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Takeaways from Tallahassee — Off to the races

Jeanette Nuñez is looking for a more holistic approach to law enforcement. Image via Colin Hackley.

Qualifying’s near

The qualifying period is around the corner, and that means candidates for many federal, state and special district offices can start handing in their paperwork on Memorial Day.

The qualifying period for U.S. Senator, Representative in Congress, Governor, Attorney General, Chief Financial Officer, Commissioner of Agriculture, State Senator, State Representative and Multi-County Special Districts runs from noon on June 13 to noon on June 17. However, because candidates may submit qualifying papers 14 days before the beginning of the qualifying period, the Department of State’s Division of Elections will start accepting documents on Monday, Memorial Day.

“As Florida’s chief elections officer, I want to remind all candidates who are running for the offices listed above to turn in the appropriate paperwork as soon as possible beginning on May 30,” Secretary of State Cord Byrd said in a news release. “This helps our office collect, review and maintain the database in a timely, organized manner.”

Election season is ramping up under Cord Byrd. Image via Cord Byrd.

While state offices are closed on Memorial Day, qualifying documents can still be placed in the secure box provided just inside the front lobby doors of the R.A. Gray Building located at 500 South Bronough Street in Tallahassee.

The qualifying period and pre-qualifying submission period above also applies to County and District offices. However, the qualifying paperwork must be submitted to the county Supervisor of Elections’ office as the qualifying officer. Candidates can contact their county Supervisor of Elections for more information.

The Division of Elections website will be updated during the week as candidates meet the qualification requirements.

Byrd has had a busy first couple weeks as Secretary of State, and things aren’t likely to slow down between now and November. After helping host the 20th of May — Emancipation in Florida ceremony in Downtown Tallahassee last week, Byrd took to Miramar Beach this week for the Florida Supervisors of Elections Conference.

At the conference, Byrd called setting up Florida’s election police a top priority of his department. He was also twice asked if he believed President Joe Biden won the election “fair and square.” Both times, Byrd said that Biden was “certified” as the winner and that he is the President. He also said there were “irregularities” in other states.

Byrd’s selection has been sharply criticized by Democrats who contend he is too partisan to handle the duties as Florida’s chief election officer. Democrats at the state and federal level have also warned that the new election crimes office could be used to target voters — including minority voters — who vote Democratic.

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Coming up, the usual assortment of news, intel, and observations from the week that was in Florida’s capital city by Peter SchorschDrew Wilson, Renzo DowneyChristine Jordan Sexton and the staff of Florida Politics.

But first …

Take 5

The “Takeaway 5” — the Top 5 stories from the week that was:

Gov. DeSantis signs property insurance legislation — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a large property insurance bill Thursday evening, a measure designed to shore up a troubled industry that has seen a spate of bankruptcies, cancellations and rate hikes. That volatility spurred DeSantis to call a Special Session, which concluded Wednesday after the House passed SB 2D. “This package represents the most significant reforms to Florida’s homeowners insurance market in a generation,” DeSantis said in a released statement. “These bills will help stabilize a problematic market, help Floridians harden their homes through the My Safe Florida Home Program, and pave the way for more choices for homeowners.” The bill passed 95-14 in the House and 30-9 in the Senate. The only Republican to vote against it was Rep. Erin Grall.

Condo deal struck, passed and signed — DeSantis signed a second law from the Special Session to require stricter inspections for condominiums codifying a deal legislators reached in response to the deadly condo collapse in Surfside last year. Rep. Daniel Perez filed the legislation Tuesday afternoon, 11 months after the Champlain Towers South collapsed in Surfside. The 88-page bill is the culmination of months of work by legislative leaders and local lawmakers. “People talk about coming to Tallahassee and it being too political, but this is real policy with real change affecting real families in the past but also in the future,” Perez told members before the final vote.

House Dems elect Fentrice Driskell as Leader-designate — Florida House Democrats have unanimously named Rep. Driskell their Leader-designate, priming her to be the first Black woman to lead a House party caucus. Driskell steps up amid a transitional period for House Democrats and as the caucus is less than six months away from what is expected to be a difficult Election Day. Following her election on Tuesday, she told reporters she hopes to build unity in the caucus. “I mentioned in my remarks that we may be a smaller caucus, we are diminutive in number, but I think we serve an important role in terms of fighting for the people of Florida, pushing for the responsibility and transparency that we need,” Driskell said.

Elections Subcommittee links police unit to intimidation — A congressional panel studying voter turnout traveled to Tallahassee on Wednesday to address state laws Democrats have likened to voter suppression. The U.S. House Elections Subcommittee and Chairman G. K. Butterfield staged the field trip in an effort to spotlight ballot access in Florida and the nation more broadly. Within one of the measures (SB 524), signed in April, is a provision creating a first-of-its-kind election crimes investigation office, which Butterfield called a troubling and disappointing development. “Enacting laws such as this does not bolster election integrity,” Butterfield said. “Rather, it creates a serious risk of voter and election administrator intimidation, and it perpetuates the false narrative that American elections are not secure.”

Feds OK Medicaid postpartum extension — President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday approved a 10-month extension to the length of time that postpartum women qualify for Medicaid and federal Children’s Health Insurance Program benefits. The change was a top priority for House Speaker Chris Sprowls. The state government submitted a proposed amendment to its Medicaid 1115 waiver last year. It didn’t get approved though until lawmakers passed SB 2526 during the 2022 Session, which ensured that people enrolled in the Children’s Health Insurance Program, a Medicaid expansion, would also qualify for the extended benefits. Exclusive of public health emergency requirements that ban states from disenrolling Medicaid enrollees, an estimated 52,000 postpartum women in Florida could benefit from the change in policy.

 

Grants for Gadsden

DeSantis announced $1.8 million in federal infrastructure grant funds in Gadsden County bringing recent investments in northwest Florida county to $9 million. The new funding the Governor announced this week is administered by the Department of Economic Opportunity but comes from the  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The HUD funds are meant in part to address unmet disaster recovery needs related to damage from Hurricane Michael as well as help communities prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus.

Quincy was awarded $23,985 to replace a failing bypass pump with a new, permanent bypass pump to prevent future backflow of wastewater. And Gadsden County was awarded $1.8 million to rehabilitate, improve and furnish an existing county-owned facility for public use.

Rural Gadsden County will win big with the latest budget.

“My administration is dedicated to making investments that strengthen Florida’s communities,” DeSantis said. “These awards will support critical infrastructure in Gadsden County while creating new opportunities for its residents.” These awards follow more than $7.1 million in additional community development and rural infrastructure funding awarded to Gadsden County in the month of April.

The following communities received awards in April 2022:

— Chattahoochee: $3.8 million to rehabilitate an existing former school building for use as a new senior center.

— Gretna: $2.3 million to expand the city’s community center to allow for the provision of public health services.

— Midway: $600,000 to construct an education center with ADA-compliant bathrooms, five-station shooting stand, automated clay throwing equipment and a five-station small-bore rifle range.

— Gretna: $504,100 to support road and utility improvements in preparation for the construction of a new facility that will create 14 jobs and an estimated $14.5 million capital investment in the city of Gretna.

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