Sunburn — The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics — 6.22.22

By Peter Schorsch   

Good Wednesday morning.

Welcome to the world — Congratulations to Sen. Ben Albritton and his family. His grandchild, Brooks Alexander Goodwyn, was born Saturday around 7:30 a.m. Brooks came in weighing 8 lbs., 10 oz. I’m told Mom and Baby are doing great!

“We are beyond blessed,” Albritton tells me.

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Tonight’s match between the Lightning and Avalanche won’t be the only Tampa vs. Colorado faceoff on Wednesday.

Ahead of game four of the Stanley Cup Final, former Downtown Denver Partnership CEO Tami Door will be speaking to Tampa’s top minds about how Tampa and Denver have built similar quality of life success stories.

Though Tampa boasts more Stanley Cup titles than Denver, the Mile High City leads in the standard of living and salary growth — it ranks No. 11 and No. 16, respectively, while Tampa ranks No. 25 and No. 44.

Door says when she looks at Tampa, she sees all the signs of where Denver was 10 to 20 years ago — meaning there’s a path for the Big Guava to reach the same heights as Denver.

“Downtown Tampa is poised to be a premier example of urban growth and city building in our country. ” Door said, “Strategy, leadership, and resilience will set the course to leverage all of the opportunities ahead.”

“On Wednesday, I’ll be sharing insights and lessons learned from other Downtowns, including Denver, with Tampa leaders to support efforts to envision and create a Downtown that is primed to grow current businesses and create new industries, attract the future workforce, build inclusive and well-connected neighborhoods, and bring people together around a shared vision.”

Door’s talk begins at 11:30 a.m. at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street.

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A group of health care advocacy organizations sent a letter to the Florida congressional delegation on Tuesday urging them to make Advance Premium Tax Credits permanent.

Passed under the American Rescue Plan, the tax credits expanded health care coverage eligibility to millions of Floridians. They cap health coverage costs at 8.5% of an individual’s income and save the average enrollee about $2,400 a year.

According to a recent report from one organization that signed the Protect Our Care letter, more than 513,000 Floridians could lose health insurance coverage if the credits expire at the year’s end.

“Nothing keeps Floridians up at night like the cost of health care,” said Protect Our Care Florida Director William Miller. “And with the rising prices of food, rent, and child care, too many families are left worrying about how to pay the bills and make ends meet. Voters are counting on Congress to do something about it.”

In addition to Protect Our Care, the letter was signed by For Our Future Florida, Florida Voices for Health, the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans, and the Florida Health Justice Project.

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Suppose you’re interested in knowing what motivated members of the Florida Legislature to run for public office. In that case, the Institute of Politics at Florida State University has a bundle of videos for you to watch.

IOP@FSU released 31 new videos on Tuesday in its “Why We Serve” series. The playlist includes 10 Senators and 21 Representatives. Most interviews were filmed in person during the 2022 Legislative Session, with some recorded via Zoom last year.

The videos spotlight members of both parties — including previously released episodes, there are 20 videos featuring Republican lawmakers and 14 featuring Democratic ones. All members of the Legislature were invited to participate in the project.

The Why We Serve project is led by student fellows at IOP@FSU. The videos are in a one-on-one interview format and are geared toward providing up-and-coming leaders a chance to hear from lawmakers about their experiences, the value of civic engagement, and the need for civil discourse.

Florida State University President Richard McCullough hailed project workers and state legislators for the education and inspiration they’re providing.

“On behalf of Florida State University, I thank these esteemed legislators for participating in the Institute of Politics’ Why We Serve initiative,” McCullough said. “As experienced elected officials, they have a deep understanding of policymaking in Florida. We hope these interviews inspire our students and educate them about the power of careers in public service.”

To watch House Speaker Chris Sprowls‘ entry, click on the image below:

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Roxey C. Nelson has been elected executive vice president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, representing 25,000 active and retired caregivers throughout Florida.

1199SEIU is the state’s largest union of health care workers. Its members serve in about 80 nursing homes and 30 hospitals across the state in a range of direct caregiving roles, including registered nurses, certified nursing assistants and medical technicians.

Nelson has served the union for over 15 years, most recently as 1199SEIU’s vice president of Politics and Strategic Campaigns in Florida.

Nelson succeeds Executive Vice President Dale Ewart, who is retiring after a 40-year career with 1199SEIU and other labor, economic and social justice organizations.

“Roxey is an exceptional talent to direct the organization forward in serving our membership and the needs of all working Floridians and their families,” Ewart said. “Our members made a tremendous choice in electing an astute, passionate and eminently qualified leader.”

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@ReedGalen: This is why they use violence: To make good people doing good work to ask themselves why they’d put themselves in a position where they’d have to deal with threats and harassment.

—@SamStein: I guess I’m struck by how elaborate this scheme actually was. It wasn’t (Donald) Trump rage tweeting and (John) Eastman and Rudy (Giuliani) going around trying to hope something into existence. They were extremely persistent and intentional. And they had allies all over the place (in addition to foils)

—@RadioFreeTom: I mean, if the #January6thCommittee is just gonna have Trump-hating partisans like the Trump-supporting conservative AZ House speaker Rusty Bowers, I just don’t see the point

—@SarahLongwell25: I hope the 147 congressional Republicans who refused to certify the 2020 Election are watching this and filled with shame.

—@GovRonDeSantis: We need leaders with strength and conviction to stand up for what they believe in, and the Florida American Legion Boys State Program is training young men to do just that. We must continue to teach the next generation the importance of state government and civics.

—@BryanDGriffin: As a graduate of the Florida American Legion’s Boys State program myself (2006), it’s great to be with the Governor as he discusses the importance of American civics and state government with this year’s participants.

—@LoganDobson: sad to see about the retirement of Buccaneers legend Rob Gronkowski — he changed the city of Tampa, and Tampa embraced him like nowhere else. Tampa and Gronk are forever linked in our national consciousness.

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