Florida Politics

JUICE — Florida Politics' Juicy Read — 3.9.2021 — Big Pot Blocks And Tackles in Florida — Bright Futures —Minimum Wage — DeSantis, Ballard, Lukis, Gaetz — More...

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DeSantis Gears Up for 2022

Long-time Deputy Chief of Staff Adrian Lukis has been tapped by Gov. Ron DeSantis to be his new Chief of Staff, replacing Broward County native Shane Strum who is moving on to be the CEO of Broward Health.

“For all the hard work Shane did, usually Adrian was right there with him,” DeSantis said. “He’s worked incredibly hard. Very knowledgeable, very smart.”

Lukis's hiring is a big win for DeSantis, who made his political bones who worked down in Miami with former Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva and in local government.

But while DeSantis maintains stability in his office, who is the bigger winner?

Is Florida lobby group Ballard Partners the biggest winner?

Lukis is the son of Ballard lobbyist Sylvester Lukis and has been in place in DeSantis’ Executive Office since Day 1, but that was when Ballard Partners was playing nice with the governor.

Over the past couple of years, Ballard Partners appear to have fallen out of favor with the DeSantis administration. According to one government source with intimate knowledge of the Ballard-DeSantis relationship, he says its almost non-existent due to events and deals that transpired shortly after the governor took office.

Could the younger Lukis bridge the divide now that he is DeSantis’ Chief of Staff?

 

Big Pot Looks To Smoke Out Detractors

Thanks to State Senator Jeff Brandes (R), who says “it’s gonna happen,” Florida may be the next state to legalize recreational marijuana, but not everyone in his party is gun-ho on the idea, and some Republicans are looking to cap medical marijuana consumption.

Florida House Bill 1455 is up in committee this week and should eventually come down to a vote, but it is most likely dead on arrival in the Florida Senate. READ MORE

Oh, and AG Commissioner Nikki Fried is once again pushing medical pot. More on this later today…

Orange Bowl Dreams

Ballard Partners Jose Felix Diaz has announced that the Miami Dolphins really stink. Kidding. Diaz has announced that he has be elected for membership to the Orange Bowl Committee — “College football’s oldest and most prestigious volunteer non-profit organization“ according to Diaz.

 

Show Me the Money

In this past election, Florida controversially voted on raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour gradually up until 2026. However, after years of this topic gaining traction, State Senator Jeff Brandes (R) is looking to soften the blow of this SJR 854 amendment in the Florida Senate. Sen. Shevrin Jones (D) has a lot to say about this measure. READ MORE

 

Rick Scott @SenRickScott-Great news! For years I've been calling for TPS for Venezuelans escaping @NicolasMaduros murderous regime, and I applaud today's action by the Biden Admin to grant this. The U.S. stands with the people of Venezuela fighting for freedom

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz @RepDWStweets-By President Biden granting TPS to lift the threat of deportation and grant employment authorization, @POTUS helps hundreds of thousands of families from #Venezuela stay safe & earn a living w/o fear of being returned to Maduro’s dangerous, cruel regime.

Mario Diaz-Balart @MarioDB-What better way to celebrate #305day than by drinking freshly-brewed Cuban cafecito in our nation’s capital.

Ron DeSantis @GovRonDeSantis-Florida is full speed ahead on our Seniors First vaccine strategy. From our partnership with places of worship and retail pharmacies, to our homebound seniors pilot program, we have vaccinated over 2.6M seniors, which is nearly 60% of Florida’s senior population.

Commissioner Nikki Fried @NikkiFriedFL-Keeping #EvergladesRestoration moving forward is vital to our environment & economy. Thanks to @RepHastingsFL& entire bipartisan delegation for continued advocacy on behalf of Florida’s #Everglades – a national treasure!

Senator Gary Farmer @FarmerForFLSen-Proud to be featured on the new @FLPublicMedia program “Class of COVID”, exploring the costs of the pandemic for students who were already been battling obstacles. I’m a bit disappointed that not one Republican would join me for this critical discussion.

Javier Manjarres

Javier Manjarres is a nationally renowned award-winning political journalist and Publisher of Floridianpress.com, Hispolitica.com, shark-tank.com, and Texaspolitics.com He enjoys traveling, playing soccer, mixed martial arts, weight-lifting, swimming, and biking. Javier is also a political consultant and has also authored "BROWN PEOPLE," which is a book about Hispanic Politics. Follow on Twitter: @JavManjarres Email him at Diversenewmedia@gmail.com

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