Sunburn — The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics — 1.26.22

By Peter Schorsch    

Good Wednesday morning.

COVID-19 and pocketbook issues are top of mind among Florida voters, according to new polling released by the State Innovation Exchange.

According to SiX, 63% of voters want the state to put its financial muscle behind efforts that help families, businesses, schools and health care systems rather than pursue a path of austerity.

“With the Legislature back in Session, Floridians want policies that help them deal with the fallout from this pandemic,” said James Chan, SiX Florida State Director. “They want money spent where it matters; they want to be the priority and to have investments in our future — schools, paid leave, Medicaid expansion, not more tax breaks for the wealthy and well connected.”

Specifically, SiX found that 63% of voters want the Legislature to provide workers with benefits such as paid sick and family leave compared to 22% who would rather lawmakers cut regulations on business. More than four in five want lawmakers to act on a Homeowners Bill of Rights. And 62% said they favored Medicaid expansion compared to 23% who are opposed.

The poll also showed voters were open to the idea of new to cover the tab — 71% are OK with higher taxes on tobacco and vaping products, 68% want corporate tax loopholes closed, two-thirds are open to legalizing and taxing cannabis, and the same number said they support legalizing and taxing sports betting.

TargetSmart conducted the SiX poll Nov. 30-Dec. 9. It has a sample size of 1,238 self-identified Florida voters and a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6%.

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Doug Sessions Jr. has been named the 2022 recipient of the Chiles Advocacy Award, presented by Children’s Week Florida and administered by The Children’s Forum.

The award, named for former Gov. Lawton Chiles and his wife, Rhea, is presented each year to a Floridian who has dedicated extensive time, philanthropic effort and advocacy on statewide issues affecting the status and well-being of children, youth, and families.

Sessions has been a fierce advocate for Florida’s children and families for more than a quarter-century as president and CEO of The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida, an organization that identifies, funds, supports, and tests programs aimed at improving children’s lives.

“Doug Sessions has been relentless in his dedication to the vision of Lawton and Rhea Chiles, and has worked every day to create a better place for Florida’s less fortunate children and families, who have been hit so hard by the modern pandemic,” said Dr. Phyllis Kalifeh, president and CEO of The Children’s Forum. “Doug is the embodiment of the giving spirit of the late Governor and First Lady, and he is richly deserving of this recognition.”

Tennis legend and longtime Ounce board member Chris Evert added, “Doug Sessions has worked for decades establishing and nurturing child abuse prevention and family support programs in our great state. Because of his efforts, Florida’s children and their families will continue to benefit for years to come. He is more than deserving of the 2022 Chiles Advocacy Award.”

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@Meg_Cunn: Sad stats in this new Pew poll: 78% say they aren’t proud of the state of the country, 53% say they aren’t hopeful, and 62% say they are fearful about the state of the nation

—@ChrisLHayes: The COVID discourse is weird and nasty because I think it just absolutely sucks to go through two years of a pandemic. But one thing that feels weird now is that the winning side in the “get back to normal” debate seems very angry about losing the debate even though they won?

—@AGAshleyMoody: Glad to see OSHA withdraw its vaccine mandate today after our SCOTUS win, but surprised it’s pushing forward to finalize a similar rule. @JoeBiden doesn’t know when to quit. I’ll continue to fight to ensure American workers are not forced to receive the shot against their will.

—@AShihpar: anyone who publishes an endemic COVID oped and says we have to live with it has to also write out a paragraph about how hospitals are going to deal with this going forwards. no more vibes, where are your plans buddy

—@GovRonDeSantis: Without a shred of clinical data to support its decision, the Biden administration has revoked the emergency use authorization for lifesaving monoclonal antibody treatments.

—@BlaiseIngoglia: It’s kind of fitting that the new Omicron variant is named BA.2 (blood alcohol level 0.2) because mandate-crazy lockdown Democrats are drunk with power.

—@LMower3: Florida is great and we shouldn’t be writing stories about WalletHub surveys.

Tweet, tweet:

Tweet, tweet:

—@ByJenAMiller: Disney really underestimated the popularity of Encanto, eh? One small table of merch in Disney Springs.