Winner and Loser of the Week in Florida politics — Week of 6.12.22

We know what Ron DeSantis, Florida’s buckaroo Governor, thinks about efforts by federal well being businesses to mitigate the unfold of COVID-19.

Two phrases: Nanny State.

Mask mandates? Nope.

Vaccine mandates? Nope.

Lockdowns? Oh, pul-eeze!

But simply when it appeared like this enormously common guv went too far this time, a unique and complicated story emerged Friday about Florida’s youngest residents and their entry to COVID-19 vaccines.

The McClatchey News Service reported that DeSantis reversed course and eased vaccine entry for kids between six months and 5 years outdated. Guv. Rambo mentioned now it’s OK for healthcare suppliers, together with pediatricians and kids’s hospitals, to order COVID-19 vaccines straight from the feds.

Christina Pushaw, the Governor’s perpetually agitated press secretary, instantly blasted the story.

She tweeted, “What they have couched as a reversal is actually the Governor’s steadfast position that the State of Florida does not recommend nor distribute shots for babies. Any healthcare provider that wants the vaccines can obtain them and any parent who wants it for their child can get it.”

The administration mentioned pediatricians and kids’s hospitals had been prohibited from ordering COVID-19 medicine not authorized by the FDA. But now that the company gave nationwide approval, they’ll go for it.

The state well being division, as the story mentioned, nonetheless has no plans to take part, and DeSantis’ place is that vaccines are, in his phrases, “not appropriate” for the youngest Floridians.

Just just a few days earlier than, McClatchey reported that Florida was the solely state to not pre-order these vaccines for distribution by the state’s well being division.

The just one.

Let’s repeat that.

Texas, Alabama, and Mississippi pre-ordered, however Florida didn’t.

That just isn’t a badge of honor, even for the “free” state of Florida. That put politics forward of children.

Parents wanting the vaccine for his or her children might must go to shops like Walgreens and different pharmacies. But that’s hit and miss as a result of these Florida areas aren’t as ramped as much as distribute the vaccine as they may be if the state was concerned. Some websites had been confused about whether or not they had the authority to order the vaccines straight.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre instructed McClatchy the feds will “pull every lever to get pediatricians across Florida vaccines as quickly as possible.”

DeSantis modifications course about as usually as a rockslide coming down the mountainside, so it’s not stunning that his administration would stay defiant. And strive telling skittish dad and mom that it’s “not appropriate” for the youngest children to obtain the shot. It flies in the face of extensively accepted medical proof.

Despite the looming availability of the vaccine for youths, DeSantis nonetheless has to personal that “not appropriate” It’s a supply of confusion for folks and exasperation for well being officers attempting to save lots of lives.

But DeSantis, like his benefactor from Mar-a-Lago, believes he alone (and his true believers) has a copyright on information.

Why is it at all times like this in Florida?

Oh, and completely satisfied Father’s Day.

Now, it’s on to our weekly recreation of winners and losers.

Winners

Honorable point out: Tampa Electric. The vitality firm introduced that four new solar plants are online and producing electrical energy.

The firm promised to make this transfer, and now it has. Customers profit as a result of utilizing photo voltaic will see considerably decrease gasoline prices.

“Thanks to our strategic investment in solar power, Tampa Electric customers are expected to save about $100 million in fuel costs this year alone,” President and CEO Archie Collins mentioned. “At a time when fuel costs are escalating, we know how important these savings are for customers.”

In February 2020, Tampa Electric introduced its dedication to double its funding in photo voltaic. The firm produces sufficient photo voltaic vitality to energy 140,000 properties with the new crops.

Tampa Electric expects to finish 4 extra photo voltaic initiatives by the finish of this yr and three extra in 2023. Once it reaches that objective, 14% of Tampa Electric’s generated vitality will come from the solar. That’s the highest share of any utility in the state.

Almost (however not fairly) largest winner: The University of Florida. The state’s flagship college (sorry, FSU) obtained a thumbs-up for dealing with troubling allegations about tutorial freedom final yr.

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) mentioned UF acted properly when investigating complaints that officers improperly barred professors from testifying in lawsuits in opposition to the state’s COVID-19 insurance policies.

The SACS  accredits universities in the Southeast.

Its report famous that UF “provided evidence of new procedures approved by the Faculty Senate that rectified the problems that arose last year.”

There was a caveat, although.

Association members expressed concern about the state’s new efforts to limit what professors can educate.

The largest winner: Miami. In the United States, we’re geared to imagine the Super Bowl is the world’s largest sports activities occasion.

Well, yeah, it’s huge, however one thing is greater — so much larger.

It’s the FIFA World Cup, and Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium is one of 11 U.S. websites to host video games in 2026.

Orlando was one of the finalists however didn’t make the minimize.

You assume Tallahassee is political? Lawmakers might study a factor or three from FIFA about methods to twist arms.

For the first time, the 64-game event is split amongst three host nations — the U.S., Mexico (three websites), and Canada (two websites).

“It was the most competitive process ever for the FIFA World Cup,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino instructed Fox Sports about the choice course of.

Like every bid metropolis, FIFA instructed Miami organizers to arrange to host as many as six video games.

The Super Bowl, which Miami has hosted 11 occasions, had 208 million viewers for the 2022 recreation. The 2018 World Cup remaining between France and Croatia had 1.12 billion viewers.

Miami Mayor Francis Suarez referred to as his metropolis’s choice “a generational opportunity.”

He’s not improper.

Losers

Dishonorable point out: Julie Fancelli. She’s the 72-year-old daughter of the founder of the Publix purchasing chain. She likes to donate heaps of cash — some to good causes and some to wacko causes.

Today, we’ll give attention to one of her wacko causes.

Records present she wired $650,000 to a number of organizations that helped stage the Jan. 6 rally that was a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol.

And, as CNN first reported and the Washington Post adopted, $60,000 from that pot of gold went to Kimberly Guilfoyle. She’s the fiance of Donald Trump Jr.

Turning Point Action, a nonprofit led by yakker Charlie Kirk, paid the cash to cowl Guilfoyle’s talking payment at the rally.

She, in flip, spoke — for an entire 3 minutes or so, principally to introduce Junior.

This all got here to gentle when U.S. Rep. and committee member Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat, appeared on CNN.

“I’m not saying it is a crime, but it’s a grift,” Lofgren mentioned.

It’s necessary to notice that Fancelli has no function in Publix administration. She spends so much of the cash Publix generates.

Almost (however not fairly) largest loser: Shawn Harrison. The former Republican state Representative from Tampa was working to unseat Democrat Janet Cruz in Senate District 14 — until he wasn’t.

Harrison’s marketing campaign ended just a few days in the past after former Green Beret Jay Collins determined to problem Cruz as a substitute of working for Congress.

Gov. DeSantis rapidly endorsed Collins, and that was that.

POLITICO reported that the committee that coordinates Senate Republican races already spent greater than $40,000 backing Harrison’s marketing campaign.

The whole Senate management, together with incoming President Kathleen Passidomo, had endorsed Harrison.

What the Governor desires, the Governor will get.

“Proud to support @JayCollinsFL for Senate District 14. Jay is a conservative, a fighter, and a veteran,” DeSantis mentioned in a tweet. “He was a Green Beret and is a Purple Heart amputee. I look forward to serving alongside him in Tallahassee.”

As of this writing, there isn’t any phrase about Harrison’s future political plans — if he has any.

The largest loser: The National Rifle Association. During her time with the NRA — as the group’s President and most just lately its chief lobbyist in Florida — Hammer earned a repute as somebody a politician, notably a Republican, higher not cross.

GOP lawmakers from the high of the meals chain to obscure took her calls and did her bidding. She was the pressure behind the nation’s first “stand your ground” legislation, for example. Her largest weapon was a pc mouse, as a result of with one click on she might summon a wave of loyalists to flood a lawmaker’s inbox.

Hammer announced her retirement on Thursday, and that leaves a canyon-sized gap in the NRA machine.

Decide for your self if Mama Gun’s relentless push for the growth of gun rights was righteous or horrible.

Know this, although.

Without the persuasion of this diminutive dynamo, the NRA’s stranglehold on Florida politics simply bought a little bit looser. While Florida just isn’t prone to develop into a gun-free zone in this or another millennium, the NRA received’t discover anybody who can fill Hammer’s sneakers.

“When I was first hired in September 1978, I was given one mission — ‘Do what you need to do, but do not let Florida become another California,’” she mentioned.

“For 44 years, I am proud to say that I faithfully delivered on that assignment with the help of our great NRA members.”

There’s no disputing that.

The NRA’s once-unquestioned power has lessened in the previous couple of years. The group’s “good guy with a gun” answer to high school shootings rings hole, and it has extreme monetary issues.

The departure of their most influential lobbyist received’t assist.

Hammer should still be round — don’t dismiss that thought — however her retirement from the day-to-day indicators that the NRA higher provide you with Plan B in a rush.

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