| | | | |  | | By Kimberly Leonard | |  Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participate in the NBC News Republican Presidential Primary Debate at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Nov. 8, 2023. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | Good morning and welcome to Thursday. Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley didn't start criticizing each other until 45 minutes into last night's Republican presidential debate in Miami, despite the pressure they're both under to present themselves as a viable alternative to far-away frontrunner Donald Trump. It wasn’t particularly explosive once they did face off, but it was notable that they mostly fought over their gubernatorial records despite their other government experiences. DeSantis started off by attacking Haley, who was governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, for praising a fiberglass company with ties to China when she was governor, after it brought business to the state a decade ago. He said she "welcomed them into South Carolina, gave them land near a military base, wrote the Chinese ambassador a love letter saying what a great friend they were." DeSantis then boasted about his anti-China policies in Florida, which have included restrictions on Chinese nationals buying land here. In turn, Haley accused him of hypocrisy, noting that Florida’s economic development agency, the now-dissolved Enterprise Florida, also tried to lure Chinese businesses. Haley launched her own denunciation of DeSantis for opposing fracking in Florida in 2018 and accused him of being “liberal” on the environment. “Just own it,” she demanded. It’s true that DeSantis has pushed for better conservation in Florida, particularly for the Everglades. But he said he supports oil and gas drilling extraction elsewhere. DeSantis ran for governor in 2018 on a promise to ban fracking in his state, but Florida voters approved the ban on offshore drilling in certain areas through a ballot measure before he took office. He then issued an executive order in 2019 to carry out the vote. There’s good reason for Florida leaders to care about the environment given that it’s not just beloved by residents but a big part of Florida’s tourism economy. Floridians, too, understand the effects of the climate crisis due to hurricanes and flooding. Activists contend DeSantis has a mixed record on the issue when looking at industry-friendly measures he signed into law as well as his recent rejection of grants for a federal rebate program on energy-saving appliances. Haley and DeSantis have been feuding for second place for weeks. Both campaigns have argued that their goal is to narrow the race so a clear option to Trump can emerge, although a respected Iowa Poll undermines much of that argument because a good number of people report they’ll migrate to Trump should their preferred candidate drop out. Meanwhile, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy kept drawing similarities between Haley and DeSantis. At one point, he described them both as “Dick Cheney in three-inch heels” — in an apparent dig at DeSantis’ cowboy boots. Yet the harshest interactions were between Ramaswamy and Haley, which somewhat pulled away from the feud Haley was otherwise engaged in with DeSantis. The most heated portion of the night was when Ramaswamy called out her 25-year-old daughter for using TikTok and she called him “scum” in response. The next debate is less than a month away, and DeSantis was the only one on stage last night who could use his current job as governor to take actions to improve his policy portfolio and continue to take those talking points to the campaign trail. “There's a difference between words and deeds,” DeSantis said at one point last night, after telling the audience about Florida’s work bringing home Americans who were stranded in Israel. By the end of the night, the Trump campaign attacked them both, deriding their campaigns as “going nowhere” and warning their political futures were in jeopardy if they didn’t drop out. — WHERE'S RON? Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch at: kleonard@politico.com |  | ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... | | | | | | GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | |
TODAY — State House subcommittee meetings, including on health care appropriations, civil justice, infrastructure and banking. (Watch Live.)
LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP DAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE — Florida lawmakers act quickly on sanctions, spending and support for Israel, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. On Wednesday, Senate Democrats and Republicans were united as they passed every single bill and a resolution pledging support to Israel by a unanimous vote. It was a stark contrast from a day earlier when House Democrats railed against each other over the Israel-Hamas conflict. — Legislature may consider expanding home hardening program, reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie. State Sen. Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula), the incoming Senate president in late 2024, and Sen. Jim Boyd (R-Bradenton), chair of the Senate Insurance and Banking Committee, told POLITICO on Wednesday they also think the program should be reviewed. "The low-income component — I talked to the president [Senate President Kathleen Passidomo] and future president [Albritton] — and we may have some conversation about tweaking that a little bit," Boyd said. — Florida passes expansions for special needs vouchers, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. The bill, now awaiting DeSantis’ signature, clears the way for roughly 8,900 students, and possibly even more, to score scholarships that help pay for private schooling this year instead of waiting. — “Back to school: Florida senators preview possible K-12 deregulation bills,” reports Douglas Soule of USA Today Network - Florida. One possibility included allowing students who are 16 years or older to test for high-school equivalency degrees. — “Lauren Book proposes homeowners’ insurance rebates for low-income seniors,” by Florida Politics’ Jesse Scheckner. “Book filed a measure (SB 348) that would give low-income residents older than 65 10 percent back on the homeowners’ insurance premiums they pay for their primary residence. The proposed program, the Insurance Rebate Program for Low-Income Seniors, would be available to those with an income less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level.”
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The Florida Capitol rotunda is abuzz with people during the Special Session Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 in Tallahassee, Fla. | Phil Sears/AP |
BALLOT UPDATE — Florida Supreme Court justices appear open to recreational pot legalization initiative, reports POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian. During the hourlong arguments, the justices pointedly questioned attorneys representing Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, who claims the language of the initiative fails to explain that marijuana is still prohibited under federal law. Justice Charles G. Canady said the proposal was clear. “Where’s the hidden ball?” Canady said, later adding, “I’m baffled by the argument. Maybe it’s just me.”
INSPECTOR GENERAL — DOJ watchdog releases report documenting 'serious issues' at Tallahassee prison, reports POLITICO’s Lawrence Ukenye. The department notified FCI Tallahassee, a women’s prison, of food violations and included photos of moldy bread and spoiled vegetables in its report. The report also documented improper storage techniques that resulted in insects and rodent droppings being present near bags of packaged food. | | PENINSULA AND BEYOND | |
EARNINGS REPORT — “Disney World’s revenue keeps slumping, new report shows,” reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Dewayne Bevil. “Disney’s experiences division, which includes theme parks, hotels, Disney Cruise Line and merchandise, saw an uptick in revenue of 13 percent for the quarter ending Sept. 30. Domestic parks earned $5.4 billion, up 7 percent, while earnings at international parks were up 55 percent to $1.7 billion. The report said Disney World suffered ‘lower results’ without offering specific numbers. They were attributed to lower guest spending because of a decrease in hotel room rates, the cost of the accelerated depreciation for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the two-night theme experience that was shuttered in September, as well as inflation.”
| | CAMPAIGN MODE | |
TONIGHT — Trump is hosting Republican county leaders from across the state at his private Mar-a-Lago club, where he's expected to speak. Each invite contained a plus one and went out to leaders in all 67 counties in Florida.
LAST NIGHT — “In majority-immigrant city of Hialeah, Trump promises historic ‘deportation operation,’” reports the Miami Herald’s Tess Riski. “While the comment was met with thunderous applause, the location for such remarks is also notable: Trump held his rally in Hialeah, a city where 95.8% of residents are Hispanic, and 74.1% are foreign-born, according to U.S. Census data. The enthusiasm isn’t entirely surprising in South Florida, where Trump remains highly popular with Hispanic voters.” HOT TAKES — Who won, who lost and who went ‘unhinged’ in Miami, by POLITICO staff. “Coming one day after GOP losses in the off-year elections, the third debate offered the candidates an opportunity to go after Trump. But asked in their closing statements to explain why Republican primary voters should choose them over him, not a single candidate mentioned the former president by name.” — Losers, scumbags and policy, too. The third GOP debate got testy, quick, by POLITICO staff. — U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, who endorsed Trump, says the race for the Republican presidential nomination is over, reports Florida Politics’ A.G. Gancarski — “Miami’s mayor says Haley, not DeSantis, has ‘real shot’ at winning the GOP nomination,” by the Miami Herald’s Alyssa Johnson | | DATELINE D.C. | |
COMPLAINT — GOP U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is seeking answers about whistleblower complaints from current and former employees of a veterans cemetery in Pinellas County,” report Justin Garcia and Christopher O'Donnell of the Tampa Bay Times. “The Times reported this month that Doug Maddox, former director of Bay Pines cemetery, had been permanently transferred to Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell following sexual harrassment claims from female employees earlier this year.
BIPARTISAN — U.S. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) introduced a bipartisan amendment to the NIH’s 2024 spending bill that’s in the works to defund the agency’s scientific experiments on dogs and cats at its facilities. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) is a cosponsor. | | | | PLAYBOOK IS GOING GLOBAL! We’re excited to introduce Global Playbook, POLITICO’s premier newsletter that brings you inside the most important conversations at the most influential events in the world. From the buzzy echoes emanating from the snowy peaks at the WEF in Davos to the discussions and personalities at Milken Global in Beverly Hills, to the heart of diplomacy at UNGA in New York City – author Suzanne Lynch brings it all to your fingertips. Experience the elite. Witness the influential. And never miss a global beat. BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN | |
PORCH PIRATE — A bear stole a $45 Taco Bell delivery order from a Florida family's porch, reports FOX 35’s Hannah Mackenzie
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