Legislative Update - June 23, 2023

The Florida Democratic Party said Wednesday it has filed complaints with the Florida Commission on Ethics and the Florida Elections Commission against three DeSantis Administration officials alleging staff in Gov. Ron DeSantis' office improperly pressured lobbyists to donate to the governor's presidential campaign. The complaint is filed against DeSantis Chief of Staff James Uthmeier, Legislative Affairs Director Stephanie Kopelousos, and Director of Policy and Budget Chris Spencer. A spokesman in the governor's office said the filings were simply "politically motivated attacks."

Two top aides to DeSantis – Communications Director Taryn Fenske and in-house lobbyist Stephanie Kopelousos – are leaving the governor’s office to assist his bid for the White House, Politico Florida reports. 

Former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson appears poised to make another run for U.S. Senate.  The Orlando Democrat filed to challenge U.S. Rep. Rick Scott, a Naples Republican running for a second term.

Tropical Storm Cindy formed late Thursday in the Central Atlantic Ocean. Cindy is the second tropical storm to form during this year's Atlantic hurricane season, and forecasters are monitoring the system as it moves on a northwest path. Tropical Storm Bret, which formed earlier this week, almost hit hurricane-strength levels on Wednesday. It's currently moving into the eastern Caribbean. The National Hurricane Center predicts Bret will dissipate sometime over the weekend. Both systems are considered rare June deep tropics tropical storms.

—"Spencer Roach says it’s time the Legislature write a new Florida Constitution” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics

Governor …

Simpson Backing Didn't Help Conservation Budget Items - Gov. Ron DeSantis' biggest budget line item vetoes last week focused on a pair of land and water conservation projects. The governor vetoed $100 million for the state Conservation and Rural Land Protection program, which buys easements for conservation purposes but lets landowners continue to farm and raise cattle on the property in exchange for not developing it. Funding for the program was supported by former Senate President and current Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson. He said the program helps support Florida’s natural aquifer, strengthen the state’s wildlife corridor, and secure land to grow essential food crops. 

“DeSantis used secretive panel to flip state Supreme Court” via Beth Reinhard and Josh Dawsey of The Washington Post — For decades, the liberal-leaning state Supreme Court stymied the ambitions of Florida’s Republican Governors. That is until DeSantis was elected. The court let him erase a congressional district with a large Black population. It opened the door to a law making it easier to impose the death penalty. Now, it’s poised to rule on the Governor’s plan to outlaw most abortions in the third-most-populous state. The hard-right turn was by design. DeSantis seized on the unusual retirement of three liberal justices at once to quickly remake the court. He did so with the help of a secretive panel led by Leonard Leo — the key architect of the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority — that quietly vetted judicial nominees in an Orlando conference room three weeks before the Governor’s inauguration.

—"Gov. DeSantis sues Joe Biden administration, challenging college accreditation agencies” via Gray Rohrer of Florida Politics

The Florida Supreme Court rejected suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren’s request to be reinstated after DeSantis removed him from office last year, the Tampa Bay Times reports. 

Business …

Tropical Depression 4 forms as Tropical Storm Bret closes in on Caribbean at near-hurricane strength - Tropical Depression Four formed in the central Atlantic Thursday, and it could be headed toward the Caribbean and the U.S., as Tropical Storm Bret closes in on the far eastern Caribbean islands at near-hurricane strength. As of 11 a.m. Thursday, Bret was located about 130 miles east-northeast of Barbados, moving west at 14 mph. Bret’s maximum sustained winds were at 70 mph, just 4 mph shy of the 74 mph minimum threshold for Category 1 hurricane winds. Tropical-storm-force winds extended outward from Bret’s center up to 115 miles. More from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and the Orlando Sentinel.

Here’s a look at Florida’s new immigration law that takes effect in two weeks - Gov. DeSantis signed a legislative package on immigration that will begin to take effect on July 1st. The legislation, SB1718 targets undocumented immigrants in the state, and is meant to discourage immigration into Florida. Here is a summary of what the law does and how it might affect the state's economy. More from the Miami Herald.

"Days before new Florida law takes effect, undocumented workers fear for their future” via Clara-Sophia Daly of the Miami Herald

Gas prices in the Sunshine State are declining once again, dropping an average of 6 cents per gallon after reaching their highest peak since mid-May last week.

Sunday’s state average was $3.41 per gallon, according to AAA — The Auto Club Group. Pump prices had been expected to surge due to another round of oil production cuts by Saudi Arabia and its OPEC partners, but uncertainty about China’s post-COVID-19 continued growth has oil prices dropping, according to reports Monday morning.

Oil prices sit at around $71 per barrel, losing about 50-60 cents per barrel from last week’s average. That price is about $14 less than this year’s high. 

Florida has lower electricity costs than much of the country, though it is more expensive than many states in the Southeast, according to data released recently by the Federal Energy Information Administration. In the South Atlantic region, Florida's residential electricity rates are sixth highest out of nine states, higher than North Carolina, Georgia, West Virginia, South Carolina and Virginia. Out of the ten largest states in the country by population, Florida has the fourth lowest rates after North Carolina, Georgia, and Texas. The Center Square

Insurance Agents Optimistic About New Property Coverage Laws - Insurance agents meeting at an annual convention in Orlando last week said that while some issues remain with underpaid claims and commissions, the Legislature's recently required changes in lawsuit rules are starting to push the Florida market back in the right direction and could soon lead to new carriers offering policies and drops in prices in the state. And a session at the conference on state-created Citizens Property Insurance Corp. featured fewer complaints from agents than that same session did at last year's conference. Insurance Journal

Are Florida’s insurance regulators stretched too thin? - As insurers project how a pile of new laws will affect profits and losses, regulators in Tallahassee are falling behind in their efforts to review and approve rate hike requests. Though the shortcomings are not immediately affecting consumers, if not repaired, policyholders could find themselves paying more than they should for insurance coverage or, if they move or buy insurance from another company, difficult to be tracked down if regulators determine they are owed refunds. More from Yahoo News and the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Florida jobless rate stays at 2.6 percent - Florida’s unemployment rate remained at a near-historic low of 2.6 percent in May and has been unchanged since January, according to a report released Friday by the state Department of Economic Opportunity. The May rate represented an estimated 287,000 Floridians qualified as unemployed in mid-May from a labor force of 10.998 million. It was down from 2.9 percent a year earlier and was below the national rate last month of 3.7 percent. The number of people out of work in Florida was up 6,000 from April, but down 22,000 from May 2022. [Source: News Service of Florida]

Outdoor workers want Miami-Dade County to pass heat protections - Roughly 50 of Miami-Dade County’s 100,000 outdoor workers rallied downtown Wednesday to urge county commissioners to pass a law requiring companies to protect their employees from the heat. WeCount, an advocacy group that represents outdoor workers in fields like agriculture and construction, has been pushing for this legislation since 2021 as part of its Que Calor campaign. Among the provisions in WeCount’s proposed legislation: the right for workers to take a paid 10-minute break to drink water and rest in the shade every two hours if the heat index rises above 90 degrees. More from CBS Miami and the Miami Herald.

Growth in spending by states is likely to slow in the coming fiscal year amid expected declines in revenue collections over the next year as economic growth slows and new tax cuts take effect, said a report from the National Association of State Budget Officers released Thursday. Pluribus / NASBO Fiscal Survey of States

“FRF warns consumers about illegal, potentially deadly vaping products” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — The volume of illegal nicotine dispensing devices, also known as vaping products, comes as Florida — the third largest state by population — sits at No. 1 in vape sales. Data collected by vape manufacturers shows an expected $363 million in illegal vape products will be sold within Florida this year — 20% above the national average — accounting for as much as 58% of overall vape product sales. Five years ago, illicit vapes accounted for less than 10% of vape products sold. The Florida Retail Federation warned that illegal vaping products not only threaten legitimate businesses but may also pose a danger to consumers.

Elections …

The Republican Party of Florida had built a nearly 500,000-voter registration edge over the Florida Democratic Party as of the end of May, according to numbers posted Tuesday on the state Division of Elections website. 

The GOP had 5,311,365 registered voters as of May 31, while the Democratic Party had 4,815,215. That 496,150-voter edge was larger than the GOP’s nearly 473,000-voter lead at the end of April. Another 4,012,610 voters were registered without party affiliation as of May 31, while 282,695 were registered with third parties. 

Florida Democrats historically held a registration edge, but Republicans overtook them in 2021. Leading up to the November 2022 election, Republicans held about a 306,000-voter advantage. 

Republicans hold all statewide offices, a majority in Florida’s congressional delegation and supermajorities in the Florida House and Senate. 

In the political landscape, Associated Industries of Florida, one of the state's leading business advocacy groups, endorsed three Republican state Senate candidates for the 2024 election cycle, backing Tom Leek, Keith Truenow, and Stan McClain.

—"Poll shows DeSantis is GOP’s best bet against Joe Biden” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics

—“FDP touts Leadership Blue gala sold-out ticket sales” via Gray Rohrer of Florida Politics

A federal judge on Tuesday heard arguments from the state in favor of ending a lawsuit that alleges a state voter-registration form violates the National Voter Registration Act. The suit was filed by the League of Women Voters of Florida and the NAACP in April, alleging the state's voter registration form doesn't properly inform potential voters of eligibility requirements, exposing felons to new jeopardy if they register to vote under the mistaken impression they're eligible. Attorneys for Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd want U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor to dismiss the lawsuit. Orlando Sentinel