Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 10.31.22

  Good Monday morning and welcome to a special Halloween-themed edition of Sunburn.

Here is our Halloween decorations and lights display for 2022. That’s how much we love Halloween!

Here are some Halloween reads to get in the spirit:

White House to host trick-or-treaters on Halloween — President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will host local children of firefighters, nurses, police officers, and members of the National Guard at the White House for a trick-or-treating at the White House this evening. Children will walk through the “President and First Lady’s Neighborhood” up to the South Portico of the White House where they will receive treats from the Bidens and other White House “neighbors,” including representatives from the Department of Education, Department of Transportation, NASA, U.S. Secret Service, Peace Corps, White House Fire Brigade, White House staff, and White House Military Office.

— Halloween is brought to you by …: The annual Florida Politics rundown of how the men and women working in The Process are helping folks enjoy Halloween this year includes the Florida Dental Association and its in-house lobbyists, Alexandra Abboud, Andrew Eason, and Joe Anne Hart; the Florida Dental Hygienists’ Association and its team; and a host of people representing the sugar industry. Read the full list here.

— Creep out in Florida: The Sunshine State is home to some dark places. This Halloween, you can get your spook on in several creepy theaters, spooky lighthouses, and haunted restaurants. The USA Today Network compiled a list of Florida’s most haunted places that includes a ghostly theater in Jacksonville, the haunted lighthouse in St. Augustine, a haunted bar in Sarasota, and ghost tours at the historic Tampa Theater, among others. Find a spooky attraction near you here.

— Floridians are bewitched: A recent report from Lombardo Living found that Floridians are under the spell of witches, the state’s most popular Halloween decoration. Florida joins less than 10 other states charmed by the witch, which ranked as the fifth most popular decoration across the U.S. The most popular? Pumpkins and skeletons. Cape Coral refuses to be charmed though, landing in the top 10 cities for actual witches, according to a list from Lawn Love.

— Real (maybe) ghost stories for Tampa natives: Like the Cuban Club, Ybor City as a whole is a Mecca for ghost stories, including tales of phantom soldiers roaming the city after perishing in the great fire of 1908. And don’t forget the drunken Cuban ghost at the Florida Brewing Company, now a law office on E. 5th Ave. But Ybor City isn’t the only site for spooky tales. The Old Tampa Book Company on North Tampa Street, a former tailor’s storefront, where chairs from the old shop move on their own. Staff at Tampa Theater downtown report slamming doors and unexplained power outages. Students at the nearby University of Tampa have reported an apparition from the windows outside Plant Hall. Read all about these and other local ghost stories on WFLA’s list.

— Best Halloween TV episodes this century: Every series has ‘em — the episodes that will air as viewers prepare to celebrate one of the nation’s most beloved, and scariest, holidays. From animated spooks with a laugh on “BoJack Horseman” to superhero drama on “WandaVision,” AV Club rounds up the best binge-worthy Halloween episodes to catch after the porch lights go off. Pro-tip: Don’t miss Community’s take on the classic zombie apocalypse thriller, repurposed for the community college crowd.

— Rock out in Halloween style: Whether you’re blaring AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” or Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London,” there are plenty of catchy tunes to get you in the mood for trick-or-treaters this Halloween. Some obvious jams come to mind, such as Blue Oyster Cult’s “The Reaper,” but AV Club has created a playlist that includes some lesser-known grooves to turn up the spooky, including the theme song from “The Blob,” Aphex Twin’s super creepy “Come to Daddy” and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s “A Nightmare on My Street.” Find some inspiration for your playlist here.

— 20 tech-themed Halloween costumes: Tired of the same old vampire get-ups and blowup dinosaur costumes? Check out this list of creative tech-inspired Halloween costumes, from Elon Musk and CryptoDickButts to out-of-work Shipt delivery drivers, this list has you covered.

— Get your pumpkin spice on: Nothing screams Halloween like pumpkins, and they’re not just for carving. The Washington Post compiled a list of scrumptious pumpkin-themed dishes for every course. From sides to main entrees, the list has it all. Start with a hot cup of creamy tomato pumpkin soup or some roasted pumpkin hummus. Or jump straight to the main dish with a pumpkin, walnut and sage crostata or biryani stuffed pumpkins. Grab menu ideas here.

— Yep, it’s smaller: It’s not a trick: Your Halloween treats are getting smaller. That’s per Laura Reiley of The Washington Post, who writes that a bag of dark chocolate Hershey’s Kisses is now a couple of ounces smaller than before. A two-pack of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is a 10th of an ounce lighter. And Cadbury milk chocolate bars are about 10% skimpier. Over the past two years, companies have downsized paper products, salty snacks, and many other consumer packaged goods as their ingredient, labor and transportation costs have skyrocketed. It’s also part of a yearslong plan to make Americans’ treats less caloric. So, have an extra piece, I guess.

— Shake it up with a spooky cocktail: While your kids gorge on fun-size Snickers and candy corn, grab yourself one of these six spooky cocktails and prepare for the coming sugar crash. The Miami New Times recommends one of Airmail’s colorful fall cocktails, a Cheshire Colada from Le Chick, a Muerte Negra margarita from Roxy South Beach, a Cognac O’Lantern from Playa, a Zombie cocktail from Salvaje, or a Halloween Green Goblin from Shoma Bazaar.

And here are some non-spooky items that caught my attention:

— Pollster predicts a GOP Senate majority: For the first time since they launched their model this cycle, Decision Desk HQ now predicts Republicans will flip the Senate, with a 51.7% likelihood, controlling an average of 51 seats. Sen. Marco Rubio remains in the “likely” category to retain his Florida seat. Pennsylvania, meanwhile, is listed as a tossup, with a slight advantage to GOP challenger Mehmet Oz over incumbent John Fetterman who is facing difficulties this election largely related to a health crisis that has affected his ability to campaign and, more recently, debate.

— Biased polls: After polls got a lot wrong in 2016 and 2020, voters are increasingly skeptical of polling results nationwide with less than two weeks until Midterm Election Day. FiveThirtyEight is spotlighting some polls that may warrant a closer look, specifically as it relates to over-performance. For example, Iowa, Missouri and Oklahoma are expected to fare much better for Republicans than currently predicted. Likewise, Democrats are expected to outperform polls in blue states such as Washington, Connecticut, Illinois and New York.

— Which will win, the economy or lingering Trumpism? The Atlantic’s Ronald Brownstein is calling this year’s Midterm a “double-negative election.” That is, most Americans believe Biden and congressional Democrats have mismanaged crime, the border, the economy and inflation, but about as many say they view the modern Republican Party as a threat to their rights, values and democracy in general. Yet still, Brownstein notes, “it remains likely that two negatives will still yield a positive result for Republicans. Read more here.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@BrianKlaas: This week, 3 men were convicted of trying to kidnap Gov. (Gretchen) Whitmer, a man pleaded guilty to threatening Rep. Eric Swalwell, a right-wing conspiracy theorist tried to murder Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi, shortly after (Steve) Bannon, who called to behead (Anthony) Fauci, was sentenced to prison. This isn’t random.

—@Logically_JC: So, let me get this straight. You can’t hand out water and snacks to people waiting in line to vote, but you can station yourself armed, in full tactical gear, and intimidate people trying to drop off a ballot?

—@AndrewLearned: The same day her husband was attacked, the Republican Party of Florida sent a mailer with my face next to Pelosi. I wonder where the violent ideas come from???

—@RonDeSantisFL: Franklin County’s voter registration flipped from blue to red this cycle because they know what’s at stake in this election. Every vote counts in the fight to Keep Florida Free. Don’t sit on the sidelines — get out and vote for freedom between now and November 8th!

Tweet, tweet:

INCREDIBLE turnout tonight on Long Island for our Get Out The Vote Rally with Florida Governor @RonDeSantisFL! THOUSANDS strong showed up for our event on only one day’s notice. 10 days until New York elects a new Governor. It can’t happen soon enough! pic.twitter.com/0rMVuNsYzW

— Lee Zeldin (@leezeldin) October 30, 2022

—@CryptidPolitics: The liberal media would call Burmese pythons good for the Everglades ecosystem if the pythons found a way to register as Democrats.

Tweet, tweet:

Horrible to see that someone projected an anti-Semitic message on to TIAA Bank Field at the end of the sold-out Georgia-Florida game. A relative sent this to me. It’s in reference to comments Ye (formerly Kanye West) made recently.

This hate has to stop. Period. pic.twitter.com/kBKYUx7hIh

— Vic Micolucci WJXT (@WJXTvic) October 30, 2022

—@DuvalGOP: The Republican Party of Duval County condemns the recent displays of antisemitism in our city. Bigotry has no home here. We call on our community to stand against those who peddle hatred in order to divide us.

—@HillaryClinton: The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories. It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result. As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and the actions that follow.

—@Mariana057: I’ve just turned off the news and put on a serial killer documentary to relax.

Tweet, tweet:

My friend just won Halloween. ???? ???? pic.twitter.com/kt33FCe2gD

— Kevin Cate (@KevinCate) October 30, 2022

—@GunnelsWarren: Halloween Candy Prices — Twix: Up 53% Skittles: Up 41% Starburst: 30% Snickers: 12% M&M’s: 12%; Wealth During Pandemic — Mars Candy Family: Up 44% to $106.8 billion — GOP Plan to Repeal Estate Tax Would Give: Mars Family: $42.7 billion Tax Break. Yes. Corporate greed is frightening.

— DAYS UNTIL —

2022 General Election — 8; ‘The Crown’ Season 5 returns — 9; ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ premieres — 11; FITCon 2022 begins — 17; ‘The Flash’ premieres — 17; The World Cup kicks off in Qatar — 21; The U.S. World Cup Soccer Team begins play — 24; Florida TaxWatch’s Annual Meeting begins — 33; ‘Willow’ premieres on Disney+ — 33; 2022 Florida Chamber Annual Insurance Summit — 35; Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Stella Maris’ releases — 36; ‘Avatar 2’ premieres — 46; final Broadway performance of ‘The Music Man’ with Hugh Jackman — 62; Bruce Springsteen launches his 2023 tour in Tampa — 93; ‘Ant Man and the Wasp: Quantumania’ premieres — 109; final performance of ‘Phantom of the Opera’ on Broadway — 110; 2023 Legislative Session convenes — 127; ‘John Wick: Chapter 4′ premieres — 145; American Association of Political Consultants Pollies ’23 conference begins — 169; 2023 Session Sine Die — 186; ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’ premieres — 186; ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ premieres — 214; Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ premieres — 263; ‘‘Captain Marvel 2′ premieres — 270; Dune: Part Two’ premieres — 368; ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ Part 2 premieres — 515; ‘Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ premieres — 571; Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games — 634; ‘Thunderbolts’ premieres — 634; ‘Blade’ reboot premieres — 676; ‘Deadpool 3’ premieres — 739; ‘Fantastic Four’ reboot premieres — 837; ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ premieres — 914. ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ premieres — 1,103.

Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Daniel Dean, Renzo Downey, Jacob Ogles, and Drew Wilson.

The post Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 10.31.22 appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..