Weekly Legislative Report - January 26, 2021

There was a heavy police presence at the state Capitol prior to the Inauguration – but only a very small number of protesters, who showed up  the weekend before, held a news conference and then left.  In response to the potential for unrest, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued Executive Order 21-11, activating the Florida National Guard, and directing it to coordinate and support the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, state and local law enforcement in keeping order around the Capitol. States around the country were concerned about the possibility of protests over the changing of political power in Washington.

The Florida Capitol was illuminated amber on Tuesday as part of the Biden-Harris inauguration's national moment of unity and remembrance for the more than 397,000 American lives lost to COVID-19. Florida's Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried requested the capitol lighting.

The opening of the Capitol building was delayed last Thursday morning until 9 a.m. after police said they received a bomb threat overnight. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said police swept the Capitol complex using explosive detecting dogs, and nothing suspicious was found. A man has been arrested for false bomb threat.

Lawmakers will return to Tallahassee this week. House and Senate committees are scheduled to meet starting Monday to hear bills in advance of the 2021 legislative session, which begins in March.  Here are some of the bills that they will consider:

• The Florida Senate will streamline legislation on Monday that would provide COVID-19 liability protections for businesses. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to take up SB 72 by Senator Jeff Brandes at 2:30 p.m.
• The House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee is slated Jan. 27 to take up the bill (HB 1), sponsored by Miami-Dade County Republican Juan Alfonso Fernandez-Barquin. The bill would create a host of new crimes, crack down on protests and make it difficult for local government officials to trim spending on law enforcement.
• On Wednesday, the Senate Health Policy Committee will hear SB 7000, Nurse Licensure Compact. This bill would provide an exemption from public records certain personal information of nurses in the Nurse Licensure Compact, as well as remove a repeal of the exemption. They will also hold a workshop on health care related laws and policies that have been set aside or altered during the current public health emergency.  The meeting is at 9:00am.
  
• At 2:00 pm on Wednesday, House Finance & Facilities Subcommittee the will meet Shevaun L. Harris, Acting Secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) & receive an implementation briefing by Molly McKinstry, Deputy Secretary, Division of Health Quality Assurance, on:
  - HB 1175 (2016) related to Transparency in Health Care
  - HB 319 (2019) related to Patient Safety & Quality Measures
  - HB 763 (2020) related to Patient Safety Culture Surveys
  - HB 21 (2019) related to Certificate of Need (CON) repeal/licensure rulemaking

Presentations of importance in the coming week include:

• The Senate Subcommittee on Health and Human Services will hear a report on additional funding received by the Department of Health in response to COVID-19. The meeting is Wednesday at 12:30 pm. Until 3:00pm.

If you are interested watching the meetings listed above, you can tune into the Florida Channel - https://thefloridachannel.org/watch/ - or watch it through the ROKU app.

Despite what some Senate Democrats would like, lawmakers will not head outside for committee meetings as the weather gets warmer.

“We have all that (Capitol) plaza, all the room of the portico, the new stuff. We could have lobbyists meetings; we could have public meetings out there,” Sen. Loranne Ausley, D-Tallahassee, said during a Democratic caucus Zoom call on Monday. “I think we should be, you know, strongly advocating for that. I would feel much more comfortable meeting outside.”

Due to COVID 19-restrictions, members of the public and lobbyists who want to speak during Senate committee meetings can do so remotely, from rooms reserved at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center a few blocks from the Capitol. Committees are meeting in large rooms, allowing more room for senators and staff members to spread out.

Unlike the House, the Senate is prohibiting individual in-person meetings, even by appointment, in Senate offices.

Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, noted there has been some confusion as a few lobbyists last week made their way into the Senate office building, despite signs explaining the rule of no indoor in-person meetings.

Katie Betta, spokeswoman for Simpson, said Wednesday that Senate committee meetings will remain indoors.

“The President is certainly comfortable with and encourages senators to hold individual meetings outdoors at their discretion, but the Senate has no plans to move committee meetings outdoors at this time,” Betta said in an email. “As you can imagine, outdoor committee meetings pose a number of serious logistical concerns, the most important of which is security.”

State health officials on Thursday restricted COVID vaccines to state residents following complaints that non-residents were coming to the state to try to get vaccinated. State Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees issued a public health advisory restricting vaccinations to people who can prove Florida residency, with an exception for visiting healthcare workers who have contact with patients.

A bill that would crack down on COVID-19 vaccine fraud cleared its first committee stop earlier this month; now it has the support of AARP Florida.

The bill (HB 9), filed by Rep. Ardian Zika, would increase penalties for vaccine-related fraud schemes, which have been on the rise in the weeks since the FDA approved the first coronavirus vaccines.

“After a year of uncertainty and mounting isolation, older Floridians are more vulnerable than ever. Many view the vaccine as the key to relief. Florida ranks second in the nation for fraud, and House Bill 9 is a step in the right direction, allowing our state to take swift action to stop and prosecute scammers looking to take advantage of others during a pandemic,” AARP FL state director Jeff Johnson said.

AARP Florida noted that while some vaccine schemes qualify as fraud under current statute, some don’t, which makes stopping them difficult.

HB 9 would cast a wider net to catch schemers — the bill would make it a third-degree felony to spread false or misleading advertisements about vaccine access or availability via the internet, phone, email, or text message.

The bill applies to the coronavirus vaccine as well as “a vaccine for any other pandemic disease.”

It would also give the Attorney General the ability to institute a civil action in response to a violation or prevent a violation of the anti-fraud law. The actions could include “a permanent or temporary injunction, a restraining order, or any other appropriate order.”

Shifting message: As cases in Florida surge, DeSantis, who previously said his priority was to protect the elderly from getting infected with the virus, has shifted his message to talking only about the vaccine. For the last month, he has traveled across the state touting new vaccine distribution sites, focused on getting shots in the arms of people over age 65. Absent from every event, however, is any talk about preventing infection for everyone else. Meanwhile, about four times as many Floridians are now dying from the disease every day, on average, compared to early November.

College superspreaders: A study of 30 college campuses suggests they are COVID-19 superspreaders in their communities, with one in five students having gotten sick by end of fall semester.

Meanwhile, post-holiday surges in COVID-19 infections are combining with the seasonal increase in patients and hospital officials throughout Florida now worry they will face serious staff shortages in the coming months.

Last week, the Department of Economic Opportunity announced Florida has had eight consecutive months of month-over-month job growth. From May to December, Florida has gained 748,100 private-sector jobs.

Below are some articles about the issues mentioned above and more …

Legislature …

“House starts moving on protest bill” via The News Service of Florida — The House Criminal Justice & Public Safety Subcommittee is slated Jan. 27 to take up the bill (HB 1), sponsored by Miami-Dade County Republican Juan Alfonso Fernandez-Barquin. The bill, along with an identical Senate proposal (SB 484), would create a host of new crimes, crack down on protests and make it difficult for local government officials to trim spending on law enforcement. The legislation, in part, would create a new offense of “mob intimidation” when three or more people act “with a common intent, to compel or induce, or attempt to compel or induce, another person by force, or threat of force, to do any act or to assume or abandon a particular viewpoint.”

“Poll: As Legislative Session looms, Florida’s mostly GOP leadership might be out of step with voters” via Michael Moline of the Florida Phoenix — A statewide survey of Florida voters, conducted following the attack by Trump supporters on the U.S. Capitol, suggests a distinct lack of support for DeSantis’ push to ramp up criminal penalties for what he considers “disorderly” protests. Asked to rate their support for “protecting our constitutional right to free assembly and free speech by legally protesting without fear of criminal charges,” 90% considered it important, with 71% saying it is “very important.” Seventy-one percent of Democrats and 74% of Republicans deemed the issue a top priority, according to EMC Research, a data analytics and political research firm.

“Senate committee to take up COVID-19 liability protections for businesses” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — The Florida Senate will streamline legislation on Monday that would provide COVID-19 liability protections for businesses. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans to take up SB 72 at 2:30 p.m. in the Knott Building, Room 412, on Monday. The Senate’s apparent urgency is in near lockstep with the rapid pace taken by the House on HB 7, a bill also seeking COVID-19 liability protections. SB 72 and HB 7 seek to exclusively protect churches, schools and businesses from “frivolous” COVID-19 related lawsuits. Both bills notably omit protections for health care providers such as nursing homes and employees. By design, the measures would make winning lawsuits a greater challenge for plaintiffs.

Florida Economist To Lawmakers: Strong Growth Not Enough To Cover Budget Deficit Caused By COVID-19

https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/local-state/2021-01-18/florida-economist-to-lawmakers-strong-growth-not-enough-to-cover-budget-deficit-caused-by-covid-19

Florida lawmakers return to Tallahassee in March facing at least a $2 billion budget shortfall. And that’s despite an infusion of more than $6 billion in federal money aimed at helping the state weather the coronavirus pandemic.

“Audrey Gibson bill would require enhanced dementia training for health care providers ” via Florida Politics staff reports — A new bill from Sen. Gibson would require bolstered training about dementia and Alzheimer’s for some health care workers. The legislation, which was filed last week, would require some employees of nursing homes, home health care providers, hospices, assisted living facilities and adult day care facilities to complete at least one hour of Department of Elder Affairs-approved dementia-related training within 30 days of starting employment. Current law mandates that all employees at these facilities receive “basic written information about interacting with persons with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder” when they start work.

“Tom Fabricio, Mike Giallombardo want to change telehealth practices ” via Florida Politics staff reports — A new bill, filed last week by freshmen Reps. Fabricio and Giallombardo, would allow prescribers to prescribe controlled substances to patients during telehealth visits. That includes prescriptions for treating psychiatric disorders, inpatient treatment at licensed medical facilities, treatment for patients in hospice care, and treatment for nursing home residents. The bill would also remove language preventing “audio-only telephone calls” from being used for telehealth appointments. Current statutes, which were approved in 2019, do not consider phone calls, emails and “facsimile transmissions” to be acceptable media for telehealth visits. An identical bill was also filed last week by Republican Sen. Manny Diaz. If approved, the measures would go into effect on July 1.

“Jackie Toledo appropriations request would provide $750K for at-risk mothers and babies program ” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — Tampa Rep. Toledo is asking the state for a funding boost for the Nurse-Family Partnership program in an appropriations bill filed Thursday. In HB 2133, Toledo requests $750,000 from the state to help fund the nonprofit. The nonrecurring request is $250,000 more than another last year when Toledo successfully secured $500,000 for the program. According to the appropriations request, the statewide nonprofit pairs expectant, at-risk mothers with a registered nurse, who maintains regular health visits through the child’s second birthday. The nurses coach, guide and educate the mothers to improve the quality of life for both mother and child. The program serves between 50 to 100 individuals at a time, according to the appropriations request.

"Anthony Sabatini to sponsor legislation to rename US-27 as 'President Donald J. Trump Highway'" via 10 Tampa Bay

COVID-19 …

DeSantis Says Biden Plans to Have FEMA Help with Vaccine Rollout Aren't Needed: 'Just Get Us More Vaccine' - A plan for FEMA and the National Guard to help with the nation's effort to vaccinate its citizens by putting up COVID vaccine clinics aren't needed in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. "That's not necessary in Florida," DeSantis said. "All we need is more vaccine. Just get us more vaccine." Tampa Bay Times

“Florida adds 12,873 COVID-19 cases and 161 deaths as Broward, Palm Beach hit milestones” via Howard Cohen of The Miami Herald — Florida’s Department of Health on Thursday confirmed 12,873 additional cases of COVID-19 to bring the state’s known total to 1,613,884. Also, 161 resident deaths were announced, bringing the resident death toll to 24,739. Two new nonresident deaths were also announced, bringing the nonresident toll to 389. The total death count for the state is 25,128, the fourth highest in the country after New York, California and Texas, according to The New York Times database of U.S. cases. Palm Beach County hit a new milestone, topping 100,000 cases. Broward topped 2,000 deaths and the Florida Keys saw three new deaths.

“Florida now requiring proof of state residency for COVID vaccines ” via Ana Claudia Chacin, Bianca Padró Ocasio and Taylor Dolven of the Miami Herald — Anyone who wants to receive a vaccine against COVID-19 in Florida must prove they are a resident of the state, according to a new emergency public health declaration signed Thursday by Florida Surgeon General Scott Rivkees. In the advisory, Rivkees said the “prioritization of Floridians for COVID-19 vaccine in Florida” is “necessary to protect public health and safety” due to limited vaccine availability in the state. The advisory would apply to “every vaccine provider,” the advisory said. The only cited exception to the new residency mandate is health care workers working directly with patients.

“Gov. Ron DeSantis criticizes Biden’s vaccine plan as ‘big mistake,’ ‘not necessary’” via Lawrence Mower of the Tampa Bay Times

RIVKEES SAYS STATE VACCINE IS 'SUPPLY LIMITED'

Christine Sexton

TALLAHASSEE --- As Gov. Ron DeSantis barnstorms the state announcing new COVID-19 vaccination sites, a top health-care adviser acknowledged Tuesday on a phone call with hospital officials that Florida is in a “supply-limited situation.”

Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said in the statewide phone call that he does not know when  additional “first doses” of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be sent to the state or how many doses would be in a potential future delivery.

“At the present time, we are in pretty much a supply-limited situation,” Rivkees said. “So, as more vaccine becomes available, we will be able to determine when we can send more vaccines out to hospitals for community vaccination.”

The additional first-dose vaccines, Rivkees said, would be in addition to follow-up second dose vaccines that were delivered to hospitals late last week and early this week. Agency for Health Care Administration Acting Secretary Shevaun Harris, who joined Rivkees on the phone call, said some hospitals weren’t expected to get their second-dose deliveries until late Tuesday night due to a shipping delay.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends that people take two doses of COVID-19 vaccines for full protection. The second dose of the Pfizer vaccine can be administered 21 days after the first dose, while the second dose of the Moderna vaccine can be administered as early as 24 days after the first dose.

The supply shortage comes as the numbers of coronavirus cases in the state increase and the death toll mounts. As of Tuesday, Florida reported 1,589,097 cases since the pandemic started. The death toll of Florida residents stood at 24,436, of which 8,925 were long-term care residents and staff members.

Florida Democrats also continued to mount criticism Tuesday of the state’s vaccination rollout efforts, holding an online news conference to blast DeSantis.

Rivkees said he didn’t have a timeline for when additional first doses would be delivered to the state. The Trump administration announced last week that it would change a distribution formula to allocate vaccines based on the numbers of residents age 65 and older. The federal government has based allocations on the numbers of people in the states age 18 and older.

Florida has the second-highest number of people age 65 and older, and the change in policy would benefit the state. “If that happens, we certainly will keep everyone apprised as more vaccine becomes available in the state,” Rivkees said.

The federal government had distributed 31,161,075 vaccine doses nationwide and 2,069,175 in Florida as of Friday, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine tracker. Through Monday, Florida had provided 1,066,107 COVID-19 vaccinations, according to the state Department of Health.

While the vaccine remains in short supply, a CDC advisory committee initially recommended that front-line health care workers and long-term care residents and staff be vaccinated. The advisory committee then recommended that the eligibility group be expanded to include essential workers such as teachers, firefighters and certain retail workers.

DeSantis bucked that recommendation and issued an executive order Dec. 23 adding people 65 and older and health workers with direct patient contact to the list of eligible vaccine candidates. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced last week the federal government was recommending that other states do the same.

But DeSantis has acknowledged that the decision initially led to a run on supply.

During the online news conference Tuesday, Democrats criticized the governor for a flurry of appearances across the state announcing agreements with Publix supermarkets to provide vaccinations.

Senate Minority Leader Gary Farmer, D-Lighthouse Point, acknowledged the monumental nature of the massive vaccination effort, but he pointed to a lack of communications and coordination for troubles with getting the vaccines to the public. 

“You had to expect some, some problems, but the lack of information, the lack of coordination by our governor, dumping this on the county health departments and letting them come up with their own rules without any significant guidance,” Farmer said.

Sen. Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, criticized DeSantis’s recent swing across the state announcing Publix locations where the vaccines will be available. As of Tuesday, 220 Publix supermarkets in 17 counties had been provided vaccines, DeSantis said.

But Cruz  noted  that the Publix supermarkets in her area had no supply for the past four days. 

“There is no supply headed for this state,” Cruz said. “Yet we have a governor that's on this PR rampage, running around as if he's some kind of superhero with vaccinations. He's doing a public relations run with no product and no product in sight. It is insane that we are trying to fool Floridians here.”

DeSantis returned the partisan barbs Tuesday afternoon during a news conference in Cape Coral. DeSantis, who has touted his relationship with outgoing President Donald Trump, said President-elect Joe Biden’s administration shouldn't dictate how states administer the vaccines. 

“The more bureaucracy involved in this, the worse it’s going to be,” DeSantis said.

"All we need is more vaccine --- just get us more vaccine,” DeSantis added.

“As many Black Floridians die, very little COVID-19 vaccine gets to them” via Wayne Washington and Chris Persaud of The Palm Beach Post — Black Floridians have accounted for less than 5% of the more than 775,000 residents who got the first doses of coronavirus vaccine, state figures show, intensifying concerns that wariness of the vaccine coupled with uneven distribution of it are further marring a rollout in the Sunshine State that has largely been panned. Through Thursday, State Department of Health figures don’t specifically include Hispanics, a stunning omission given that they account for more than a quarter of the state’s population. As is the case across the country, COVID-19 has brought disproportionate suffering to Hispanics in Florida. Hispanics, 26.4% of the state's population, accounted for 31.4% of those hospitalized.

“Tech, supply hurdles leave Florida seniors struggling to get vaccinated against COVID-19 ” via Stephen Hudak and Kate Santich of The Orlando Sentinel — U.S. Air Force veteran George Hardy, soon to be 90, served four years in the Korean War and has since generally felt the nation honored and respected his military service. But the Orlando retiree’s struggle to get a COVID-19 vaccine has sown doubts. Hardy, a widower who owns a home but not a computer, also didn’t have a smartphone or an email address. He was told he needed one or the other to pre-register with the state’s booking portal to even have a shot at getting a dose of the vaccine. Despite Ron DeSantis’ insistence that seniors are Florida’s top priority for COVID-19 vaccinations, plans to inoculate the state’s oldest residents have failed many Central Florida elders.

“With little backup and COVID spread, Florida hospitals could feel staffing squeeze soon ” via Samantha Gross of the Miami Herald

Hundreds of Thousands of Seniors Are Signing Up and Lining Up for COVID Vaccines – but Supplies Aren't Meeting Demand - A quarter of a million people in Florida signed up for under 25,000 appointment slots to get a vaccine on Wednesday – and that was just the vaccine being made available at Publix supermarkets. The slots were taken in under two hours statewide. Seniors say trying to get the vaccine has been a test of their stamina as they get repeatedly shut out of appointments through various sign-up sites. They can expect more of the same for many weeks, experts say. Sun Sentinel

Florida Surgeon General Urges Feds to Boost Vaccine Supply, Tells Floridians 'We'll Get to You' - The state's top health official on Wednesday urged the federal government to boost allotments of COVID vaccines to states with high numbers of seniors like Florida, and urged older Floridians to be patient, promising they'll be able to get vaccinated eventually. "We will get to you," Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said. "We are in a situation where we are awaiting additional supply, and as more supply gets available, we will get it to those of you in the public." Associated Press

Most COVID Workers Comp Claims, By Far, Are in Healthcare Industry - The overwhelming proportion of all COVID-19-related workers comp claims, nearly 85%, have been filed by healthcare workers, according to a study in the Midwest. The healthcare industry was the only one with a significantly higher risk of workers comp claims because of the pandemic, according to the study. One possibly surprising finding: it wasn't nurses, doctors or respiratory therapists who were most likely to file claims, but workers in medical laboratories. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 

“With state officials mum, Floridians aren’t being told about a public health threat: A troubling new COVID-19 strain” via Issac Morgan of Florida Phoenix — On New Year’s Eve, a more contagious strain of COVID-19 that first appeared in the United Kingdom emerged in Florida, with the state health department tweeting information on Florida’s first case. That one case has now jumped to 22 cases as of Thursday, the nation's second-highest number. Only California has more cases, 32, according to the federal CDC. The Florida Department of Health’s tweets on New Year’s Eve provided some details about the case in Martin County, north of Palm Beach County. And health officials and lawmakers held a news conference on Jan. 2 about the Martin County case. But ever since then, the public has been in the dark, with state officials mum about the troubling new cases that can spread more easily and make more people ill.

“Moderna CEO says the world will have to live with COVID ‘forever’” via Berkeley Lovelace, Jr. Of CNBC — The CEO of COVID-19 vaccine maker Moderna warned Wednesday that the coronavirus that has brought world economies to a standstill and overwhelmed hospitals would be around “forever.” Public health officials and infectious disease experts have said there is a high likelihood that COVID-19 will become an endemic disease, meaning it will become present in communities at all times, though likely at lower levels than it is now. Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel appeared to agree Wednesday that COVID-19 will become endemic, saying “SARS-CoV-2 is not going away.”

“‘You are violating my rights!’ Florida woman jailed (again) for refusing to wear a mask” via The Orlando Sentinel — Cindy Falco Dicorrado may have wanted a bagel at an Einstein Bros. Bagels near Boca Raton, but she may have had to settle for eating one in a Palm Beach County jail the next morning. Dicorrado, who lives in Boynton Beach, was arrested Thursday morning after she refused to leave an Einstein bagel shop at 9795 Glades Rd. because she refused to wear a mask. There is a mask mandate in Palm Beach County due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is currently surging in Florida. Palm Beach County has had more than 96,000 confirmed cases and more than 2,000 deaths since the novel coronavirus pandemic began. But Dicorrado, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office probable cause affidavit, was inside the bagel shop “screaming” at customers and employees “you are violating my rights” and “you are violating the constitution” after manager Ann Marie Campian repeatedly asked her to wear the required mask.

POLITICAL …

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz says he won't challenge U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio in next election – may be interested in state agriculture post. Tampa Bay Times

"Gabriel Garcia, Miami Proud Boys member, ex-GOP candidate, arrested for role in Capitol mob" via The Miami Herald

“NRSC head Rick Scott to back GOP incumbents over Trump challengers ” via Burgess Everett of POLITICO

Trump supporters Sen. Joe Gruters and Christian Ziegler were reelected chairman and vice chairman of the state Republican Party over the weekend . Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Southwest Florida has seen a surge in voters dropping their Republican Party registration to become no party voters, or Democrats. Naples Daily News  

The Bay County Republican Party said it won't recognize President-elect Joe Biden as legitimate unless President Donald Trump concedes and acknowledges that the 2020 election was fair. Associated Press

The Florida Democratic Party on Friday terminated two-thirds of its staff as part of an overhaul being pushed into place by new party chair Manny Diaz . Politico

Veteran political operative Marcus Dixon was named Tuesday as the new executive director of the Florida Democratic Party. Florida Politics

“The Florida Democrats who just might win statewide races ” via Mac Stipanovich for the Tampa Bay Times

“A politician in Trump-loving Hialeah has left the Republican Party. Here’s why” via Aaron Liebowitz of The Miami Herald — Paul Hernandez, a Hialeah city councilman for the past decade, said he changed his voter registration from Republican to Democrat just hours after he watched a mob of Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol. City and county leaders in Miami-Dade serve in nonpartisan roles. But a defection from the Republican Party is notable in conservative Hialeah, where Hernandez is now the only registered Democrat representing the city at any level of government. The replies were mostly supportive, including from local Democrats like Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava. Hernandez had supported Levine Cava’s Republican opponent, former county commissioner and Hialeah local Steve Bovo, in the November mayoral race.

“A few miles from Mar-a-Lago, White supremacists set up headquarters ” via Brittany Wallman, Megan O'Matz and Mario Ariza of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — As the drumbeat of White supremacists grew louder in America, three men quietly formed a new extremist group, planting their flag in Palm Beach County. The Sovereign American Project, based in West Palm Beach, began recruiting in August. It envisions an America separated, as in the days of segregation. Described by one supporter as “political nerds,” their rhetoric is cerebral, like a treatise on sociology. But the dark undertone is clear: They hope to undo racial integration and allow White, conservative people to live apart. Whites, the group’s website says, are genetically superior in “civilization building” and “should always have the majority of power and influence in the nations founded and built by our European ancestors.”