Hello and welcome to Monday.
Countdown underway— The ultimate campaign push to Election Day is underway, and Gov. Ron DeSantis hit the trail over the weekend, holding events across the state, including stops in The Villages, Tampa and Broward County.
Hold lifted— DeSantis had paused his campaign activities — though not his avalanche of campaign ads — within the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, which slammed into the state late last month.
Also on the trail— His Democratic rival for governor, Charlie Crist, had already resumed campaigning after also shifting downward within the immediate aftermath of the storm. Over the weekend Crist — together with Rep. Val Demings — appeared in Orlando with Jill Biden. Crist also attended a rally in Palm Beach Gardens.
Staying on script— The closing messages from each campaigns stays mainly similar to it has ever been. DeSantis did note the response to Hurricane Ian during his campaign stops but he spent most of his time touting his record because the conservative warrior who battles the left, the Biden administration, the media and woke corporations, while Crist blames DeSantis for the state’s affordability crisis and blasts him over abortion restrictions.
Red wave— DeSantis remained highly confident that he’s going to win any election pegged as a referendum on his time as governor. In a Sunday afternoon visit to The Villages, DeSantis predicted that 2022 will feature the largest turnout of Republicans in state history and he said that the GOP voter registration edge over Democrats continues to grow.
Coming soon— President Joe Biden, who had previously scheduled campaign visits to Florida only to have them scrapped, is planning to come back to the state on Nov. 1 for a fundraiser with Crist in Fort Lauderdale. The visits by the president and the primary lady mark some level of outdoor support but Crist finds himself trailing within the polls and being vastly outspent on television.
— WHERE’S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, latest job, or every other nugget for Playbook? Get in contact: [email protected]
ON THE TRAIL— “DeSantis draws big crowd as he campaigns in heavily Democratic Broward,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered each a conventional election-season campaign pitch on Sunday, promising tax cuts, and touted the conservative social messaging — on gender, education and immigration — which have change into hallmarks of his time in office. The gang, a whole bunch of individuals gathered in Broward, probably the most Democratic county within the state, liked what it heard.”
JILL BIDEN PITCHES IN — “‘Leaving nobody behind’: Crist, Demings pledge equal rights fight during first lady’s visit to Orlando,” by Orlando Sentinel: “First lady Jill Biden made a stop in Orlando to campaign for U.S. Rep. Val Demings and former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, pledging a vigorous push for equal rights just weeks before Election Day. In a rally of a whole bunch of supporters outside Orlando City Hall on Saturday, Demings and Crist vowed to fight back against the continuing culture wars waged by Republicans regarding LGBTQ protections and abortion rights.”
— “Democrats in tight races turn to Jill Biden on the campaign trail,” by The Recent York Times’ Katie Rogers
THE VOTES ARE COMING IN — Greater than 602,000 people have voted by mail ahead of the Nov. 8 election, in line with the newest information on the state Division of Elections website. Of those, 250,170 have come from Democrats and 231,953 have come from registered Republicans. Overall, there are greater than 3.58 million mail ballots which were requested but not yet returned. Of those, more nearly 1.59 million are held by Democrats and greater than 1.14 million are with Republicans.
FRIED’S NEW PC WEIGHS IN — Won’t Back Down, the newly-formed political committee created by Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried to support female candidates to support abortion rights, announced a slate of 20 federal, state and native candidates the organization is endorsing. “Won’t Back Down will work tirelessly to make sure that the subsequent line of qualified candidates aren’t left behind, and that they’ve the organizational support willing to step up and ensure that they’re competitive and successful,” Fried said in an announcement.
On the list — The group said it plans to supply “financial and earned media” support to the endorsed candidates, which incorporates Rep. Val Demings, Aramis Ayala, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, Naomi Blemur, the Democratic nominee for agriculture commissioner in addition to 12 legislative candidates similar to state Sens. Loranne Ausley and Janet Cruz and native candidates like Donna Deegan, who’s running for Jacksonville mayor.
BY THE NUMBERS — The newest campaign finance filings show that CharlieCrist raised greater than $1.14 million in the course of the time period of Oct. 1 to Oct. 7, while DeSantis raised greater than $1.07 million. The full includes money raised for campaign accounts and for political committees controlled by the candidates.
Following the cash — The weekly total for Crist includes greater than $281,000 in public matching money and $50,000 from the Searcy Denney law firm and $50,000 from the political committee of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Staff. DeSantis received greater than $211,000 in taxpayer funding and $50,000 from data marketing company CEO John Hamlin in addition to $50,000 from a political committee led by Associated Industries of Florida president and CEO Brewster Bevis.
Within the bank — DeSantis has greater than $102 million unspent while Crist has nearly $2.9 million, in line with state reports (which don’t reflect any future planned expenditures).
HMM— Parent company of crypto exchange being probed by Treasury donates $100K to DeSantis, by POLITICO’s Matt Dixon: A cryptocurrency exchange whose co-founder who has been accused of making a “hateful” work environment and publicly said he would consider breaking the law if it was best for his company, last month gave $100,000 to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ re-election bid. The contribution got here from Payward, the parent company of Kraken, a California-based cryptocurrency exchange valued at nearly $11 billion.
— “Crist faced cost-of-living crisis as governor. He responded in a different way than DeSantis,” by USA Today Network-Florida’s Zac Anderson
— “‘It’s mistaken’: Charlie Crist blasts Gov. DeSantis, PSC for punting on utility rate hikes until after the election,” by Florida Politics’ Jesse Scheckner
— “Joe Biden to go to South Florida one week before Election Day to boost money for Crist,” by Miami Herald’s Bianca Padró Ocasio
DETAILS EMERGE— Documents show top DeSantis officials were personally involved in Martha’s Vineyard flights, by POLITICO’s Matt Dixon: Newly released documents show that top staffers for Gov. Ron DeSantis — including his chief of staff — were directly involved within the state’s program to send migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard. Within the two weeks leading as much as the Sept. 14 transport of virtually 50 Venezuelan migrants to the island, DeSantis’ chief of staff, James Uthmeier, sent text messages and had phone calls with Larry Keefe, a former Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney who’s now DeSantis’ hand-picked public safety czar. The messages clarify that Keefe was in Texas helping coordinate the flights and had the complete support of the governor’s chief of staff, in line with records released by the governor’s administration late Friday.
MORE TO COME— “Florida spent almost $1 million for 2 more migrant flights,” by Associated Press’ Brendan Farrington: “Florida has paid nearly $1 million to rearrange two sets of flights to move about 100 migrants who entered the country illegally to Delaware and Illinois, in line with documents released Friday by the Florida Department of Transportation. … The 2 additional sets of flights originally were scheduled for a while before Oct. 3 but apparently were halted or postponed. The contractor hired by Florida later prolonged the window for the trips until Dec. 1, in line with memos released by the state Department of Transportation.”
— “‘We’re all dispersed.’ Migrants sent to Martha’s Vineyard have now settled throughout Eastern Mass.,” by The Boston Globe’s Mike Damiano
CLOSER LOOK — “Hour by hour evaluation shows toll of county’s delay before Hurricane Ian,” by Washington Post’s Antonio Olivo, Derek Hawkins, Samuel Oakford and Scott Dance: “A Washington Post evaluation of weather advisories, emergency notifications and interviews with local residents paints a stark picture of confusion on the bottom as Ian approached. It shows how Lee County officials, focused on predictions that the storm would hit farther north, delayed acting on repeated forecasts from the National Weather Service that the county’s barrier islands and coastal areas could experience life-threatening flooding.”
— “After Hurricane Ian, Florida citrus and agriculture struggle,” by The Associated Press’ Curt Anderson
DIRTY WATER— “Hurricane Ian left thousands and thousands of gallons of spilled wastewater, dirty runoff in its wake,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Max Chesnes: “The discharge of no less than 17 million gallons of wastewater into Manatee County waters in the primary 24 hours after Hurricane Ian would normally be a standout event for individuals who keep a detailed eye on water quality. However it’s just one in every of many pieces within the pollution puzzle after Ian clobbered Florida. ‘It’s not good — however it’s been dwarfed by all of the rainfall we’ve gotten,’ said Dave Tomasko, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.”
FALLOUT — “Due to Ian, we’re all going to pay more for insurance next yr,” by South Florida Sun-Sentinel’s Ron Hurtibise: “The bad news is that quite a few insurance experts predict that the state legislature might want to take more motion to shore up the industry before the 2023 hurricane season, possibly by pledging more public funding to make sure corporations can maintain required funding levels. Ian continues to be expected to be one in every of the nation’s costliest storms ever and can increase costs of reinsurance — that’s insurance that insurers buy — before the subsequent two rounds of reinsurance renewals on Jan. 1 and June 1.”
— “Big hurricane relief donors include some top DeSantis campaign contributors,” by USA Today Network-Florida’s Zac Anderson and Douglas Soule
— “Residents scales back post-Hurricane Ian claims projection,” by News Service of Florida
— “Lessons from Hurricane Michael applied to Ian recovery,” by The Associated Press’ Jay Reeves
BACK TO COLLEGE— How DeSantis and Florida Republicans are reshaping higher education, by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and conservative state lawmakers are frequent critics of Florida’s higher education system. They are saying universities are offering degrees in “zombie studies” and label campuses “socialism factories.” But they’re doing greater than just lambasting universities and colleges for perceived liberal bias.
All the above — DeSantis and Florida Republicans, in an try to reshape the state’s 40 colleges and universities, installed GOP allies in top university posts and pushed laws that would change tenure, limit how university professors can teach lessons on race and even how Florida higher education institutions are accredited. Most recently, the governor’s chief of staff helped Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) navigate the University of Florida presidential selection process, ultimately assisting the senator in becoming the only finalist to guide the state’s flagship university, a move that caused a whole bunch of University of Florida students this week to protest.
— “Faculty members are perplexed on how Ben Sasse plans to guide the University of Florida,” by The Gainesville Sun’s Gershon Harrell
LONG SHOT — “DeSantis doesn’t need to be deposed on why he ousted Hillsborough’s state attorney,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Sue Carlton: “As attorneys prepare for the Nov. 29 trial in Tallahassee, court filings show Warren’s lawyer desires to depose the governor beforehand. Depositions are a routine pretrial a part of what’s called discovery — the formal technique of exchanging information between the 2 sides in regards to the witnesses and evidence they plan to present at trial. Warren’s lawyers intend to call DeSantis to the stand in the course of the trial. But court documents indicate the governor will assert what’s called the apex doctrine. That’s a rule that may protect high-level corporate executives and government officials — those on the apex of a company —from the chance of unduly burdensome and even harassing depositions.”
— “Rick Scott says property insurance rates ‘skyrocketed’ in Ron DeSantis era,” by Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski
TRUMP INC. — “Co-founder of Trump’s media company details Truth Social’s bitter infighting,” by Washington Post’s Drew Harwell: “Will Wilkerson, then an executive at former president Donald Trump’s start-up Trump Media & Technology Group, was at a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., coffee shop with company co-founder Andy Litinsky last October when Trump called Litinsky with a matter: Would he surrender a few of his shares to Trump’s wife, Melania?
Response? — “Five months later, Litinsky, who first met Trump in 2004 as a contestant on the TV show “The Apprentice,” was abruptly faraway from the corporate’s board. Wilkerson said he believes it was payback for his refusal to show over a small fortune to the previous president’s wife. Litinsky thought so, too, in line with an email Wilkerson and his attorneys shared with The Washington Post and the Securities and Exchange Commission.”
— “FBI seeks additional information from two Trump aides about Mar-a-Lago records,” by Wall Street Journal’s Sadie Gurman and Alex Leary
FOR YOUR RADAR — “Biden turning to Trump-era rule to expel Venezuelan migrants,” by The Associated Press’ Colleen Long and Zeke Miller: “Two years ago, candidate Joe Biden loudly denounced President Donald Trump for immigration policies that inflicted “cruelty and exclusion at every turn,” including toward those fleeing the “brutal” government of socialist Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela. Now, with increasing numbers of Venezuelans arriving on the U.S.-Mexico border because the Nov. 8 election nears, Biden has turned to an unlikely source for an answer: his predecessor’s playbook.”
NEXT STEPS — “Jacksonville City Council appeals racial gerrymandering ruling in redistricting case,” by The Tributary’s Andrew Pantazi: “The Jacksonville City Council has decided to appeal a federal court order that found town had likely racially gerrymandered its district lines. While waiting on the appeal, the council will try to attract a latest map to comply with the court order. Council President Terrance Freeman said the council “disagrees with the consequence of the Court order. Due to this fact, we have now directed the Office of General Counsel to appeal the choice. While we await the appeal, the Council will begin a latest redistricting process immediately given the court order and the short window established by the District Court.”
— “Jill Biden visits breast cancer survivors in Broward, urging people to get screened,” by Miami Herald’s Devoun Cetoute
— “Jacksonville has ‘need for concern’ for health of St. Johns River, scientists’ report says,” by Florida Times-Union’s Steve Patterson
— “Broward deputies can speak with Cruz juror. However it won’t affect killer’s life sentence,” by Miami Herald’s Charles Rabin
— “Andrew Gillum corruption case: Mysterious Individual B revealed; co-defendant seeks separate trial,” by Tallahassee Democrat’s Jeff Burlew
— “UM fraternity brothers apologize for ‘misogynistic’ chant, dispute rumors of drugged drinks,” by Miami Herald’s Jimena Tavel and Linda Robertson: “Every week after a fraternity got kicked off the University of Miami campus for chanting at a pool party about having sex with a dead woman, the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity brothers apologized Friday for the misogynistic lyrics and denied allegations of drugged drinks. ‘The brothers of the previous Florida Gamma Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon are deeply sorry for the mantra prior to the October 1st event,’ they said in an announcement provided to the Herald in regards to the Oct. 1 pool party that led to the national board suspending the UM chapter last Friday. ‘Repeating this chant was wholly inappropriate, reprehensible, and doesn’t represent who we’re.’”
BIRTHDAYS: Ellyn Bogdanoff, former legislator and shareholder with Becker & Poliakoff … Scott Randolph, Orange County tax collector and former legislator … Stu Loeser & Co.’s founding principal Stu Loeser … Mark Hollis, associate state director communications and outreach at AARP Texas and former communications director for Florida House Democrats.