U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina is furious that a congressional task force she heads hasn’t received information being released on Jeffrey Epstein.

Attorney General Pam Bondi promised to release significant information about the dead sex trafficker. But Luna, who leads the recently formed Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets, feels that panel should have had a look at the records by now.

“I nor the task force were given or reviewed the Epstein documents being released today,” Luna posted on X. “A NY Post story just revealed that the documents will simply be Epstein’s phonebook. THIS IS NOT WHAT WE OR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ASKED FOR. GET US THE INFORMATION WE ASKED FOR instead of leaking old info to press.”

She referenced a report by New York Post reporter Steven Nelson that said Epstein’s personal address book, a 100-page document, would be published without context. The newspaper had a heads up that the list will include President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Prince Andrew of Britain. But importantly, it isn’t a “client list”; just contacts for known associates of Epstein.

Speculation has swirled for years about what powerful figures may have engaged in criminal activity associated with Epstein, a tech billionaire who died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex tracking minors in Florida and New York. While authorities ruled his death a suicide by hanging, Epstein’s personal network of business and political connections has fueled speculation about his death for years.

That’s part of why Luna’s task force listed scrutinizing the “Epstein client list” among tasks including investigation of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the lead-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks among its priorities when the House Oversight Committee effort launched earlier this month.

“This is a bigger committee than just the JFK assassinations. We’re also expanding into Epstein, COVID origins, 9/11 and then UAPs (unidentified anomalous phenomena),” Luna said at a press conference.

Of note, Epstein initially faced state prosecution on sex crimes in Florida, where he pleaded guilty in 2007 to charges of soliciting and trafficking minors but ultimately served just 13 months on work release in a private wing of the Palm Beach County Jail.

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The attorney representing Leo Govoni over findings that he was liable for $122 million in missing medical trust fund money is withdrawing from the case, citing “irreconcilable differences.”

Edward Peterson III, an attorney with the firm Johnson Pope Bokor Ruppel & Burns, filed a motion to withdraw as counsel for Govoni and Boston Finance Group, the LLC that Govoni runs. The motion did not specify what differences the parties were unable to reconcile.

The motion states that Peterson “has not been advised as to whether Boston Finance Group, LLC and Leo J. Govoni will be retaining substitute counsel.”

It asks that “all current deadlines and hearings be continued” for 60 days so the plaintiffs can “secure replacement counsel.”

At issue is $142 million in missing benefits for disabled people the special needs trust was supposed to administer. Last month, Middle District of Florida Judge Roberta Colton found Govoni and Boston Finance Group liable for $122 million in missing funds from the Special Needs Trust Administration, a bankrupt nonprofit Govoni ran that oversaw medical trust funds for more than 2,000 people with injuries and disabilities. Govoni was accused of providing a $100 million loan from the trust to Boston Finance Group.

The organization filed for bankruptcy last February. It had been holding funds in trusts for disabled people for nearly a quarter century.

Several businesses and a lawyer with ties to Govoni have been subpoenaed for records relating to the ongoing bankruptcy case against Govoni and his business.

The businesses that were subpoenaed — Gravitas Tech, Old Line Manufacturing and USSI Holdings — all have either direct or indirect ties to Govoni. The individual, George G. Pappas, is a north Pinellas County-based lawyer.

All were asked to provide requested documents, electronically stored information and objects specified under the subpoena by Feb. 24 at 4 p.m. It’s not clear whether the information was submitted as required, or if the subpoenas had anything to do with Peterson’s withdrawal from the case. The deadline under the subpoena was just one day before the motion to withdraw was filed.

The items requested under the subpoena include anything related to the debtor in the case, the Special Needs Trust Administration, which Govoni controlled. It also requests any documents “evidencing payments you received from the Debtor and the reason for those payments.”

Subpoenaed individuals and businesses also must provide their “corporate formation documents, operating agreements and any amendments” related to formation, as well as tax returns and financial statements; a list of assets; loan or financing agreements; a list of individuals or entities owed money; a list of any person or entity who owes them money; a list of business members or shareholders; and more.

Attorney General Ashley Moody is suing Govoni and other defendants over the accusation they stole money from beneficiaries, “many of whom were already the victims of at least one horrific event resulting in debilitating personal injury,” according to her lawsuit.

In July, a defendant in the lawsuit from Moody’s Office, reached a deal with plaintiffs. Karen Fisher, who served as the Director and Secretary of the special needs trust, agreed to fully cooperate with officials in the ongoing investigation in return for suspending a $10,000 fine against her in the case.

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On a stressful day in the office, Mark Kaplan went outside to get some fresh air in Gainesville.

He walked around the University of Florida campus on a quick break when he stopped and took in the scene — a student ukulele club playing. Kaplan couldn’t help but smile.

Kaplan has long felt the magic of working for UF as Vice President for Government and Community Relations. This has been a dream job for Kaplan, a lifelong Gator fan.

But at 57, Kaplan said he is stepping back from his role after dealing with health issues and going on medical leave this year. Kaplan said he is optimistic about his continued recovery but decided it is the right time to move on.

“I’ve only got one of me to take care of. This has been a good reminder of putting my attention on what’s most important,” Kaplan said.

Interim UF President Kent Fuchs praised Kaplan’s tenure in an email sent to his leadership team announcing his upcoming departure.

“The relationships Mark has built and the respect he has earned during his decades of leadership in Florida have served UF incredibly well,” Fuchs wrote. “The university community and I have benefited in countless ways from his wisdom, collaborative spirit, calm, steady approach to his work, and ability to get things done.”

Kaplan became the UF Vice President of Government and Community Relations in 2018 — 30 years after he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science at UF.

“In a lot of ways, this is a dream job to get to do this at your alma mater,” said Kaplan, who called working in higher education “intellectually stimulating.”

Kaplan said he got a front row seat as UF was on the cutting-edge of artificial intelligence and college athletes have been transformed by NIL payments in recent years.

Kaplan’s carefully planned day could get blown up at anytime; he never knew what he could get thrown into, he said. That made his work unpredictable and exciting.

“Just the vastness of UF creates a certain novelty every single day,” Kaplan said. “We talk about UF being among the most comprehensive universities in the country, with one of the few places in the country that has a vet school and a pharmacy school and a medical school and a law school. And one of the things that comes from all of that is it adds to the scope of things that you’re paying attention to and issues that you get to work on.”

The job could be grueling — Kaplan was on the road several months a year.

UF operates offices year-round in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.

Kaplan’s traveled to Tallahassee during the Legislative Session and committee weeks to advocate for more investment in UF since tuition has remained relatively flat for the past decade, Kaplan said. In D.C., the office lobbied for more funding for the state and collaborated with other university associations and organizations to advance higher education.

“It would be impossible to overstate how much of a force for good Mark has been for our state, our university, and the scores of people he’s mentored along the way. Through example, he has taught a generation of Florida leaders how to approach problems with humility, alacrity, patience, and perspective,” said Chris Emmanuel, UF’s Director of Government Relations.

Before UF, Kaplan’s career included high-profile roles in all three branches of government.

Kaplan worked as Gov. Jeb Bush’s Chief of Staff, special counsel for the Speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives and a judicial clerk to a member of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. 

Other stops included working as the executive director for the Florida Housing Finance Corp., the state’s affordable housing agency, and as global head of public affairs at the Mosaic Company.

But returning to Gainesville was special for Kaplan. It’s where he once played tuba in the marching band and piccolo during basketball games as a UF undergraduate.

Kaplan still returns with his tuba to play with alumni and the college band for the Homecoming game’s halftime show.

“My back was stronger when I was 18 years old than it is today,” Kaplan said. “It’s gotten harder, but I can still do it. It’s still a lot of fun, something I look forward to.”

In an interview this week with Florida Politics, Kaplan acknowledged the bittersweet feelings of leaving a job he values while also looking forward to the next chapter of his life. 

He jokes he can finally find time for a hobby.

Kaplan and his wife, Sherry, will travel and spend more time with their family, which includes four adult children, he said.

“I have no idea what the next couple of decades are going to hold, but I’m excited about being able to take a little bit of time for myself and for my family and just sort of be open to the universe,” Kaplan said.

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