Greg Angel
Spectrum News Anchor

The will of the people

Florida Democrats are hoping to lighten the shade of red that dominates the Sunshine State. With party members gathering in Orlando this week, they’re focused on turning out Democratic voters this fall, and earning a larger share of no party affiliated support than Republicans.

It’s a huge feat, one that Republicans are confident the Dems will fail to reach. So much so, Gov. Ron DeSantis literally snickered when asked about the prospects during a press conference this week.

Having lost so many voters in recent years, including now trailing the Republican Party of Florida by 900,000 voters, why are Florida Democrats so confident? Why are national Democrats so confident?

There is a belief the issues of abortion (Amendment 4) and marijuana (Amendment 3) appearing on November’s ballot will be energizing enough to get an all call turnout.

However, IF the amendments are approved by 60% of voters, the impacts could likely still be far from reach.

That is because, despite a majority of voters approving a measure, it’s still up to the Florida Legislature to enact. We saw this a few years ago when voters approved restoring felons’ voting rights. It was then up to the legislature to approve the bill by then defining what constituted a completed sentence.

I had a chance to moderate a Tiger Bay Club panel this last Friday, featuring Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-District 10), Rep. Keith Truenow (R-District 26), Rep. Anna Eskamani (D-District 42), Rep. Kristen Arrington (D-District 46), Rep. David Smith (R-District 38), and Sen. Geraldine Thompson (D-District 15).

We had a chance to speak about a wide-ranging list of topics: Affordable housing, transportation/SunRail, opioid epidemic, insurance reforms, abortion, marijuana, and who they believe will be their party’s 2026 gubernatorial nominee. Some fascinating names thrown out.

That said, we also spoke about what it takes to enact amendments. The point is, for voters, the job isn’t done at the ballot box. It’s then up to voters to hold those in power accountable. To know they can make a difference.

The lawmakers also highlighted a number of constituent-driven measures that won legislative approval. Arrington pushed a bill that would give homeowners more oversight of HOAs, while Smith lead a bill to address the issue of hot car deaths.

It’s a reminder that beyond the political divide, there are bipartisanship opportunities, and ultimately, you can’t complain if you don’t vote or get involved. 

Gary Darling
Spectrum News Producer

It's primary season in Florida

The August primary election just over 100 days away (107 days, according to my trusty elections spreadsheet), and we’re starting to get our first glimpse of what match-ups we’ll see on our ballots. That’s because qualifying ended on April 26 for federal and judicial candidates.

First up, a statewide race: The race for U.S. Senate, currently held by Sen. Rick Scott [R]. Scott actually faces a primary contest from two challengers, so Republican voters will have the chance to make a choice. On the Democratic side, the highest profile candidate was former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell. But wait! As qualifying was wrapping up, former Rep. Alan Grayson qualified for the primary. Five Democratic candidates for Senate will be on August’s primary ballot.

Moving on to Congressional races, only three members in the Orlando and Tampa areas are NOT facing a primary challenge. They are Democrats Darren Soto and Kathy Castor, and Republican Anna Paulina Luna. That’s out of a dozen Congressional seats overall. That’s a bit of a surprise, because generally, it’s been an unwritten rule of party politics that you don’t challenge the incumbent. Republicans Michael Waltz, Cory Mills, Dan Webster, Kat Cammack, Laurel Lee, Gus Bilirakis, and Vern Buchanan, as well as Democrat Maxwell Alejandro Frost, are all facing primary challenges.

I left one Republican incumbent off that list. Rep. Bill Posey qualified for the election, but announced after qualifying had concluded that he would not be running for re-election, even though he had officially qualified for the race.

Posey issued a statement that said, “I could remain in the job forever, and we were looking forward to another spirited campaign for a final term in office. However, earlier this week, circumstances beyond my control now require me to suspend my re-election campaign.”

Posey then went on to endorse former State Senate President Mike Haridopolos, who qualified less than two hours before the qualifying period ended.

I mentioned judicial candidates earlier. They include candidates for circuit court judges, state attorneys, and public defenders. The highest-profile state attorney race in August will be in the 13th Judicial Circuit, where former State Attorney Andrew Warren, who was removed from office by Gov. Ron DeSantis, will face a Democratic primary challenge from Elizabeth Strauss. The winner will then head to the November ballot to face Warren’s replacement, Suzy Lopez, a Republican who was appointed to the position by the governor.

So what about all the other races we know are out there? Glad you asked. There’s another qualifying deadline coming up on June 14th. That will be for the rest of the races, including statewide, countywide, and local elections. When that qualifying period ends, we’ll let you know what you can expect to see on your ballots. 

Holly Gregory
Spectrum News Anchor

The looming special session?

It sounds like the smart money is on a special session in Tallahassee happening sooner rather than later. The rumor of a special session on immigration being in the works first came up a couple of months ago. Republican lawmakers I spoke with off the record at the time did not seem too keen on the idea, and the rumors died down. But they were revived this week.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has been talking this week about two recent news reports. Bill Melugin at Fox News obtained internal DHS data that show for an 8 month stretch from January through August 2023, roughly 200,000 migrants traveled into the U.S. via the CHNV (Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans) parole program. The data he obtained showed that 80% of the migrants (161,562) arrived in Florida in four cities: Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa.

DeSantis also slammed the Biden administration over a CBS News report that The White House is considering a plan to allow Palestinian refugees into the U.S. from Gaza. The White House press secretary confirmed that report on Wednesday.

“We are constantly evaluating policy proposals to further support Palestinians who are family members of American citizens and may want to come to the United States,” said Karine Jean-Pierre.

The governor said this week he wants is considering bringing lawmakers back to Tallahassee to work on legislation like Texas Senate Bill 4. It allows local law enforcement to detain and jail people suspected of entering the United States without authorization. It empowers state judges to issue deportation orders. Texas SB 4 is still being challenged in the courts.

I spoke with Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis this week who said he thinks there will be a special session probably before the governor signs the budget, so relatively soon. Patronis expects that the session will include not only legislation on immigration but also on insurance. That was the first I had heard that topic mentioned, but it’s possible. Either way, I would be willing to bet we have a special session at the start of summer.

Jason Delgado
Spectrum News Reporter

More pay for coaches

As you may’ve noticed, it’s been a tough year for Florida when it comes to college football.

Don’t worry, I’m not here to talk X’s and O’s with you.

But we should talk about football outside the lines. For starters, Florida’s attorney general is beefing with the NCAA in court after FSU got snubbed outta the playoffs.

She wants answers.

Moreover, FSU is suing the ACC, and the ACC is suing FSU. It’s like an ugly divorce. FSU wants out, and the ACC wants money. Lots of it.

It may take months or years for all that to resolve.

But when it comes to high school football coaches, there could be a big change on the horizon.

Gov. Ron DeSantis recently acknowledged that Florida’s high school football coaches don’t get paid a whole lot, especially compared to other nearby states like Texas and Georgia.

With more and more high school coaches ditching the sunshine for peaches and the lone star, there’s now a push in the capitol to get our coaches paid.

The details are still getting ironed out, but one idea is giving coaches stipends in the ballpark of twenty grand.

That’s a big deal, especially cause ZipRecruiter lists Florida second to last in the nation.

The average HS football coach salary in Florida, per Zip: shy of $36,000.