Sunburn – The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics – 7.25.22

In advance of the Primary Elections next month, we’re dropping the latest edition of INFLUENCE Magazine, which previews many of the politicians, operatives, and activists on the hunt for a win.

Click here to read the Summer 2022 edition of INFLUENCE Magazine.

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The Florida Chamber of Commerce has crossed the century mark in state legislative endorsements.

Two weeks ago, the group approved scores of sitting lawmakers, including 54 Republican Representatives and every Republican Senator. They also endorsed Orlando Democratic Sen. Linda Stewart, making the list technically bipartisan.

This week, the Chamber is adding another 33 endorsements. Of those, two dozen are for state House candidates, and nine are for Senate candidates.

For Republicans Bryan Avila in SD 39 and Adam Anderson in HD 57, the endorsement is purely symbolic, as they have already won their elections without opposition. And the nod may as well be symbolic for the many candidates primed to steamroll what little opposition exists, such as Republican Rep. Jay Trumbull in SD 2.

Still, the Chamber offered endorsements in some potential swing districts. The highest profile, by far, was SD 14. They made the expected pick there, lining up behind Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed Republican Jay Collins’ bid to oust Democratic Sen. Janet Cruz.

Republicans once again made up the bulk of the list, but this wave was a little bluer than the last one. Democrats getting the nod include Gallop Franklin in HD 8, Bruce Antone in HD 41, Dan Marquith in HD 47, Wengay Newton in HD 62, and Todd Delmay in HD 101. All are running in heavily Democratic districts.

“Florida continues its growth at a rapid pace — with nearly 1,000 net new residents relocating to Florida every single day. While Florida continues its growth, we need strong leadership with bold and fresh ideas to continue championing economic freedom and a vibrant quality of life,” said Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson.

“The Florida Chamber has put forth a strategic plan to make Florida a top 10 global economy by 2030, and we trust that these candidates will keep us on a pathway to get there. This year, we’re proud to stand alongside these candidates for the Florida House and Senate, putting our experience behind getting them elected.”

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Rest In Peace — “Longtime political adviser, tax expert David Zachem dies at 79” via Andrew Meacham of Florida Politics — David Zachem, a versatile property appraiser, tax analyst and Republican consultant, died July 19 of a heart ailment, his family said. Zachem chaired the Florida presidential campaign of television evangelist Pat Robertson in 1988. Before that, he worked on Ronald Reagan’s presidential runs and played a leading role in the U.S. Senate campaign of Larry Pressler, part of a burgeoning movement now known by its most visible organization, the Christian Coalition of America. Zachem was also known to lend a hand to select Democrats, including Florida state Sen. Darryl Rouson. “I considered him an adviser extraordinaire,” Rouson said. “We were on different sides of the fence many times, policy-wise, but he never let that get in the way of a friendship or a good relationship. He approached politics with spice and a little humor.”

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

—@WJCarter: Worthwhile again to remember: when these hearings started, there was WIDESPREAD commentary abt how “nothing new” was expected to come out of them; they were likely to be mostly “political grandstanding.” Commentary now? “Eye-popping,” “dramatic,” “devastating,” “historic.”

—@GoodyYK: Prediction: “187 Minutes” is going to be the title of the movie they make about the Jan. 6 attack.

—@GovRonDeSantis: The Communist Regime in Cuba has cooked up a new scheme — asking U.S. residents for “private-sector” investments. In Cuba, citizens have no property rights, and all businesses are state-run. I’ve instructed @FLDEO and @EnterpriseFL to alert Floridians to not fall for this racket.

—@Mattyglesias: I think that letting Ron DeSantis have his national reputation be that he’s the anti-mask guy while he makes all kinds of secret promises to billionaire donors is dangerous and irresponsible and the country is owed some account of his thinking on major policy issues.

—@DMAbrams: Democrat activists disguised as journalists aren’t invited to Republican summit. shocking!

—@Redistrict: Is the “red wave” ebbing? Probably not much. But as Dems show more signs of life and Rs nominate several problematic candidates, we’re downgrading our @CookPolitical House outlook from a GOP gain of 20-35 seats to 15-30 seats.

—@JewishResister: It’s not a coincidence every time there are Nazis, they are in Florida or Texas. BTW, this shit shouldn’t be covered by freedom of speech. Like, we fought a war & they killed 6 million people like me over this bullshit.

Tweet, tweet:

1) Pump social media full of partisan content —fueled by inaccurate speculation

2) build a following of fellow partisans craving confirmation bias over truth

3) brand yourself a political “strategist”, despite the lack of strategic or campaign experience

4) get on TV

5) ????

— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) July 23, 2022

— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) July 23, 2022

—@RPerrinRogers: Take notice, ladies — if you use emojis = you’re clearly asking for it. Also, if you wear certain clothes. Do functions of your job that involve informing people what is in the Senate lunchroom daily. Are seen in public having a glass of wine. Oh, and don’t ever smile. Etc etc etc

Tweet, tweet:

We have a new “Papa!” Late Saturday night, Jon Auvil, center, from Dade City, Fla., won the 2022 Hemingway Look-Alike Contest at Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West. He beat 124 other contenders at the highlight event of the island city’s annual Hemingway Days. ???? Andy Newman pic.twitter.com/eOFHBzZQpx

— Gwen Filosa (@KeyWestGwen) July 24, 2022

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