Sunburn — The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics — 11.10.21

 By Peter Schorsch

Good Wednesday morning.

Redistricting is about to get real.

The Senate Reapportionment Committee staff today will release to the public the first draft maps for congressional and legislative districts. That means a first chance to see the direction lawmakers may take in defining the boundaries governing the 2022 midterms, not to mention the next decade of Florida politics.

Ahead of that, Senate President Wilton Simpson issued a joint statement with Senate President-Designate Kathleen Passidomo and Democratic Leader Lauren Book, a sort of bipartisan clarion call to keep calm and put personal politics aside.

“As Senators, we are frequently presented with situations where we must set aside our personal views and make decisions in keeping with the oath we each took to defend the constitution and laws of this state,” the memo reads.

“Nowhere is this responsibility more challenging than in redistricting, given that some of us may ultimately decide to vote for a map knowing the realities of that map are such that we will never be reelected. Some of us may choose to defer seeking reelection. Still others may decide to run against a current colleague who we know and respect.”

Indeed, the Senate map could well determine whether Book or Passidomo presides over the Senate next November. Passidomo is in line to succeed Simpson in the big office, but only if Republicans win a majority of seats, all 40 of which go up next year once new lines are signed into law.

Expect a host of watchdog groups to feast on the cartography once it reaches the public. The Fair Districts Coalition already has offered failing grades to Florida lawmakers on the transparency of the process thus far. That assessment spurred Sen. Ray Rodrigues, chair of the Senate Reapportionment Committee, to dismiss the feedback as input from a “Democrat-funded partisan entity.”

“It is no surprise they are unhappy with the process we have designed to guard against partisan influence,” he said. Notably, he made those comments after attending a fundraiser for Senate Republicans in Naples.

For its part, leadership from that group said the seriousness of lawmakers to remain politically neutral will face its first great test today. The maps drafted within the Legislature hold the answer to just how fair a process led by politicians with great stakes in the outcome can be.

“The proof is in the pudding,” said Ellen Freidin, CEO and general counsel of Fair Districts Now. “The proof is in the maps.”

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U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist reeled in another $625,000 last month for his bid to return to the Governor’s Mansion.

The new numbers show a steady stream of funds heading to his campaign and committee accounts — he snagged more than $700,000 in August and reported $655,000 raised in September.

“I remain thankful for the outpouring of support I’ve received from Pensacola to Homestead in our mission to make sure every Floridian’s voice is heard in Tallahassee as we build a Florida that works for all,” Crist said.

“Our current Governor spends his time promoting his own political interests, not the interests of Floridians. Florida needs a Governor with a heart, who is focused on creating good jobs, a cleaner environment, better schools and a better tomorrow. I’m running to bring an end to this regime and put the people back in charge.”

With the October haul, Crist has about $3.18 million in the bank as he seeks to make a one-term Governor out of Republican Ron DeSantis, who formally launched his reelection campaign on Monday. The incumbent has more than $58 million on hand in his political committee.

But first, Crist will need to earn the Democratic nomination. That may be a skosh more difficult now that Sen. Annette Taddeo has made it a three-way race.

On Tuesday, Taddeo, who was Crist’s running mate in the 2014 Governor race, touted $650,000 raised in her first report since filing for Governor. Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, meanwhile, had about $3 million banked between her campaign and political committee at the end of September. Her October report is due today.

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Florida LGBTQ rights advocates met White House staffers last week about anti-transgender legislation and the impacts it has had on communities in Florida.

Among the staffers tuned into the virtual round table was Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs Julie Rodriguez.

She and others heard from Sen. Shevrin Jones, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Equality Florida TransAction Director Nikole Parker, LGBTQI+ families and equality advocates about anti-trans laws passed in the 2021 Legislative Session.

“Meeting participants expressed the pain and anguish they have felt in recent months and years and detailed the hurt caused by being targeted by their own state’s elected officials,” a White House spokesperson said.

“They also described the courage that many transgender youth and their families have shown advocating for equal rights and fair treatment. White House staff conveyed to the Floridians gathered that the President is on their side and will continue fighting until we reach full equality for all Americans, including the LGBTQI+ community in Florida.”

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Fentrice Driskell named NewDEAL Leader — House Democratic Leader Designate Driskell was one of 20 leaders from across the country selected to join NewDEAL, a national network of state and local elected officials focused on passing progressive policy. Driskel was chosen from a pool of more than 1,750 nominations. The group said she stood out from the pack “because of her approach of bringing common-sense solutions to Florida’s most pressing challenges related to issues like public education, public safety, racial justice, and economic opportunity for all.” Driskell and other NewDEALers will gather for the organization’s annual Leaders Conference Nov. 17-19 to “discuss a forward-looking agenda for state and local Democrats and address simultaneous crises around public health, the economy, racial equity, climate change, and our democracy.”

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@DaveWeigel: Can’t really blame Chris Sununu for wanting to be the god-king of a fun state instead of Vote #51 for some circuit court nominee

—@LPDonovan: My semi-spicy take is that a GOP Senate majority is probably more likely today w/ no Sununu than was evident a week ago with the possibility of Sununu. Macro factors>>silver bullet. Would NRSC prefer to have both? Obviously. But I’d take the environment over the recruit any day.

—@RepJoseOliva: Elected officials, are you advocates of Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau? If you don’t know, you are likely acting Rousseau, which is perpetual revolution. Find a foundational belief, ground yourself, and defend it; all else is a cork floating in a river and a grave danger to civil society.

—@ChristinaPushaw: Last week, restaurant in Tallahassee. Drunk man “involved in The Process” tries to explain to me why I need to bribe pay-for-play Florida blogs for positive coverage. Lol have these folks paid any attention to Governor DeSantis at all?

—@JoeMobleyJax: I’ve never been a big trash talker, but I must admit that I’m loving seeing my dear Gator fan friends tweeting about college basketball in early November.