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Winner and Loser of the Week in Florida politics — Week of 3.9.25

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Last month, we asked the question: Could NASA headquarters make a landing here in the Sunshine State?

That was largely based on a push by Gov. Ron DeSantis to move the HQ to Cape Canaveral. Now, it seems like DeSantis has some allies in Washington on this issue.

Florida’s U.S. Senators, Ashley Moody and Rick Scott, are pushing a new bill to make the move out of Washington permanent. The Consolidating Aerospace Programs Efficiently (CAPE) at Canaveral Act would shift operations to Brevard County as a way of saving money, per Scott.

“Moving to Florida will not only save Americans’ tax dollars, it will enhance efficiency and streamline operations in this important industry with proximity to private-sector partners and a top-tier workforce ready to help America reach its space exploration goals,” Scott said.

As we argued previously, the move makes sense. Why lead operations from Washington when the action is at Kennedy Space Center? There are already renovations underway unrelated to this push. What’s a few more upgrades to make the location suitable for NASA’s headquarters?

President Donald Trump should check with advisor Elon Musk to see just how good Florida has been to SpaceX while hosting many launches from the Musk company.

This isn’t just a pipe dream of the Governor’s anymore. It looks like we may have liftoff.

Now, it’s onto our weekly game of winners and losers.

Winners

Honorable mention: Endangered Florida panthers. Big news for environmentalists, as Conservation Florida worked with the Department of Environmental Protection to expand Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park by adding 60 more protected acres.

Conservation Florida bought the land from Avatar Properties. It was then transferred to the state park system to be managed by the state. That means no additional construction on that land.

That’s good news for panthers, who are known to roam in the preserve. The panther population suffered 36 deaths in the past year, 29 from car’s striking them. Conservation Florida estimates that between 120 and 230 panthers remain in Florida.

That makes the move to protect more of this vital land even more important.

“The Fakahatchee Strand is a truly special place,” said Conservation Florida CEO Traci Deen. “In one visit alone to the parcels we acquired, our team encountered rare plants and animals we’ve spent our entire lives wishing to see. It fills us with pride to have helped conserve one of the state’s most extraordinary wild places and added to our award-winning state parks system.”

Almost (but not quite) the biggest winner: Anna Paulina Luna. Members of Congress love to tout their legislative wins. And they are important. We dedicate a good chunk of our twice weekly Delegation newsletters to covering those bills, however big or small.

But you deserve extra credit when you get a bill to the floor without going through the standard process of getting leadership to sign off.

Luna accomplished such a feat using something called a discharge petition. That requires the House to hold a vote on anything that 218 members agree should be voted upon.

You might think that would happen more often. But so much of Washington is structured around backroom deals and insulating members from difficult votes. There are plenty of items, if just given a chance to earn a majority vote, would pass in a second. Instead, they often never hit the floor due to Washington machinations.

And that’s why moves like this are so rare. Because in the event the majority party wants to vote on something, the Speaker will almost inevitably bring it to the floor.

That hasn’t been the case, however, with Luna’s push to allow proxy voting for brand new moms. Proxy voting was used during the COVID pandemic but fell out of favor with Republicans. Once they retook the chamber, proxy voting was out.

Luna, who gave birth during her first term, says an exception should be made for moms recovering from childbirth for the first six weeks.

This, again, is something that would likely pass via a majority. But Speaker Mike Johnson opposes it, as do a fair chunk of Republicans, so her bill is stuck in limbo.

That meant Luna turned to the discharge petition process and this week, she hit the 218 votes needed to force a vote, thanks largely to Democratic support. U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds was the only Republican member of Florida’s delegation to sign the petition.

The vote hasn’t happened yet, but Luna already deserves major credit for jumping through hoops and defying her party’s leadership to force a vote in the first place.

And she’s right on this issue. Your humble author of the column just welcomed a baby boy in January, and the idea that women are expected to rush back to Washington to participate in the legislative process so soon is absolutely insane. It’s somewhat incredible that the party of family values doesn’t see that inherently.

Good on Luna for her work on this.

The biggest winner: Donalds. Donalds lands here not for landing on the right side of Luna’s discharge petition, but for continuing his red-hot momentum in the Florida Governor’s race.

Again, we’re nearly a year and a half away from any votes being cast in this contest. But Donalds continues looking like the clear favorite to earn the Republican nomination and, in an increasingly red Florida, become the state’s next Governor.

Donalds already has the Donald Trump bump, and that’s arguably enough to seal this thing already among the GOP base.

But the benefit of securing the President’s endorsement isn’t just him speaking out in favor. It’s everyone in his orbit, and much of the existing Republican Party power structure, also falling in line behind Donalds.

We started to see some of that this week. Donald Trump Jr. is, unsurprisingly, endorsing Donalds’ bid. So too is Charlie Kirk, one of the largest conservative influencers in the country who runs the powerful Turning Points USA organization that has major sway among Republican voters.

But what kicked off this strong week from Donalds was the Club for Growth PAC announcing support for Donalds.

That’s notable not just because of Club for Growth’s status in the conservative movement, but also because the group supported DeSantis during his initial 2018 run. Now, with DeSantis floating his wife as a possible successor, the group is out on the DeSantis dynasty and backing Donalds instead.

Being able to flip a prominent group like that speaks well of Donalds’ ability in the year-plus ahead to continue securing support from various pillars of the Republican base. This is just the beginning.

Losers

Dishonorable mention: Dave Weldon. Weldon joins fellow Florida Men Chad Chronister and Matt Gaetz in earning nominations for premier posts in the second Trump administration … only to have those nominations blow up and be withdrawn.

Weldon was far along in the process to be the next Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But reports say as Weldon was on his way to his confirmation hearing Thursday morning, he got the call that the Trump administration was pulling Weldon’s name from consideration.

Ouch.

There hasn’t been official comment from Weldon or the White House on the reasoning for the move. But Weldon’s previous vaccine-skeptical views reportedly led to multiple key Senators opposed to his nomination. Weldon didn’t have the votes, so Team Trump looked to spare themselves the humiliation of their nominee going down.

That means the former Florida Congressman won’t return to Washington after all. It’s unclear who Trump’s next choice to lead the agency will be.

Almost (but not quite) the biggest loser: House Democrats. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of the Legislature, leaving Democrats in Tallahassee already embarrassed to some degree.

But somehow, they keep finding a way to dig up more bad press.

Recall that Democrats went on the offensive in 2024, running candidates in every seat on the ballot to try and break the GOP supermajority. They failed.

Then, following the election, two Democratic House members announced they were swapping parties. They gave various reasons, but the real reason is that the Democratic brand had become so toxic that they felt their odds of extending their respective political careers were better if they joined the red team.

Now this week, the Democrats had a private blowup go public. And the spat included the top Democrat in the House.

Our own Jacob Ogles broke the news of House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell confronting Rep. Jose Alvarez of Kissimmee after Alvarez voted during a committee hearing to advance legislation that would make it harder to get future petitions on the Florida ballot.

It wasn’t a vote on the floor, and Democrats at times play nice and vote to advance bills out of committee before voting down on them when it counts. Other times, Democratic leadership sees bills as being so toxic that they require disapproval throughout the entire process.

For Driskell, this bill reportedly fell into the latter camp. And Driskell said she wasn’t given a heads up on Alvarez’s decision to vote in favor.

“Part of the culture we are trying to develop here is, we understand the party in some ways is a coalition, and we may not vote the same on every bill,” Driskell said. “What I ask is that people let us know.”

Lobbyists indicated to Florida Politics that Alvarez also seemed to be down on the bill before praising it during the committee hearing and voting “yes.” Alvarez, for his part, said Driskell offended him during the confrontation.

“It was very disrespectful of her to speak to another member of the House that way,” Alvarez said, “for someone who calls herself a leader, to disrespect me in front of that, to tell me I vote whichever way she wants me to vote. I’ve been in public office long enough to know never to tell people to do a vote.”

That was just the beginning of the tea that spilled out of this meeting. And the big thing unclear to us — and likely to Democratic voters across the state — is if Democrats can’t even get their own caucus in line and work in unison on their own game plan, how are they ever going to dig out of the hole they’ve found themselves as they watch Republicans dominating the state?

Like we keep saying: Florida is a red state now. And it’s going to stay that way with Democrats continuing clown shows like this.

The biggest loser: Baseball in Tampa Bay. And that’s that. The deal to develop the Historic Gas Plant District and build a new stadium for the Rays is officially dead.

Rays owner Stuart Sternberg made the announcement in a social media post this week ahead of a March 31 deadline for the team to put its final signature to the deal.

And the face that the Rays no longer have a future home puts the team’s entire existence in the Tampa Bay area in doubt.

Now, there are some reassurances here. DeSantis said Friday that he spoke to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and that Manfred is “committed” to finding a way forward where the Rays stay put.

And while Sternberg pulled out of the existing deal, he left some sort of path open to constructing a new deal, though it’s unclear how that’s feasible. Is turning to Tampa, rather than St. Pete, a viable option? There’s also reportedly an investor group interested in purchasing the Rays and promising to keep them in the Tampa Bay area.

So there are possibilities where this ends well. But there is no longer certainty, and we’ve seen plenty of bad things happen when team owners don’t get the deal they want. Just look at the sad saga of another MLB franchise, the Oakland A’s.

For us and everyone else, this looked like a done deal last Summer, when St. Pete and Pinellas County got on board with the deal. But due to a series of freak events prompted by an act of nature, we somehow ended up here. Before Hurricane Milton hit, it looked like there were better odds of a Ray-Marlins 2025 World Series than this deal falling apart. Yet here we are.

This is documentary material at this point. Let’s hope there’s a happy ending that keeps the Rays at home. But until we have that set in stone — for real this time — fans have to wonder what the future holds for this team.


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Florida land purchase trends showed uptick in large tract transactions in 2024

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While Florida’s land market may be in a state of transition, large-acreage and institutional land transactions are rising to the fore.

Sanders Real Estate brokerage firm conducted its “Lay of the Land 2024 Florida Market Report” and found more than 72,000 acres of agricultural land was sold and transitioned into residential, solar and commercial development in 2024. The analysis found there were some concerning issues in the trend last year.

“This transformation highlights both the state’s economic growth and rising land values, but it also raises concerns about the pressures on agricultural land. Farmers are facing challenges from rising costs and diminishing land availability, further complicated by the decline of industries such as citrus,” the report concluded.

“As Florida’s land market continues to evolve, the need for effective conservation strategies, including investment in conservation easements, has never been more urgent to ensure the preservation of the state’s agricultural heritage.”

The report followed land values in the Sunshine State since 2013 and found the continuing population growth keeps Florida as one of the nation’s top destinations for land purchases as 2025 plays out.

“Despite a slight dip in overall transaction volume, Florida’s land market remains competitive, driven by large-acreage deals and institutional investments,” said Dean Saunders, founder, managing director, and senior advisor of Saunders Real Estate. “While smaller investors pulled back due to rising interest rates and uncertainty, major players have leaned in, consolidating land and focusing on large-scale acquisitions. However, Florida’s economic growth and rising land values have placed additional pressure on agricultural operations, with higher costs and shrinking land availability.”

According to the report, ranch and recreational land continues to be purchased in the state but the market for tracts in the 50-to-500-acre range cooled. However, tracts in excess of 500 acres ramped up more interest from buyers.

Farmland purchases remain solid as well, with the average size of farmland transaction last year was 397.64 acres. The average price per acre was $10,403.56.

The amount of transactions on citrus land doubled in 2024 over 2023. There were 128 citrus land purchases in 2023 with most of those taking place in Polk and Hardee counties with 34 in Polk and 27 in Hardee. “These numbers indicate the growing interest for citrus acreage in these areas, likely driven by shifting land use trends and demand for agricultural properties,” the report stated.


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Storm front loaded with potential tornadoes plows through Florida

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The Players Championship PGA tournament moved up tee times in hopes of completing play before the storm hits Ponte Vedra Beach.

As a powerful late Winter cold front marches toward the Eastern Seaboard, tornado watches have been issued for North Florida into South Georgia.

Florida’s Panhandle into Tallahassee and the Big Bend areas already were pounded by thunderstorms and high winds Saturday night into Sunday morning. Northeast Florida and South Georgia were bracing for the storm.

The National Weather Service (NWS) station at Jacksonville International Airport was issuing watches and warnings Sunday morning. The tornado watch is in effect for North Florida until 3 p.m. Sunday.

Scattered thunderstorms are expected through Sunday evening and wind gusts could clime to 50 to 70 mph, according to NWS statements.

The threatening weather caused PGA officials to move up tee times Sunday morning to begin at 8 a.m. in hopes of getting the final round of The Players Championship golf tournament completed before the heavy weather hits Ponte Vedra Beach at the expected 2 p.m. hour.

The powerful cold front is the same system that has already hammered several areas of the United States.

Violent tornadoes and high winds decimated homes, wiped out schools and toppled semitractor-trailers as the monster storm that also produced dust storms and icy conditions killed at least 33 people across the central and southern U.S.

Missouri resident Dakota Henderson said he and others rescuing trapped neighbors found five bodies scattered in the debris Friday night outside what remained of his aunt’s house in hard-hit Wayne County. Scattered twisters killed at least a dozen people in the state, authorities said.

“It was a very rough deal last night,” Henderson said Saturday not far from the splintered home from which he said they rescued his aunt through a window of the only room left standing. “It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night.”

The dynamic storm, earning an unusual “high risk” designation from weather forecasters, was blamed for deadly dust storms in the nation’s midsection, icy winter weather in northern parts of the country and severe thunderstorms on Sunday, including on the West Coast.

___

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.


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Florida in the top 20 for interstate safety and spending in the U.S.

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Florida’s urban and rural highway systems are fairly decent compared to the rest of the county, but their conditions fell a bit in the past year, at least that’s the finding in a new study.

The Sunshine State’s interstate roadways are not quite at the top, but they’re in the top 20, according to the Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report.” The analysis found Florida was 14th in the country when it comes to safe interstate conditions. However, the study found that’s a six-spot decline for Florida, which was ranked eighth overall in the previous report.

The Reason Foundation 28th annual report examines the urban and rural pavement conditions, rural pavement, deficient bridges, traffic congestion, and spending on roads and bridges in all 50 states.

In terms of safety, the analysis found Florida still ranks highly for general safety of its roadways.

“In safety and condition categories, Florida’s highways rank ninth in urban interstate pavement condition, fourth in rural interstate pavement condition, fifth in urban arterial pavement condition, fifth in rural arterial pavement condition, 10th in structurally deficient bridges, 48th in urban fatality rate, and 38th in rural fatality rate,” the study concluded.

However, Florida faulters when it comes to funding for interstate projects.

“In spending and cost-effectiveness, Florida ranks 40th in capital and bridge disbursements, which are the costs of building new roads and bridges and widening existing ones. Florida ranks 25th in maintenance spending, such as the costs of repaving roads and filling in potholes. Florida’s administrative disbursements, including office spending that doesn’t make its way to roads, ranks 23rd nationwide,” researchers said.

Florida improved the most in its rural fatality rate which increased from 45th to 38th and administrative financial disbursements, going from 28th to 23th.

Florida got worse in congestion with the urban traffic backup ranking going from 18th to 39th in the country. The urban fatality ranking is still pretty low as Florida ranks 48th in the nation.

The Carolinas apparently have the knack for handling highways. North Carolina was ranked first in the country for interstate wellbeing followed in second by South Carolina. North Dakota was ranked third followed by Virginia in fourth and Tennessee in fifth.

Alaska ranked 50th in the country for road safety and spending with California in 49th which was preceded by Hawaii, Washington, Louisiana and New York respectively.


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