Sunburn — The Morning Read Of What’s Hot In Florida Politics — 9.13.22

 Good Tuesday morning.

Top government relations firm Ballard Partners is expanding on the homefront with a new office in Sarasota.

Todd Josko will serve as Managing Partner of the new office, which marks the firm’s eighth office in the Sunshine State — Ballard Partners also has offices in Tallahassee, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

“As Florida’s growth continues to boom, Southwest Florida is a burgeoning market for Florida business and also plays a critical role in Florida governance and elections,” said Brian Ballard, the founder and president of Ballard Partners. “We are delighted to be expanding the firm’s significant footprint in Florida under Todd’s leadership, given his long-standing personal ties and unique knowledge of Sarasota and Manatee counties.”

Josko has more than 25 years of experience in state and municipal government relations, public affairs, strategic communications and political strategies, and has been a partner in the firm’s Tampa office since 2016.

Before joining Ballard Partners, Josko founded a Tampa-based public affairs firm that he led for 15 years. He previously held a senior-level position with an international strategic communications firm and has advised many national, state and local Republican candidates. He holds a master’s degree in political science from Florida State University and a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Florida.

“I am excited to plant the Ballard Partners flag in my hometown of Sarasota,” Josko said. “With our firm’s local, state, federal and international reach, our capabilities are unrivaled in Southwest Florida.”

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The Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking, the Direct Support Organization to the Statewide Council on Human Trafficking, announced three new appointments to its Board of Directors.

Allison Kinney of HCA Healthcare and Pasco County Commissioner Kathyrn Starkey were appointed by the House Speaker, while the Senate President appointed Matt Mohler of Florida Power & Light.

Kinney is the vice president of government relations for HCA Healthcare Florida and previously worked as a senior director with Charter Communications, vice president and director of government relations for OneMain Financial, vice president of state government relations for TD Bank and assistant vice president of government relations for the Florida Bankers Association.

Starkey is a longtime resident of the Tampa Bay Area and before her election to the Pasco Commission, she was an elected member of the Pasco County School Board. She has also served on various state and local boards and has undertaken numerous charitable endeavors.

Mohler is an external affairs special projects manager for FPL. He previously spent 15 years as a political consultant working for candidates in local, multicounty and statewide races in Florida.

“We are excited to have these individuals join the Board and help raise awareness about human trafficking throughout various industries and networks. Their collective professional accomplishments are notable, and we look forward to their participation as we work to prevent exploitation in our state,” said Ellyn Bogdanoff, who chairs the Alliance.

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Here are a few other thoughts:

— About a third of Americans say they want a strongman in power … kind of. According to an Axios poll, 33% of Americans agreed that strong, unelected leaders were better than weak elected ones and 35% said the President should be able to remove judges whose decisions go against the national interest.

— The warning sign is flashing again. According to Nate Cohn of The New York Times, Democratic U.S. Senate candidates are overperforming in states such as Wisconsin, Arizona, and even Florida. The problem? Many of those states were home to the biggest polling errors in the 2020 Election.

— A majority of adults in the U.S. say that the country’s health care system is lacking, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Just one in eight Americans say health care is handled “extremely well” in the U.S., and only 6% say the U.S. has top-notch nursing homes and mental health care.

— Steph Curry, otherwise known as the best shooter of all time, wants to win another ring. But he also wants to secure his place in the history books outside of basketball — as a “businessman, a humanitarian, and — slowly but surely — an activist and more vocal political leader,” Matt Sullivan writes for Rolling Stone.

— SITUATIONAL AWARENESS —

Tweet, tweet:

Senators introducing a bipartisan resolution “honoring the life and accomplishments of Queen Elizabeth II,” led by Shaheen and Collins. pic.twitter.com/YlhHZ7bKQp

— Andrew Solender (@AndrewSolender) September 12, 2022

—@JohnGreen: The United States will soon drop out of the Top 50 nations in terms of life expectancy. Every country above us has a public option for health insurance of a publicly funded health care system. Not some. Not most. Every single one.

—@BryanDGriffin: There is absolutely no issue with the Governor sharing his Christian values or utilizing them in his decision-making as a leader.

—@IleanaGarcia: When my mother first arrived in America it was the Jewish community in Miami Beach that welcomed her and my grandmother. We are forever grateful! Growing up these wonderful resilient women embedded gratitude and showed me to always pass the blessings on to others. @JCSSFL תודה

—@SenPizzo: Because of redistricting, there’s a @FLSenate race of particular and personal concern. I will no longer represent Miami Beach, a city full of diversity. M.B. deserves a State Senator who will celebrate and protect — not vilify — that diversity. @Raquel_MiamiBch is that person.

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

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