The politics of mass shootings in the Gunshine State – POLITICO

Gov. Ron DeSantis called for institutionalizing more people with mental health struggles against their will in the wake of the horrific mass shootings that killed 18 people in Lewiston, Maine.

His comments on CNN Thursday night followed reports that the suspect in the Maine shooting was institutionalized this summer. The governor has blamed failures in the U.S. mental health and criminal justice systems — and said he couldn’t think of any gun restrictions he’d sign into law if he were elected president.

Back in Florida, lawmakers already filed bills on firearms or mental health ahead of this year’s legislative session. Democrats have filed nine bills and Republicans have filed three.

HB17 from Rep. Joel Rudman (R-Navarre) aims to hasten background checks so they’d be complete within a three-business-day waiting period. Rudman told Playbook that, for bureaucratic reasons, some Floridians without criminal records waited up to two years to receive their firearms, and he said he was open to amending the bill if state law enforcement officials said they needed more funding to meet that timeline.

“The point of the bill is that in 2023 all of this can be done in 15 minutes… No doctor wants to be associated with an uptick in firearm-related crimes,” said Rudman, who specializes in family medicine.

On the topic of mental health, a bipartisan bill would provide scholarships and help pay student debt for people who go into the mental health field and another GOP bill would allow more medical professionals to provide mental-health services.

Florida Democrats, who contend too-loose gun laws are to blame for a uniquely American problem, have introduced several proposals, including bills banning firearms in locations such as public libraries and hospitals; banning sales of assault-style rifles and requiring background checks for ammunition sales.

Florida has dealt with some of the worst mass shootings in the U.S., including the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando that claimed 49 lives, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in 2018 in Parkland that left 17 people dead and the racist mass shooting at a Jacksonville Dollar General this summer.

In a rare move after Parkland, then-Gov. Rick Scott and the GOP-majority Legislature united behind a slew of gun safety measures that included enacting “red flag” laws that allow gun seizures from people who have mental health crises or threaten to hurt others.

DeSantis said on CNN last night that he would not have signed that same bill into law, citing concerns “about the due-process laws of individuals.” He wouldn’t call on the Florida Legislature to repeal the measure given that it had been passed by a GOP majority, he said.

As governor, he loosened gun restrictions by allowing people to carry firearms without a state permit — in a move highly criticized by gun safety advocates as a step backwards following the following the policies authorized in Parkland’s wake.

Some gun rights advocates want the state to go further to allow people to carry guns openly, but GOP Senate President Kathleen Passidomo remains opposed to such a measure, said her spokesperson, Katie Betta, noting that’s also the position of Florida’s law enforcement leaders.

— WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis will be on Fox & Friends at 8 a.m. EST. At 9:30 a.m. he’ll speak at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

On Saturday, he’ll DeSantis speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Leadership Summit in Las Vegas then he’ll join Life, Liberty, and Levin on Fox News Channel in the 8 p.m. EST hour.

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MORE FLIGHTS — DeSantis administration claims it helped send weapons to Israel — but provides few details, by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. The governor’s administration said on Thursday for the first time that Florida taxpayers picked up the bill to transport drones, body armor and helmets for first responders to Israel. In addition, the state also worked to “help get clearance on flights sending weapons and ammunition to Israel through private parties.”

“The weapons and ammunition, which were not purchased by the state, were transported separately,” Jeremy Redfern, a spokesperson for DeSantis, said in a text message. He added that the Israeli authorities reached out to Florida “for assistance to clear federal bureaucratic hurdles associated with getting those items to Israel.”

OUT — Florida’s embattled affordable housing director resigns, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. Michael DiNapoli is officially out after resigning Thursday and unleashing a fiery manifesto on his way out alleging corruption inside the agency. DiNapoli’s tenure since February has been smothered in controversy leading to his suspension — followed by an abrupt reinstatement by DeSantis — before being suspended again last month. The outgoing agency head, who was under investigation for allegedly creating a hostile work environment, used his departure to tear into what he claimed was an “extreme level of push-back” from the corporation.

UNDERAGE WORKING — Criticisms are piling up about changing child labor laws in Florida to let 16- and 17-year olds work. “There’s been a lot of attention right now on protecting the education of our students and the sanctity of our education. But if students are working longer hours, that’s an immediate danger to their education,” Dr. Chelsea Rivera, of Central Florida Jobs with Justice, told Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry. “I’m also really concerned about our immigrant and BIPOC children who are already at increased risk of injuries in the workforce.”

HEAR THAT TRAIN A COMIN’ — The Brightline high-speed rail is considering adding more stops between Orlando and South Florida, reports The Associated Press. It could stop somewhere along the Treasure Coast in Martin or St. Lucie Counties.

MAJOR FL EMPLOYER — Ex-employees allege Publix didn’t pay workers overtime, reports the Tampa Bay Time’s Bernadette Berdychowski. The former employees come from locations in Florida’s Spring Hill as well as Tennessee and Georgia. The federal lawsuit was filed in Tampa.

Company response: “As an associate-owned company, we are proud to provide our associates with a comprehensive benefits package – including company ownership – in addition to paying our associates in accordance with the law. We take these claims seriously and will respond appropriately.”

THIS WEEKEND — The Florida Democratic Party is holding its state convention for trainings, meetings and fundraising that it holds every four years. Roughly 1,000 attendees are expected at the Rosen Centre in Orlando and the theme of the Saturday night dinner is “Take Back Florida.” Headliners include FDP Chair Nikki Fried, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost and state Sen. Shevrin Jones.

$6 MILLION — Trump rakes in millions at MAGA-studded Mar-a-Lago fundraiser, reports POLITICO’s Sally Goldenberg and Meredith McGraw. Top Trump donors mingled around the pool at Mar-a-lago before heading into a fundraiser at Trump’s private club with MAGA stars like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), recently impeached and acquitted Texas attorney general Ken Paxton, and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) to hear him blast President Joe Biden and promote his 2024 campaign.

NO THANKS — Florida leaders didn’t apply for a federal “Solar for All” program that could have given the state as much as $400 million to help low-income people put solar panels on their homes, reports the Orlando Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher. Five other states didn’t seek the money either.

— Kate Letzler Moore is the new campaign manager for Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s Florida Senate bid. She previously was political director at Giffords, where she worked with Mucarsel-Powell to launch Giffords Florida, and is a Biden campaign and Elizabeth Warren alum.

TIME FOR A TASTE TEST? — What do 305 Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Carlos Gimenez and Frederica Wilson have in common? A love for cafecito, of course.

— Florida Speaker Designate Danny Perez and Stephanie Nicolas welcomed Paulina Andrea Perez on Thursday.

BIRTHDAYS: Matt Drudge … Bryan Glazer, co-chairman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers… ex-state legislator and former Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher …. Rabbi Gary Glickstein … (Saturday) U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds … Alia Faraj-Johnson, public relations consultant … Tiffany Vause, director of strategic initiatives at WIN Learning … Bill Pfeiffer of Pfeiffer Law Group … (Sunday) Former U.S. Sen. Connie Mack … state Rep. Melony Bell … Kristen Bridges, communications director for GrayRobinson