New Senate Map Heads to Floor

Update: "Redrawn Senate Map Heading to Floor Monday."

Matt Dixon: "A handful of Democratic state senators are blasting a plan to give district numbers to a proposed state Senate map before it gets a vote, arguing it would spark “political jostling” as members fight for longer terms."

Numbering the maps is important because those who end up with even-numbered seats must run two years after the maps are redrawn, while those with odd-numbered seats will get an initial term of four years, the normal length for a senator. The staggered terms are intended to ensure the entire 40-member chamber is not always up for election at the same time.

See also "Simmons' map amendment alters Tampa region," "Leadership fight bubbles up as map moves to full Senate," "Senators still pitching maps to settle districts," "Orlando Senate seats shift under proposed map" and "Senators still pitching maps to settle districts."

Yee Haw!

"The first bear was killed this morning in Lake County as Florida's controversial bear hunt is underway. The bear, which is the first reported killed in the statewide hunt, was shot in Lake County at 7:52 a.m. The hunt is the first one since 1972 and has sparked protests and lawsuits." "First bear killed in Lake County during bear hunt." See also "Protesters rally in Tampa as Florida bear hunt gets underway."

"Dark Money Behind Florida Redistricting"

Nancy Smith: "Doesn't anyone else think it's time the public found out who funded the coalition of groups suing the Legislature over its redistricting maps? Who paid plaintiff attorney David King? God knows, it wasn't the League of Women Voters of Florida. The Capitol Press Corps had more money in its scholarship fund during 2012 and than the League had." "The Dark Money Behind Florida Redistricting Plaintiffs' Extraordinary Coup."

"What's hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State"

Marc Caputo: "Rep. Grayson CLAMS UP on ethics probe – FAMU keeps embattled prez – ‘All Lives Matter’ in Corey Jones’ shooting – Trump visits Miami -- FL bear hunt starts today" "Florida Playbook."

Trump moves in on Rubio, Bush turf

"Floridians know two of the Republicans presidential candidates very well: Jeb Bush led the state as a two-term governor and Marco Rubio has been a senator since 2011." "Trump moving in on Bush, Rubio turf with Florida rallies."

Trump's Florida Operatives

Kevin Derby writes that Donald Trump has "named two leading Republicans as the chairs of his Florida presidential team: Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) Vice Chairman Joe Gruters and veteran GOP operative Susie Wiles."

During his years as the chairman of the Sarasota County GOP, Gruters held events featuring Trump. Gruters is currently running for the Florida House. Based in Jacksonville, Wiles is a longtime Republican operative and managed Rick Scott’s gubernatorial campaign back in 2010. - See more at: http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/donald-trump-turns-veteran-gop-operatives-florida#sthash.LmFiDgzJ.dpuf

More Trump: "In Florida, Trump pans Iowa polls, says Carson ‘super low-energy’."

Curbelo Backs Ryan

"Carlos Curbelo Backs Paul Ryan to be House Speaker."

Solar to Battle Utilities

"The initiative has drawn opposition from a coalition including major electric utilities and has spawned a competing solar ballot proposal." "Supreme Court Clears Floridians for Solar Choice’s Ballot Initiative, Setting Up Battle With Utilities."

Yee Haw!

"The 2016 regular session may be a few months away, but a bill hoping to allow gun owners to openly carry their firearms in Florida has already begun to cause a commotion across the Sunshine State." "Gun Groups Get Fired Up Over Open Carry Bill."

"Grayson mum"

"Grayson mum on meeting with ethics investigator."

Like a "convertible wedding dress"

Nancy Smith: "If you've seen the new-style, all-purpose, convertible wedding dresses, you've got a glimpse of post-election Charlie Crist." "Charlie Crist, Washington's Perfect Fit." See also "Charlie Crist Draws Fire from the NRCC."

PayGo

"Scott’s proposal seeks to defuse criticism of the current incentive program, called the Florida Enterprise Fund and the Quick Action Closing Fund. Republicans in the House of Representatives say the current system wastes money because funds are held in an escrow account that is not earning interest; they favor a 'pay as you go' system." "Gov. Scott calls for new $250M incentive fund." See also "AFP Opposes Rick Scott's Call for More Funds for Enterprise Florida."

Bush has been exposed as an awkward communicator for his cause, having been continually emasculated by Trump's taunts and transcended by Sen. Marco Rubio's natural eloquence.

See also "Trump’s 9/11 sparring with Bush: The left piles on Jeb’s brother" and "Trump attacks force Jeb Bush out of his malaise."

Dan who?

"Dan Webster's Not Backing Out, Even if Paul Ryan Wants the Speaker's Gavel."

"Road to Sunshine Summit"

"With 2016 around the corner, the Republican Party of Florida (RPOF) will be hosting the Sunshine Summit in Orlando from Nov. 12-14 and the stakes will be high. The presidential hopefuls will take most of the spotlight but there’s another important race already taking shape as Rubio has said he will not run for a second Senate term. Florida Republicans Ron DeSantis, David Jolly, Carlos Lopez-Cantera and Todd Wilcox are already off and running and they will be at the Sunshine Summit trying to win support for their Senate bids." "David Jolly Hopes to Rally Republicans at the Sunshine Summit."

"What's hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State"

Marc Caputo: "FL Senate leaders face Republican revolt – NERVOUS BUT CLEVER: the Jeb super PAC state – Cop who killed church drummer had reprimands – Jolly can’t quit CRIST." "Florida Playbook."

Endorsements

"Charlie Crist, Eric Lynn Unveil Endorsements in Pinellas County Congressional Primary."

Carson in Tampa

"The popularity of presidential candidates Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Sen. Bernie Sanders has led some political pundits to dub 2015 the year of the political outsider." "Ben Carson, in Tampa on Nov. 3, says voters want outsiders."

Redistricting

"Bill Galvano: Senate Committee Could Send Maps to Floor by Monday," "Dissension roils Senate’s latest attempt at redistricting" and "South Florida to see big changes under redistricting map."

"Rubio’s . . . Sharp Elbows"

"Marco Rubio’s Ambition, and Sharp Elbows, Fueled His Rise in Tallahassee."

That’s the latest Word from Rep. Matt Gaetz, the Fort Walton Beach Republican who’s on a crusade to flood Florida with more firearms.

He’s pushing legislation to allow concealed weapons on state college campuses, and to let permit-holders openly carry their handguns in stores and restaurants. He said these are rights “granted not by government but by God.”

Gaetz’s pronouncement left theologians scratching their heads, because guns aren’t mentioned anywhere in scriptures. Firearms didn’t exist when the Bible was written, and there’s no reference in either testament to “popping a cap in thine heathen ass.”

In Gaetz’s case, he’s half of a father-son team that has been pimping tirelessly for the NRA in Tallahassee. His dad, Don, a state senator, also wants more heavy weapons in public places, although he hasn’t gone so far as to credit God with ghostwriting the Second Amendment.

But let’s set aside our well-founded skepticism and consider the remote but intriguing possibility that young Matt isn’t just another programmed hack for the gun lobby. Perhaps he experienced a true religious Visitation.

Maybe one afternoon, while Gaetz was on the shooting range, God appeared personally to him and presented the manuscript of a new, unpublished scripture.

He called it the Book of Glock.

And although it was only the first draft (and there were probably a few typos), young Matt devoured the Book of Glock from beginning to end, and a trembling rapture came upon him.

For God (perhaps) sayeth, “Go ye forth, and let all the people of the world know that their Heavenly Father is totally into guns. Seriously. I beseech all the lambs in my flock to lock and freakin’ load!”

At which point young Matt Gaetz’s jaw would have dropped because he surely didn’t expect to see the Lord Himself show up in full camo driving an old F-150 with a missing tailgate.

"Jeb Bush’s epic implosion"

"Bush may not yet have packed it in, but we might as well start shoveling dirt on his campaign. The chances he can overcome poll numbers consistently stuck in single digits, the baggage of his last name and his near-daily gaffes, are slim to none. To paraphrase a famous comedy bit, his presidential ambitions’ metabolic processes are now history, they are off the twig, they have kicked the bucket, shuffled off this mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible. THIS IS AN EX-CAMPAIGN!" "Jeb Bush’s epic implosion: Why it’s high time he gave up his presidential fantasy."

"Bush ridicules Trump's fitness to lead military in new video," "Bush has 'grave doubts' about Trump as commander in chief," "'Pathetic' Trump and Jeb Bush spar over 9/11 remarks" and "Tension Builds Between 2016 GOP Rivals Rubio And Bush."

"Shaky ground"

"By next June, Florida more likely than not will find itself without an enforceable death penalty." "Florida death penalty is on shaky ground."

2,000 plus hunters out to kill black bear

"More than 2,000 hunters have pulled permits to hunt black bears in Florida for the first time in more than two decades. Opening day is Saturday, and Wade expects that on that day he will bag the bruin he has watched since March." "Hunt for black bears starts Saturday; limit is 320 bruins."

Florida's anti-gerrymandering model

Hedrick Smith: "One root cause of the mutiny that ousted Speaker John Boehner and blocked House Majority leader Kevin McCarthy is the Great Republican Gerrymander of 2011, which helped elect and now protects the 45 ideological insurgents in the House."

Their congressional districts were engineered so starkly in their favor that in the 2014 mid-term elections, they beat their Democratic opponents by an average 38 percentage points, a staggering margin. Only two had competitive general election races. Three had districts with such a lock for the Republican nominee that no Democrat even bothered to run.

Those protected monopolies back home give the Republican rebels a rare kind of political immunity. They can overthrow a Speaker or bring Congress to a halt without fear of retribution from either the party leadership or the voters. Partisan gerrymandering and party primaries with shockingly low turnouts, mainly of party loyalists and extremist voters, virtually guarantee their re-election.

Forty of the rebel band, mostly organized now in the Freedom Caucus, come from GOP-gerrymandered states. All but one or two are very junior members of Congress, from the tea party class of 2010 and from the “RedMap” classes of 2012 and 2014.

“RedMap” is the code name that Republican Party leaders gave to their secret nationwide campaign to dominate the once-a-decade redistricting process in 2011 by capturing majority control of as many state legislatures as possible in the 2010 election.

RedMap was inspired by Karl Rove, the GOP campaign guru, who opined pragmatically, “He who controls redistricting can control Congress.” The GOP invested $30 million in legislative races and scored sweeping gains. Nationwide, Republicans picked up 675 legislative seats, gaining control of legislatures in states that held 40 percent of all House seats, versus Democrats, with only 10 percent.

Never before had any party implemented gerrymandering as a national strategy.

The payoff was immediate and palpable. As the RedMap team later bragged, the GOP lost the presidency and the Senate in 2012 and lost the nationwide popular vote for the House, but nevertheless came out with a 33-seat majority in the House.

The key, RedMap’s architects trumpeted, was GOP gerrymandering in pivotal states such as Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

But there was a catch. The Great Gerrymander of 2011 that helped cement the party’s House majority also embedded the rump faction of anti-government extremists that toppled Boehner and now faces whoever becomes his successor. Fundamental political reforms are needed, and they need to come from outside Washington — at the state level.

California offers a roadmap, with its independent redistricting commission. But Florida offers a second model and is a vital testing ground because its Republican gerrymandering in 2010 produced six of today’s House rebels, more than any other state, and its gerrymander system has been challenged by citizen reformers.

In 2010, the League of Women Voters, Common Cause and other civic groups enlisted enough public support to put on the ballot and then pass a statewide referendum barring partisan gerrymandering “with the intent to favor or disfavor” either political party or to protect incumbents. When the Republican-dominated Legislature ignored that mandate, citizens groups filed suit.

This summer, the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the Republican gerrymander of 2011 was blatantly partisan and unconstitutional. It ordered the Legislature to redraw eight of the state’s congressional districts. Just a week ago, a circuit court in Florida rejected the Legislature’s new maps as inadequate and adopted some proposals from citizens groups. Now, the court-approved maps threaten to scramble several Florida districts and unseat at least three incumbents, including the rebel choice for speaker, Webster.

"State officials . . . smug complacency should end — now"

The Miami Herald editors point out that those Floridians "who remain out of work are still at great risk of being needlessly thwarted by the state of Florida’s very expensive but practically useless unemployment-insurance website, the target of a recent piece by Herald columnist Fred Grimm."

Basically, out-of-work Floridians are getting stiffed by the state. The website, CONNECT, after $77 million for installation and subsequent repairs, doesn’t work. Pages freeze and error messages abound. Residents wholly eligible for unemployment benefits get rejection notices instead.

The website came on line two years ago, touted as state of the art. Instead, it remains in a sorry state of inaccessibility. CONNECT has been an expensive roadblock between too many unemployed residents and the funds they need to pay rent or a mortgage, put food on the table and pay the bills during a tough time.

Worse, state officials have seemed to have remained content to let this untenable situation remain in place. Their smug complacency should end — now. It’s not as if they have been caught unaware. The problems started right off the bat when the website rolled out in October 2013. It was such a mess that the U.S. Department of Labor parachuted in, forcing the state to pay benefits upfront and address the site’s problems later.

Well, it’s later.

In February, Florida’s auditor general issued its findings that during a four-month period in 2014, 44 percent of the more than 408,000 claims processed were simply sent off into the web equivalent of the Twilight Zone. Applicants were instructed to submit their Social Security numbers, even though that was not a requirement. Moreover, the audit found weak security protections. . . .

One can’t help but think this is deliberate. In 2011, the Legislature imposed a series of major changes to the program that, the most recent report says, “made it more difficult for unemployed workers to access, qualify for and maintain benefits, and decreased the duration of benefits qualified unemployed workers were eligible to receive. The law imposed new barriers to benefit eligibility and expanded benefit disqualifications.”

State lawmakers should call Jesse Panuccio, head of the Department of Economic Opportunity, to account and remove the stumbling blocks that they put in place in 2011.