Good morning and happy Friday.A Florida Man has become the first person to get a “You’re (sorta) fired” during President DONALD TRUMP’s second term.On Thursday, Trump removed MIKE WALTZ from his job as national security adviser and then nominated him as US ambassador to the United Nations, in a role that’ll require Senate confirmation. The move came after the president and top staff lost confidence in the former congressman from Florida, reports POLITICO’s Dasha Burns, Jake Traylor, Felicia Schwartz and Robbie Gramer.The groundswell against Waltz had been growing ever since the controversy in which he accidentally included The Atlantic’s editor in chief in a Signal chat describing attack plans in Yemen. Our POLITICO colleagues note chief of staff SUSIE WILES “was so frustrated with Waltz that she has been barely speaking to him” and that within the White House he was viewed as “too cocky.” Fellow Floridian and Secretary of State MARCO RUBIO will remain in his position but also temporarily take on the duties of national security adviser.Waltz’s appointment to the Trump administration led to a domino effect in Florida politics that put former Republican state Sen. RANDY FINE in Congress, in the seat once held by Gov. RON DESANTIS under slightly different boundaries before redistricting.Waltz had been one of Trump’s top surrogates on the campaign trail and was often photographed with the once and future president’s inner circle, including at the Republican National Convention. His departure is the first high-profile change in the administration, though another former GOP colleague from Florida, then-Rep. MATT GAETZ, withdrew himself from consideration to be Trump’s attorney general when he didn’t appear to have enough votes for Senate confirmation.Now Waltz will be the one facing senators, where he’s expected to have to answer questions about Signalgate and recent reports that he’s too hawkish for MAGA. Sen. RICK SCOTT (R-Fla.) was quick to congratulate “my friend,” writing that Waltz would do a “great job” at the UN, and Rep. JIMMY PATRONIS (R-Fla.) lauded him as a “public servant.” Vice President JD VANCE argued to Fox News Channel’s BRET BAIER that despite the turn of events, “you can make a good argument that it’s a promotion.”But the confirmation hearings will provide an opening for Democrats to question the Trump administration’s handling of highly sensitive information that could later be used as ad fodder leading up to the 2026 elections. Interestingly, however, several Democrats seemingly came to Waltz’s defense Thursday, saying Defense Secretary PETE HEGSETH should have been the official to face accountability over Signalgate.These types of comments are sure to be watched by DeSantis allies, who’ve told Playbook they’re still hopeful there might be a role for the governor in the Trump administration someday — though there have been no signs from Trump world that’s the case.Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at:.
WHAT TIME IS IT? The Florida Legislature will end its 60-day regular session today without a new state budget — the one bill legislators are supposed to pass each year.So what happens next? That’s a good question, and so far the two legislative leaders — House Speaker DANIEL PEREZ and Senate President BEN ALBRITTON — haven’t given much of an answer. Perez did tell House members Thursday they would not be working next week, so an extension of the current session is unlikely. State Sen. ED HOOPER, the Senate budget chief, said the same thing.Legislators have until July 1 to get a new state budget on DeSantis’ desk to avoid a potential shutdown of state government.But work on the budget can’t really start while Albritton and Perez are at odds over top-line spending levels and the size of tax cuts. Perez called for a permanent cut of the state’s sales tax rate that would save consumers about $5 billion. Albritton has called for a mix of permanent and one-time tax cuts with a much lower price-tag.DeSantis, who has heaped criticism on House Republicans this year, could order legislators back to town. Or he could wait to see if legislative leaders are able to bridge the divide on their own.VOX POPULI — Florida legislators are poised to pass sweeping new restrictions on ballot initiatives, but it will require an 11th-hour agreement between House and Senate Republicans with just one day left in the 2025 regular session.The Senate voted 28-10 on Thursday for a bill that would put limits on the groups that sponsor ballot initiatives, including placing a limit on how many petitions a volunteer could collect. It would also require organizers to collect detailed personal information from those signing petitions such as a driver’s license number or part of their social security number.Critics and Democrats contend the legislation would all but end future ballot initiatives in the state. But Republicans, citing an investigation by the election crimes office under DeSantis, say the changes are needed to prevent fraud.DeSantis has pushed for a crackdown on ballot initiatives and initially wanted legislators to pass legislation back in January.The one big difference between the House and Senate is centered on how many petitions a volunteer can collect from non-family members without registering with the state. The Senate wants to put the limit at five petitions, while the House voted late Thursday to put the limit at 25 petitions.PARKS BILL PASSES — “The Florida House voted Thursday to send a bill to the governor’s desk restricting some new state park amenities after DeSantis’ administration last year proposed new golf courses, pickleball courts and lodges,” reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie.“The House voted 112-0 to accept a Senate amendment that touched off concerns among some environmental supporters earlier this week. Asked on the House floor whether the measure still prohibited golf courses and hotels, bill sponsor state Rep. John Snyder (R-Stuart) said, ‘That piece is very much still in there loud and clear and did not change.’”EDUCATION STILL IN PLAY? “State senators stuffed key education priorities Thursday into three packages recently passed by the House in an attempt to pass the policies this session,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury.“Pieces of top Senate proposals to ‘deregulate’ traditional K-12 public schools and Senate President Ben Albritton’s signature ‘rural renaissance’ package designed to boost economic development in rural areas emerged in different bills now heading to the House. The fate of these measures — and this year’s education legislation — hangs in the balance as the session’s scheduled close looms after senators scrapped provisions from the House yet added ideas the chamber has long opposed — namely loosening graduation requirements.”POSSIBILITY FOR FEDERAL INVESTIGATION — “Four former federal prosecutors told the Herald/Times that Rep. Alex Andrade could be on strong legal ground [to have federal charges investigated] ... from theft of government funds to money laundering ... related to the dollars that passed through the Hope Florida Foundation, they said,” reports Alexandra Glorioso, Lawrence Mower and Justin Garcia of the Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau.
POST-‘OPERATION TIDAL WAVE’ — DeSantis touted the arrest of 1,120 people in Florida after “Operation Tidal Wave,” a six-day joint federal and state effort first reported by Ana Ceballos and Syra Ortiz Blanes of the Times/Herald. Various counties assisted in the operation, one of the latest large-scale efforts by the state to crack down on illegal immigration.The operation comes amid an ongoing judicial case between Florida immigrant advocacy groups and Attorney General JAMES UTHMEIER. In April, U.S. District Judge KATHLEEN WILLIAMS placed a temporary block on Florida’s new immigration law, citing concerns it may be unconstitutional. Uthmeier initially told law enforcement to stop arrests, but he pivoted and wrote a letter saying he “cannot prevent” them from doing so. In response, Williams wrote in an order released earlier this week saying Uthmeier could be found in “contempt of court” for the letter.Although DeSantis didn’t name Williams or her temporary block on Florida’s immigration law directly, he criticized the judicial pushback on Trump’s immigration agenda, saying “the president has statutory authority to do this.”“People need to have some OJ Simpson-type trial before they can be deported. It’s nuts,” he said. “And it’s a heads, they win, tails, we lose for the country to where people come in unimpeded and it’s virtually impossible for them to go.”MALPRACTICE LAW REPEAL HEADS TO GOV — “Florida is on the verge of repealing the decades-old ‘free kill’ law that bars some families from suing for pain-and-suffering damages if a loved one dies because of medical malpractice,” reports Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel. “The Florida Senate voted 33-4 on Thursday to repeal a statute that critics say treats victims of malpractice differently based on whether they are married or have children.”— “Can’t kill a mockingbird: Florida state bird keeps perch as bills favoring others don’t fly,”by Aidan Bush of Fresh Take Florida.— “Part of Southern Boulevard from airport to Mar-a-Lago could be named after Trump,”reports News Service of Florida.GARCIA V. FINE AND THE ONLINE — On Thursday, state Sen. ILLEANA GARCIA (R-Miami) wrote on X she would hold Rep. RANDY FINE (R-Fla.) “accountable” after receiving “harassment and threats” over her “no” vote on Fine’s controversial campus carry bill. This is the latest in an online exchange between Fine and Garcia over a bill that died in committee by one vote. (Two Republican senators were absent during the vote and the legislation had no counterpart in the House.)A day after the shooting at Florida State University, Fine referred to Garcia as a “so-called Republican” for voting against the bill, saying he “attempted to give adults the same right to protect themselves on campus as they have off,” and wondering if “the outcome would have been different.” In response, Garcia called Fine “feckless and racist” for targeting her and said she was “proud to have voted against [Fine’s] moronic campus carry bill.”— “Army veteran convicted of killing girlfriend and her 3 children executed in Florida,”reports Curt Anderson of The Associated Press.
EMERGENCY SCOTUS APPEAL — “The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow Trump to roll back immigration protections for about 600,000 Venezuelans living in the U.S.,” reports POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein.“The emergency appeal from Solicitor General John Sauer is the latest of about a dozen expedited requests the Trump administration has brought to the high court in the past three months. The requests typically seek to immediately reinstate aspects of Trump’s agenda — often related to his aggressive immigration crackdowns — in the face of preliminary adverse rulings from lower courts.”JUDGE RULES AGAINST TRUMP — “Trump’s invocation of a wartime power to summarily deport Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador was ‘unlawful,’ a federal judge ruled Thursday, blocking the administration from further deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798,” reports POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney. “The decision from U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr., a Trump appointee, is the latest sharp rebuke to one of Trump’s most aggressive and high-profile efforts to quickly carry out deportations with little or no due process.”DEMANDING FOR INVESTIGATION — Rep. SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK (D-Fla.) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary KRISTI NOEM “demanding the Trump administration conduct a ‘thorough investigation’ into the death of a Haitian woman last week at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, where the 44-year-old was being detained as a suspected undocumented immigrant,” reports WLRN’s Sergio R. Bustos.— “U.S. representative urges Trump to bring back from Cuba mom ‘ripped away’ from her baby,”reports Nora Gámez Torres of the Miami Herald.
CONVICTED GOP OFFICIAL — The new vice chair of the Republican Party of Florida JOVANTÉ TEAGUE, “was convicted in 2019 as part of a state felony investigation into whether he had a sexual relationship with an inmate when he was a jail guard,” reports Matthew Cupelli of Fresh Take Florida.— “As Trump’s approval plummets, Mike Davey eyes another run for Congress against Salazar,”by Key Biscayne Independent’s Tony Winton.— “Miami mayor hasn’t ruled out run for governor,”he told Axios.— “Politicians switching parties is not that uncommon, but it can frustrate some voters,”by WUSF’s Meghan Bowman.
BIRTHDAYS: POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury … former Department of Community Affairs Secretary Steve Seibert … (Saturday) Harris Media’s Vince Harris … author and journalist Andrew Nagorski … (Saturday) state Sen. Tina Polsky … former Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg.
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WHAT TIME IS IT? The Florida Legislature will end its 60-day regular session today without a new state budget — the one bill legislators are supposed to pass each year.So what happens next? That’s a good question, and so far the two legislative leaders — House Speaker DANIEL PEREZ and Senate President BEN ALBRITTON — haven’t given much of an answer. Perez did tell House members Thursday they would not be working next week, so an extension of the current session is unlikely. State Sen. ED HOOPER, the Senate budget chief, said the same thing.Legislators have until July 1 to get a new state budget on DeSantis’ desk to avoid a potential shutdown of state government.But work on the budget can’t really start while Albritton and Perez are at odds over top-line spending levels and the size of tax cuts. Perez called for a permanent cut of the state’s sales tax rate that would save consumers about $5 billion. Albritton has called for a mix of permanent and one-time tax cuts with a much lower price-tag.DeSantis, who has heaped criticism on House Republicans this year, could order legislators back to town. Or he could wait to see if legislative leaders are able to bridge the divide on their own.VOX POPULI — Florida legislators are poised to pass sweeping new restrictions on ballot initiatives, but it will require an 11th-hour agreement between House and Senate Republicans with just one day left in the 2025 regular session.The Senate voted 28-10 on Thursday for a bill that would put limits on the groups that sponsor ballot initiatives, including placing a limit on how many petitions a volunteer could collect. It would also require organizers to collect detailed personal information from those signing petitions such as a driver’s license number or part of their social security number.Critics and Democrats contend the legislation would all but end future ballot initiatives in the state. But Republicans, citing an investigation by the election crimes office under DeSantis, say the changes are needed to prevent fraud.DeSantis has pushed for a crackdown on ballot initiatives and initially wanted legislators to pass legislation back in January.The one big difference between the House and Senate is centered on how many petitions a volunteer can collect from non-family members without registering with the state. The Senate wants to put the limit at five petitions, while the House voted late Thursday to put the limit at 25 petitions.PARKS BILL PASSES — “The Florida House voted Thursday to send a bill to the governor’s desk restricting some new state park amenities after DeSantis’ administration last year proposed new golf courses, pickleball courts and lodges,” reports POLITICO’s Bruce Ritchie.“The House voted 112-0 to accept a Senate amendment that touched off concerns among some environmental supporters earlier this week. Asked on the House floor whether the measure still prohibited golf courses and hotels, bill sponsor state Rep. John Snyder (R-Stuart) said, ‘That piece is very much still in there loud and clear and did not change.’”EDUCATION STILL IN PLAY? “State senators stuffed key education priorities Thursday into three packages recently passed by the House in an attempt to pass the policies this session,” reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury.“Pieces of top Senate proposals to ‘deregulate’ traditional K-12 public schools and Senate President Ben Albritton’s signature ‘rural renaissance’ package designed to boost economic development in rural areas emerged in different bills now heading to the House. The fate of these measures — and this year’s education legislation — hangs in the balance as the session’s scheduled close looms after senators scrapped provisions from the House yet added ideas the chamber has long opposed — namely loosening graduation requirements.”POSSIBILITY FOR FEDERAL INVESTIGATION — “Four former federal prosecutors told the Herald/Times that Rep. Alex Andrade could be on strong legal ground [to have federal charges investigated] ... from theft of government funds to money laundering ... related to the dollars that passed through the Hope Florida Foundation, they said,” reports Alexandra Glorioso, Lawrence Mower and Justin Garcia of the Herald/Times Tallahassee Bureau.
POST-‘OPERATION TIDAL WAVE’ — DeSantis touted the arrest of 1,120 people in Florida after “Operation Tidal Wave,” a six-day joint federal and state effort first reported by Ana Ceballos and Syra Ortiz Blanes of the Times/Herald. Various counties assisted in the operation, one of the latest large-scale efforts by the state to crack down on illegal immigration.The operation comes amid an ongoing judicial case between Florida immigrant advocacy groups and Attorney General JAMES UTHMEIER. In April, U.S. District Judge KATHLEEN WILLIAMS placed a temporary block on Florida’s new immigration law, citing concerns it may be unconstitutional. Uthmeier initially told law enforcement to stop arrests, but he pivoted and wrote a letter saying he “cannot prevent” them from doing so. In response, Williams wrote in an order released earlier this week saying Uthmeier could be found in “contempt of court” for the letter.Although DeSantis didn’t name Williams or her temporary block on Florida’s immigration law directly, he criticized the judicial pushback on Trump’s immigration agenda, saying “the president has statutory authority to do this.”“People need to have some OJ Simpson-type trial before they can be deported. It’s nuts,” he said. “And it’s a heads, they win, tails, we lose for the country to where people come in unimpeded and it’s virtually impossible for them to go.”MALPRACTICE LAW REPEAL HEADS TO GOV — “Florida is on the verge of repealing the decades-old ‘free kill’ law that bars some families from suing for pain-and-suffering damages if a loved one dies because of medical malpractice,” reports Skyler Swisher of the Orlando Sentinel. “The Florida Senate voted 33-4 on Thursday to repeal a statute that critics say treats victims of malpractice differently based on whether they are married or have children.”— “Can’t kill a mockingbird: Florida state bird keeps perch as bills favoring others don’t fly,”by Aidan Bush of Fresh Take Florida.— “Part of Southern Boulevard from airport to Mar-a-Lago could be named after Trump,”reports News Service of Florida.GARCIA V. FINE AND THE ONLINE — On Thursday, state Sen. ILLEANA GARCIA (R-Miami) wrote on X she would hold Rep. RANDY FINE (R-Fla.) “accountable” after receiving “harassment and threats” over her “no” vote on Fine’s controversial campus carry bill. This is the latest in an online exchange between Fine and Garcia over a bill that died in committee by one vote. (Two Republican senators were absent during the vote and the legislation had no counterpart in the House.)A day after the shooting at Florida State University, Fine referred to Garcia as a “so-called Republican” for voting against the bill, saying he “attempted to give adults the same right to protect themselves on campus as they have off,” and wondering if “the outcome would have been different.” In response, Garcia called Fine “feckless and racist” for targeting her and said she was “proud to have voted against [Fine’s] moronic campus carry bill.”— “Army veteran convicted of killing girlfriend and her 3 children executed in Florida,”reports Curt Anderson of The Associated Press.
EMERGENCY SCOTUS APPEAL — “The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow Trump to roll back immigration protections for about 600,000 Venezuelans living in the U.S.,” reports POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein.“The emergency appeal from Solicitor General John Sauer is the latest of about a dozen expedited requests the Trump administration has brought to the high court in the past three months. The requests typically seek to immediately reinstate aspects of Trump’s agenda — often related to his aggressive immigration crackdowns — in the face of preliminary adverse rulings from lower courts.”JUDGE RULES AGAINST TRUMP — “Trump’s invocation of a wartime power to summarily deport Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador was ‘unlawful,’ a federal judge ruled Thursday, blocking the administration from further deportations under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798,” reports POLITICO’s Kyle Cheney. “The decision from U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez, Jr., a Trump appointee, is the latest sharp rebuke to one of Trump’s most aggressive and high-profile efforts to quickly carry out deportations with little or no due process.”DEMANDING FOR INVESTIGATION — Rep. SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK (D-Fla.) sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary KRISTI NOEM “demanding the Trump administration conduct a ‘thorough investigation’ into the death of a Haitian woman last week at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, where the 44-year-old was being detained as a suspected undocumented immigrant,” reports WLRN’s Sergio R. Bustos.— “U.S. representative urges Trump to bring back from Cuba mom ‘ripped away’ from her baby,”reports Nora Gámez Torres of the Miami Herald.
CONVICTED GOP OFFICIAL — The new vice chair of the Republican Party of Florida JOVANTÉ TEAGUE, “was convicted in 2019 as part of a state felony investigation into whether he had a sexual relationship with an inmate when he was a jail guard,” reports Matthew Cupelli of Fresh Take Florida.— “As Trump’s approval plummets, Mike Davey eyes another run for Congress against Salazar,”by Key Biscayne Independent’s Tony Winton.— “Miami mayor hasn’t ruled out run for governor,”he told Axios.— “Politicians switching parties is not that uncommon, but it can frustrate some voters,”by WUSF’s Meghan Bowman.
BIRTHDAYS: POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury … former Department of Community Affairs Secretary Steve Seibert … (Saturday) Harris Media’s Vince Harris … author and journalist Andrew Nagorski … (Saturday) state Sen. Tina Polsky … former Palm Beach State Attorney Dave Aronberg.
