Hunkering Down With Peter Schorsch

Hunkering Down With Peter Schorsch

By Peter SchorschNewsPolitics
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Hunkering Down With Peter Schorsch episodes

  • James Grant Part 2

    Peter Schorsch hunkers down with House District 64 Rep. Jamie Grant, which covers parts of north Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. The Tampa Republican is also a co-founder and Senior Solutions Architect of CareSync and a co-founder of LifeSync Technologies.



    First thing’s first, Grant clears up the name he prefers to go by. Is it James? Jamie? J.W.?


    The two, who have at times been at odds over various issues, also talk friendships, particularly in the era of divisive politics. Grant acknowledges that conflict is healthy in a friendship, a take he has to take as a lawmaker who has to deal on a daily basis with colleagues with opposing views. Grant also offers an inside glimpse into the dynamics of relationships in the halls of the Capitol.


    Grant also addresses the Payment Protection Program (PPP) controversy in which some large companies like Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse taking money that was meant for small businesses. Grant explains why he doesn’t blame them for taking advantage of a program they qualified for.


    Peter pushes back some, pointing out he didn’t apply for PPP funding, but didn’t think it was right because other’s needed it more.


    On one topic on which there’s little debate, Peter talks with Grant about the challenges facing the Florida economy and the financial hardship that’s bringing to residents and businesses. Grant describes the situation as one that would have been unbelievable even just a couple months ago, likening it hypothetically to a dystopian story like Handmaid’s Tale.


    Grant offers in this episode a pointed critique of the coronavirus response in this extended interview tackling the virus and government with an occasional personal flair.

    Special Guest: Jamie Grant.

    1 hr 11 min
  • Slater Bayliss

    Peter Schorsch hunkers down with Slayter Bayliss, lobbyist and partner at The Advocacy Group at Cardenas Partners.



    The two take a deep dive into the docuseries “The Last Dance” and NBA legend Michael Jordan’s shocking-to-some comments calling Isiah Thomas an a-hole.


    The two jump back in time to reminisce about the glory days of basketball from the fierce competition to the seemingly different world void of social media and constant scrutiny under the 24-hour news cycle’s watchful eye.


    Peter recollects his affinity for the sport as a youngster and speculates on the NBA’s role in breaking down racial barriers, particularly through Michael Jordan’s fame and resulting wardrobe must-haves like Air Jordans.


    On the coronavirus, Bayliss explains why he started taking the pandemic seriously sooner than most. He remembers a February 6 article in the New York Times highlighting the death of a Chinese doctor who attempted to warn of the severity of the virus in December who was later forced to recant his statements as false, only to then die of the illness himself.


    And on a lighter note, Peter speculates about a possible new business venture — a product Bayliss admits his own family recently used.


    Tune in to find out how to get in on the investment.

    27 min
  • Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster

    Peter Schorsch hunkers down with Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster, director of government relations for the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce and veteran Southeast Florida journalist who spent two years reporting for Florida Politics.



    Buzzacco-Foerster reflects on her career as a journalist and discusses the changes in journalism since her years covering various different local and state beats.


    Catch an inside glimpse of the Florida Politics newsroom as Peter and Buzzacco-Foerster chat inside jokes that highlight how even a remote newsroom develops lasting friendships among colleagues dedicated to reporting the news.


    Like others, Buzzacco-Foerster discusses her new life stuck at home and the dynamics between her style — background noise — and her husband’s — can we please just have some quite time? Buzzacco-Foerster also talks booze and the coronavirus-induced consumption thereof.


    At work, Buzzacco-Foerster describes the upheaval to the local economy as coronavirus restrictions began falling into place. Events were canceled and businesses found themselves facing dire situations. Buzzacco-Foerster and the Chamber are working with those companies to identify solutions and help them stay afloat.


    Peter also asks about restructuring businesses, particularly restaurants, in an open coronavirus economy as they are forced to reduce dining capacity. How will that affect their models in the immediate term and will it lead to evolving business models into the future?


    And what does a former journalist watch while she’s hunkering down in her condo? Tune in for Buzzacco-Foerster’s recommendations.

    Special Guest: Jenna Buzzacco-Foerster .

    38 min
  • Jared Moskowitz

    Peter Schorsch hunkers down with Jared Moskowitz, Florida Division of Emergency Management director, for the first time after trying for weeks to get him on the show. Moskowitz has been busy dealing with what has become perhaps the most severe state emergency in Florida’s history.



    Moskowitz formerly served in the Florida House of Representatives. He discusses the ongoing statewide stay-at-home order and when the state might reopen for business.


    Moskowitz discusses the state’s response to the virus and how it managed to be third in the nation for the number of tests administered. That work, he said, is why Florida managed to shirk estimates that it could reach virus levels rivaling hotspots on Italy and New York City.


    He also laments the pandemic, even if the state fared better than it could, for claiming the lives of hundreds of Floridians and disrupting the lives of most families.


    Moskowitz also discusses his hectic daily routine as he leads the state’s massive response to the virus. He’s been pulling 18-19 hour days and working into the wee hours of the morning on plans, preparations and conducting phone calls with other state officials.


    Moskowitz also discusses the great toilet paper conundrum.


    He also discusses the state’s challenges obtaining PPE and adequate testing supplies and looks back at passed policy that, in hindsight, could have been handled differently to prepare for a pandemic. But he cautions against Monday morning quarterbacking the pandemic.


    Moskowitz also promotes American manufacturing, particularly for medical supplies, which he’s currently having to acquire from foreign countries.


    Tune in for this can’t miss episode packed with insider insights to the state’s coronavirus response.

    Special Guest: Jared Moskowitz.

    30 min
  • Dean Cannon

    As Floridians look forward to getting back to some sense of normalcy in the coming weeks, Peter Schorsch hunkers down with Dean Cannon, former House Speaker and now CEO of the GrayRobinson law firm, for a conversation about growth through adversity.



    Cannon takes an optimistic tone as he describes life at home with three teenage children. He describes the challenges so many Americans are facing with schools closed and non-essential activities almost entirely shut down, but praises the personal growth that has emerged.


    Peter chats with Cannon about the eventual reopening of society including the delicate balancing act required to ensure ongoing public health while also reviving a stalled economy.


    Cannon, whose brother is a doctor, uses his experience as a business-savvy lawmaker to outline the importance of protecting the vulnerable while also getting back to work on the economy. He also stresses the need for continued and increased testing for COVID-19.


    The two also speculate whether things will ever get fully back to normal, or if society has been fundamentally changed by the pandemic.


    Cannon also discusses his renewed faith in humanity as he notices people shedding arguments of the past as they wage war against a common enemy that is neither political nor human.

    Special Guest: Dean Cannon.

    32 min
  • Ashley Walker

    Peter Schorsch hunkers down with Ashley Walker, managing director of Mercury Public Affairs. Walker is one of the most influential consultants in Democratic politics in Florida. Previously, she worked as the Florida state director for former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign.



    Walker talks campaigning in the age of coronavirus. As Florida and the world continues to keep their eye on the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional campaigning has all but shut down.


    She discusses the challenges with fundraising and highlights the advantage that incumbents have during this time.


    As for public affairs in general though, Walker describes an ongoing need, particularly as governments, as she describes it, pick and choose winners and losers in terms of who gets access to aid and funding.


    Still, her firm is hyper aware of the longterm effects a COVID-related economic crisis could have on everyone.


    Walker also discusses the potential of holding elections this year 100% through mail ballots and whether that’s an advantage for Republicans in Florida who have long dominated the vote-by-mail game.


    Walker is also expecting a child in just a couple of weeks. She describes the moment the virus first got real for her at a routine doctor’s appointment, the first her husband was not allowed to attend with her, in which her doctor questioned whether a routine vaccine she needed for her advanced age pregnancy was worth the risk of going to a pharmacy to get it.


    Tune in for a don’t miss episode packed with personal moments, political commentary and Walker’s token reassuring demeanor.

    Special Guest: Ashley Walker.

    21 min
  • Joe Clements

    Peter Schorsch hunkers down with Joe Clements, co-founder and CEO of Tallahassee-based Strategic Digital Services, a data analysis and online marketing firm. Clements also formerly worked for the Republican Party of Florida as the digital director for the RPOF house majority.

    Clements finds the silver lining in coronavirus-caused social distancing keeping many Floridians confined mostly to their homes in a scenario he speculates one day might be looked upon fondly as the golden age of family time, even as memories persist of the stress and anxiety associated with a global pandemic.

    Peter discusses his own family time, enjoying renewed snuggles from his daughter who had, before the age of social distancing, begun to grow out of it.

    The two also discuss the seriousness for which people are taking the virus and the concept of risk vs. reward. If someone is in their 80s and could die at any time, do they really want to be spending their final weeks or months trapped in doors? These are the questions some people are asking.

    And in another part of this extended interview, Clements criticizes the media for what he describes as inciting panic for the benefit of financial reward. Peter pushes back arguing it’s not the journalists themselves.

    The conversation gives way to a more robust conversation about the role of the media in the future, pondering who will survive and who won’t as traditional media models are further upended amid the virus.

    And find out how Clements thinks millennials might have a lasting impact on the post coronavirus world based on modern perceptions of adulthood.

    Special Guest: Joe Clements.

    57 min
  • Steve Vancore

    In what is Peter’s most emotional episode yet, he hunkers down with veteran political consultant and pollster Steve Vancore who recently lost the love of his life, Rep. Kristen Jacobs, after a long battle with cancer.



    In the extended interview, Vancore shares Jacobs’ inspiring story of rebuilding a life shattered by domestic violence, and fighting her way into the hearts of Floridians as an impassioned elected leader whose top priorities centered on clean water.


    Vancore shares the couple’s unique love story in a conversation that is in one moment heart wrenching and in the next inspiring. There are moments of sadness as he describes Jacobs’ painful final days, and then joy as he talks about her optimism even in her final days.


    Jacobs’ journey to the end was surrounded by love and light, but that journey was confounded by the global pandemic raging in the background. Vancore describes how he and other family members took on caring for Jacobs in her final days without much help, knowing that if she had to go to the hospital, they couldn’t be by her side to ease her path.


    Grab a box of tissues and put the kettle on for this harrowing tale of life, love, loss and perseverance.

    Special Guest: Steve Vancore.

    56 min
  • Adam Smith

    Peter Schorsch hunkers down with former Tampa Bay Times Political Editor Adam Smith. Smith now serves as senior Vice President of Mercury Public Affairs, a bipartisan public strategy firm.



    Smith talks about the current state of journalism as reporters faced increased workload yet shrinking newsrooms. The daily flow of news has turned into a flood amid the COVID-19 pandemic and journalists are on the frontlines keeping up.


    But with advertising revenue dropping as businesses and industries shutdown, newsrooms are facing layoffs. Smith speculates whether some will survive the pandemic.


    Smith also weighs in on an idea U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan floated the month, suggesting a federal bailout for local media. Smith weighs the merits against the potential ethics and conflict of interest questions it would raise.


    On the ‘when did it get real’ question, Smith jokes it was when he went from laughing at people worried about running out toilet paper to realizing we were actually running out of toilet paper.


    The two also dive into one of Peter’s favorite topics, the Baltimore crime series The Wire.


    And what’s Adam watching? British police procedurals. Tune in to find out what the heck that is.


    And don’t worry, he promises he also enjoys trashy television.

    Special Guest: Adam Smith.

    29 min
  • Cesar Fernandez

    Peter Schorsch hunkers down with public policy veteran Cesar Fernandez, current senior government affairs advisor at the Miami-based Converge Government Affairs firm and former public policy manager for Uber.



    Fernandez, whose wife is in medical school, hasn’t left his Miami condo since March 15, a precaution Peter jokes was because he’s one of those people who listens to doctors and scientists.


    The two discuss international travel and speculate on when it might resume as the nation continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus. Fernandez, an avid traveler, said he wouldn’t travel again until he saw weeks of decline, but he’s mentally preparing to not travel again until 2021.


    Fernandez also discusses bringing the state’s economy back online once social distancing requirements are relaxed and whether Florida public schools should reopen this school year, a decision on which Floridians are still waiting.


    Unlike other guests enjoying to solitude, Fernandez shares tips on how to survive social distancing as an extrovert. Fernandez said he’s been using the time to reconnect with old friends.

    Special Guest: Cesar Fernandez.

    20 min

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