Subject: POLITICO Florida Playbook: Rubio-Cruz spat’s 2020 feel – Forget pledge, Jeb’s ‘Never Trump’ – Orange County’s terrible ‘teacher appreciation week’ – Oil prospecting near the Glades? – Gator hunter gets hunted by gator
From: Marc Caputo <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 9 May 2016 05:00:53 -0600

05/09/2016 06:58 AM EDT

By Marc Caputo ([email-masked]; @MarcACaputo) with Kristen East ([email-masked]; @kristenicoleast) and the staff of POLITICO Florida

SHADY D.O.D. DEALINGS -- "Citing 'investigation,' feds block release of records tied to aviation company," by POLITICO Florida's Matt Dixon: The Department of Defense says records related to a Jacksonville-based aviation manufacturer are somehow tied to an "active law enforcement investigation," but the company says it has no knowledge of any investigations. POLITICO Florida filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the department on March 20 seeking unrelated information about Unison Industries, a General Electric-owned electrical and mechanical components for aircraft engines.

In a response received Thursday, the department said any responsive documents could not be released. "Please be advised any documents that may be responsive to your request are part of an active law enforcement investigation and release, at this time, could reasonably be expected to interfere with law enforcement proceedings," wrote Mark Dorgan, acting division chief of the department's FOIA, Privacy and Civil Liberties Office. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124233b141ff50cd3a1a210864458762a65b2c4ee8f7d862e45c

Good Monday morning. As if we needed a reminder that it's constantly election season, check out CNN's report about Ted Cruz's campaign blaming Marco Rubio for not helping to stop Donald Trump. This isn't just a sign of bitter feelings from the Cruz camp this year, it's an early opening shot in the 2020 elections (assuming Trump loses this year and both run Cruz and Rubio run again).

THE RUBIO RUB - "Cruz campaign: We could have stopped Trump if Rubio became running mate," by CNN's Jake Tapper: "Top officials of the Cruz campaign are convinced there is one specific step that could have stopped Trump -- and they blame Sen. Marco Rubio for not taking that step. In early March, it became clear that Trump was well on his way to the nomination and would even likely defeat Rubio in his home state of Florida's March 15 primary. According to several sources close to Cruz, the Cruz campaign conducted several secret polls to see what the impact would be if Rubio joined Cruz as his running mate, with Cruz at the top of the ticket." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124216f0ddfd598e60322b7c3a2e12aa3ec790b1280507313ea0

--"Ted Cruz blames Marco Rubio for his loss while throwing Carly Fiorina 'under the bus'," by Twitchy's Greg Pollowitz: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242142722ebe1739f43d4e579d5f305542690b3bebb4726b199

'ABSOLUTELY FALSE'- "Absolutely not" Marco Rubio won't be Donald Trump's VP - or call him," by Sarah Rumpf for HeatStreet: "Despite recent media reports characterizing Sen. Marco Rubio as 'warming' to Donald Trump, sources close to the Florida Senator were adamant that he was not interested in being Trump's running mate. On Friday, Heat Street spoke to multiple senior advisers, members of Rubio's inner circle who have been in direct contact with him. 'Absolutely false,' said one Rubio adviser. 'He absolutely will not be Trump's Vice President.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12425a91eb9eb00d6b5b7a7e4b4fef4c4e788e85860d5c51e96f 

--Karri Jewell Cook @kjewellcook: "It's funny @tedcruz,@JohnKasich & @realDonaldTrump ALL wanted @marcorubio as VP. Tell you anything? You made the wrong choice, America."

TRUMP EFFECT -- "Cook: Trump helps Dems in Florida Senate race," by POLITICO Florida's Matt Dixon: Now that Donald Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, the Cook Political Report has switched Florida's U.S. Senate race from a toss-up to "leans D." "Although we remain convinced that Hillary Clinton is very vulnerable and would probably lose to most other Republicans, Donald Trump's historic unpopularity with wide swaths of the electorate ... make him the initial November underdog," read the group's updated rankings. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12427829367213e7969b6e03ac832efdec8bdf6ba52bc61a024a 

NEVER TRUMP -- "Jeb Bush says he won't vote for Trump," by POLITICO's Nolan D. McCaskill: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124236cbdadea8484081be397fad9ecd3d7a24a73fa8695f4991

PLEDGE, SCHMEDGE - "Trump: Bush, Graham made a pledge," by POLITICO's Austin Wright: "Presumptive GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump said two of his now-vanquished challengers, Jeb Bush and Lindsey Graham, made pledges to support the eventual nominee - and their decisions not to endorse him were "a question of honor." ... Trump also said he was 'blindsided' by House Speaker Paul Ryan's announcement last week that he wasn't ready to endorse the real-estate mogul. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124282e8969ca0bd2ad7b92d30694530d86a53c5182608e16022

--"Can Donald Trump win Florida? Yes, but he probably won't," by Tampa Bay Times' Adam C. Smith: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242950bcf34b07a24c89183c717a81aa13fd1a4bf8bdf3bb288

--"The GOP's electoral-map problem is not about Trump. It's about demographics," by Washington Post's Chris Cillizza: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12421bfaa013e8b801c2ec67dad16a931018e360ff586ff08934

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK? WEAK - "Orange teachers told to reimburse district for food items bought for classrooms," by the Orlando Sentinel's Leslie Postal: "Orange County teachers who used their state-issued 'classroom supply' debit cards to purchase food, whether for student snacks or academic lessons, were told this week they must pay back that money. The directive - issued at the start of 'teacher appreciation week' - rankled educators, who said they'd never been told they could not use the money for food and objected to being asked to reimburse the school district for items they'd bought for their students." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12425fbf14d7e2e7478d72f179ffb5b701beea7275d0dc7c8172

HOW MANY STUDENT LUNCHES COULD THIS BUY? - "Florida spent nearly $6,000 on radio ad ripping California," by WESH: "Text" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242f56f3ea090ee0dcbe15adfa651e91bd146bdc670bb593c8c

--"Romano: Is anyone surprised Florida has turned education into a money grab?" by Tampa Bay Times' John Romano: "In case you missed it, Newpoint Education Partners, which operated four struggling schools in Pinellas and one shuttered school in Hillsborough, was indicted by a grand jury last week on grand theft and other charges relating to three Pensacola schools. Millions of dollars in grants and state funds flowed through those schools, which begs an obvious question: Who's responsible for this mess?" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12421d1027bfc06c958c32fd426fc12b5f6359e2513ba84d9aea

-- "Wanted in Tampa Bay: teachers drawn to the challenge of a low-rated school," by Tampa Bay Times' Jeff Solochek: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124280e4a2080f676971c57fac2ac18adf7e4d04f1b9ed7dabe6 

'DROP THE SUIT,' 2.0 -- "Black clergy group calls on NAACP to withdraw from tax-credit lawsuit," by POLITICO Florida's Jessica Bakeman: Proponents of Florida's voucher-like programs this year have loudly pressured the state teachers union to drop its legal challenge targeting a tax-credit scholarship that allows low-income children to attend private schools.

They paraded costumed children and camels at a Three King's Day event in Orlando. They staged a massive $1 million rally in downtown Tallahassee featuring Martin Luther King III and a former contestant of "The Voice." They delivered thousands of Valentine's Day cards and candies to the Florida Education Association's leaders at its headquarters. Now, as the lawsuit heads to a state appeals court, the national black and Hispanic education reform advocacy groups, as well as Florida-based coalitions of minority clergy, are turning their attention to the state's NAACP, which joined the FEA in the lawsuit. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242343754cb3069cf417e2426086e0de07475439bf7b0842e85 

BIG GET - "Nation's Largest Teachers Union Recommend Susannah Randolph for Congress," via press release: "(ORLANDO, FL) - The National Education Association (NEA) endorsed Susannah Randolph in the race for Florida's 9th Congressional District ... NEA joins a long list of labor unions and progressive groups backing Randolph's campaign. NEA is the largest teachers' union in the nation and represents more than three million education professionals."

MAMMOTH CROWD-SOURCE-"Panama Papers Round Two: journalists to release database," by Univision's David Adams: "The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) will release on Monday an online database with information on more than 200,000 offshore entities that are part of the Panama Papers investigation, hoping to get more tips from the public and encourage more whistleblowers to come forward. 

"We imagine billions of people will want to go there on Monday and probably tell us things that we missed," said ICIJ director Gerard Ryle. "That's our hope. It's kind of like a crowd sourcing exercise for us." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124202a1694e1c1731ab47056b0fc927bafb78ed637fc23633fa 

CUBA CRUISE - "Historic Cuba Cruise Returns as Regular Diarrhea Boat," by Gawker's Hudson Hongo: "On Sunday, the Carnival Adonia docked back in Miami, ending the first cruise from the United States to Cuba in over 50 years and days of vomit- and diarrhea-soaked Hell for 14 passengers suffering from 'stomach-related symptoms.'" http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242d9f964fb67dcd59e0bfdb99f20ed5b0631e731fb0bda44f7

CHE'S MASTERCARD -- "Priceless in Cuba," by Babalu Blog's Alberto de la Cruz: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124234ee3a86ffba04e5ae8e31bea282ede34c1323af7b6090b9

GOV RACE, 2018 -- "Rep. Gwen Graham visits deployed mothers in Afghanistan," by News Herald's Valerie Garman: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242d97b30bf2d2f4c82019bf630c90ffe091a36202c9e6ad631

GOV. RACE, 2018 -- "Agriculture commissioner, rumored gubernatorial candidate Adam Putnam on the graduation circuit," by Florida Times-Union's Tia Mitchell: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242ffe5286d45748aa5785d34a626f9dba7908a48be05eabaac

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ'S HEADACHE -- "The next progressive hope? The man trying to unseat the Democratic Party chair," by NPR: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242fae0e0cdc19a2f36ff5338b1458b5270f67878ea4d0125c3 

SD-15 -- "Vivaldi Raises $8,000 In April," by East Orlando Post's Jacob Engels: "Businessman Peter Vivaldi had less than half a month, but still posted impressive numbers...." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12427e0ae684665a7601bdbf3a3b97a684f813eeb99eee55585c

OIL PROSPECTING NEAR THE GLADES - "Oil company gets green light to survey in Florida preserve," by AP: "The National Park Service has given the green light for a Texas company to explore for oil and gas in the Big Cypress National Preserve. Park service officials said Friday that a 20-month environmental review showed there would be no significant impact if Burnett Oil Company did a survey 110 square miles in the national preserve. The survey will use sound waves from truck-mounted vibrators to create three-dimensional map of potential oil and gas reserves." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124279ca9d127138ff0c82958ddb746b6020c747caeb30664019

WATER (INJECTION) WARS - "Cape Coral objects to North Fort Meyers injection well," by News-Press' Frank Blumb: "A feud between Cape Coral and two state agencies has accusations flying of bad science, water pollution and putting money before environmental concerns. In the middle are Cape residents who could face contaminated drinking water and increased water bills from higher operating costs from the city's water utility. The fight stems from a Florida Governmental Utility Authority's proposal to dig a shallow injection well to remove surplus treated wastewater from its North Fort Myers plant. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection issued a notice of intent to issue a permit for
 the well on April 27. City Manager John Szerlag said the city has objected to the proposed well numerous times and has concerns the state DEP is ignoring environmental concerns. The FGUA counters the environmental concerns are overblown and the city altered at the last minute a potential agreement which would have prevented the need for the well." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242e8882051fec4af2f3ecd06b31982cd31d2851d102ea43d55

THE DREGS OF DREDGING -- "The only coral reef in the continental U.S. is being buried alive," by Travel and Leisure's Melanie Lieberman: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242429ecb21198cee6037932152f341244c8ed21ff3af0398f2

CRIME-SCENE CITY - "Facing South Florida: FBI's Inside Man," by CBS-Miami's Jim DeFede: "Frank Zambrana had hoped to achieve the American dream for his wife and five kids, repairing and selling farm equipment in Opa-locka. He had a lease and in 2013 he applied for an occupational license that should have cost no more than $200.

"Instead, it has turned into one of the largest public corruption investigations in South Florida History." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242b606e332d8ace1282adcf4c2c53c7fbe163a52610c60e8c5

 --"Opa-Locka facing financial collapse, corruption and complete shutdown," by CBS Miami: "Amid an FBI investigation for corruption, authorities say the Miami suburb of Opa-locka is teetering toward financial collapse. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez asked Gov. Rick Scott in a letter this week to place the city of 16,000 people under state control. The Miami Herald reports the letter warns that without state support Opa-locka's government faces complete shutdown." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12421b69ee450589e6686947fed2d504f0e16089571a1e229bc4

CALL IT A COMEBACK? - "Northern Indian River Lagoon water quality rebounds since algae annihilation in March," by TCPalm's Jim Waymer: "The Indian River Lagoon still glows green, but water quality tests show light at the end of the 'brown tide,' at least for now." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12421b1d4736c798a06344354f4ca60eb6e8c9ce2f2e71a4ca9c

ORLANDO WEED VOTE - "Activists call on Sam Ings to support relaxed marijuana ordinance ahead of Monday vote," by Orlando Political Observer's Frank Torres: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242429a18189f1cc5ffd0b03918a130cb26c7ce094f475a1e41

POLITICIAN PAY RAISE -- "Broward commissioner Stacy Ritter gets tourism CEO job," by Sun Sentinel's Brittany Wallman: "A county commissioner's salary is about $95,000... Ritter's salary will be $168,000." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242c41b23586d94153f46c1722566dc88c1a9362b1c747c8015

DISHONOR BEFORE DEATH -- "Commissioner convicted in '90s for bribery is found dead in Georgia; wife charged," by Miami Herald's Carli Teproff: "James 'Jimmie' C. Burke, a former Miami-Dade County commissioner who was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for accepting bribes in the late 1990s, was found dead Saturday in his Georgia home, his brother James J. Burke said. Waycross police arrested Jimmie Burke's wife, Sonia Burke, and charged her with murder." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12429e8cc440329ee7ef6d628167671fbdd110eae8971a6cd6ff

UNCOVERED -- "Florida's health coverage gap leaves Bay County uninsured with few options," by News Herald's Katie Landeck: About 800,000 Floridians fall into the "coverage gap," the consequence of a crack in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) created by a 2012 Supreme Court ruling [and Florida's refusal to expand Medicaid voluntarily]. http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12421790aa7a252946abaa30b51ae66cc9b1c9a4bb1d8156d38a

ZIKA DANGER - "Panhandle conditions create Zika 'powder keg,'" by Pensacola News Journal's Carlos Gieseken: "Nine out of 10 mosquito bites in Northwest Florida can be attributed to the culprit known to scientists as aedes albopictus and colloquially as the Asian Tiger. It is black and white and measures about a quarter of an inch in length. It is the sister to aedes aegypti, best known as the Yellow Fever Mosquito because of its past success at delivering that disease. It is behind the numerous outbreaks that caused panic and killed thousands in Pensacola between 1765 and 1905. Today the two are once again in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons - they carry Zika, a virus suspected of
 causing birth defects in Brazil and other Latin American countries as well as the Caribbean." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242c09e95d1d422bd2e1c14717aae44760d3c0d958438ece0e1 

-- "'Pensacola plague' caused by Zika mosquito," by Pensacola News Journal's Carlos Gieseken: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12421eb624d4e1629411796cb8ae9f74220f666b5e7167685bd7

RURAL HISTORY -- "Hendry County: beyond sugar and citrus," by News-Press' Casey Logan: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12424d4481dd729fc109650b684046c2ee10b04bf2276e7c06ed

BLAST OFF - "SpaceX launches, lands rocket," by Click Orlando: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124296a595cd21d38d4738a489e5c1344cab821bc49e8d262fa8

HONOR THEM -- "Injured veterans compete in Invictus Games at Disney World," by AP's Terrance Harris: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242252329fb65abd3b38e4900d260b6ffb513bef19f513eabd6

TO A FLORIDA ATHLETE DYING YOUNG - "UAB football player Greg Bryant dies at 21 after shooting," by AP: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12429199050f6fa9ab7352e61337e0b4ea27faa149a6b15f9a6e

CORPSE FLOWER -- "Something stinks at Rollins College," by Click Orlando's Cathleigh Winningham: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124285f2559945fdaff36d57aadda5afa242fc59b0551ad1f3ea

IRONY MUCH? -- "Former Cocoa fire chief arrested in Maine on arson charges," by AP http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242ac90dbab66fae6edeab360299c94a872f19e56ce3149ad77

LUCKY --"Aronberg secures new term as Palm Beach County state attorney; Haughwout faces challenger for public defender," by South Florida Sun Sentinel's Andy Reid: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242a0783f93f79622a7e5c3d81c601e98841ea91fd88607b721 

FLORI-DUH FRATRICIDE -- "Man shoots, kills brother during argument over cheeseburger, cops say," by the Orlando Sentinel's Stephanie Allen: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242c8d09b3befe63eaf518caa818dfa7fa7500ce72a420df00f

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY -- "Pro-gun Florida woman shot by 4-year-old son avoids prosecution," by Tribune news services: "A Florida woman whose 4-year-old son shot her in the back as they rode in her pickup truck will avoid prosecution and any jail time if she satisfies a number of conditions detailed in an agreement announced Friday." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12424e810f7b8da80781c71d1a342fc692401bd25e270106c46b 

NOT HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY: "Mother's Day in Cuba: dissident mothers harassed, arrested, imprisoned," by Babal&uacute; Blog's Carlos Eire: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d12423b6a590b45c4a41eb64f039f3ce2fabf62c9647da2e439bc

JOB HAZARD - "Gator bites alligator hunter in Lake County," by WFLA: "A man was hospitalized after he was bitten by an alligator in Lake County Saturday night. Medics were called to the west side of Lake Apopka in the area of Carvaggio Loop and Algardi Street in Montverde shortly before 9 p.m. A Lake County Emergency Medical Services spokesperson said Bryan Rohm,41, was bitten on the thumb and taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center for treatment." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124298d9f73f1852fbf918b692a75f9c194146a359fec9fa5d3a

POOL HAZARD --"Gators take dips in backyards pools in Temple Terrace, Palm Harbor," by The Tampa Bay Times' Sara DiNatale: "Elizabeth Foster, 53, of Temple Terrace, and Nancy Bloch, 50, of Palm Harbor, found the gators in their enclosed pools Wednesday evening. The two woman don't know each other, but find it funny - and surprising - that they both faced gator break-ins this week....Foster's gator was about 9-1/2 feet long. Bloch's, about 7-1/2." http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d124247dcabaac6987c729f5e3533728b45963103e2d83a45e4fb

FOR MORE political and policy news, check out Politico Florida's home page: http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=65ec9b3bf29d1242825b95b04153ee71394beed9f4e7d3719cbcec4473a8e68f And please follow out staff @mdixon55, @christinesexton, @dducassi, @jessicabakeman and @bruceritchie on Twitter.

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