JUICE - Florida Politics' Juicy Read - 7.7.20 - 'DeSantis is a complete failure

"DeSantis is a complete failure"

These are the words of Chris Nelson, an Broward County activist that recently defied a municipal ordinance of keeping off the beach in Fort Lauderdale over the past 4^th of July weekend.

Nelson and others, including Republican congressional candidates Jessi Melton who DeSantis is said to be supporting, stormed the beach, telling The Floridian that he “didn’t care if he got arrested,” calling the beach closing unconstitutional. READ MORE Nelson, Melton, and others like-minded individuals oppose any mandate to wear masks and beach and business closings. Apparently Nelson doesn’t like DeSantis anymore.

Florida Democrats

Their job is to rail against President Trump and Republicans. It’s election season, so we get it.

But hypocrisy is hypocrisy, and when Democrats took a shot at Trump by saying that he has failed Americans by not helping small business, just large businesses, well, we have to call that out too.

According to the state GOP, Florida Democrats received up to $1 million from PPP. What no “Thank you Mr. President?”

Visit The Floridian

 

 

 

 

 

Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell @RepDMP -56 years ago, the Civil Rights Act was signed into law. The act created a new American vision by formally ending segregation and banning discrimination based on race, religion, color, sex, and national origin. We still have work to do in order to fulfill this promise.

Marco Rubio @marcorubio -10000 positive tests in one day in #Florida is unsettling & certainly not irrelevant. But many of them won’t get sick The real concern is how many high risk people will they end up infecting Why we need daily numbers on admissions for #COVID-19 treatment in hospitals & in ICU

Mario Diaz-Balart @MarioDB -The June #JobsReport serves as proof that our economy is recovering and coming back stronger than before. This is the product of good economic policy.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz @DWStweets -10,109 new COVID cases in a single day. @GovRonDeSantis MUST mandate masks statewide ahead of the holiday weekend or we will see even greater numbers. The time to act is now.

Rep. Lois Frankel @RepLoisFrankel -Today, one of Jeffrey Epstein’s enablers, Ghislaine Maxwell, was arrested. While we can't undo the damage Epstein caused the survivors of his abuse, I hope she is brought to justice.

Congressman Greg Steube @RepGregSteube -4.8 MILLION jobs added in the month of June! @realDonaldTrump has again exceeded expectations in putting people back to work and beating this pandemic.

Rep. Val Demings @RepValDemings -We have seen that corrupt Trump administration officials have simply refused to obey legally binding subpoenas. They know that the president’s fixer, AG Barr, won’t hold them accountable. That tune is about to change.

Rep. Donna E. Shalala @RepShalala -Celebrate 4th of July by wearing a mask. People between the ages of 25 - 34 represent the largest share of new cases in FL. While #COVID19 poses a lower risk for this group, it does not mean it's acceptable to forgo public health precautions.

 

 

“Michael Dreikorn’ money woes are sinking his campaign” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – It is everyone’s right to seek public office if they choose to do so, but unfortunately for some, running for office is probably the last thing they should be doing, especially if they are saddled with as much baggage as current Lee County Commission candidate Michael Dreikorn.  If the name sounds familiar, it should. Dreikorn ran for congress in 2014 against Curt Clawson, Lizbeth Benacquisto, and Paige Kreegel. After losing that race with just over 10% of the vote, Dreikorn decided to challenge Benacquisto again, this time for her Florida Senate seat, where he was bested by nearly 20 points. In a classic “third times the charm” attempt, Dreikorn was able to quench his political ambitions by winning a spot on The Matlacha/Pine Island Fire Control District in 2016, although unopposed in the election. Now, Dreikorn still chasing his political ambitions is running for the District 1 seat on the Lee County Commission. A self-proclaimed Tea Party Patriot, Dreikorn is running on an accountability and transparency platform. But when it comes to accountability and transparency, it seems Dreikorn has a lot of explaining to do to voters before they put him in charge of Lee County’s $2 billion budget.

 

“Jessi Melton to Deutch: Jewish-Americans are “Your People”” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – The Republican congressional race in Florida’s 22nd district was virtually non-existent before the COVID-19 pandemic all-but shut down the nation and electioneering was we know it. But thanks to Republican congressional candidate Jessica ‘Jessi’ Melton, she has turned her primary race into an eye-opening and eyebrow-raising contest that has caused some voters to shake their heads in disbelief, especially remarks made about Jewish-Americans, Melton has become a prolific “Tweeter” since the outbreak of the virus, pushing the envelope on many contentious and controversial topics. Her efforts have garnered a significant following of national political activists, as well as support from people who push conspiratorial theories. About two weeks ago, the devout Christian or “Believer” defended fellow “Christian” Actor Mel Gibson over the “hearsay” accusation made by Jewish-American actress Winona Ryder alleging that Gibson directed anti-Semitic jokes against her. “We were at a crowded party with one of my good friends, and Mel Gibson was smoking a cigar, and we’re all talking and he said to my friend, who’s gay, ‘Oh wait, am I gonna get AIDS?’” said Ryder “And then something came up about Jews, and he said, ‘You’re not an oven dodger, are you?’” (Fox News)

 

“Supreme Court Rules States Can Punish ‘Faithless Electors’ Voters” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – The Supreme Court on Monday ruled unanimously that states can punish or remove rogue members of their Electoral College who refuse to cast their votes for the presidential candidate they were pledged to support. In a 9-0 ruling, the court’s opinion, arising out of a case from Washington state and in Colorado said presidential electors must act as their states require, with a fine imposed just like in Washington state, and in Colorado, the removal of an elector are both constitutional. Writing for the majority, Justice Elena Kagan said allowing punishment of wayward electors was consistent with the Constitution and American tradition. “The Constitution’s text and the Nation’s history both support allowing a State to enforce an elector’s pledge to support his party’s nominee—and the state voters’ choice—for President,” Kagan wrote in her majority opinion. “Today, we consider whether a State may also penalize an elector for breaking his pledge and voting for someone other than the presidential candidate who won his State’s popular vote. We hold that a State may do so.”

 

“Does Florida’s new law go far enough to protect our waterways?” by WINK – Does a new law designed to protect our waters go far enough? While many agree that the Clean Waterways Act is a step in the right direction, some believe it falls well short of what we really need and doesn’t get to the root of the problem that contributed to water woes in 2018. “It does contain a lot of the things that we, the task force itself, put into the consensus document that we wrote up,” said Dr. James Sullivan, a member of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force. “Things like transferring septic permitting, septic system permitting, from the DOH to the DEP, which is probably where it truly belongs.” Others who keep an eye on our water, like the Florida Springs Council, believe the new law doesn’t go far enough. “Everglades environmental policy has become Florida environmental policy, so while the bill does do some good things for South Florida and Everglades, it completely ignores everything north of Orlando,” said Ryan Smart, executive director of the council. Groups like Captains for Clean Water echo the council’s concern for keeping tabs on agriculture. “All of these nutrients are flowing into Lake Okeechobee and then you have all these legacy nutrients in Lake Okeechobee from the last 100 years of pollution,” said Capt. Daniel Andrews, co-founder and executive director of Captains for Clean Water. However, those in the agriculture industry say they’re doing the best they can.

 

“Florida Department of Education orders all its schools to reopen campuses in August after coronavirus closures” by Fox News’ Bradford Betz – The Florida Department of Education issued an emergency order on Monday mandating that all of its schools must reopen for the fall semester, following months of closure due to the coronavirus. The order, signed by Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran, addresses all school boards and charter school governing boards. It says that all “brick and mortar schools” must reopen beginning in August at least five days per week and that they must follow the guidelines as set by the Florida Department of Health. “Education is critical to the success of the state and to an individual, and extended school closures can impede the educational success of students, impact families’ well-being and limit many parents and guardians from returning to work,” wrote Corcoran in the order. The department’s order further requires all schools that accept state scholarship money to submit a reopening plan that satisfies the state’s requirements. The order from the Florida Department of Education follows President Trump’s tweet earlier in that day that, “SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!” Schools in nearly every state closed in March amid the worsening coronavirus pandemic. Most school districts provided online teaching for the remainder of the school year.

 

“Florida permit owners can legally carry concealed weapons wearing a mask for health purposes” by WINK – There’s a lot of misinformation out there about whether you can carry your gun while wearing a face mask. We looked at the legalities of carrying concealed weapons while wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic in Florida Monday. A representative with Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office told us it’s allowed as long as those with permits are wearing masks for health purposes and falling further guidelines. This is relevant for Guy Lemakos, who operates 2 Guys Gun Shows, ahead of one of his events this weekend at the Charlotte County Fairgrounds. “We’ve done two year’s worth of business over the past three months,” said Lemakos said. Caused by concerns for COVID-19, Lemakos expects a crowd at this weekend’s gun show at the Charlotte County Fair Association fairgrounds, even though it’s normally slow season. “As soon as the governor started issuing the stay-at-home order, people got a little scared and brought home security to the front burner,” Lemakos said. And Skip Conroy, the community affairs supervisor with Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, told us people with permits can conceal and carry while wearing a face covering, as long as the mask isn’t worn to intimidate others, or while committing a crime. “We are in the middle of a pandemic,” Conroy said. “People are wearing masks for medical reasons and self-protection.”

 

“Judge abruptly reverses order to have fact-finder investigate South Florida ICE jails” by Miami Herald’s Monique O. Madan – Just hours after appointing an independent fact-finder to investigate possible “inhumane conditions, deliberate indifference and cruel and unusual punishment” at three South Florida immigration detention centers, a Miami federal judge abruptly reversed her order Monday without explanation. In an eight-page scathing order filed earlier in the day, U.S. District Court Judge Marcia G. Cooke assigned an investigator to determine whether or not U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have violated her previous court orders aimed at preventing coronavirus cases behind bars. However, hours after naming Michael B. Chavies – a longtime Miami trial lawyer, former Miami-Dade circuit judge and partner at Akerman LLP in Miami – to inspect and investigate the Krome Processing Center in Miami-Dade, the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach and the Glades Detention Center in Moore Haven, Cooke undid her order. It’s unclear why Cooke reversed her order, but according to Akerman’s own website, the law firm has done white-collar work, defense work and regulatory litigation involving federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security — which oversees ICE — among 15 other federal agencies. It’s unknown if the judge will issue a revised order.

 

“Gov. DeSantis argues COVID picture in Florida isn’t as bleak as it seems” by Florida Phoenix’s Michael Moline – Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Floridians not to be alarmed at the persistent spikes in positive tests for COVID-19, and suggested they’re not as bad as they seem given the true extent of the disease’s spread among non-symptomatic people including young adults. As of 11 a.m. Monday, the Florida Department of Health had reported an additional 6,336 positive coronavirus test results and 47 deaths, for a total of 206,447 positive tests and 3,778 deaths. The positivity rate was around 15 percent. However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that actual infections may run 11 times greater than the number of recorded infections, based on testing for coronavirus antibodies in four South Florida counties between April 6 and April 10 — when the area had reported 10,500 diagnosed cases, the governor said. A University of Miami study, meanwhile, found an infection rate 16 times higher than the reported diagnoses, he added. “That means a couple of things. It means the virus is more widespread than what the cases would say. It also means that the fatalities are less than a simple raw case fatality rate, because you’d have to include all of the infections doing a seroprevalence [survey],” DeSantis said during a news conference at the U.F. Health hospital in The Villages, a retirement community in north Central Florida. The CDC now estimates the national fatality rate at 0.26 percent. The same metric would bump Florida’s fatality rate (about 1.9 percent by the usual measure) to about 0.19, he said.

 

“Florida Attorney General Recognizes Five Volunteers as ‘Super Senior Sleuths’ For Contributions Against Scams” by Space Coast Daily – Moody is honoring Seniors vs. Crime volunteers for the second year in a row and his year, due to COVID-19, she is presenting the awards virtually. 2020 Super Senior Sleuths for taking extraordinary steps to protect Floridians through Seniors vs. Crime include:

 

■ David Cunningham, volunteer at the Seniors vs. Crime Marion County office;

 

■ Gary Hinthorne, volunteer at the Seniors vs. Crime Cape Coral office;

 

■ Tomme Mayne, volunteer at the Seniors vs. Crime Flagler County office;

 

■ Betsy Robins, volunteer at the Seniors vs. Crime Navarre office; and

 

■ Jean Sporrier, volunteer at the Seniors vs. Crime Port St. Lucie office.

 

“I am overjoyed to be honoring these individuals for the work that they do to protect older Floridians. It is wonderful to see seniors using their golden years to give back to the community and fight for justice,” said Moody. “I only wish I was able to honor them in person. After hearing about the extraordinary work they do in their communities, I know that all Floridians will agree, Florida’s seniors have a great team standing guard against fraud.”

 

“U.S. Coast Guard Interdicts 14 Haitian Migrants 26 Miles Off Florida’s East Coast” by Space Coast Daily – Coast Guard 7th District watchstanders received a report of a disabled 21-foot pleasure craft with 14 migrants aboard. Watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce 33-foot Special Purpose Craft—Law Enforcement crew, a Coast Guard Station Lake Worth Inlet 45-foot Response Boat—Medium crew and a Coast Guard Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew to search. The Air Station Miami airplane crew located the disabled vessel and vectored in Station Fort Pierce, Station Lake Worth Inlet and the Coast Guard Cutter Manatee (WPB-87363) crew. After determining there were no COVID-19 concerns the cutter Manatee crew embarked the 10 Haitian males and 4 Haitian females. While aboard the cutter Manatee, two Haitian females fainted and were medevaced to a higher level of care. The cutter Manatee crew transferred 10 Haitian migrants to Bahamian authorities in Freeport, the Bahamas, and two Haitian migrants to U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents in Lake Worth Inlet. “The Coast Guard and our partner agencies’ first priority is safety of life at sea and these voyages, in many situations, aren’t safe,” said Cmdr. Rick DeTar, Sector Miami response department head. “The Coast Guard and our partner agencies maintain their focused and coordinated efforts to interdict and stop these unlawful migration attempts in to the United States.”

 

READ MORE at THE FLORIDIAN

 

 

 

President Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump-“COVID-19 (China Virus) Death Rate PLUNGES From Peak In U.S.” A Tenfold Decrease In Mortality. The Washington Times @WashTimes

Valerie Richardson. We have the lowest Mortality Rate in the World. The Fake News should be reporting these most important of facts, but they don’t!

Adam Schiff @RepAdamSchiff -Trump welcomed Russia’s election help in 2016. He tried to coerce Ukraine’s help in 2019. And he begged China for it this year.

Requiring campaigns to disclose foreign offers of campaign assistance is common sense, even if not in the Senate.

Americans decide American elections.