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Hello and welcome to Thursday.

The daily rundown Between Tuesday and Wednesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 5,143 (nearly 0.3 percent), to 2,021,656; active hospitalizations went down by 54 (1.8 percent), to 2,882 deaths of Florida residents rose by 30, to 32,850; 5,205,239 Floridians have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Whos next? Former state Sen. Frank Artiles was arrested by Miami authorities last week for a scheme involving a hotly-contested state Senate race. Is there a broader federal investigation coming soon? Floridas 11 Democratic members of Congress certainly think one is warranted.

Dear AG Playbook has been told all 11 Democrats have signed a letter that will be sent Thursday morning to Attorney General Merrick Garland that maintains that a much wider probe is needed to look at dark money donors and sham candidates."

Last weeks action State Attorney Kathy Fernandez-Rundle in Miami announced charges against Artiles and Alex Rodriguez, a candidate who ran for a South Florida state senate seat. Artiles is accused of paying Alex Rodriguez to run as a no-party affiliated candidate against then-state Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez to siphon away votes in the election. Artiles alleged scheme likely helped flip the seat to Republicans.

3 races targeted POLITICO has previously reported that political committees funded by Proclivity, a mystery donor, pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into mailers to boost the candidacies of no-party affiliated candidates that did not campaign. The three races targeted, two in Miami and one in Seminole County, were the focus of intense campaigns funded by leadership from both parties. In each case, Republicans won and the mail pieces featured messaging generally used to target Democratic voters. Money apparently flowed in from an out-of-state UPS box.

From the letter shared with Playbook Based on the suspicious practices outlined in this letter, including the likelihood of several potential illegal interstate transfers of funds, we strongly believe that much greater scrutiny of this matter at the federal level is warranted. There are important unanswered questions regarding the original source of the money to fund this scheme, and whether the entity that provided the funding was in violation of any federal campaign finance laws or Internal Revenue Service codes. It is also a pressing public concern as to whether any fraud occurred in furtherance of a federal criminal conspiracy designed to influence the outcome of one or more elections.

Real fraud? The letter concludes that unlike the dangerous, baseless claims of voter fraud impacting the 2020 Election, in this case, evidence actually exists that a multi-state fraud conspiracy was committed against Floridas voters.

WHERE'S RON? Nothing official announced for Gov. DeSantis.

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Ocean Conservancy is working with you to protect the ocean from todays greatest global challenges. Were working in the places you care about to address the impacts of these threats from sea level rise, to water quality, and more. Together, we can create solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. Learn more.

STARTING LINE Ron DeSantis and Mike Pence lead latest poll for 2024 Republican presidential candidates, by Newsweeks Alia Slisco: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence hold commanding leads over other prominent Republicans in a new poll of potential party nominees for the 2024 presidential election. DeSantis was the top choice, with 17 percent of respondents supporting him, in the poll released Wednesday by GOP polling firm Echelon Insights. Pence was the runner-up with 16 percent support. Former President Donald Trump was not an available choice, with the poll asking which GOP candidate voters would prefer if Trump does not attempt to win a non-consecutive second term.

HOW I SPENT MY SUMMER Gaetz to New Hampshire to help raise money for fellow Republicans, by Fox News Paul Steinhauser: No. Hes not mulling a 2024 presidential run. But. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida is headed to the first-in-the-nation presidential primary state of New Hampshire this summer, to help raise money for fellow Republicans. Multiple Republican sources in the Granite State told Fox News on Wednesday that the three-term representative and close ally of former President Trump will headline the Nashua Republican City Committees annual Steak Out fundraiser.

LAGGING Democrats outspent the GOP on Spanish-language ads in 2020, but it came late, by NBC News Suzanne Gamboa: When the Democratic political action committee Nuestro PAC sent election mailers in Florida featuring a photo of Kristin Urquiza who blamed President Donald Trump for her father's Covid-19 death 200 were returned with communist or socialist scrawled on them. The response underscores a blaring lesson from the 2020 election: By the time Democrats started paying attention to Latino voters in the state and spending money on them, Republicans had already embedded their message, linking Democrats and Joe Biden to socialism.

Unpersuaded "'This showed the damage had already been done. Latinos in Florida had made up their mind and the long-term organizing and misinformation campaign by Trump and the Republicans worked,' Nuestro PAC said in a report on 2020 Democratic Latino outreach that was made available to NBC News."

UH-OH, SOMEONE DIDNT FOLLOW THE SCRIPT Prison budget cuts lead to Florida Senate drama, by Miami Heralds Ana Ceballos: In a highly unusual mid-session budget fight, two key lawmakers on Wednesday openly feuded with Senate leadership and tried to derail the first draft of the chambers criminal justice budget. The dispute largely centered on $140 million in proposed budget cuts to the Department of Corrections that contemplates the closure of four state-run prisons, a plan that is devoid of specifics and had not been previously discussed by lawmakers. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, was so angered by the proposed reductions that he made a motion to vote down the entire criminal justice budget proposal.

BARGAINING AHEAD Florida House and Senate differ on school choice expansion, by POLITICOs Andrew Atterbury: House education leaders introduced a long-awaited school choice package on Wednesday that breaks in key ways from the Senates massive proposal, setting up what could be the biggest education policy clash of the session. The 61-page bill dropped by the Houses top education committee would merge voucher programs for special needs students with the budding Family Empowerment Scholarship and expand eligibility for the awards, provisions that are similar to those sought in the Senate. But the House bill is notably missing Senate priorities like sweeping changes to how private school scholarships are funded in the state budget and the creation of new education savings accounts.

FOR NEXT TIME Florida bill seeks to better plan for future pandemics, by Associated Press Brendan Farrington: A House committee approved a bill Wednesday to better prepare for public health emergencies, ranging from ensuring the state is well-stocked with personal protective equipment to allowing the governor more flexibility in spending state money to deal with a crisis. The bill approved by the House Pandemics & Public Emergencies Committee on a 14-4 vote also addresses how deaths are reported, would allow the Legislature to override a governors executive orders and seeks to better inform the public on state spending on its response and emergency orders.

TRUMP TOOK ACTION. THE LEGISLATURE WONT Florida bill to cap insulin costs is likely doomed. Heres why, by Tampa Bay Times Kirby Wilson: Rep. Melony Bell, R-Fort Meade, the sponsor of the House version of the insulin bill, said Wednesday she hasnt been able to get the bill moving in her chamber. Bell said shes gotten an idea why based on conversations with House leadership. We dont want to go against the insurance companies because we dont want to go against the free market, Bell said, summing up what she said was the sentiment of House leaders.

Action at federal level The government taking action to lower the cost of prescription drugs is a widely popular, bipartisan idea. Last year, President Donald Trumps administration capped insulin co-pays at $35 per month for some Medicare plans. At least 14 other states have capped insurance co-pays for insulin at $100 or less, the Diabetes Association notes.

THE MONEY SHIFT Despite housing shortage, Florida GOP leaders look to take dollars away, by Sarasota Herald-Tribunes John Kennedy: Despite a pandemic-fueled shortage of lower-cost housing in Florida, the Legislatures Republican leaders have agreed to pull most of the dollars out of the states affordable housing fund and steer it to other, favored programs. House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, and Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, would take two-thirds of the $423 million now available for housing and divide it between a wastewater grants program and another to help cities deal with sea level rise.

CLEARS FIRST STOP Florida Senate panel advances bill that limits police chokeholds, by POLITICOs Giulia Heyward: In the aftermath of George Floyds killing last summer, Florida lawmakers are moving forward with legislation that aims to limit police officers' use of chokeholds. If enacted, Democratic State Sen. Jason Pizzos SB 1970 would push police departments to provide training that bars officers from using chokeholds except in deadly force situations. It also makes implicit bias training mandatory for all law enforcement agencies, and goes as far as to require a written policy from each agency affirming its officers duty to use these tactics when making arrests.

WHO CARES ABOUT VOTERS Florida port regulation fight narrows, skeptics remain, by POLITICOs Matt Dixon: A contentious fight over regulation of Floridas ports is entering its final stages, with supporters trying so far unsuccessfully to narrow legislation to win support of opponents, which includes the states powerful Florida Ports Council. The bill, FL SB426 (21R), as originally written preempted local governments from regulating sea ports. That prompted a backlash from both the port industry and supporters of a trio of voter-approved Key West ballot measures that limited the size of cruise ships that could dock and the number of daily cruise ship passengers that can visit the city daily.... After a round of amendments, the Senate bill now would no longer allow local governments to pass referenda negatively restricting maritime commerce, and does not permit ports run by cities or special districts from restricting maritime commerce.

Florida Senate resolution condemns white supremacy, by The Associated Press Brendan Farrington

At the bottom: Efforts to help Floridas jobless get boost, by Spectrum News Pete Reinwald

First Amendment advocates decry creep toward denying public information to Floridians, by Florida Phoenixs Michael Moline

A BIT SMOOTHER Even as the age comes down, getting a vaccine isnt such a madhouse anymore, by Sun Sentinels Andrew Boryga, Wells Dusenbury, Austen Erblat and Eric Chokey: As Florida opens up COVID-19 vaccines to younger groups, they are unlikely to encounter the chaos that roiled people 65 and over when the vaccine campaign began. Seniors wrestled with overwhelmed phone lines, crashed websites and hours-long waits in line in January. But fears that the trouble would return as the eligible age was reduced have not materialized.

SECRET ORDERS? Backroom vaccine politics block jail inmates from getting COVID shots, Palm Beach County rep says, by Sun Sentinels Skyler Swisher: "Efforts to provide COVID-19 shots to jail inmates in Palm Beach County have been thwarted by backroom vaccine politics with no timetable being given for when the vulnerable population will be offered protection against the deadly virus, a state representative said Wednesday. State Rep. Omari Hardy said hes been trying for weeks to get county officials to vaccinate inmates at Palm Beach Countys jail who meet the states eligibility guidelines."

WAITING FOR ALL CLEAR Cruise industry begs CDC: Let us sail by July, by Sun Sentinels Ron Hurtibise: Major cruise lines are eager to resume operations from U.S. ports, and theyre calling on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make it happen by July. The early-July timeframe is in line with President Bidens forecast for when the United States will be closer to normal, according to the statement released Wednesday by the industrys trade group, the Cruise Lines International Association. The association is asking the CDC to lift an order issued in October called a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order that required the industry to wait for further guidance before resuming cruises.

Workers go door to door in Jacksonville to sign up people for COVID-19 shots, by News4Jaxs Kelly Wiley

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BALLARD ADDS TOP WALSH AIDE (FROM POLITICO INFLUENCE) Eugene OFlaherty, most recently corporation counsel for the city of Boston and a top aide to now-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh, has joined Ballard Partners as a partner as the firm looks to expand its congressional practice and ties to the new administration, giving the Florida-based firm run by a former fundraiser to President Donald Trump increased clout with the powerful Massachusetts delegation and the Biden administrations newest Cabinet member.

Adding the Dems Ballard, which became one of the most powerful firms on K Street under Trump, has rapidly staffed up with more Democrats this year. Courtney Whitney, a top Democratic fundraiser who was a consultant for the pro-Biden super PAC Priorities USA, was brought on as a partner, two more Democratic lobbyists moved into its D.C. office, and Rep. Al Lawsons former chief of staff was hired. Former Florida Rep. Robert Wexler, a Democrat, and Jamie Rubin, who worked with President Joe Biden in the Senate, also work at Ballard.

WHATS IN YOUR WALLET? Trumpworlds next target: Building a dark-money machine, by POLITICOs Alex Isenstadt: Major donors are convening at former President Donald Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort next month for a two-day gathering to talk about what went wrong in 2020 and to build a big-dollar network to take back power. The summit is being sponsored by the Conservative Partnership Institute, an organization led by Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.). Trump is slated to headline the opening-night dinner, and the agenda includes an array of conservative luminaries and former Trump administration officials such as Stephen Miller, Russ Vought and Ric Grenell.

MORE DETAILS New evidence suggests alliance between Oath Keepers, Proud Boys ahead of Jan. 6, by POLITICOs Kyle Cheney: Kelly Meggs, the Florida leader of the Oath Keepers, said in private messages obtained by prosecutors that hed been in touch repeatedly with Proud Boys leadership in particular. He said he had worked out a strategy to confront potential violence from antifa, a loosely organized collection of left-wing extremists. Meggs has been charged along with nine others with conspiring to stop Congress from certifying the 2020 election. This week I organized an alliance between Oath Keepers, Florida 3%ers, and Proud Boys, Meggs wrote in a Dec. 19 message to an associate via Facebook. We have decided to work together and shut this shit down.

Seminole man, described as Proud Boy associate, arrested in Capitol riot, by Tampa Bay Times Dan Sullivan

MASS SHOOTINGS SHOULD NOT BE NORMAL Stoneman Douglas community grieves for Atlanta and Boulder victims, renews push for gun safety, by Sun Sentinels Anthony Man: Survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre, and family members of victims, joined Wednesday with half a dozen members of Congress from South Florida, Georgia and Colorado to mourn the victims of the nations two most recent mass shootings and renew their push for gun safety legislation. With Americans hopeful as the nation emerges from the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch said, we were all looking forward to the moment when our lives would return to normalcy. This is not what we meant. Mass shootings should not be normal.

A message from Ocean Conservancy:

Florida has an iconic natural environment. It is surrounded by and dependent on clean water. From the Panhandle to the Treasure Coast to the Florida Keys, youre never more than 60 miles from the ocean. Floridas coasts serve as treasured sanctuaries and economic engines places to enjoy as well as earn a living and build a life. With offices in St. Petersburg and Miami, Ocean Conservancy is actively working in these treasured Floridian places to address the impacts of todays greatest global challenges from sea level rise, to water quality, and more. Together, we can create solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. Learn more.

Police: Florida mom shows up to daughters school wearing boxing glove, fights child, gets arrested, by First Coast News: [Edith] Riddle had just exited the school with her own daughter after a meeting with the vice principal on campus, according to the report. Rather than exiting the campus directly, the daughter walked out of her way through the cafeteria to engage the victim in a fight, the report says. Riddle's daughter pushed the victim to the ground and threw some punches before the suspect also joined in punching the victim, who was lying on the ground, according to witnesses. A witness also said Riddle appeared to have a boxing glove attached to her left hand, according to the arrest report.

Pier 1 cougher says hate messages, harassment have destroyed familys life, by Orlando Sentinels Tiffini Theisen: A Florida woman who may get jail time after she was accused of intentionally coughing in a cancer patients face wants a judge to consider the backlash she and her family have endured since last summers incident in a Pier 1. Debra Jo Hunter was shown in a June 25 video at the Jacksonville Town Center walking up to a woman and deliberately coughing in her face after making a lewd gesture toward the camera. Hunter pleaded guilty Monday and could get up to 60 days in jail, according to News4Jax.

BIRTHDAYS: Palm Beach County Commissioner Maria Sachs former State Rep. John Cortes

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Florida Dems seek DOJ probe into sham candidates Ballard adds another Democrat to D.C. team Jousting in Senate over prison budget cuts - Politico