Florida Politics reports Florida Forward Action a political organization tied to Andrew Gillum says it has registered 106,000 new voters.

However a Florida Politics investigation noted that from Sept. 2018 to Sept. 2019 Democrats netted 10,731 new registrations while Republicans netted 23, 084.

Officials with Forward Florida Action said the numbers did not take into account that the state purged 371,043 inactive registrations in 2019. Florida Forward Action believes emptying of voter rolls has disproportionately impacted Democratic registrations

Make It Legal Florida has collected nearly 400,000 signatures in their campaign to let Florida Voters decide whether to allow the recreational use of marijuana. The state has validated over 100,000 of those collected.

Overall the campaign must collect at least 766,200 validated signatures by Feb. 1st to qualify for the November 2020 Ballot

The Orlando Sentinel, in a two part series Nov. 17-18, reported that Florida is among six states with the most generous tax policies for business. Ninety-nine percent don’t pay corporate taxes, according to the report. Tax experts put the cost to the state at between $500 million and $1 billion a year.

Baxley at it again. Republican State Senator Dennis Baxley has filed a bill that would require teachers to offer time for silent reflection at the beginning of the school day, replacing a current statute calling for a “brief meditation period.” Florida Politics reports Baxley has filed a number of bills with social conservative themes this session.

Les Parnas, the Ukrainian-American tied to Rudy Giuliani, and under indictment for campaign finance fraud, has confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that he met with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at least six times and there were other contacts as well.

Parnas and his business partner, Igor Fruman are tied to the Ukraine scandal figuring in the Trump impeachment hearings. They also face charges of illegally funneling foreign money into U.S. campaigns.

DeSantis has refused to talk about encounters with the pair, and his office says no policy was ever discussed.

Florida Democrats have crowdfunded nearly $4,000 to bring the Baby Trump Balloon to Florida.

State Democrats are organizing a counter “Defeat Trump” rally on November 26th when Trump comes to the state.

Politico is reporting the Secret Service spent more than a quarter of a million dollars at Trump properties in a five month period in 2017, raising new questions about how much the President is personally profiting from the federal government.

Trump did not divest from his businesses when elected, but gave control of his organization to his two sons. Ethics advocates warned that the arrangement raised conflict of interest and Emoluments Clause concerns.

Cancelled Newspaper Subscription May be Costly for Citrus Co.
Citrus County Commissioners, in a move they apparently see as supporting President Trump, have denied $2,700 for a New York Times subscription at the public library.
A Citrus County Chronicle survey found a large number of readers disappointed or aghast at the decision, and the Director of the County Visitors Bureau says Tourists are cancelling trips because of the decision.
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Governor had January Meeting Scheduled With Arrested Giullani Associate
Politico reports that Governor Ron DeSantis had a meeting scheduled with Lev Pamas in January. Pamas and Igor Fruman have been charged with attempting to interfere in U.S. elections. The Governor’s spokesperson says no substantive meeting occurred.
The Florida Democratic Party has requested all records related to the three men and FDP Chair Terrie Rizzo says Floridians deserve to know what Pamas and Fruman wanted from the Governor.
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Resignations Demanded
Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo is calling for the resignations of Fl. Congressman Ross Spano and White House Aide Stephen Miller.
Spano has admitted his campaign could have broken the law by borrowing money from two friends for his campaign and lending money to his campaign.
Miller shows affinity toward white nationalism, according to a Southern Poverty Law Center report. Rizzo said Miller’s beliefs are against American values and he needs to leave the White House immediately.
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The Villages Democratic Club has voted to continue a $250 level sponsorship for the monthly progress monitoring breakfast at the Sumter P.R.E.P. academy in Wildwood.

P.R.E.P. is the name given the County School District’s Alternatives School. This program has enjoyed success in promoting students in grades 6-12 who have a difficult time either academically or behaviorally on the regular school campus.
Principal James Presley say one of the biggest reasons for the school’s success is the local business support of the Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) program.

The monthly breakfast brings together District Staff, DJJ, Teen Court, Zone-School administrators as well as students and parents to discuss academic and behavioral progress. Presley credits the PBIS system for a 93% success rate of students who transition to their zoned schools.
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FDP Wins Florida Court Case
In a major victory ahead of the 2020 vote, Florida federal court throws out Florida’s ballot order law that lists candidates of the Governor’s party first on every ballot for every office. The FDP says this gives GOP candidates an unfair 5% advantage. In a state where elections are decided by less than half a percentage point, this is a monumental ruling.
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