Sunburn — The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics — 11.1.21 (Video)

 By Peter Schorsch

Good Monday morning.

First in Sunburn — Adrian Lukis, the former Chief of Staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis, is joining top lobbying firm Ballard Partners.

“Adrian’s recent experience at the highest levels of Florida state government significantly expands the depth of our firm’s formidable expertise in the state Capitol,” said firm founder and President Brian Ballard.

“His long-standing reputation, as well as his unique experience working closely with Gov. DeSantis, the Senate President and the Speaker of the House, will make him an invaluable partner and adviser for our firm’s clients.”

Lukis has been a top adviser to DeSantis since he was a candidate for Governor three years ago. During his tenure in the administration, Lukis managed the Executive Office of the Governor and all executive branch agencies under the Governor’s leadership.

He was elevated from Deputy to head Chief of Staff in March; however, he didn’t plan to stay long-term because of his young family. He left the position in September.

Before rising through the ranks in the Governor’s Office, Lukis was a high-level staffer to former House Speaker José Oliva. He formerly served as Deputy Staff Director in the Florida House of Representatives and as an attorney for the House Economic Affairs Committee.

Lukis is a graduate of Florida State University, where he earned his undergraduate and law degrees. He worked as a corporate and business law attorney before reentering state government.

“I am delighted to join Ballard Partners and to be working with the firm’s unparalleled team in Tallahassee,” Lukis said.

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You may not know her name, but you know her if you watch any sports on television.

Florida DraftKings’ customers received a targeted text/video message from Jessie “Make. It. Reign.” Coffield on behalf of Florida Education Champions this weekend, with a reminder to return their petition by mail to support their effort to bring competition in sports betting to Florida, with all tax revenues supplementing the Florida Educational Enhancement Trust Fund.

Registered Florida voters can request a personalized petition be mailed to them through many digital portals that connect to an FEC landing page, and as Jessie says, all they have to do is sign, date and return it, postage-paid, to “Make It Reign … in Florida.”

Clever play in leveraging the power of DraftKings’ national brand and millions upon millions of dollars in television advertising to add extra power to the petition-phase effort. We’re told to stay tuned for more to come this week.

To watch the video, click on the image below:

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According to polling released Friday by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, voters believe the state is headed in the right direction and think DeSantis deserves a second term.

The poll, conducted by Cherry Communications, found that 48% of Florida voters think the state is headed in the “right direction” compared to 42% who said it was on the “wrong track.”

Men were more likely to adopt the positive outlook, while the inverse was true for women. The Florida Chamber noted that Hispanic voters said the state was headed in the right direction by a 26-point margin, 57%-31%.

“Florida is moving in the right direction, and we need to keep the momentum going,” Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson said. “As we just recently addressed Florida’s future at our Florida Chamber Foundation Annual Meeting and Future of Florida Forum, there’s no better time to unite the business community for good to ensure the right things continue to happen.”

The six-point advantage for “right direction” carries over to the Governor’s race, the poll shows. Regardless of the opponent, DeSantis retains a strong position in his as-yet-unlaunched reelection campaign.

If his foil is Democratic former Governor and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, the incumbent would win a second term with a 7% margin. If Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried wins the Democratic nomination, the spread grows to 9%.

The Governor’s showing comes as Florida voters rate jobs and the economy as their top issue — it topped the list due to its strong support among men and Republicans. COVID-19 ranks No. 2, with women and Democrats listing it as their top issue.

The Florida Chamber poll was conducted on Oct. 17-25 by Cherry Communications during live telephone interviews of likely voters. The sample size included 246 Democrats, 254 Republicans and 108 independents. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.

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First in Sunburn — Vic Torres endorses Annette Taddeo for Governor — The Taddeo for Governor campaign released its first wave of endorsements Monday. Democratic Sen. Torres joins former Reps. JC Planas and Cindy Lerner in endorsing Taddeo. “Our state has many challenges, and this Governor has put Floridians in harm’s way,” Torres said in a statement Monday. “We need a Democratic nominee who will offer the clearest contrast and I know the best candidate to do that is my good friend and colleague, Senator Annette Taddeo. Annette embodies the American dream and has fought against all odds her entire life. Annette has the experience, ethics and leadership to lead our state as Governor and I am proud to endorse her campaign for Governor.”

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Spotted at the Governor’s Mansion Saturday for Halloween festivities with the First Family — Secretary Laurel Lee and former Sen. Tom Lee, Secretary Todd Inman and Anne Duncan, Chris Emmanuel, Cody Farrell, Larry Keefe, Stephanie Kopelousos, Alex Kelly, Trey and Tara Price, Christina Pushaw, Chris and Gina Spencer, Meredith Stanfield, Ray Treadwell, Mike Yaworsky, Skyler and Lindsey Zander.

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Public affairs firm RedRock Strategies expanded its Florida footprint with the addition of Greg Ungru and Skylar Swanson.

“Both Greg and Skylar’s dynamic skillsets and dedication to winning are a welcomed addition to the RedRock Florida team,” said Kayla Lott, RedRock’s Senior Strategist. “As we continue to grow in Florida, having Greg’s extensive political experience and Skylar’s digital expertise on the team will help us continue to help our clients and friends be successful.

“RedRock Strategies has built a national presence in the public affairs, digital, and political consulting spaces for over two decades by defining what it takes to win. I look forward to working with Skylar and Greg to expand our Florida footprint and help our clients get from where they are, to where they want to be.”

Ungru has more than two decades of experience in The Process. The Ohio State University alum and current Florida State University MBA candidate served under four Governors, holding leadership positions in the Florida Department of Elder Affairs and Department of Economic Opportunity as well as Marsy’s Law for Florida, LeadingAge Florida, the Florida Sports Foundation and the Republican Party of Florida.

Swanson started her career in then-Rep. Keith Perry’s legislative office later moved over to the campaign side where she served as Fundraising Director for his 2016 and 2018 Senate campaigns. The FSU alum and current University of Florida graduate student then worked as Communications Director in the House Majority Office, and in 2020 she joined Attorney General Ashley Moody’s communications team.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@RonBrownstein: 1 big reminder from Fox Virginia Gov poll: there’s no escaping Prez’ shadow in modern US politics. If Biden’s approval really is just 43% w/Virginia voters Tues, it’ll be long night for (Terry) McAuliffe. If it’s 43% on 11/22, it will be brutal for Ds. That’s why bolstering (Joe) Biden is their job one.

—@WalshFreedom: It’s Trump’s Party. If you don’t support Donald Trump, you have no future in this Republican Party. None. No whining. It is what it is.

—@NumbersMuncher: The “Let’s Go Brandon” stuff is stupid, childish nonsense you see among teens trying to speak in code. The Southwest pilot was an idiot for saying it and knew full well what he was doing. Everyone on the right and left on here are losing their minds over the dumbest stuff.

—@Deggans: I’m wondering about existing school vaccine mandates for mumps, measles, polio. At some point, those were all new drugs, as well. If DeSantis had been Florida’s Governor when the polio vaccine was rolled out, would he have opposed children taking that, too?

—@ElectProject: Last-minute costume change this year: I’m going as an academic exercising their free speech. Very scary to some folks, apparently

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