Legislative Update - November 18, 2022

Now that elections are over, the Florida House and Senate are getting ready for Organizational Session scheduled for Tuesday, November 22. 

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo has announced her leadership team, comprising of Senator Dennis Baxley as President Pro Tempore, Senator Debbie Mayfield as Rules Chair, Senator Doug Broxson as Appropriations Chair, Senator Ben Albritton as Majority Leader, and Senator Keith Perry. 

On the House side, Speaker Paul Renner has announced that Rep. Chuck Clemmons will serve as his Speaker Pro Tempore and Rep. Michael Grant will continue his role as Majority Leader.

Governor DeSantis said he’s working on a “robust” agenda with legislative leaders that could mean more special sessions in advance of the 2023 regular session.

Florida is still recovering from Hurricane Nicole.  Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded a state of emergency declaration to include all 67 counties in Florida the day Hurricane Nicole came ashore. The Category 1 Hurricane made landfall Thursday morning near Vero Beach and traveled up the state, crossing over central Florida and hitting part of the Panhandle near Tallahassee. The executive order frees up state funding sources and makes other resources and support available as multiple regions recover. DeSantis Press Release

Governor DeSantis …

The DeSantis Administration's legal team is scrambling to appeal a ruling by federal judge Mark Hinkle, who on Thursday dropped the hammer on the Stop-WOKE Act, calling it "dystopian."

The ruling blocks universities from enforcing the new law and allows controversial race-based training and curriculum in classroom instruction and staff training.

Ladapo to Remain in DeSantis Administration - Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo will remain on the job for Gov. Ron DeSantis' second term as governor, according to a social media post. Ladapo was appointed by the governor in September of last year after former Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees stepped down. Ladapo, who had worked at UCLA, has similar views on the COVID-19 pandemic as the governor, believing that government has overreached with regulations intended to curtail it and that over-reaction to the outbreak has led to other areas of public health being overlooked. Ladapo has also been skeptical of the safety of vaccines and the effectiveness of masks. He most recently directed state medical regulators to update rules on the treatment of gender dysphoria, banning physicians from prescribing gender-affirming care to minors. Ladapo was confirmed by the state Senate earlier this year along party lines with Democrats in opposition, and has come under fire for some of his views that go against much of the medical community. The high profile job announcement is one of the firsts for DeSantis since he won re-election by a landslide last week. "Dr. Ladapo has done a great job," said the governor in a tweet on Monday. "His evidence-based principles serve as a counterweight to the increasingly political positions of the entrenched medical establishment, especially on schools, masks and mRNA shots." Florida Politics

DeSantis Administration Seeks New Employees - The newly re-elected Gov. Ron DeSantis has launched a website for those interested in working for his administration. The new job portal, JoinTeamDeSantis.com, allows people to apply to positions related to 17 areas of interest among 25 state agencies and departments. "Qualified" job seekers who want to "help continue the Governor's mission to keep Florida free" can fill out and attach a resume and cover letter. DeSantis also announced his "Keeping Florida Free" transition chairs. Adrian Lukis and Shane Strum, both former chiefs of staff to the governor, will oversee the transition of DeSantis' second term in office. A third chair will be filled by Miami attorney Scott Wagner, who is the current vice chairman of the South Florida Water Management District and a former member of the Orange Bowl Committee. The three leaders of the Keeping Florida Free Transition Team will help recommend future executive appointments. "We look forward to building upon our many successes of the first term and identifying a top-notch team to continue the fight for Florida families, businesses, and freedom," said the governor. DeSantis won his re-election last week against former Congressman and Gov. Charlie Crist with more than 59% of the vote. DeSantis Press Release / Florida Politics 

DeSantis Announces Off Days - Gov. Ron DeSantis announced on Thursday that state workers will get one business day off before each of three upcoming holidays. State offices will be closed the day before Thanksgiving, and on the Friday heading into the Christmas and New Year's weekends. The dates are Wednesday, Nov. 23, Friday, Dec. 23 and Friday, Dec. 30. The additional time off for state employees is on top of regular office closures during the holidays. DeSantis has implemented similar state office closures the past three years. "Our state employees have worked hard throughout the year, especially over the past few months responding to Hurricane Ian and Hurricane Nicole," said the governor. DeSantis Press Release / Florida Politics

Gov. Ron DeSantis made three judicial appointments on Monday. New Port Richey lawyer Dustin Anderson was appointed to serve on the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court. He was previously appointed by DeSantis to serve on the Pasco County Court in 2021. Arcadia-based attorney Guy Flowers was appointed by the governor to serve on the DeSoto County Court. Dana Moss, a Sarasota County Court judge, was tapped by DeSantis to serve on the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court. DeSantis Press Release

DeSantis Safety Czar Worked Closely on Migrant Flights - A top official in the DeSantis Administration coordinated closely with people who arranged flights for migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, documents released Monday show. The DeSantis Administration released several text messages between DeSantis' safety czar, Larry Keefe, and Perla Huerta, the woman alleged to have recruited migrants in San Antonio for the trips to Massachusetts. The text messages were released in response to a lawsuit over the scheme. The U.S. Treasury Department and a sheriff in Texas are investigating the flights, particularly whether the program improperly used money meant for COVID relief. A lawsuit is alleging migrants were improperly coerced to leave Texas with false promises of work as part of a Florida program intended to steer asylum seekers away from Florida and to Democrat-run communities and states. Politico  

DeSantis Seeks Protection from Testifying in Warren Suspension Case - Gov. Ron DeSantis is seeking to be excused from having to testify as a trial witness in the lawsuit brought by former Hillsborough County prosecutor Andrew Warren, who was effectively removed from office by the governor. DeSantis suspended the prosecutor after Warren said he wouldn't prosecute people who sought or provided abortions. Warren's lawsuit claims his removal infringes on his rights under the First Amendment. Lawyers for DeSantis filed a motion Tuesday saying that to compel the governor's testimony would pose a threat to the separation of powers doctrine, arguing judicial inquiries into executive motivations "represent a substantial intrusion into the workings of other branches of government." The motion was filed with U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle in Tallahassee. The trial is set to begin Nov. 29. Reuters / DeSantis Motion

Gov. Ron DeSantis and his general counsel expressed concerns about the legal principles involved in removing former Hillsborough prosecutor Andrew Warren from office, because he'd only said he wouldn't prosecute certain people, but hadn't actually followed through on that pledge with action, according to depositions taken in the case. Tampa Bay Times

Senate

“Senate President-designate Kathleen Passidomo picks a new Senate Secretary” via Florida Politics — Passidomo wants Tracy Cantella to be the next Secretary of the Senate and sent a memo to members asking them to elect Cantella to the post. Passidomo sent correspondence to all newly elected and returning Senators explaining why Cantella is the right person for the post, which she called an “important constitutional role.” The Senate Secretary is the Parliamentarian of the Senate and is charged with keeping all Senate records, authenticating each act and resolution passed by the Senate, publishing the journal and calendar, distributing public documents and providing bill drafting services. For the last decade, Cantella has served as professional staff to the Senate Committee on Rules, training under John Phelps, the former Clerk for the House of Representatives, and the Rules Committee Staff Director.

House …

Five Questions for Paul Renner - With last week's election complete in Florida, the new Legislature is now in place. City & State Florida has five questions for incoming House Speaker Paul Renner. City & State Florida  

Incoming House Speaker Paul Renner named Rep. Michael Grant as majority leader and Rep. Chuck Clemons as speaker pro tempore for the next two years, the News Service of Florida reports.

Driskell to Start Term as House Democratic Leader - Rep. Fentrice Driskell will be the first Black woman to serve as House Democratic Leader in the Florida Legislature when she begins her term in the role on Tuesday. The House Democratic Caucus will host a ceremony Monday marking Driskell's start as the caucus' leader. Driskell, who represents part of Hillsborough County, was unanimously chosen by her colleagues in May after Rep. Ramon Alexander, who was next in line to lead the party, decided not to seek reelection following sexual harassment allegations. Driskell was initially elected in 2018 and was next in line for the leadership position behind Alexander. Leaders usually only serve two-year terms but Democrats already chose Driskell to lead them in 2024, meaning she'll have 4 years if she's subsequently re-elected. House Dems Press Release

Business …

PSC to Consider Customer Cost of Hardening Grid - The state Public Service Commission is set to consider how much of the cost of hardening the state's power grid will fall to consumers. The large investor-owned power companies have submitted plans to spend more than $20 billion on the effort over the next decade. WFLA / PSC Docket

Citizens Boosts Ian Loss Estimate - State-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corporation has increased its estimate of losses from Hurricane Ian to $3.8 billion, up from an original projection landing between $2.3 billion and $2.6 billion. The revised cost to the insurer includes account claims made so far, predicted litigation costs and ongoing national inflation. Of the $3.8 billion in direct losses and loss adjustment expenses, the new projection expects $1.4 billion to be covered by the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund. "We will continue to update the market and other stakeholders as we gather additional information from actual losses," said Citizens' Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Montero. Citizens' surplus was at $6.7 billion prior to Ian but the updated projection would drop the insurer of last resort's surplus down to $2.4 billion. Citizens' policies have also risen by 363,000 this year alone after six other insurance companies in Florida went under. The Office of Insurance Regulation reported that a total of 622,692 insurance claims have been filed since the Category 4 storm hit Southwest Florida in late September, with estimated losses growing to $8.7 billion. Most of the claims involve residential property, with other losses involving commercial property and vehicle damage. Florida Politics / Insurance Journal / Citizens Press Release 

Florida jobless claims below 6,000 - First-time unemployment claims in Florida last week continued dropping toward levels from before Hurricane Ian, according to a report released Thursday by the U.S. Department of Labor. The report estimated 5,889 initial claims were filed during the week that ended Nov. 12, down from a revised count of 7,412 during the week that ended Nov. 5. The new number was the lowest weekly total since Ian hit Southwest Florida as a Category 4 storm on Sept. 28. More from the News Service of Florida.

Campaigns and Elections …

DeSantis, who last week won a landslide reelection victory, garnered a standing ovation from the audience Tuesday night when he spoke at the Republican Governors Association’s winter meeting in Orlando, Fox News reports. 

Earlier Tuesday, DeSantis indirectly responded for the first time to Trump's escalating criticism, saying “all of that's just noise” and “I would just tell people to go check out the scoreboard from last Tuesday night," ABC News reports. 

Those close to the governor say he has not made a final decision on running for president in 2024 yet, and that Trump’s bid won’t change DeSantis’ trajectory, at least for the next few months, Politico Florida reports. 

Ronald Dion DeSantis – 44 years old, a graduate of Yale and Harvard Law, a Navy Reserve officer with a telegenic, accomplished wife and three adorable children – is an "Inevitable," the Washington Post’s Dan Zak writes. 

While Florida Democrats look to make changes in the wake of the party's bad loss at the polls last week, and many want to replace state party chairman Manny Diaz, the problem may be finding someone who wants the job. City and State Florida 

South Florida Democrats are rethinking election strategy after last week's losses. Florida Politics

Political observers are looking for reasons the Florida Hispanic vote shifted heavily toward Republicans during this year's midterm election. NBC

Former Sen. Janet Cruz, ousted in last week's election, plans to run for the Tampa city council. Tampa Bay Times