Obamacare is everywhere in the unlikeliest of places: Miami,” by The New York Times’ Patricia Mazzei: “Similar displays are common along some of Miami’s main thoroughfares, almost 13 years after President Barack Obama’s signature health policy, the Affordable Care Act, became law and critics branded it with his name. Everywhere you look, especially during the open enrollment period that runs from November to January: Obamacare, Obamacare, Obamacare. ‘If we don’t use it,’ Ms. Hernández explained of the moniker, ‘people don’t know that we sell it.’ And in Miami, people really want it.”
Context— “The region has only tilted more Republican since then, flipping red in the governor’s race last year for the first time in two decades. Yet in 2022, the two ZIP codes with the most enrollees in Affordable Care Act coverage nationwide were in Doral and Hialeah, cities west and north of Miami known for their right-leaning Venezuelan American and Cuban American communities. And the county with most enrollees in the country remained Miami-Dade.”
— “More than 3.1 million Florida residents have signed up for Obamacare,” by Florida Politics’ Christine Jordan Sexton
BUILD AND HE WILL COME?— “UF spending $300K on new swimming pool for incoming president Ben Sasse,” by Fresh Take Florida’s Emma Behrmann: “The University of Florida is making sure its newly hired president, former Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, can dive into the job: It is spending $300,000 to build a new swimming pool behind the stately mansion where Sasse will live with his family, the school confirmed. Construction on the expensive addition to the 7,400-square-foot, four-bedroom mansion — provided to Sasse at no cost — started in November and is nearly complete, ahead of his first day as UF’s new president on campus next month.”
— “After outcry, ex-FIU president won’t return to teach. But he will still get a $376K salary,” by Miami Herald’s Jimena Tavel
MOVING QUICKLY— “Fast turnaround: Feds approve first Cubans to come to the U.S. under new parole program,” by El Nuevo Herald’s Nora Gamez Torres and Miami Herald’s Syra Ortiz-Blanes: “In a surprisingly quick turnaround, U.S. immigration authorities have already approved some applications by Cubans to come to live in the United States through a new parole program the Biden administration announced less than a week ago in a bid to curb migrants coming to the U.S. border and Florida shores.”
— “Brazil’s Bolsonaro moves up his departure date from Orlando,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher
— “Disney tries to bring back the magic, unveils park changes,” by The Associated Press’ Michelle Chapman
— “Miami Heat’s FTX Arena no more: Judge strikes county deal with bankrupt crypto company,” by Miami Herald’s Douglas Hanks
— “Speech groups criticize Florida school for scrapping play,” by The Associated Press’ Mark Kennedy
— “It wasn’t ‘Always the Jags’ in city budget, so more money approved to host playoff game,” by Florida Times-Union’s David Bauerlein
— “‘I trusted them and they did not do their part’: Flo Rida takes stand in lawsuit against Celsius energy drink maker,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel Shira Moolten
— “Florida manatee deaths drop but starvation still a concern,” by The Associated Press’ Curt Anderson: “Manatee deaths dropped in 2022 from a record high the year before, but Florida wildlife officials said Wednesday that chronic starvation caused by water pollution remains a major concern. Preliminary statistics show 800 recorded manatee deaths last year in Florida, according to the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. That compares with more than 1,100 in 2021.”
BIRTHDAYS: Deputy Chief Financial Officer Frank Collins … Former state Rep. Charlie Stone … Barbara Petersen, executive director at Florida Center for Government Accountability … Victoria Langley Heller, senior director communications and board relations at CareerSource Florida
