Politics
John Dailey, Tally City Manager are taking local government dysfunction to a whole new level with TMH debacle
Tallahassee city government is proving once again that it is dysfunctional, and some leaders may have set a new low during a raucous City Commission meeting that put the city’s ineptitude on full display.
And I say that fully aware that this is a city where a few recent Mayors have been criminally charged, with one sentenced to five years in prison.
Current Mayor John Dailey, along with his City Manager — perhaps better described as henchman — Reese Goad, are responding to reasonable attempts by Tallahassee Memorial Hospital (TMH) to improve operations with what can be fairly be called a temper tantrum.
At issue is a request from TMH to create a new Governing Board to allow for it to expand regionally, outside of Tallahassee. That prompted Dailey and Goad to add an informational item to the City Commission agenda evaluating “whether continued city ownership remains in the city’s long-term interest,” according to the Tallahassee Democrat.
That in turn sparked concern that the city would attempt to sell TMH, possibly to Florida State University to operate under an academic health system.
The addition came as a shock, with none of the City Commissioners or the CEO of TMH being notified that this conversation was coming. Considering that TMH is the single largest private sector employer in Tallahassee, with $1 billion in annual revenue, the cloak-and-dagger approach represents — and I’m putting this kindly — a significant lapse in judgment.
Currently, the city owns the land the hospital is located on, and its assets. TMH, which operates as an independent nonprofit, pays the city a $1 per year lease.
To be clear, TMH has said it would like to partner with FSU, but selling the hospital doesn’t guarantee such a partnership. Instead, the move could place the regional health center under the state’s purview, a possibility that prompted major backlash at Wednesday’s meeting.
There were some sane voices in leadership. Commissioners Jack Porter and Jeremy Matlow both signaled support for the city maintaining hospital ownership, and they rightly (and more diplomatically than might have been necessary) complained about the secrecy with which the discussion was scheduled.
What could have been a productive conversation about improving health care access in Tallahassee, and expanding TMH in a way that creates the most good for the most people, instead turned into a showdown at the not-so-OK-Corral. Goad appeared out of his depth in defending the agenda item, and Dailey was clearly struggling to maintain the moral high ground in what came off more like a whiny counterattack on a hospital leadership team that never really even attacked.
Among the changes TMH is seeking are new branding and a new name, Aerris Alliance, as well as new facilities outside city limits. Speaking to the Tallahassee Democrat, Dailey said the hospital was “asking for a lot.”
That may well be, and perhaps a conversation is in order. But Dailey’s blindsiding of the City Commission, the hospital and Tallahassee residents specifically included a call for staff to “explore the feasibility and potential advantages of a possible sale.”
Anyone who knows anything about business — in any industry — understands that volatility and uncertainty breed bad outcomes. This is no different. There was no need to take a “the sky is falling” approach, and every reason to celebrate TMH’s success. The hospital in 2023 was ranked just outside of the top 10 hospitals in Florida, and earned 10 “high performing” ratings in specialty care.
Dailey should take notice. Already hundreds of stakeholders were buzzing about the recent drama at the 5th Annual Commercial Real Estate Update held at the Moon in Tallahassee Monday. While leaders at the event tried to keep conversations focused on industry trends, it was the TMH debacle that dominated the more mingling discussions, according to the Tallahassee Democrat, which noted that several professionals also said they felt blindsided by the city’s consideration of a sale.
Whatever happens, transparency needs to take priority. And in that process, egos need to take a back seat to community health care access. And with a lot of things like this, we’re all staying tuned as more drama is likely on the way.
A trio of spring elections provided early warning signs to Republicans and President Donald Trump on Tuesday, as Democrats rallied against his efforts to slash the federal government and the outsize role being played by billionaire Elon Musk in the early days of his new administration.
In the marquee race for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, the conservative judge endorsed by Trump and backed by Musk and his groups to the tune of $21 million lost by 10 percentage points in a state Trump won in November. And while Florida Republicans held two of the most pro-Trump House districts in the country, both candidates underperformed Trump’s November margins.
The elections — the first major contests since Trump’s return to power — were seen as an early measure of voter sentiment as Trump works with unprecedented speed to dramatically upend the federal government, clashing with the courts and seeking revenge as he tests the bounds of presidential power.
The party that loses the presidency in November typically picks up seats in the next midterm elections, and Tuesday’s results provided hope for Democrats — who have faced a barrage of internal and external criticism about their response to Trump — that they can follow that trend.
Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and podcaster whose group worked alongside Musk to boost conservative Brad Schimel in Wisconsin, argued Tuesday’s Supreme Court loss underscored a fundamental challenge for Republicans, particularly in races where Trump is not on the ballot.
“We did a lot in Wisconsin, but we fell short. We must realize and appreciate that we are the LOW PROP party now,” he said in an X post, referring to low-propensity voters who don’t regularly cast ballots. “The party has been remade. Special elections and off-cycle elections will continue to be a problem without a change of strategy.”
Trump won Wisconsin in November by 0.8 percentage points, or fewer than 30,000 votes. In the first major test since he took office in January, the perennial battleground state shifted significantly to the left, and not only in typical Democratic strongholds.
Sauk County, northwest of the state capital of Madison, is a state bellwether. Trump won it in November by 626 votes. Sauk shifted 16 percentage points in the direction of Judge Susan Crawford, the liberal backed by national Democrats and billionaire donors like George Soros.
Besides strong turnout in Democratic-heavy areas, Crawford did measurably better in the suburban Milwaukee counties that Republicans rely on to run up their margins statewide.
Crawford won Kenosha and Racine counties, both of which went for Trump over Democratic nominee Kamala Harris. She won by about 10 percentage points there.
Turnout was just under 50%, a full 10 percentage points higher than the previous record high for a Wisconsin Supreme Court election, set just two years ago.
In interviews with dozens of voters across the state, including more than 20 in Waunakee, a politically mixed town north of Madison, many Democrats suggested without prompting that their vote was as much if not more of a repudiation of Trump’s first months in office than a decision on the direction of the state high court.
“This is our chance to say no,” said Linda Grassl, a retired OB-GYN registered nurse, after voting at the Waunakee Public Library corridor Tuesday.
“We have to fight, and this is where the fight is today,” agreed Theresa Peer, a 49-year-old business-owner born and raised in Milwaukee, who called the election a “fight for our democracy.” She said she hoped a Crawford win would serve as a “symbol of opposition” to the Trump administration, particularly on the issues of women’s reproductive rights and slashed education spending.
Others disliked the richest man in the world playing such a prominent role.
“I don’t like Elon Musk spending money for an election he should have no involvement in,” said Antonio Gray, a 38-year-old Milwaukee security guard. “They should let the voters vote for who they want to vote for instead of inserting themselves like they have.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, in a floor speech Wednesday, called the results “a political warning shot from the American people” and a sign that “Democrats’ message is resonating.”
“Just 70 days into Trump 2.0, Americans are tired of the chaos. They are tired of Elon Musk attacking Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare,” he said.
Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said that part of the challenge for Republicans had been “trying to connect the dots” to turn the state Supreme Court race into one about Trump — a difficult task in a state judicial race. He wondered if the outcome would have been different had Trump paid a visit to the state instead of hosting a telephone town hall.
“If you’re somebody who showed up for Trump because you feel forgotten, you don’t typically show up to vote in” these kinds of elections, he said, imagining voters asking themselves: “What does this have to do with Trump?”
Still, Walker cautioned against reading the tea leaves too closely.
“I’d be a little bit careful about reading too much into what happens nationally,” he said.
Trump had better luck in Florida, where Republican Randy Fine won his special election in the 6th District to replace Mike Waltz, who stepped down to serve as Trump’s national security adviser. But Fine beat his Democratic challenger, Josh Weil, by 14 percentage points less than five months after Waltz won the district by 33.
“This is the functional equivalent of Republicans running a competitive race in the district that is represented by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,” said House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries beforehand, invoking a liberal favorite whom Trump often denigrates. “Kamala Harris won that district by 30 points. Do you think a Republican would even be competitive in that district in New York, currently held by Alex? Of course, not.”
Jimmy Patronis, the state’s chief financial officer, fended off a challenge from Democrat Gay Valimont to win the northwest Florida seat vacated by Matt Gaetz but also underperformed Gaetz’s last margin of victory.
The pair of wins gave Republicans a 220-213 margin in the House of Representatives, when concerns about a thin GOP majority led Trump to pull the nomination of New York Rep. Elise Stefanik to be United Nations ambassador.
For voters in both districts, the clear draw was Trump.
Teresa Horton, 72, didn’t know much at all about Tuesday’s election — but said she didn’t need to.
“I don’t even know these people that are on there,” she said of her ballot. “I just went with my ticket.”
Brenda Ray, 75, a retired nurse, said she didn’t know a lot about Patronis, either, but cast her ballot for him because she believes he’ll “vote with our president.”
“That’s all we’re looking for,” she said.
Both Patronis and Fine were badly outraised by their Democratic challengers. Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee, argued that what was a GOP concern before Tuesday night had been a sign of the party’s strength.
“The American people sent a clear message tonight: they want elected officials who will advance President Trump’s America First agenda, and their votes can’t be bought by national Democrats,” he said in a statement.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
Deegan predicts lawsuits are coming once the bill becomes law.
Jacksonville’s Democratic Mayor Donna Deegan is taking a position on the “Jacksonville Illegal Immigration Enforcement Act.”
She won’t veto it. She won’t sign it. She will denounce it.
“I want to be crystal clear. I do not believe this bill is necessary. And I will not sign it. It will become law without signature,” Deegan said.
During a press conference at City Hall, Deegan said immigrants were part of the “beautiful mosaic” of Jacksonville, and that they are “welcome” in the city.
She noted that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) would get the 25 fingerprint scanners it asked for in the bill, but that the punitive measures making immigration a “local crime” are redundant given state and federal law. She also noted that JSO has had an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since 2008, referring to the cooperative 287(g) deals.
She also said the bill “puts Jacksonville in a lane where it doesn’t belong” and would prompt “an expensive lawsuit.”
She won’t veto it though, saying it would sacrifice “all we have left to do over a bill that does not change anything.”
Deegan’s position comes after Republicans in Tallahassee warned her not to veto it.
Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier said “if a city official takes action to impede or prevent law enforcement from undergoing the necessary training and participating with the feds to get these people back where they came from, then I do believe the law is violated and that there will be penalties for that.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis also wanted the bill to become law.
“Great job to the City of Jacksonville in following Florida law and empowering their law enforcement to assist in the enforcement of laws against illegal immigration. I am pleased to see this follow from our work in the special session I called in January to insist that all state and local entities participate in immigration enforcement,” he posted to social media Wednesday.
The Senate Fiscal Policy Committee has cleared a measure (SB 608) to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, which would align the name with President Donald Trump’s executive order doing the same.
Already, Google Maps and Apple Maps have reflected the name change for U.S. users, while users in other countries see both names
“By renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America, we are putting America first and honoring American greatness,” said Sen. Nick DiCeglie, the bill’s sponsor. “In communities up and down Florida’s Gulf Coast, we are incredibly prideful to say that we live in a paradise along the coast of the Gulf of America.”
The bill would change 92 statutory references in Florida law to refer to the body of water along Florida’s west coast as the Gulf of America. It cleared its first committee stop, Community Affairs, in mid-March.
An identical House version (HB 575) from Rep. Tyler Sirois is on the House special order calendar for Thursday after clearing two committees.
The legislation would comply with Trump’s Executive Order 14172, called “Restoring Names that Honor American Greatness.”
Trump ordered the federal government to “take all appropriate actions to rename as the ‘Gulf of America’ the U.S. Continental Shelf area bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the State of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida and extending to the seaward boundary with Mexico and Cuba in the area formerly named as the Gulf of Mexico.”
DiCeglie’s bill references the President’s directive, which says the move recognizes the “importance of the body of water to the United States.” Senate leadership is on board.
“American exceptionalism matters, and it’s important that we recognize the fact that America is the greatest country in the history of the world,” Senate President Ben Albritton said. “As patriots, we have a duty to honor our country’s greatness, and I am so thankful that President Trump has highlighted what is a fantastic opportunity to do just that and recognize the Gulf of America.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis already pushed the new name in an executive order (EO 25-13) as last month’s Winter storm approached the state.
The name change became official nationally in early February as Trump declared Feb. 9 “Gulf of America Day.”
If passed, the changes to Florida law would take effect July 1.
Sen. Joe Gruters is carrying a bill (SB 1058) in the upper chamber that would implement the name change in Florida public schools, requiring School Boards to “adopt and acquire” materials using the new name to “honor American greatness.”
It is awaiting second reading in the Senate.
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