Scott and the Trump Train — SPACE FORCE! — Parkland dad’s power move — Roger Stone’s ‘on edge’

It’s a good Wednesday morning, Florida Playbookers. And it has been an ideal time for a ride on the Trump Train for freshman Sen. Rick Scott, who took to Twitter to demand California pay back high-speed rail money just as the Trump administration was preparing to go to war with the Golden State.

TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP

TRUMP TRAIN — @SenRickScott: “.@USDOT just cancelled grant funds for CA’s high speed rail project. When I was Governor I declined funds for HSR in Florida b/c it wasted taxpayer $$ and left the people of FL on the hook. Now it’s time for CA to give back the money.” https://bit.ly/2GvpHWQ

TRAIN REFUND — “Trump administration trying to claw back California high speed rail money,” by POLITICO’s Sam Mintz: The administration Tuesday threatened to withdraw almost a billion dollars in federal funds allocated to a high speed rail line in California, but the state’s governor counterpunched by suggesting the threat was retaliation for fighting President Donald Trump’s “national emergency” declaration on a border wall. On Tuesday evening, the Transportation Department threatened to cancel $929 million in federal funds earmarked for California’s high-speed rail project, after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced plans last week to scale back the project. Read more

RIGHT TRAIN — Scott has long been a Trump partisan. He endorsed Trump as soon as he beat Sen. Marco Rubio in the 2016 Florida presidential primary (then-state Attorney General Pam Bondi was the only statewide elected Republican to endorse beforehand). Scott went on to chair the president’s super PAC and defend him as vigorously as possible without hurting his chances for his 2018 election to the Senate. But it was only after last year’s election — during the disputed recount he barely won — that Scott started sounding like Trump by complaining about election “fraud” (none was found, though there was loads of incompetence). Over the weekend, Scott came out in favor of Trump’s national emergency declaration for a border wall (Rubio doesn’t support it). And on Monday, Scott was the most-partisan voice at Trump’s Miami rally, where the senator accused Democrats generally of trying to bring the type of socialism to the U.S.

NRSC-BOUND? — Scott’s newly expressed partisanship has only increased speculation he wants a big role at the National Republican Senatorial Committee, including the chairmanship in the 2021-2022 election cycle. Chairing the NRSC would give Scott an even-deeper connection to national GOP donors. Scott’s longtime consulting firm, OnMessage, has represented a number of big-name senators, including NRSC’s former chairman, Cory Gardner.

THE FINAL FRONTIER — “Florida to Trump: Put Space Command here,” by POLITICO Florida’s Lorraine Woellert: Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida congressional delegation asked President Donald Trump to headquarter the new U.S. Space Command in Florida, calling the state “the world’s premiere gateway to space.” In Feb. 19letter to the president, DeSantis, a Trump loyalist, touted the state’s aerospace infrastructure, workforce and existing partnerships with NASA. Read more

VERITAS OR NOT? — “Tampa University Mall demolition begins as part of Uptown project,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Sara DiNatale: “The developers working to turn University Mall into a research village will begin demolition today as the first step of the Uptown District project. The demolition gets underway in earnest around 11:30 a.m. on the corridor that connects the main strip of the existing mall to a long-abandoned JCPenney.” Read more

D’OH! — “Federal judge says Roger Stone could be jailed after Instagram post,” by POLITICO’s Matthew Choi and Darren Samuelsohn: “The federal judge presiding over Roger Stone’s case said Tuesday she’s considering gagging or jailing the longtime Donald Trump associate after he posted images on Instagram targeting her. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Stone to appear at a Thursday afternoon hearing in Washington, D.C., to explain why his social media posts shouldn’t change the terms of Stone’s bond and why she shouldn’t impose harsh new restrictions on his speech.” Read more

RECIPE FOR SELF-DESTRUCTION — “‘He’s on edge’: Roger Stone silencing expected after barbed comments,” by POLITICO’s Darren Samuelsohn: “Roger watched other people defend themselves quietly and lose,” said Michael Caputo, a former Trump 2016 campaign adviser and longtime Stone friend who has been questioned in the Mueller investigation. “He’s made the conscious decision to speak loudly and clearly about his innocence throughout the entire process.” Read more

GUNSHINE STATE

NEXT STEP — “Final Scott Israel suspension hearing likely April 8,” by POLITICO Florida’s Matt Dixon: A final hearing for Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel’s reinstatement will likely be held April 8, the special master assigned to the issue said today. Israel was suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis in January for shortcomings in his department’s response to the Parkland school shooting and a 2017 Fort Lauderdale airport shooting. DeSantis appointed Coral Springs Police Sgt. Gregory Tony to take Israel’s place. Read more

WHODATHUNK? — “Man who pulled gun on black teens on MLK Day facing new charges under hate crime law,” by Miami Herald’s Charles Rabin: “The man who pulled a gun on a group of black teens who were protesting on Brickell Avenue on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is now facing a host of charges that were enhanced because of a hate crime bill passed by Florida legislators. In addition to the felony charge of carrying a concealed weapon, Mark Bartlett is facing three counts of aggravated assault with prejudice, which are second-degree felonies, and a single count of improperly exhibiting a firearm, a third-degree felony.” Read more

AWKWARD — “Judge allows Parkland dad Andrew Pollack to attend grilling of school watchman Andrew Medina,” by Sun Sentinel’s Rafael Olmeda: “The father of a slain Stoneman Douglas High School student will be allowed in the courtroom when his lawyers question the former school watchman who saw the shooter, but failed to stop him from entering the campus last year, a judge ruled Tuesday.” Read more

THE NEW NOT-NORMAL — “700 students stay home from Daytona’s Seabreeze High amid threat to bring gun to school,” by News Journal’s Patricio G. Balona: Read more

... 2020 VISION ...

FLORI-DUH — “Bernie Sanders campaign map makes Florida look stranger than we already are,” by Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “Outside Florida, people love to look at Florida as something funny — and on Monday presidential candidate Bernie Sanders actually made Florida look funny. The map he distributed along with the announcement of his 2020 presidential candidacy shows Florida with a strange bulge emanating from the Tampa Bay area, protruding into the Gulf of Mexico.” Read more

CORONAVIRUS UPDATES

GOOD KNIGHT AND GOOD LUCK — “UCF’s Whittaker resigns,” by POLITICO Florida’s Andrew Atterbury: University of Central Florida President Dale Whittaker resigned Tuesday, citing the need for new leadership to restore faith in the institution after a multiyear spending scandal. In a letter to UCF Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Garvy, Whittaker said it was his “privilege and honor to lead UCF through one of the most serious challenges in its history.” Read more

BIG STEP — “Plan targeting ‘sanctuary cities’ moves forward,” by News Service of Florida’s Ana Ceballos: An effort to ensure local governments in Florida fully comply with requests from federal immigration authorities passed a key Senate panel on Tuesday, after lawmakers voted to strip penalties for local officials who favor so-called sanctuary cities. The measure passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 4-2 vote, along party lines, showing that the proposal has greater momentum this year than in the past when similar proposals stalled in the committee. Read more

COMMON CORE WARS — “With Common Core set to go, Florida opens survey on new math, language arts standards,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Leslie Postal: “With Gov. Ron DeSantis determined to rid Florida’s public schools of Common Core, his administration’s next task is to figure out what language arts and math standards should replace them. To that end, the Florida Department of Education has opened a survey, seeking input on what educators, parents and others might not like about the Common Core standards and what they think should be adopted in their place.” Read more

FEEDING FRENZY — “Florida to ban dumping blood off beaches to lure sharks,” by Fresh Take Florida News Service’s Max Chesnes: “Florida is preparing a new statewide ban on the practice by fishermen along the state’s iconic beaches of dumping bloody fish guts into the ocean to lure sharks closer to shore — and possibly closer to swimmers and waders. The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was expected later this month to finalize a ban on ‘chumming’ when fishing for any species from the beach. The technique — often used for sharks — involves scattering blood, oil and pieces of ground-up fish to produce a slick carried on the current or tide to lure predators closer to baited hooks.” Read more

— “Divers encounter great white shark off Jupiter,” by TCPalm’s Ed Killer: Read more

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Florida’s ‘revenge porn’ law,” by Florida Trend’s Jason Garcia: Read more

NEEDLED — “Miami pilot program reverses overdoses, reduces infections. Is it time to go statewide?” by Miami Herald’s Elizabeth Koh: Read more

PENINSULA AND BEYOND

BUT NO NEW CLASSROOMS BUILT — “A high-rise building boom put Coral Gables on steroids. Will it remain the City Beautiful?” by Miami Herald’s Andres Viglucci: “Just five years short of a century ago, developer George Merrick conjured up a Mediterranean fantasyland on his family’s holdings of scrub pine and avocado groves just outside the backwater city of Miami. He called it Coral Gables, and it was good. ... Now it’s gone on steroids.” Read more

‘LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL’ — “Civil rights complaint being filed for Florida student who wouldn’t stand for Pledge of Allegiance,” by Lakeland Ledger’s Kimberly C. Moore: “An attorney for an 11-year-old Polk County student who was arrested for disrupting a school function and resisting arrest without violence after refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, said he is filing a civil rights complaint with the United States Department of Education. Roderick Ford, an attorney with the Cochran Law Firm in Tampa, said he and the student’s family are also hoping the state attorney’s office will not move forward with formal charges against the student because he was exercising his constitutionally protected right of free speech.” Read more

SKYNET BECOMES SELFA-AWARE — “Self-driving trucks already rolling on Florida highways,” by Fox 13 News:“You may be sharing the highway with a self-driving tractor-trailer and never even know it. That’s becoming more and more of a reality in Florida. Recently, FOX 13 was invited to tag along with Starsky Robotics as they tested one of the autonomous trucks on the highway. A human was behind the wheel, but only as a safety backup.” Read more

CAPE CORAL > TALLAHASSEE — “This Southwest Florida city just passed Tallahassee as 8th largest in the state,” by News Press’ Sarah Jarvis: “Move over, Tallahassee — Cape Coral is now more populous than the state capital, making it the eighth largest city in Florida. Cape Coral has a population of 194,570 while Tallahassee has 194,170, according to worldpopulationreview.com, a website provided by the Cape clerk’s office. Port St. Lucie with 202,769 is No. 7.” Read more

DICTATOR GONNA DICTATOR — “Cruise ship passengers denied access to Cuba return to Florida,” by WPEC’s Kristin Chapman: “Travelers returned home Monday heartbroken after a cruise ship promising a Valentine’s Day reunion with loved ones was turned away from Cuba. Grand Classica, chartered by Viva Travel, got back to the Port of Palm Beach about 9 a.m., with many passengers on board still upset.” Read more

SPEAKING OF DICTATORS — “Venezuela shutting sea links to Dutch Caribbean amid turmoil,” by AP: Read more

— “Venezuela’s political foes prepare for high stakes ‘battle of the bands,’” by Miami Herald’s Jim Wyss: Read more

...HURRICANE HOLE...

WELCOME TO WASHINGTON — “Rep. Neal Dunn calls lack of federal relief funds ‘stunning,’” by News Herald’s Collin Breaux: “With no disaster relief for Hurricane Michael survivors included in the federal government’s latest spending deal, there’s concern that Washington might have forgotten about the region. Lawmakers who represent districts devastated by the powerful Category 4 storm on Oct. 10 have become frustrated as supplemental disaster spending has become a challenge to pass through Congress. Last week’s attempt was the third try.” Read more

ODDS, ENDS, AND FLORIDA MEN

— “#Metoo painted onto ‘Unconditional Surrender’ statue in Sarasota,” by Herald Tribune’s Carlos R. Munoz: Read more

— “How a colony of egrets made Miami’s inner city its winter home,” by Miami Herald’s Linda Robertson: Read more

— “Wellington mom arrested in newborn’s co-sleeping death,” by Palm Beach Post’s Olivia Hitchcock: Read more

— “YNW Melly murder charges: ‘Murder on my Mind’ No. 1 on Apple Music after incarceration,” by TCPalm’s Caryn Shaffer and Mary Helen Moore: Read more

— “Authorities investigate human-trafficking ring at Palm Beach County, Treasure Coast day spas,” by Palm Beach Post’s Hannah Morse and Julius Whigham: Read more

— “Miami Herald’s Julie Brown receives Polk Award for ‘Perversion of Justice’ stories,” by Bradenton Herald’s David J. Neal: Read more

— “Death row inmate Enoch Hall’s appeal rejected by U.S. Supreme Court,” by News Service of Florida: Read more

BECAUSE ANA — “Ana Navarro celebrates bridal shower with a drag brunch, conga line and the Estefans,” by Miami Herald’s Madeleine Marr: “Gloria and Emilio Estefan were seen making the best of their Sunday Funday at a popular local drag party brunch at R House Wynwood. The famous couple were the surprise guests at political commentator Ana Navarro’s over-the-top bridal shower. The feisty talking head will be marrying former chairman of the American Conservative Union, Al Cardenas, in two weeks (their Macy’s registry says March 2). The groom to be previously worked on Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign in 2016 so yeah, you could say it’s a political marriage made in heaven.” Read more

— “Pythons run amok, but Florida hopes to stop anacondas before they eat the Everglades,” by Palm Beach Post’s Kimberly Miller: “Invasive pythons run rampant in the Everglades and imported iguana burrow into canal banks with abandon, but Florida is trying to keep additional exotics from gaining a foothold in the state with new rules considered this week. Critters including several species of anaconda, the raccoon dog and a freaky fruit bat called the flying fox could be added to the state’s prohibited species list by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The commission is meeting in Gainesville Wednesday and Thursday.” Read more

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