Sunrise

It’s been less than a week since Florida’s election, but state lawmakers are already looking ahead to the next one. More than two dozen have already opened campaign accounts to run for state Senate and House seats in 2022.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— The folks who run state government are trying to figure out what happens now that Florida backed the wrong horse in the presidential race and they won’t have a direct line to the Oval Office anymore. But President-elect Joe Biden says that won’t really matter.

— Biden won’t take over for more than 2 months, but he’s already getting to work. He’ll be announcing his own coronavirus team today that will draft a new plan to combat the COVID crisis. And maybe that’s just in time. Florida appears to be entering what could be described as a third wave of the disease.

— The only Democrat holding statewide office is accused of selling out to “Big Sugar.” Orlando Attorney John Morgan was the driving force behind the constitutional amendment to increase Florida’s minimum wage and he says Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried let him down.

— Florida marks the Ocoee Election Day Massacre, where a White mob went on a rampage when a Black man tried to vote in the presidential election of 1920.

— And finally, checking in with a Florida Man who picked the wrong place to rub one out.

The powers that be in Florida can breathe a sigh of relief because John Morgan says he’s not going to be running any more constitutional amendments.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Morgan was the driving force behind the medical marijuana amendment that passed in 2016 and he bankrolled the minimum wage amendment approved by Florida voters this week. The Chamber of Commerce hates it, but Morgan says someone had to address the issue of income inequality before it reaches the boiling point.

— Morgan gives his take on the passage of the $15 an hour minimum wage amendment.

— As the vote count continues, all of us in Florida can take comfort in the fact that we’re not in the spotlight ... because things are getting nasty in the states that are still counting.

— Another surge in COVID-19 cases. The state reported more than 6,000 new infections Thursday, almost 2,000 more than the day before.

— And finally, a Florida Man who’s being reprimanded by the highest court in the state for yelling at noisy visitors outside his courtroom.

We’re still waiting to see who won the presidential race. But the Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking a victory lap because Florida isn’t responsible for the delay.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Remember all the talk about a blue wave this year? It never made it to Florida. Donald Trump gets our electoral college votes and Florida Republicans picked up seats in Congress, the state House and the state Senate … pending a recount.

— In the aftermath of the election, DeSantis is blasting the cable news channels for the way they reported on the vote count.

— DeSantis even called out FOX News by name. He also says it's time for the pollsters and pundits who got it wrong to find a new occupation.

— For the fourth day in a row, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Florida tops 4,000. The state Department of Health also reports 32 more fatalities and the positivity rating for COVID testing is the highest it has been in more than two weeks.

— The Florida Supreme Court hears oral arguments about who really controls the budget at your local sheriff’s office. Is it the sheriff? Or is it the County Commission? It's a battle that pits the Alachua County Sheriff against the Alachua County Commission … but the decision will affect every sheriff in the state.

— And finally, checking in with Florida Men: One faces felony charges because someone made a joke about the size of his penis; the other is about to be fired (again) because of what he said about the Holocaust.

Voting is done — but the counting continues. Sunrise’s resident pollster and pundit Steve Vancore speaks about Tuesday’s election.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Florida sides with Donald Trump. It was a narrow win over Joe Biden, but that was more than enough to claim Florida’s 29 electoral votes. While there’s plenty of ballots to be counted in the Sunshine State, just not enough to change the outcome in the presidential race.

— It was a good time to be an incumbent in Florida. Most state lawmakers and U.S. Representatives were re-elected. The notable exceptions were two Democratic Congresswomen from Miami-Dade. Donna Shalala and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell; they both lost in close races.

— Not much is changing in the state Legislature. It's a preliminary count, but the state elections office projects Republicans will maintain their control of both chambers, with a 23-17 split in the Senate and a 77-43 split in the House. Some faces will change, but not the balance of power.

— Thousands of former felons who served their time got the chance to vote again, thanks to Amendment 4, commonly known as the “second chance amendment.” But Florida’s Secretary of State is sending lists of names of former felons to local election offices claiming they’re not entitled to vote because they still owe money.

— While there were no reports of any major disruptions on election day, plenty of people stood outside the polls trying to intimidate voters.

— We now live in a COVID-19 “red zone.” A report from the White House Coronavirus Task Force says the rate of new cases in Florida has been increasing steadily since early October. They’ve issued reports to the nation’s Governors every week since June, but our Governor doesn’t want the public to see them.

— And finally, checking in with an Orlando rapper known as “Glokk9” who has been busted for illegal possession of — a Glock 9.

Our prolonged national nightmare — also known as the 2020 presidential election — is about to reach its conclusion.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— The presidential campaigns wrap up in Florida. Donald Trump’s final appearance here before Election Day was a midnight rally at the Opa-locka Airport Sunday.

— Democrats responded with one last appearance by former President Barack Obama, who was in South Florida last night.

— The polls are open till 7 p.m. The state will begin posting returns online at 8 p.m. once the polls close in northwest Florida counties in the Central time zone. Trump says Democrats are running scared in Florida, but Tallahassee City Commissioner Diane Williams Cox says this election will be like Moses parting the Red Sea.

— The surge in COVID-19 cases continues in Florida as the state Department of Health reported almost 4,700 new infections Monday, as well as 45 additional fatalities. But Trump says lockdowns are the real threat — not the virus — and during his South Florida rally the crowd urged him to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci … the nation’s premiere epidemiologist.

— 100 years after it happened, Florida’s Governor declares Nov. 2 to be a day of remembrance for the Black residents of Ocoee who were murdered and terrorized by a white mob after a black man tried to vote in the election of 1920.

— And finally, checking in with two Florida men: one bagged a gator that had been stalking him for years; the other won a million-dollar lottery jackpot with a ticket he had forgotten.

Early voting is over, and the election just is one day away. There are 14,400,000 registered voters in Florida, 60% of them have already cast their ballots by mailing them in or taking advantage of early voting sites over the past two weeks.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Florida’s death toll from COVID-19 is set to break the 17,000 mark when updated stats are released. Sunday’s total was 16,997. And if that’s not bad enough, there’s been a sizable increase in the number of new infections.

— Jill Biden campaigns in Tallahassee joining a “Souls to the Polls” march from church to an early voting site.

— Biden came to Florida to talk about racial justice. Joining her was the family of George Floyd and their attorney, Ben Crump.

— Donald Trump also held a rally in Miami/Dade Sunday with an 11:30 p.m. start time. You won’t hear it on this podcast because that’s way past my curfew, as well as Miami/Dade’s curfew too. But that didn’t stop Trump. As Mel Brooks once said: “It’s good to be king.”

— Former President Barack Obama is also back in Florida for a pre-election rally. It’s one more sign of how close the race is here — and how important our electoral votes are in the process.

— There’s been all sorts of talk in political circles about dastardly schemes to interfere with counting mail-in ballots. Sen. Rick Scott is just hoping they call the race on election night, so none of that will matter.

— And finally, two Florida men accused of stealing ballots from a mailbox and a Florida Woman who used a crowbar to get a refund from her cable company.

Florida survived another day with more than 4,000 new cases of COVID-19. That means we’re closing in on 800,000 statewide.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— It was a hot time in Tampa for Donald Trump supporters. So hot that people began dropping while Gov. Ron DeSantis was warming up the crowd. It got so hot they turned fire hoses on the crowd. Then the President revved ‘em up as he went into rally mode.

— While Trump was talking at Raymond James Stadium, Joe Biden was speaking at a drive-up rally in Broward County.

— Where do we stand with just four days left before the election? Political scientist Susan McManus says the Sunshine State is actually “the tossup state.”

— McManus also talks about NPAs, calm-versus-chaos and what happens after the election.

— And finally, checking in with a Florida Man who paid $150 to get mauled by a leopard.

Despite all the official assurances about cybersecurity during the election, a Florida Man hacked the Governor.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— A new study from the Centers for Disease Control says the death toll from COVID-19 may be 25% higher than the official count. Our current death toll is 16,775 but this report says the real number could be as high as 21,000.

— The Florida Department of Health is reporting 66 more fatalities and 4,115 new cases of coronavirus Wednesday… bringing the statewide total to more than 790,000 infections.

— Just how important is Florida in the 2020 election? Both presidential candidates are campaigning here today. Joe Biden is holding events in Broward County and Tampa. Donald Trump will also be in Tampa for a Make America Great Again rally.

— As early voting continues in the Sunshine State, the folks at Common Cause say they’re getting about 1,000 calls a day from Florida voters looking for help casting their ballots. Representatives from Common Cause talk about voting in Florida.

—There’s lots of talk about how enthused voters are this year, but the head of BlackPAC says there’s something more. She says black voters in Florida are angry with Trump and determined to make a change.

— Amendment 3 will remain on the ballot. The Florida Supreme Court has rejected a last-minute challenge to the amendment that would allow everyone to vote in the primaries regardless of party registration.

— And finally, a Florida woman made more than $100 returning thousands of items to Amazon over a five-year period. She thought she found a loophole in the return process; detectives call it grand theft.

The Florida Department of Health is reporting 57 more fatalities and 4,300 new cases of COVID-19.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Florida’s death toll has now reached 16,709. Our first fatalities happened on March 6, and the state has averaged 71 deaths since then. Every. Single. Day. But the Governor decided it was more important to use his bully pulpit to talk about opioid abuse.

— The former President spoke at a drive-up rally in Orlando, his second visit to Florida in just four days to campaign for Joe Biden.

— Early voting continues in Florida, but voting rights groups say there are problems — especially in Duval County, where the local canvassing board is prohibiting cameras and limiting attendance when they check the mail-in ballots.

— Six and a half million Floridians have already voted by mail or cast ballots at one of the early voting sites. But there are problems with more than 20,000 mail-in ballots, which may not be counted.

— And finally, the latest on Florida Man, a firefighter infected with COVID-19 who violated quarantine because he was bored.

Florida’s Department of Health is reporting 20 new deaths and almost 3,400 new cases of COVID-19. The state’s death toll has now reached 16,652.

Also, on today’s Sunrise:

— Joe Biden’s campaign is making a final push to get out the early vote in Florida, appealing to working families who have been hit hard during the COVID-19 crisis, as well as first responders who face lay-offs after risking their lives to do their jobs.

— Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is the only Democrat holding statewide office, so she’s the de facto leader of Florida Democrats. Her biggest concern during the ongoing election can be summarized with just two words — “voter suppression.”

— Florida Politics’ publisher and editor-in-chief Peter Schorsch discusses the new issue of INFLUENCE Magazine spotlighting 100 influential players who work behind the scenes in Florida politics. Who’s No. 1?

— And finally, checking in with someone who wants to flip the script on Florida Man.