DeSantis is blindsided, Trump rebounds, Hurricane Ian’s bill comes due

It’s Monday, April 3, and this week we hit the midway point for the 60-day legislative session. While Florida legislators have a short week for the Easter and Passover holidays, the list of already finished business is long.

But first:

WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT

Indictment watch: The nation is watching as Donald Trump becomes the first former U.S. president to face criminal charges after a grand jury indicted him last week for allegedly hiding a hush-money payment to an adult porn star during his 2016 campaign. He is expected to turn himself in to New York prosecutors on Tuesday. No surprise, everyone seems to have an opinion about it.

‘Un-American:’ Gov. Ron DeSantis continued to join other Republicans in Trump’s defense, blasting the prosecutors, calling the charges “un-American” and politically-driven. He also expanded on his previous statement that he would not be “involved,” by explicitly stating that “Florida will not assist in an extradition request” should Trump choose to become a fugitive and avoid turning himself in to New York authorities.

DeSantis’ rocky week: A week after the governor’s interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan, in which he attempted to distance himself from Trump by highlighting his competence as a manager, he was blindsided when Disney out-maneuvered him.

Mouse trap: The entertainment company quietly put a plan in motion that, for now, has muted the governor’s attempt to exert leverage over it. Days before Florida legislators voted to advance the governor’s proposal to take control of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, the Disney-aligned board voted to undercut the authority of its successor. It also made sure the plan remains in effect until 21 years after the death of the last descendant of King Charles III — a very long time.

Continuing the book tour: DeSantis continued his multi-state promotional tour last week with stops in Atlanta, Pennsylvania and Long Island, New York.

Slipping in the polls: According to a Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted after Trump’s indictment on Thursday, the former president has seen a surge in popularity. His lead over DeSantis has more than tripled — 57% to 31% — in a one-on-one contest among Republican registered voters and Republican-leaning independents..

Fast-track, sweeping changes: Perhaps not as unprecedented as watching a former president stand for a mug shot, Florida legislators have been moving some big ideas with unprecedented speed.

Limiting speech: The pace has come with a cost, specifically limits on the ability of people who come to the capital city to speak out about bills under consideration. In meeting after meeting, legislators have been telling members of the public they may have just 30 seconds or a minute of testimony.

The advocacy group Accountable Florida collected a series of these exchanges and posted a video of people attempting to speak up against a leadership-backed bill that limits lawsuits against insurance companies. The unlisted YouTube video has been viewed 50,000 times.

Making it harder to sue insurers: The so-called “tort reform” bill will make it harder — and more expensive — to sue insurance companies and businesses. It has already been signed into law.

Other bills that became law or made headway last week:

School vouchers to expand: DeSantis signed into law an expanded school voucher program last week, making it possible for every school-aged child in Florida to get a taxpayer-funded education voucher or savings account. The measure creates one of the nation’s largest school choice programs, but critics contend it also will hurt an underfunded public education system without having accountability requirements of traditional public schools.

Affordable housing gets incentives: DeSantis also signed into law a $711 million plan to make housing more affordable for working Floridians. The “Live Local Act” will more than double funding for housing and rental programs, provide incentives for investment in affordable housing and encourage mixed-use developments in struggling commercial areas. But the new law also has drawn criticism because it will bar local rent controls and preempt local government rules on zoning, density and building heights in certain circumstances.

Gun access to get easier: A bill allowing the permitless carry of firearms in Florida awaits the governor’s signature. DeSantis last week boasted he would sign it. “You don’t need a permission slip from the government to be able to exercise your constitutional rights,” he told supporters at a firearms store in suburban Atlanta where he held a book signing.

Death penalty verdicts to rise: The Florida Senate on Thursday passed a measure to require the vote of only 8 jurors out of 12 jurors in sentencing someone to death, instead of the current unanimous verdict. The measure now awaits a vote of the full House.

Six-week abortion ban nears final vote: The full Senate may vote as early as this week on the bill to restrict abortion after six weeks of pregnancy in nearly all cases.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING:

Meanwhile. Floridians may need to brace themselves. The cost of living in the state is going to continue to rise if changes underway continue:

Ian’s bill comes due: The board of Citizens Property Insurance, the state-run company that is Florida’s largest home insurer, voted last week to seek a 14% rate increase this year and likely impose a fee on all property insurance policies in the state to make up for losses from Hurricane Ian. The company says the massive hurricane “significantly depleted” Citizens’ financial resources.

Financing natural gas plants: Floridians could see their electric bills increase again in the next two years if a bill becomes law to allow electric utility companies to raise rates to finance new facilities that take methane emitted from solid waste to turn it into natural gas.

Retirement funds and bond costs: Florida taxpayers could pay more for municipal bonds and see lower returns on government pension funds under anti-ESG bills getting approval by lawmakers that attempt to penalize U.S. companies that consider social, environmental and governance issues when making investment decisions. Similar laws have been passed in other states, and reports by both state and environmental groups have found the laws led to an increased cost to taxpayers.

Money for doctors but not Medicaid: While North Carolina and other GOP-led states expand Medicaid, Florida continues to balk but legislators have set aside $76 million in the Florida House’s proposed budget to motivate more pediatricians to treat children on Medicaid.

Defamation law push back: The author of a House bill to make it easier to sue the public and journalists over defamation claims is preparing amendments to the measure after the proposal has come under intense criticism from First Amendment advocates as well as legacy media and conservative media outlets. They warn that it will open the door to a barrage of lawsuits, including against conservative talk radio hosts.

Education reforms: Sweeping new reforms are also underway in Florida education. Nearly a dozen measures are moving in the Legislature. Taking this group of bills together, many have raised questions about whether state leaders are trying to destabilize confidence in the state’s public school system. Supporters, on the other hand, suggest the efforts will empower parents and improve children’s education.

Pit bulls return? Miami-Dade County’s pit bull ban could end if two Miami legislators have their way. Bills are moving that bar local governments and public housing authorities from banning dogs of a specific breed, weight or size.

Florida’s bathroom bill: Lawmakers are pushing for a bill that would require people to use a unisex bathroom or the restroom that corresponds to their sex assigned at birth. The same measures would affect changing rooms. Here’s what else to know about Florida’s “bathroom bill.”

‘Don’t say gay’ heads to court: The battle over the Parental Rights in Education act, also known as the “don’t say gay” law, which restricts classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation has gone to a federal appeals court as state lawmakers and education officials look to expand the restrictions. A court had dismissed a lawsuit in February, ruling that the plaintiffs had not “alleged sufficient facts” to show they had legal standing to challenge the law.

A classical invitation: After the board of the Tallahassee Classical School pressured its principal to resign when an image of the David was shown to a sixth-grade art class, the Florence museum housing Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece invited parents and students from a Florida charter school to visit. Confusing art with pornography was “ridiculous,” Florence Mayor Dario Nardella said.

Is DeSantis recruiting for FAU head? Conservative firebrand Randy Fine, a Republican legislator who has used his position to shepherd controversial education reforms into law, says he is considering applying to take the helm at Florida Atlantic University. DeSantis’ office says he would be a “good candidate.”

DeSantis heads to Israel: DeSantis will face an early foreign policy test of his potential presidential candidacy and will travel to Israel as the country faces unprecedented protests over proposed reforms to its judiciary. The governor is scheduled to deliver the keynote address at an event on April 27 hosted by the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem and The Jerusalem Post.

Ron, ‘the foodie’: Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie says he used to dine with Florida’s governor when he served in Congress and recalls him as “a foodie” who would do research on new places to eat.” Massie, a DeSantis fan, said he is still not ready to say if he will get on board a DeSantis campaign train.

Lawsuit abuse or public service? According to a Miami Herald analysis of federal court records in South Florida over the past decade, 10 individuals account for two-thirds of all disability access lawsuits. The practice allows their attorneys to pocket thousands in fees from settlements. The lawyers say their clients are “heroes.” The businesses sued call it “legal extortion.”

Woke Wars, Episode 4: In last week’s episode of “Woke Wars,” the Miami Herald opinion team discusses an aggressive immigration bill moving through the Florida Legislature, Senate Bill 1718, which, in essence, makes life harder for any undocumented person in Florida — and that’s the idea.

Thank you for reading! The Politics and Policy in the Sunshine State newsletter was curated this week by Tallahassee Bureau Chief Mary Ellen Klas. We appreciate our readers, and if you have any ideas or suggestions, please drop me a note at meklas@miamiherald.com.

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