Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 5.2.22

Good Monday morning.

Trevor Noah took a shot at Ron DeSantis during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

“What I like about Ron DeSantis is if (Donald) Trump was the original Terminator, DeSantis is like the T-1000,” he said. “You’re smarter than him. You’re slicker than him. You can walk down ramps. Trump said he won the election, but everyone was able to look at the numbers and see that he was wrong. That’s why Ron DeSantis is one step ahead. First, you ban the math textbooks, then nobody knows how to count the votes.”

Tweet, tweet:

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Uber has brought on Giovanni Castro as Public Policy Manager for the South Region, directing public affairs in Florida, Louisiana, and other states in the region.

“We are excited to add Giovanni to Uber’s team,” said Javi Correoso, Uber’s head of Public Policy and Communications for the South Region. “Giovanni has built a great reputation at both the state and local level, making him one of the state’s most effective advocates.”

Before joining Uber, Castro worked as the State and Local Government Affairs Manager for Verizon in Florida. He also served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and as a senior aide to Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera in the EOG.

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Personnel note: Matt Floyd heads to The Mosaic Company — Floyd announced over the weekend that he was leaving his position as Senior Government Affairs Manager at Port Tampa Bay to join The Mosaic Company as its new Government and Stakeholder Relations Manager. “I could not be more excited to join a company that is solely dedicated to helping the world grow the food it needs,” he said. “I’m proud and thankful to have had the opportunity to be a member of America’s best seaport. Not only is it an incredible organization full of tremendous people, but the Port’s role in the supply chain is critical to Florida’s strategic growth into the future.”

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Personnel note: Alexis Fowler joins Moffitt Cancer Center — Fowler recently joined Moffitt Cancer Center as a staff attorney in governmental relations. Fowler previously worked as Deputy General Counsel at the Florida Lottery and previously held positions in the Executive Office of the Governor, on the Florida Constitution Revision Commission and the Office of the Attorney General.

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Personnel note: Justin Thames promoted at Florida Institute of CPAs — FICPA has promoted Thames from Director of Governmental Affairs to Chief External Affairs Officer. Thames has worked for the organization for more than a decade, joining as Governmental Affairs Manager in 2011 and stepping up to Director of Government Affairs in 2015. “We have an amazing team at the Florida Institute of CPAs, and I’m excited to join the leadership team in my new role as Chief External Affairs Officer,” he said.

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Gun safety group Giffords announced that it hired its first-ever state director in Florida as it looks to expand its presence in the Sunshine State. The organization, founded by former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, picked Samantha Barrios for the job, citing her work for Moms Demand Action, where she served as the Miami local group lead.

“The House and Senate majorities depend on Florida this year, and Giffords is making a historic investment in this state, one where far too many families have been torn apart by tragic acts of gun violence,” said Giffords senior adviser and former U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. “Samantha Barrios is extremely qualified to lead this work, and I know that her efforts in this state will set the stage for victories this fall and for years to come.”

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@Cavalewis: New NPR/Marist poll is remarkable Republicans lead Democrats on generic Congressional ballot among these groups:  Parents with children under 18: 60% choose GOP; 39% Democrats  Latino voters: 52% GOP; 39% Dems

—@IShapiro: My mortgage identifies as a student loan.

—@MJAlex2020: For the record: The GOP is running on: Women who are raped, even by a family member, should be forced to give birth. And the conventional wisdom is they are gonna win in a landslide in November.

—@MattGaetz: We need Madison Cawthorn in Congress!

Tweet, tweet:

pic.twitter.com/FJ76ULBSBG

— Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) May 1, 2022

—@Feministabulist: Tucker (Carlson)’s mom abandoned him as a child and vengefully left him one single dollar when she died. A devastating but clear origin villain story for a man determined to do anything to feel important.

Tweet, tweet:

—@RL_Miller: Sorta shocked that DeSantis vetoed FL anti-net-metering bill. Really puts the onus on @GavinNewsom to #SaveSolar in California (and be better than DeSantis. This shouldn’t be hard).

—@Rumpfshaker: Non-lawyers attempting to lecture me with wildly incorrect interpretations of what the law says are just getting blocked. Not worth my time. Have fun screaming into the Twittersphere alone.

—@SteveSchale: A very smart Republican operative and one of my favorite people once rightly said the most dangerous place in America is the space between a TV camera and a pol fearing the end of their relevance.

—@AGGancarski: Good morning to anonymous accounts created this year with bad grammar, and worse takes that the intrepid authors can’t possibly put their own name on because they’re too scared. And good morning to them only.