Sunburn – The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics – 8.17.21

By Peter Schorsch    

Good Tuesday morning.

Ballard Partners is making inroads into California, entering into a partnership with one of the lobbying firms in the nation’s largest state.

The Florida-based firm will team up with RESOLUTE Co. to ensure that Ballard Partners’ extensive roster of clients has access to an on-the-ground team in California.

“Ballard Partners is committed to fully serving our clients’ needs wherever they may arise,” firm founder and President Brian Ballard said. “With hundreds of premiere clients already being served in seven offices in Florida and Washington, DC, this strategic alliance now allows us to provide our clients with greater advocacy reach in the largest state in the nation. I am pleased to be affiliated with the top-notch team of professionals at Resolute.”

RESOLUTE Co. has a team of nine veteran lobbyists — all partners — in Sacramento, and the firm has extensive expertise in a wide range of issue areas, including high-tech/social media, finance, energy, education, water, health, education and gaming.

The RESOLUTE Co team, whose partners are consistently named among the most influential advocates in California, provides clients with strategy development, policy analysis, relationship-building, campaign consulting, public communications and direct lobbying services.

“Our firm is honored to forge this strategic alliance with one of the nation’s top lobbying firms,” said David Quintana, a founding partner at RESOLUTE Co. “With our new relationship with Ballard Partners, Resolute can offer our clients the significant highest-level bipartisan reach that Ballard brings both in Washington, DC and the megastate of Florida.”

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The Florida Ports Council announced Monday that it’s brought on Emily Fisher as vice president of programs and planning and promoted Christy Gandy to vice president of operations.

Fisher brings a wealth of business, economic development, and member relations experience to FPC. Her resume includes positions at the Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. She is a graduate of Central Michigan University, where she earned a degree in communications and Spanish.

In her new role, Fisher will lead programmatic efforts related to the Florida Seaport Transportation and Economic Development Program, as well as managing seaport relations.

“We’re pleased to have Emily join the seaports team and are excited about her ability to transfer her business and economic development experience to help benefit Florida’s seaports,” FPC President and CEO Michael Rubin said.

Gandy is a 15-plus year veteran of the FPC, assisting with daily operations of the Tallahassee-based office and leading all event planning for regularly scheduled meetings with executives from Florida’s 15 seaports. She is actively involved with the Florida Society of Association Executives.

“Christy is a dedicated team member, routinely helping ensure we provide the best meetings and events for our members and stakeholders and she is well-deserving of this promotion,” Rubin added.

Fisher and Gandy will report to Rubin, who recently took over as president and CEO. He has worked at FPC since 1998.

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Breaking overnight — “U.S. to advise boosters for most Americans eight months after vaccination” via Sharon LaFraniere of The New York Times — The Joe Biden administration has decided that most Americans should get a coronavirus booster shot eight months after they completed their initial vaccination, and could begin offering the extra shots as early as mid-September, according to two administration officials familiar with the discussions. Officials are planning to announce the decision as early as this week. Their goal is to let Americans know now that they will need additional protection against the delta variant. The first boosters are likely to go to nursing home residents and health care workers, followed by other older people who were near the front of the line when vaccinations began late last year. Officials envision giving people the same vaccine they originally received.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

Tweet, tweet:

—@SenRickScott: After the disastrous events in Afghanistan, we must confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office, or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?

—@DavidAstinWalsh: Honestly, the Twitter freakout over the Biden speech from across the political spectrum is based on disbelief that an American President could actually take active steps to end the forever war.

—@FordM: Biden is pretty confident that the American public’s view of Afghanistan is closer to his own than to a lot of other folks in D.C. and on Twitter, and he has few reasons to think otherwise.

—@AlexThomp: Worth remembering that some (Donald) Trump-aligned Republicans argued last fall that Biden was the candidate who’d continue wars in the Middle East and Trump was the withdrawal candidate.

Tweet, tweet:

—@LoriBerman: @GovRonDeSantis has considerable influence over his vaccine-hesitant Republican base. Most would also agree that preventing severe illness is preferable to treating severe illness, particularly as our hospital capacity wanes. So, where’s his vaccine campaign?

Tweet, tweet: