Top Three Takeaways – April 30th, 2021
- It’s the final countdown in Florida’s state legislative session. Already we’re headed to overtime May 17th regarding the reworked Seminole Compact with expanded gaming which includes sports betting. Florida’s CFO Jimmy Patronis told me it’s the state’s intent to have it in place by the end of the summer – prior to the start of football season and Senator Joe Gruters told me they have they votes in the special session to pass it...but he also admitted that the final decision will be in the courts. So, in the case of the new Seminole Compact and sports betting in Florida, the final vote counts still won’t be the final countdown. But we already have 25 new laws in Florida thus far this session ranging from COVID-19 liability protections for businesses to the mandate for online sales tax collection regardless of a business's physical location, to defining what constitutes a riot and what the penalties are for both rioters and any local governments that’d allow for them. We’ve passed the expansion of Broadband Internet infrastructure and the expanded use of Drones by Government agencies. We also have a new law banning local governments from issuing code violations created through anonymous complaints. It’s easy to forget how much has already happened in just under two months. However, history tells us we’ll have about 175 more laws in the making by this weekend during the final countdown. Key issues like the elimination of Florida’s “no fault” auto insurance model, election integrity measures and more hang in the balance. But while it’s the state session’s final countdown it’s just the beginning of...
- Redistricting. After Monday’s Census drop, we learned Florida would gain one Congressional District and one Electoral College vote. Ordinarily the process would have already begun but due to pandemic related delays the Census Bureau is now saying it won’t be providing redistricting data until September 30th. What we do know is how large Florida’s new districts will be. Based on the 2020 Census data every district will represent 761,169 people – give or take. That’s an increase of over 50,000 people from when our current districts were drawn, or about the size of Coral Gables or Palm Beach Gardens. Our state’s not physically growing in size which means the average district will necessarily be shrinking in size. Under federal law districts must have nearly equal populations and must not discriminate on the basis of race or ethnicity. Speaking of the feds...
- 300% and bastions of ignorance. Yesterday I articulated the point that Biden’s proposals as presented at his Congressional Address were full of obvious untruths. Most notably that we could pay for his proposals with tax increases on the “rich” - which had already been a sliding scale starting rhetorically by Biden as being those who earn over $1 million, to the top 1% or $581,000, to those earning $400,000. As I pointed out, you could confiscate 100% of everything earned by the top 1% and you get $755 billion. I know trillions sounds like big numbers with no context these days but let this one sink in. If you taxed the top 1% at 100% you get $755 billion. To be clear that’s not even close to one of those trillions proposed by him for free puppies and bubble gum and college and to sit on our butt and not work so you can play with your free puppies and chew your bubble gum and not opt not to work so you vote for Democrats. If Trump voters were baskets of deplorables, Joe Biden must be counting on the traditional news media and the education establishment to maintain bastions of ignorance to sell his BS. Oh, and as for the 300%. That’s how much more money would have to be taxed than what would be collected if he taxed 100% of everything earned by everyone earning $400,000 or more to pay for the puppies, gum, college and laziness. Now, what Joe Biden is peddling is truly deplorable.
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