By Brian Mudd
Top Three Takeaways – May 7th, 2021
No Shirt. No Shoes. No Service. Ok.so it wasn’t quite communicated that way but that’s what came to mind when local media discovered they’d been shutout from Governor DeSantis’s signing of SB 90, aka Florida’s new voter integrity law. The made for Fox News signing event took local media by surprise and even more so as they arrived on site only to be told they weren’t being allowed in. Now, the decision to keep the signing ceremony exclusive to Fox News is legitimately a questionable one. Especially given that Fox News confirmed they didn’t ask for an exclusive. It was DeSantis’s media team who did in coordination with supporters – but the feigned reactions of disbelief throughout the day became comical. And perhaps the reason they weren’t allowed in was explained by the questions that were asked of the governor as he was leaving the signing ceremony. Specifically, the one he answered
Game On. In the battle between Governor Ron DeSantis and former governor turned senate candidate turned candidate for governor, turned Congressman Charlie Crist. Except it isn’t.
By Brian Mudd
Top Three Takeaways – May 4th, 2021
He’s back. Of course, he never really left, at least by choice. I’m talking about Florida’s onetime Republican governor, turned Republican senate candidate, turned independent senate candidate, turned Democrat candidate for governor turned Democrat Congressman.Charlie Crist. Florida’s most expedient politician is back for another run for governor. This is notable for multiple reasons. First, the obvious. He becomes the Democrat’s front-runner and his entrance could influence whether other would-be Democrat candidates like Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, or Congresswomen Val Demmings jump in. To them, the one thing worse than losing a governor’s race as current office holders, would be to lose it in a primary. It’s not a surprise Charlie’s running but it does raise the stakes from here. It also is a potential tell about his perception of his prospects in next year’s midterm election cycle
Governor DeSantis got
everything he asked the state legislature for in his state of the state speech. Creation of a Resiliency Task Force. Check. Expanded school choice. Check. Bonuses for teachers and first responders. Check. COVID-19 liability protections for businesses and organizations. Check. Enhanced election integrity standards. Check. Ban on vaccine passports and limitations on emergency declarations by governments at all levels. Check. “Anti-riot” legislation. Check. Online sales tax collection by out-of-state businesses (which the governor wanted as a way to not disadvantage local businesses online). Check. Regulations on big tech firms who censor political speech. Check. To say it was a successful session from the governor’s perspective is an understatement. We’ve seen a vast difference in the three sessions under the DeSantis administration as compared to his predecessor Rick Scott. Despite Republicans holding control of the state government for
Top Three Takeaways – April 30th, 2021
It’s the final countdown in Florida’s state legislative session. Already we’re headed to overtime May 17th regarding the reworked Seminole Compact with expanded gaming which includes sports betting. Florida’s CFO Jimmy Patronis told me it’s the state’s intent to have it in place by the end of the summer – prior to the start of football season and Senator Joe Gruters told me they have they votes in the special session to pass it.but he also admitted that the final decision will be in the courts. So, in the case of the new Seminole Compact and sports betting in Florida, the final vote counts still won’t be the final countdown. But we already have 25 new laws in Florida thus far this session ranging from COVID-19 liability protections for businesses to the mandate for online sales tax collection regardless of a business s physical location, to defining what constitutes a riot and what the penal