Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 4.1.22

By Peter Schorsch    

Good Friday morning.

Most Florida voters believe the state is headed in the right direction, but the country is on the wrong track, according to new polling from the Florida Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber didn’t provide statewide numbers on whether the state is on the right track but said that was the prevailing sentiment in eight of 10 media markets — the dissenters were Miami-Fort Lauderdale (40%-45%) and Tampa-St. Pete (45%:49%).

The positive outlook stemmed from a majority of voters (57%) believing that the next generation of Floridians will have better opportunities here than in other states. Meanwhile, more than six in 10 voters negatively viewed the nation’s trajectory.

“With Florida established as the 15th largest global economy, we have the momentum to continue building the brand of Florida throughout the world,” said Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson. “We’ve seen over the past few months just how important it is to ensure the right things happen to keep Florida, Florida and moving in the right direction.”

The poll, conducted by Cherry Communications, also showed Gov. Ron DeSantis with a leg up in his re-election bid. If the election were today, he’d beat U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist by 11%, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried by 10%, and Sen. Annette Taddeo by 15%.

DeSantis’ strong showing was attributable primarily to his popularity among no-party voters, who lean toward him by double digits.

Given voter registration trends, an advantage among NPAs is only becoming more important — Chamber data shows the no-party voters’ share of the overall electorate has increased in every county except Gilchrist.

The poll was conducted March 18-28 with a sample size of 603 likely voters, including 237 Democrats, 243 Republicans and 120 no- and other-party voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.

“Florida Chamber Safety Conference: Mike Rowe advocates for ‘safety third’ philosophy” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — The Florida Chamber Safety Council wants the Sunshine State to lead the nation in workplace safety. That requires buy-in from businesses in the form of up-to-date training, proper equipment, checklists and more. But even rigorous safety drills and the best gear will do little if employees don’t take their own safety seriously. That’s according to Rowe, the host of the long-running Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs.” Across more than 170 episodes, Rowe has shadowed workers who perform some of the most dangerous and, of course, dirty jobs in the world — he’s been to coal mines, climbed to the top of 1,000-foot towers and tagged along on a crab boat.

—“Chamber Safety Council — keeping Florida’s $1T economy strong, dynamic” via David Acosta for Florida Politics

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Chris Clark is taking over as Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Medical Association, effective Friday.

Clark has worked for FMA since 2014, most recently serving as the senior vice president of public affairs for the nearly 150-year-old association, which represents physicians statewide.

“Thank you to the FMA Board for the honor of naming me to serve as Chief Executive Officer,” said Clark. “Leading the association’s more than 25,000 members through these unprecedented times, providing support to our physicians and their patients, and collaborating with other health care practitioners and medical support staff has allowed our state to protect Florida’s more than 21 million residents through quality and affordable health care.”

Before joining FMA, Clark worked as Chief of Staff to Senate President Don Gaetz, as the governmental affairs director for the Florida Department of Corrections, and as legislative affairs director for The Florida Lottery, among other positions.

His political experience also includes serving as a special assistant to then-candidate Jeb Bush in 1997 and as a personal assistant to Bush during his time as Governor. In 2018, Clark took a brief leave from the FMA to serve as Director of Recruiting for Governor-elect Ron DeSantis’ Transition Team and then returned to the FMA.

“Chris Clark has proven time and again to be an integral part of the Florida Medical Association’s success through the development and implementation of our legislative, policy, and political agenda since he joined the FMA in 2014,” said Dr. Douglas R. Murphy Jr., the president of FMA.

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Jared Ross is the next president of the Florida Beer Wholesalers Association, the organization announced Friday.

Ross previously served as FBWA’s vice president and brings over 15 years of experience leading associations to the top-level role. His promotion was approved unanimously by the FBWA board.

“Jared has a history of strong leadership and a solid vision for the future of the FBWA — approving his promotion to President was a no-brainer for us,” said Board Chair Ken Daley. “We’re looking forward to the future and stand in full support of Jared as we enter into a new era for the FBWA.”

Ross was elevated to the position following the death of Mitch Rubin. During his two decades leading FBWA, Rubin cultivated a reputation as an honest broker and fierce advocate who was unflinchingly kind, according to those who knew him.

“I am honored to be the next President of the FBWA. While no one can ever fill Mitch’s shoes, I am thankful for the Board’s confidence in me to be his successor. I will work every day to make our members proud,” Ross said.

Alongside the personnel announcement, FBWA released details of a scholarship fund created in honor of Rubin.

The new Mitchell J. Rubin Scholarship in Law was established with the Florida State University College of Law, Rubin’s alma mater, and seeded with a $200,000 contribution from FBWA.

The organization said the fund “will provide scholarship support in perpetuity as a lasting tribute to Mitch’s exemplary career.”

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Chase Tramont crosses $130K mark, Governor’s Club fundraiser set for April — Republican candidate Tramont has now added more than $130,000 to his bid for the House District 30 seat. And that’s before a planned Governor’s Club fundraiser in mid-April featuring several GOP heavy hitters.

Tramont added another $60,000 in March after pulling in $30,000 in February. He’s competing in the newly drawn HD 30, an open seat, against Republicans Richard Furman and Robyn Hattaway. Furman announced his candidacy on Thursday, while Hattaway has collected just over $41,000 in February after opening her campaign account last August.

“The support from all corners of our community and state has been truly overwhelming,” Tramont said in a written statement. “It’s clear many people share my vision for a Free Florida, a place we must continue to make affordable, safe, and welcoming through conservative policy that reflects the wishes of millions of Floridians. To reach such significant financial milestones as we have in this campaign as we focus on the August Primary says so much about the team we have assembled and the organized work we are doing each day.”

The money is expected to continue flowing in for Tramont. He’s advertising an April 18 fundraiser at the Governor’s Club and promising appearances from Reps. Sam Garrison, Tom Leek and Daniel Perez. Both Garrison and Perez are on track to hold the House Speaker role in the future, while Leek led the powerful House Redistricting Committee this past Session.

That’s a strong sign that Tramont, an ordained minister and educator, could be the party’s candidate of choice among the Republican field in this open contest.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

Tweet, tweet:

—@BrowardPolitics: Palm Beach County Sheriff @RicBradshaw, five-term Democrat, offers effusive praise for Republican @GovRonDeSantis at event about state bonus $ for first responders. “Great Governor. That’s why the sheriffs support him. And we’re going to keep on supporting him.”

—@MLafferty1: What could be more Ron DeSantis than Ron DeSantis demanding to repeal an exemption he personally sought in a bill that’s been found by a court to violate the First Amendment?

—@VoteRandyFine: Disney is losing their sh&t because we supposedly passed “Don’t Say Gay” (we didn’t), but told their employees they can’t say “boy, girl, ladies, or gentlemen.” This is insanity. Wokeism is evil, and we will destroy it in FLA. Why? #BecauseWeCan #WeAreJustGettingStarted

—@JBarro: Yeah, I think the silver lining about the gross “groomer” messaging is that it’s a tactical mistake — it’s ridiculous on its face, and parents skeptical about new pedagogy and new social trends don’t think teachers are trying to fuck their children

—@SkylerSwisher: Here’s an interesting historical fact. Disney has the authority in Florida law to go nuclear. State lawmakers tried to revoke that ability in 2019, but the effort failed. Disney has never seriously considered building

—@ChristinaPushaw: Media elites are extremely thin-skinned. They can dish out all kinds of false narratives & partisan rhetoric, but cannot handle any pushback. Journalists: If you want to play politics, be prepared to be treated like a politician. You are the regime in DC & opposition party in FL

—@LeAnnaCumber: @kilmeade is right. We are a decade behind where we should be. As your next Mayor, I will right the course, make smart investments, and ensure gas tax dollars aren’t raised to fund boondoggles. Jax can be the best city in the South!

—@JHWeissman: Staring at Twitter today, I’m reminded that there’s just an incredible amount of money to be made in this country by being a complete lunatic.