- [Reporter] This is a production of WEDU PBS.

Tampa St. Petersburg, Sarasota.

- Coming up next we'll preview the upcoming special session of the Legislature in which Republicans plan to push back against Corona virus safety precautions.

The governor says Republicans now have the lead when it comes to party registration in the state.

The first drafts of Florida's new congressional maps have been released, and we'll look at how they will affect the makeup of the state's delegation.

And new questions raised about the resume of Florida's surgeon general, all coming up next on Florida this week.

(upbeat music) Welcome back, this week our panelists are, Amy Holifield is the senior deputy editor at the Tampa Bay Times, Stanley Gray is a businessman, community activist, and currently is not associated with a political party.

Patrick Mantega is the editor and publisher of La Gaceta Newspaper and a Democrat and Adam Goodman is the Edward R Murrow fellow at Tufts University, a political consultant and a Republican.

Great to have a full panel, thank you.

It's great to see you all.

Well, beginning Monday, the state legislature will convene for a special session of the legislature dealing with COVID related issues.

Among the measures to be considered letting workers opt out of vaccine mandates and allowing parents to sue schools that have masking requirements.

Governor Ron DeSantis, and the GOP leaders of the state house and Senate call their agenda, Keep Florida Free.

Among other things, the Republican measures would bar private businesses from having coronavirus vaccine mandates, unless they allow employees to get exemptions for medical reasons, religious beliefs, proof of immunity based on prior infection or include regular testing and in agreement to wear protective gear.

Private companies would be subject to fines up to $50,000 for firing a worker without offering these exemptions.

Another provision in the GOP agenda would allow parents to sue school districts that impose mask mandates, Republicans are also pushing to withdraw Florida from OSHA, The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

So Amy, let's start with you, is this unusual to have a special session of the legislature, so close to the regular session, which is coming up in two months and is it absolutely necessary to do it now or could they wait and discuss the issues in two months?

- It's absolutely unusual.

It's definitely very close to the special session, but I will point out they were gonna be in committee week anyway.

So it's not like it's a giant change in expense bring them back.

I think that question is like, does any of this urgent enough that it needed to be done now.

Is there a timeframe to it that couldn't wait until January.

And from the looks of the legislation, it's nothing that couldn't have waited for the session.

But I think the governor has very strong feelings on these points and he's taking advantage of the powers in front of him to try to get it done.

It's been interesting just to watch and I'm sure you'll get into this, the pushback as the legislation is rolled out and the conflict that's coming up between what the government wants and what businesses want.

And it's going to be an interesting week.

- Well, Adams, it is interesting that the businesses have resisted all along any sort of blanket opposition or blanket rule against mandates because some of the largest businesses in Florida have imposed mandates on their staff, on their employees.

But the governor says this is an issue of personal freedom.

What do you think about the special session?

- Well, what this session is really all about, it's a referendum on what's been taking place since the pandemic hit in Florida.

Florida has become from any kind of an Oasis of good news in a storm of bad, in terms of our ability to weather the pandemic with our economy still very largely intact and moving forward without the huge kinds of closures and job losses that took place in other places around the country.

And, you know, I would rename what he's fighting for.

He is calling it a freedom.

I now call it the Florida way.

And it's a referendum on that.

And you can say the referendum, the data on the referendum is coming in big.

Population is swelled in Florida, people are moving here in record groves.

Businesses are moving in.

You might say that's because freedom is in.

But I think that is really what not just this particular special session is about.

It's really been what the DeSantis Administration has been about from day one.

And I think the news on most scorecards in most parts of the country, and again just by looking at the data of the demographics and the political changes that are taking place, I think it's clear that it's a thumbs up so far.

The governor and the state.

- Stanley, our death rate per a hundred thousand people is higher than a lot of states around the country from COVID.

What do you think about the Florida way that Adam is talking about?

- I think there's two things.

One is that I really think that as a state, we need to question the statistics of the data.

Because there have been enough reports that would indicate that they're not really true.

I also think that this whole move is nothing more, even though the governor has filed to run for governor.

I think that he is really putting another feather in his bonnet to run for president if the opportunity comes.

He is looking purely for a win.

If you look at the present legislation, we know how this is gonna turn out.

- Okay, Patrick, what do you think about the Florida way that Adam mentioned?

Have we shown the way to get out of the COVID crisis?

The governor is just trying to lead in the culture war.

He continues to fight, his whole administration has become part of running for president and trying to talk to these right-wing people who don't believe in vaccines as a way of getting out of our mess.

You know, I think a lot of people in Florida like freedom from sickness and death from COVID as opposed from freedom from mask and vaccines.

And that's kind of governor I'd like to see.

- What about this idea of pulling out of OSHA, is there a groundswell of support to reduce federal involvement in enforcing occupational safety and health laws?

And Adam, do you want to go first on this?

Should, is it a good idea to withdraw from the Federal OSHA?

- Well, I just make one comment about that, which is on a larger level, maybe Rob.

I think there has been an increasing challenge and maybe the pandemic also brought this into clearer focus between Washington and the states.

And even more recently in terms of the Biden administration and a number of states, us being one of them.

And I think that given that Washington has shown of the infrastructure deal, which I think by the way, and one of the Republicans who thinks that's a really good thing for the country.

Short of that, I think the Biden administration is kinda had a rough role in terms of success, which is translated in terms of Federal government ability to get things done.

And I think states like Florida have stood up.

And I think that conversation that's happening between us and Florida and Washington, in this case with OSHA is a conversation you're going to see between states and Washington in increasing fashion in the months and years ahead.

- Stanley, is there any danger to workers who work, especially in blue collar work, if OSHA, we no longer have a Federal OSHA here in Florida?

- I fall back on some basic tenants.

And that is as a leader is responsible for the health and welfare of the organization that they lead or people who they govern.

And I have a real problem because when you look at this and you look at the results without the regulations, without the rules you know what's going to happen.

It's very predictable.

And I question his motives.

I think it's a very political move.

And I'm just tired of the people of this state being the ponds of his political desires.

- Let's go on to another topic, last week Governor DeSantis announced that the Republican party now has more registered voters here in Florida than do the Democrats?

DeSantis' announcement marked a major turning point in the Sunshine state.

For years, Democrats have had a massive voter registration advantage over Republicans.

In 2008, there were nearly 700,000 more registered Democrats in the state than Republicans, but that advantage has eroded over the years as the GOP invested heavily in signing up new members in the state.

Democrats meanwhile have long complained that their state party lacked a cohesive and longterm voter registration strategy.

The GOP's claim of winning the registration game raises the question of whether Florida is still a swing state, according to the state division of elections, latest numbers, both the Republicans and Democrats have slightly more than 5 million registered voters each and Independence those with no party affiliation or who are registered to third parties comprised just over 3 million people.

Adam, why did the Republicans have an advantage when it comes to party registration?

- They got a better message, right?

And you know, and all the obvious things, you know, with Republicans talk about lower taxes, less regulation, personal security, more personal freedom I think that sells.

But, you know, look at this as a trend.

This began in 2012, the closing of the gap between democratic and Republican registration, to the point where we are as Republicans now, the majority party by registration in this state, which by the way, is the first time in history that that's ever taken place.

And then you look at the recent evidence in Virginia, which was referred not so long ago as the new blue wall by Democrats.

What we saw Humpty Dumpty falling off that wall, not so long ago and the Virginia gubernatorial election.

And you see in 2020 former president Trump, despite some very bad numbers in other states across the country did awfully well in Florida.

So let's say in our swing state, currently things are swinging a bit, obviously towards Republicans, but understand there's one kicker in all of this.

And that is this, the increasing growth of neither, which is independence.

Non-registered, not affiliated voters.

I still think that that creates the greatest swing to the pendulum in the greatest swing state in America.

- Patrick, Adam mentioned messaging.

Do you think the Democrats have a poor message than the Republicans do?

And is that the reason the Republicans are gaining in Florida?

- Well, sometimes I think we're not great messengers.

And I always criticizing the party about doing a better job of, you know, talking to its voters and getting to the point.

You know, some of these adjustments and the voter rolls were due to purging voters.

That hurt Democrats worse than it did Republicans.

Republicans team to have more active voters than Democrats do.

A lot of the registered Democrats, our toughest issue isn't registration.

It's getting out the ones that we've already registered to go vote.

And that's still going to be the issue down the road.

But MPA is the big story here.

And what's really the story there is that those non-party affiliated voters are affiliated with parties.

They have a tendency to vote Republican or Democrat.

They truly aren't a swing back and forth.

And so really to measure how the state's gonna go is to measure, you know, how those MPAs are actually performing.

- Amy, let me ask you, I mean, based on, there've been so many promises the last few years by Democrats that say, we're going to put millions of dollars in the party registration.

Yet the Republicans have really come through, they've done it, Democrats haven't done it.

- That's just it.

You can talk about message, but I think it's organization.

And I think Republicans watched the Obama campaign in Florida, 2008-2012, and then just went to town to get back to their roots, cause that's not how the playbook was, right?

Like it turned upside down.

And what you've seen is a party that has just been more direct and more focused on it to a disorganized Democratic party in this state.

And it's finally swung that way.

- Okay, well this week the Republican Controlled State Senate released a series of redrawing congressional maps that would give Republicans a one seat increase statewide because of population growth.

Florida will pick up an additional congressional seat for a total of 28 seats.

Several draft maps were released, but all would include 16 proposed districts where former President Trump won a majority of votes in 2020.

An increase by one from the current maps.

And in 12 districts, Democrats would have a majority.

There had been concern that Republicans who control the map-making process would go after seats, now controlled by Democrats.

Democrats were especially worried about two seats.

The seventh congressional district now held by Stephanie Murphy in Orlando and the 13th Congressional District held by Charlie Crist in St. Petersburg, but both were left Democratic leaning by the new maps that were released this week.

The process is not over though and Democrats have complained that the public is being shut out from being able to give input on the proposed maps.

Patrick, let me ask you, what's been the reaction to your party to the maps that came out this week.

These aren't the last word, but I know that in one case Kathy Castor's District in Tampa, her district is narrowed a bit.

And the Republicans, instead of being an eight point underdog in her district are now a one point underdog in her district.

So what's been the reaction the Democratic party so far?

- Well, the Democrats that I talked to, a lot of them first of all don't believe this is the last maps we're seeing and that there'll be more maps down the road.

You know, in some ways it wasn't as bad as we thought it was going to be.

In other ways, it's a, you know, some things came out that we didn't expect didn't expect you know, them to draw Cathy Castor's District into Pinellas county.

And didn't expect them to draw East Hillsborough and parts of Tampa and Temple Terrace into a big district that looks like it actually might be somewhat good as far as a Democratic District.

So, you know, like I said, most Democrats feel it isn't maybe as bad as we expected, but a lot of them feel like the other shoe is still to drop.

- And Adam, what did you think?

What was your party's reaction?

What are you hearing from party members about those Senate release of the congressional maps?

- Very pleased with the reaction and Patrick actually, you know, kind of said it in his answer.

You know, there was an expectation we were gonna head into another bloody war over a reapportionment.

And it was going to be, you know, all sorts of public hearings and town halls and pitchforks and you know, in the streets and alleys of cross of Florida, The redistricting commission in the Senate promise openness, transparency and involvement.

And so far, I think he's lived up to that.

It's not fully good news for either party, which is probably the best news of all for kind of a fair process.

And even the cook political report, which is well-respected throughout the country in rating, not just federal races, but also politics in various states, said just yesterday that there is no obvious gerrymandering, almost like I can't, we can't believe they didn't do more here.

So I think it's good for the process.

Hopefully, you know, it's gonna be more of a negotiation again than a war and we'll end up where we need to end up.

- Amy, do you think that there will be the kind of problems we saw during the last round of redistricting?

We saw all those lawsuits and it went to the Florida Supreme court.

Do you think we're going to see that kind of thing?

- And is already lawsuits.

So I don't think it will be the level of what we saw before, but I just want to jump on Adam for his remark about transparency, because I don't think you can call it that at all.

I mean, the fact that there aren't public hearings, you know, I don't think that's about conflict, I think that's about openness.

And, you know, we've tried to get our hands on the data that they've used to make these maps and we can't get it.

They're not allowed to consult people.

And I understand like there's a fine line between not tainting the process and being open and honest with the public.

And I don't think we're seeing the latter.

- And Stanley, what's your take on the maps that were released this week?

- Well, I've personally believe that this is a red state.

And one of the issues I think with the maps that would make me comfortable if I really understood the percentages of no party affiliations with the proposed lines as they're drawn.

Because I think that that's going to be the real answer to see if there's really equity or that they are unbiased.

- Okay, well, Florida's new surgeon, general nominee is under fire again, this time over his resume.

According to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow show, Florida's new surgeon general, Dr. Joseph Ladapo did not treat COVID-19 patients at UCLA as he has been claiming.

Liberal show's host Maddow said her staff spoke with four UCLA sources who asked to remain anonymous, who disputed Ladapo statements that he was a frontline doctor in Southern California treating COVID-19 patients during the Corona virus outbreak.

- While these documents show that numerous doctors at that hospital were assigned to work in the COVID unit works specifically with COVID patients, at no point was Dr. Ladapo scheduled to treat COVID patients during that time period that we were able to review.

We should note specifically that he was not listed as working in a COVID unit in March, 2020, when he wrote in USA today that he had quote, "I spent the past week taking care of patients with COVID at UCLA's Flagship hospital."

- So Stanley, we can't take the word of Rachel, even though I think some of our audience would like to take the word of Rachel.

But, do you think that this is serious enough that it warrants an investigation here in Florida?

- What does it matter?

And, I really ask that question with all openness and honesty.

You have an individual who was selected for his opinion and stance on mask and COVID treatments.

His medical degrees, although they be it from Harvard didn't matter.

He was elected, excuse me.

He was appointed because of the way he feels.

And the fact that he did what he did to a member of the legislation, even entrenches that thought even the more.

- Well, he did wear the mask in a private meeting with the state Senator.

So, Patrick, what do you think?

Should there be an investigation over here in Florida beyond what MSNBC has done?

- Well, I mean, if he lied on his resume, I certainly would like to know it.

You would hope the surgeon general state of Florida be somebody you could trust.

And if he can't tell you the truth and in fact that really didn't matter, that's pretty bad.

You know, he's had multiple strikeouts already.

I don't know why the governor wants him here except to be part of the culture war once again, that the governor's waging.

It's, you know, as far as the Floridian I don't want to write a check for this guy.

- And Adam, this isn't the only controversy that the surgeon general is involved in.

What do you think about, you know, how deep should Tallahassee look into his resume and should it follow up to see whether or not he told the truth?

- Well, I think they're questions that have been posed should be answered.

And yet I also agree with what Stanley said, just to a large degree about what does it matter?

But I do it for a different reason.

I actually think you talk about resume.

This doctor was Harvard trained.

He got his degree also in Public Health from Harvard.

But he's made his reputation on what's called Patient-Centered Medicine.

And I think that also is a very attractive part of his, you know, his practice and his appeal to governor DeSantis.

And I think frankly, to Floridians, because I think patient centered medicine is where it has to be and should be and hasn't really been enough of that in my opinion in years past.

- And Amy, is anybody in the legislature taking a look at this or raising questions about Dr. Ledopa's resume, or how he got on the staff of the hospital in Gainesville, Shands hospital.

Is anybody, because he hasn't been officially confirmed to this position yet.

- I mean, certainly you've got a lot of media writing a lot of stories and you got, I don't think there's much appetite for it.

But you've got some people raising the questions.

I doubt anything's going to happen.

I think, is the point that has been made, like he's there to serve a role and he will.

- Okay, well, before we go, what other news stories should we be paying attention to and let's start with Stanley.

Stanley, what's the other big story of the week in your mind?

- Well, just in case everyone doesn't know, this week the finest organization in this country had their birthday, United States Marine Corps.

And we also celebrated veteran's day.

I have a personal issue and concern with everyone saying, thank you for your service.

And specifically, when I hear it from legislators who don't deal with the issues that many veterans face.

A veteran has a problem, they write a member as a constituent, and at best they get a form letter back.

The people in the offices, they really never know the issues.

What they do is they send the issue to the service or whoever, who in which turns out to be nothing more than the fox guarding the chickens and nothing ever happens.

And this week just brings that point to me in spades and it just very much concerns me.

Why don't we really care about veterans?

Quit talking and let's put the talk into action.

- We've got to honor them when they come home from service.

So Patrick Mantega, what's your other big story of the week?

- Tampa Museum of Art announced that they're going to do an $80 million expansion.

And when I heard about it, I thought I hadn't been to the museum in a long time because we've got a great building down there, but we've just been putting mediocre art in it.

And I'd much rather spend money on a canvas and concrete.

And so with this expansion, a lot of it is not gallery space.

A lot of it is just event space.

And so it just seems like once again, that we're investing more in buildings than we are in art.

- All right, I saw the Florida Highwaymen exhibit there recently.

It was outstanding, but okay.

So Adam Goodman, your other big story of the week.

- Actually, there's two stories that would share the same headline, which would be $60 million and counting.

We have to report this week that governor DeSantis is now a mass, I think over $62 million for his re-election as governor.

And yesterday, we had the reports come out confirming that DraftKings and their partner Fandel together with Las Vegas Sands.

And their parallel efforts you might say to put two petitions dealing with gaming, one on sports betting, one on an expansion of gaming in Northern Florida onto the 2022 ballot together.

Those two have now spent over $60 million.

So 60 million seems to be the right number for poor seriousness.

But I think unlike the governor, I think both of these sports initiatives that were actually the gaming initiatives could be in some degree of challenge if not peril.

- Adam, I got to ask you, are those ads that we see on TV telling out-of-state gambling is interest to stay out of our state.

Are those your ads?

Are you working on that side of the fence?

- I actually have a longtime relationship with the Seminole tribe and hard rock and find them to be some of the greatest hometown champions that Florida has in the economy and in the gaming world.

- All right, thanks Adam.

Amy Holifield, do you have the big story of the week.

- A thousand manatees have died in the state of Florida this year, a huge environmental problem that we should all be worried about more than ever this fast, this many it's really a significant milestone that should get our attention.

- They truly are endangered.

We're going to do a program about that in two weeks.

Well, thank you all for a great program.

It's great to see you all.

It's great to finally do a show with the full round tables.

It's so wonderful to have you all here.

Well, thanks for watching.

Please send your comments to ftw@wedu.org.

You can view this and past shows online @www.org or on the PBS app.

And Florida This Week is now available as a podcast.

You can find it on our website or wherever you download your podcasts.

And from all of us here at WEDU, have a great weekend.

(upbeat music) - [Reporter] Florida This Week is a production of WEDU who is solely responsible for its content.

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