Sunburn — The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics — 7.14.22

Vice President Kamala Harris will be in Orlando today for a roundtable focused on abortion rights.

First Harris will attend the 70th Boule of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a sorority that Harris joined while attending Howard University.

Following her remarks at the sorority convention, she will host the roundtable alongside U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and state lawmakers.

The White House did not specify which lawmakers would be in attendance, but the White House said Harris will encourage them to “continue fighting to protect reproductive rights.”

The roundtable comes two weeks after Florida’s 15-week abortion ban went into effect. That law is currently being challenged in court.

After the event, Harris will head west to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, where she will meet with service members and receive a briefing from Gens. Michael Kurilla and Richard Clarke, who lead USCENTCOM and USSOCOM, respectively.

The briefing will include an update on the country’s partnerships in the Middle East and on how USCENTCOM and USSOCOM are supporting Ukraine, among other topics.

The White House said more details on the Vice President’s visit will be made available today.

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Charlie Crist’s gubernatorial campaign is releasing a new ad blasting Gov. Ron DeSantis over his positions on abortion rights and guns.

“Think about what’s at stake in Florida,” Crist says in the ad. “Gov. Ron DeSantis bullies school children. He wants to outlaw abortion, even for victims of rape and incest. He opposes any background checks on guns, even for violent criminals. And he cares more about running for the White House than your house.”

“Well, I’m fighting back,” Crist adds. “We must defend a woman’s right to choose and protect kids with common sense gun laws. Ron DeSantis has a radical agenda. Together we can stop it for a brighter Florida.”

The ad, titled “Fighting Back,” marks the first from any candidate for Governor. Crist’s campaign said it will be backed by a six-figure TV buy in key media markets across the state and will also run on streaming platforms.

To watch the ad, click on the image below:

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The Cook Political Report has released its 2022 Partisan Voting Index, finding that Republicans nationwide will “continue to benefit from an electoral map tilted in their favor on nearly all levels.”

That’s as true in Florida as anywhere.

According to the 2022 PVI, Florida’s new district maps include 20 seats that lean toward the GOP and eight that lean toward the Democrats, which is the same balance that FiveThirtyEight predicted when it released its updated forecast last week.

The Cook PVI makes it clear that few of Florida’s congressional districts will be truly competitive this cycle. Only three districts in the state meet the definition of a “swing seat” — between R+5 and D+5 — and two do so only barely.

The PVI estimates that the closest contest will be in Florida’s 15th Congressional District. The Tampa Bay-area seat is considered Florida’s “new” district as no incumbent lives there. The race features five Republicans — including former Secretary of State Laurel Lee, Rep. Jackie Toledo and Sen. Kelli Stargel. Democrat Alan Cohn, the 2020 nominee in the old CD 15, appears to be the front-runner for his party’s nomination. Cook rates the seat at R+4.

One is Florida’s 7th Congressional District where eight Republicans and four Democrats are running to succeed exiting U.S. Rep. Stephanie Murphy. The index gives Republicans a 5-point advantage in the Central Florida district.

Finally, Cook says Democrats have just a 5-point advantage in Florida’s 23rd Congressional District, where 14 candidates are vying to replace U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch. Broward County Commissioner Jared Moskowitz is seen as the front-runner for the Democratic nomination, but if the Republican wave hits, the General Election could be a close fight for what was previously a very blue seat.

PVI ratings for all of Florida’s congressional districts — and the other 407 across the country — are available on Cook’s website.

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Continental Strategy has acquired technology-focused governmental consulting firm Kaleo Partners.

Kaleo Partners has more than 20 years of combined experience advising and consulting for technology companies on market strategy and business development within the public sector. The firm represents many technology companies, from startups to Fortune 500 companies such as Dell, Google, Intel and Verizon.

As part of the acquisition, Kaleo Partners co-founders Glenn Kirkland Jr. and Jon Menendez will join Continental Strategy as Strategic Advisors.

“Glenn and Jon have been the leading catalyst in the IT consulting space for years. They have been very successful in not only offering but delivering unique services to their clients in an ever-evolving technological environment,” said Carlos Trujillo, the president of Continental Strategy.

“Over the last few months, both parties quickly realized that this strategic acquisition makes sense, and Kaleo Partners’ expertise in the tech industry and IT consulting services will only elevate Continental Strategy’s offerings at the federal and state levels.”

Kirkland and Menendez added, “It remains paramount to us that we are aligned with individuals that share our same personal and professional values to ensure continued success for our clients. Having known Carlos and the principals at Continental for many years, we know they are a perfect fit for not only continued but elevated success for our clients in the future.

“The depth and strength of Continental’s relationships within government, as well as their knowledge of the process, is unrivaled and will significantly impact the business value to our clients.”

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@JeffreyBrandes: Florida should bring back parole, conservative policy study says. The @FLSheriffs own study points out that “The extant literature on the effects of Truth in Sentencing is mixed.” When it comes to justice one size does not fit all. #wecandobetter

Tweet, tweet:

In his first four years in office, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has presided over an historic shift of the tax burden *off* of businesses — and *on* to Floridians. pic.twitter.com/lLUo8x44gT

— Jason Garcia (@Jason_Garcia) July 13, 2022

—@EvanDonovan: Worth noting — during public hearings for Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban, a doctor testified about 11-year-old ‘Lizzie’ “She was raped by a family member shortly after her 1st period. When her stomach began to show, her mother took her to a physician” — 23 weeks pregnant.

Tweet, tweet:

If you’re someone who is into bad news, now is the time to turn into the Citizens Property Insurance meeting pic.twitter.com/hP6q89iwQE

— Matt Dixon (@Mdixon55) July 13, 2022

—@AGGancarski: “Honey?” “Yes, dear?” “What do you want to do tonight? Watch a little TV” “No, baby, listen, I got some great new political mailers we should vibe to. Here’s one from a guy who says (Donald) Trump won the 2020 election.” “Wow. I’ll take that over Better Call Saul any day!”

—@MarcACaputo: Once in a while you write something and then you step back and say, “whoa, what will the history books say?” It’s like that so often in writing about all the signal and noise surrounding Trump — even when it comes to golf.

Tweet, tweet:

The Florida crew is strong – celebrating Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune pic.twitter.com/vB1ifoXLZF

— Dan Daley (@DanDaley) July 14, 2022

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