2 days ago
Al Lawson weighs in on redistricting push
Good morning and happy Friday.
AL LAWSON knows what it's like to have a congressional district upended by redistricting.
The North Florida Democrat got elected to Congress in 2016 after the state Supreme Court put in place a new district that stretched from Tallahassee to Jacksonville. But his district was dismantled at the direction of Gov. RON DESANTIS during 2022's redistricting. Multiple legal challenges failed, and Lawson tried to hold onto his seat. But he lost to REP. NEAL DUNN who had Tallahassee added to his solid Republican district.
Now several states — including Texas, California and maybe Florida — are embarking on mid-decade redistricting efforts sparked by President DONALD TRUMP's push to get Texas to change its map in order to bolster Republicans' slim majority in the House.
Lawson calls the situation in Texas 'bad' and cited it as an example of how the nation is 'moving away from a representative democracy.' But he said he supported the actions of Democrats in other states such as California to counter what was happening in the red state.
'At this point, it's the right response,' Lawson told Playbook during an interview held in his Tallahassee office. 'Because everybody wants the Democrats to stand up for something, you know? And over the years Democrats just kind of let things go.'
When it comes to his own redistricting experiences, Lawson has moved on somewhat. 'I felt more sorry for all the constituents than I did for myself,' he said, adding that he still gets calls from people across north Florida and questions whether Dunn is adequately representing them. But Lawson added that his wife had health problems shortly after he was defeated in 2022 and that he would have had to take a leave of absence to help her.
Lawson, 76, remains proud of his time in office, saying he grew up poor in Gadsden County and wound up spending 28 years in the Florida Legislature before moving to Congress. He said his career shows 'everything is possible' for those living all along the I-10 corridor in North Florida.
In the interview, Lawson recounted his friendly relationships with Republicans such as SUSIE WILES and BRIAN BALLARD but mentioned how distant DeSantis was when they both served in Congress. 'He didn't have very much interaction with Republicans,' he said. 'And he would stay in a corner and play on his phone.'
In terms of Florida's political future, Lawson contended that if state legislators go ahead and embark on a redistricting push, it could wind up hurting South Florida Republicans like Rep. MARIO DÍAZ-BALART. His seat stretches from Miami Beach and Hialeah across the bottom of the state to Collier County. 'I probably need to have a going away party [for him],' Lawson quipped. (Díaz-Balart's seat is currently being challenged in federal court as an illegal race-based gerrymander. A trial is scheduled for early January.)
When it comes to his plans, Lawson says he has been asked to consider running for governor, even though he acknowledged 'I might not be a good candidate.' He has doubts about DAVID JOLLY, the former GOP member of Congress who switched parties and is now running as a Democrat with dozens of endorsements. 'During the time he was up there, he voted against everything that was in my interest and in the interest of the people of Florida,' he said.
Lawson said Florida Democratic Party chair NIKKI FRIED asked him if he was interested in running for agriculture commissioner or chief financial officer. 'And so I said, 'No, I don't have that on my radar.' Lawson said he will have more clarity about his plans by November, but added also he has talked to VAL DEMINGS about the possibility that her husband, Orange County Mayor JERRY DEMINGS, may run for governor.
— Gary Fineout
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... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...
TODAY — State economists will meet with the governor's budget staff and House and Senate aides to draw up forecasts for Florida's tax revenues. The funds play a key role in paying for prisons, schools and health programs. The discussion today could provide insight into how economists are thinking about the effects of Trump's tariffs, the direction of interest rates and inflation, as well as the housing market.
'DEPORTATION DEPOT' COMING IN TWO WEEKS — DeSantis announced Thursday that the state will open a second immigration detention center inside a now-shuttered state prison in North Florida as the fate of its first such facility in the Everglades lies in the hands of a federal judge.
Florida plans to spend up to $6 million to stand up Baker Correctional Institution — which is 15 minutes away from an airport in Lake City — to hold more than 1,300 people awaiting deportation. Baker was 'temporarily closed' amid ongoing staffing problems in the state prison system.
— Gary Fineout
RESPONSE FROM DEMS — 'These inhumane facilities reward massive, taxpayer-funded no-bid contracts to politically connected businesses and corporate elite donors,' Fried said. 'DeSantis is funneling millions of tax dollars from the working and middle class to fill the pockets of the wealthy at the expense of immigrants who have come to our State seeking a better life for their families.'
SHUCKS — State wildlife officials voted Thursday to move toward opening Apalachicola Bay to limited oyster harvesting in 2026 — more than five years after it was closed.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission agreed to consider rules in November reopening the iconic fishery in January, nine months ahead of a schedule recommended by agency staff.
Seafood workers and Franklin County commissioners urged the panel to reopen the bay sooner, arguing that oysters were making a comeback after the shellfish population crashed in 2012.
— Bruce Ritchie
HEALTH CARE FOR STATE WORKERS — The state's health insurance program for Florida employees is poised to run into the red next year, according to new projections released this week by state economists.
The looming deficit will once again will put pressure on lawmakers to either inject hundreds of millions extra into the trust fund that pays for coverage, make significant changes to employee premiums or find a way to rein in expenses. The Legislature this past session passed a bill that could have led to a drug formulary for state workers, but DeSantis vetoed the legislation.
Florida's state group health insurance program — which covers an estimated 371,000 subscribers and dependents — is projected to cost about $4.5 billion in the current fiscal year. Last year, lawmakers allowed state colleges to enroll their employees in the program. In the past two years, the Legislature has set aside more than $600 million in extra funding to keep the trust fund solvent.
— Gary Fineout
SNAP INJUNCTION REJECTED — Florida's attempt to block children from the popular app Snapchat hit a wall this week, as a federal judge denied the state's bid to cut off access for younger users.
State Attorney General James Uthmeier sued parent company Snap Inc. earlier this year, claiming the app was 'openly' defying Florida's law restricting social media access for children while exposing minors to harmful content regarding alcohol, tobacco and drug use.
But Judge Mark Walker, who earlier this year blocked the social media law, rejected Uthmeier's push for a temporary injunction Wednesday, which aimed to make Snapchat deplatform many children.
— Andrew Atterbury
BOOK REMOVAL RULING — A federal judge this week dealt a blow to a Florida law that triggered schools to remove hundreds of library books, including many classic works, due to the state's sexual content restrictions.
In a ruling Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza determined a key piece of Florida's law prohibiting books that describe 'sexual conduct' is 'overbroad and unconstitutional' for how it was applied, with local schools yanking titles like Toni Morrison's 'The Bluest Eye' from bookshelves.
The decision sided with a group of authors, parents and major publishers including Penguin Random House, Macmillan Publishers, Simon & Schuster contending Florida's Board of Education and county school boards are carrying out the law too strictly.
— Andrew Atterbury
COLLINS IN THE SPOTLIGHT — DeSantis posted an X interview Thursday with new Lt. Gov. JAY COLLINS as he continues to introduce his second in command to Floridians. The two reflected on how Collins stood by DeSantis over illegal immigration, and on Collins' legislation to ban some Chinese citizens from buying farmland.
Collins praised Trump for directing states to clamp down on illegal immigration and praised DeSantis' governorship. 'Under your leadership, this state has fought and been on the right side of multiple issues,' he said, citing Covid and the war on 'woke' amid several examples. The state, he said, should not go back to where it was 10 to 20 years ago.
They also discussed whether salami belongs on a Cuban sandwich. (Collins said yes. 'I'm a salami guy; it has got to be on there,' he insisted.)
CAMPAIGN MODE
DONALDS DEEP DIVE — 'In the early days of their relationship, Donalds didn't tell Lees [now Erika Donalds] that he was already married. Lees didn't find out about Hall until she and Donalds started talking about marriage themselves. 'Needless to say, I was not happy,' Erika Donalds remembered.
'Still, she saw a future with the young man with New York swagger with whom conversation flowed so easily,' reports Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times.
NEW ENDORSEMENT — GOP Sen. ASHLEY MOODY received an endorsement this week from the Associated Builders and Contractors of Florida, the state's largest association for commercial construction. ABC of Florida Chair KELVIN ENFINGER specifically cited Moody's opposition to hiring mandates when she was state attorney general. 'She understands the value our members bring to the state and knows that public projects should be awarded based on qualifications and performance — not politics,' he said in a statement.
DATELINE D.C.
FINANCIALS — Several members of Florida's congressional delegation asked and were granted a three-month extension to file their personal financial disclosures, facing a deadline of midnight Wednesday. Here were a few things that stood out after Playbook combed through the newly available paperwork:
— GOP Rep. MARÍA ELVIRA SALAZAR gets as much as $15,000 in royalties from Google for ad revenue from her TV show that plays on YouTube.
— Democratic Rep. JARED MOSKOWITZ has a stock portfolio that includes shares in Amazon, Costco, and Exxon Mobil. He has previously said a financial adviser manages the portfolio.
— GOP Reps. KAT CAMMACK and NEAL DUNN stick to exchange-traded funds — a type of investment that bundles together assets — for their portfolios, rather than buying or selling individual stocks.
— The 401(k) for GOP Rep. LAUREL LEE's husband includes shares from Meta, Pfizer and Ford.
— GOP Rep. SCOTT FRANKLIN has a joint brokerage account that includes shares in Visa, Apple and Alphabet, the parent company of Google.
— Democratic Rep. DARREN SOTO purchased a new home in Kissimmee last year valued under $250,000.
— GOP Rep. COREY MILLS has millions of dollars in assets from the weapons manufacturing company he co-founded placed into a blind trust. The arrangement means a third party manages the assets and he doesn't have knowledge or control of what's in there.
ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN
— 'Who is Taylor Stanberry? Meet the first woman to win Florida Python Challenge,' per USA Today Network — Florida.
BIRTHDAYS: (Saturday) Michael Grunwald, journalist and author … Former Rep. Tim Mahoney … (Sunday) Florida Senate President Ben Albritton … former state Rep. Vance Aloupis … former state Rep. Sharon Pritchett.
