Anthropic taps Ballard Partners amid ongoing dispute with War Department

HEADLINES Will the sides be able to find a ceasefire?


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Kathy Castor, Anna Paulina Luna both want embattled Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Cory Mills to resign

HEADLINES Lawmakers were also asked if they would expel either Florida colleague.


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The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 4.15.26

From: Extensive Media Enterprises Good Wednesday morning. Hollywood has the Oscars; music has the Grammys. The best on television wins Emmys, and the best of Broadway receives Tonys. Even the political consulting industry offers awards — the Pollies — to the best in its business. Florida’s governmental affairs industry has the Golden Rotundas to recognize the best in the field. Next month, INFLUENCE Magazine will reveal the winners of this year’s Golden Rotundas in several categories: — Lobbying Firm of the Year — Mid-size Lobbying Firm of the Year — Boutique Lobbying Firm of the Year — New Lobbying Firm of the Year — Lobbyist of the Year — In-house Lobbyist of the Year — Best Lobbyist in several sectors, including Appropriations, Education, Health Care, Insurance, as well as other exciting categories, like Lobbying Play of the Year Just as the INFLUENCE 150 is the benchmark of the most powerful people in Florida politics, the Golden Rotundas are the industry standard for those in the lobbying business. The winners of the Golden Rotundas will be determined — just like the Academy Awards are voted on by those in the movie business — by those who work in the influence industry. The Golden Rotundas will recognize a firm or a lobbyist’s body of work for 2025-25 — not a firm’s history or a lobbyist’s career. The Lobbying Firm of the Year can only be awarded to a company ranked in the Top 35 for legislative branch compensation (as listed here). Each of the Top 35 firms has one ballot and must rank the top three firms other than itself. Mid-size Lobbying Firm of the Year will be awarded to a company with six to 10 full-time registered lobbyists. Voting is open to all registered lobbyists. Boutique Lobbying Firm of the Year will be awarded to a company with five or fewer full-time registered lobbyists. Voting is open to all registered lobbyists. New Lobbying Firm of the Year will be awarded to a company that created or established its practice in Florida since the publication of the 2025 awards. Lobbyist of the Year will be awarded to individuals whose professional success exceeded others in 2025-26. All public sector and private sector lobbyists who are actively retained or employed as lobbyists registered with the State of Florida are eligible. Voting is open to all registered lobbyists. In-house Lobbyist of the Year will be awarded to an individual registered to lobby on behalf of their employer (that is not a lobbying firm). Voting is open to all registered lobbyists. The sector awards for Education, Health Care, and Insurance will be awarded to individuals whose accomplishments in these individual silos stood above all others in 2025-26. Nominations are now being accepted, and voting is underway — closing at 11:59 p.m. on April 21. I will contact a representative from each of the Top 35 firms (by compensation) for their ranking of the Lobbying Firm of the Year. To complete a ballot, email your selections to Peter@FloridaPolitics.com. You must include your name, and you must vote in at least three categories — only one vote per person. Entries cannot be changed. ALL BALLOTS ARE CONFIDENTIAL. I reserve the right to add to the award categories and revise any rules for eligibility and voting. My goal is for the lobby corps to recognize the best of the business, so it will be implemented if a suggestion is made to improve the process. Winners will be featured in the Spring 2026 edition of INFLUENCE MAGAZINE. — It was Election Day in Florida yesterday: “Nick Nesta wins contentious Apopka Mayor Runoff” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics — Apopka City Commissioner Nesta overwhelmingly won Tuesday’s runoff and defeated Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore to become Apopka’s next Mayor. Nesta beat Moore with nearly 62% of the vote. Nesta will lead Apopka, a city of about 60,000 residents in Northwest Orange County. Ahead of Election Day, Nesta thanked his supporters and volunteers on social media. “This campaign has always been resident-focused and you are all a huge part of what keeps it going,” he wrote on Facebook to get out the vote. Nesta’s victory comes after a fierce campaign with personal attacks in what had started out as a three-way race between Nesta, Moore and incumbent Mayor Bryan Nelson. In last month’s Election, Nesta and Moore received about 42% and 32% of the vote, respectively. Nelson finished in third place, so Nesta and Moore moved on to a runoff since neither received a majority of the vote. “Eric Diaz-Padron re-elected West Miami Mayor as voters decide 3 Commission races” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — Diaz-Padron secured another four years in office Tuesday, repelling a challenge from former City Manager Yolanda Aguilar in a contest that featured more civility than fireworks. With the city’s lone precinct reporting, Diaz-Padron had 70.8% of the vote to win re-election. He’ll return to City Hall alongside sitting Commissioners Gustavo Ceballos, Juan Blanes, and Commissioner-elect Victoria De la Torre, who defeated one opponent each for Seats 1, 2 and 4, respectively, on the West Miami Commission. Ceballos defeated George Lavin with 74.6% of the vote, while Blanes outpaced Fermin Belleau with a 71.4% share of ballots cast. De La Torre, meanwhile, won against Elsa Pelaez-Lopez by a nearly 42-percentage-point margin. Diaz-Padron, Blanes and De La Torre all won four-year terms. Ceballos, who competed in a Special Election, secured a two-year term. “First-time candidate Elchonon Shagalov wins seat on Bay Harbor Islands Council” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — First-time candidate Shagalov will soon become the newest member of the Bay Harbor Islands Council after winning a two-way race for a seat on the panel Tuesday. With the town’s lone precinct reporting, Shagalov had 55% of the vote to defeat Gustavo Ortega, a perennial Democratic candidate with whom he shared several policy positions. Seventy-one votes separated the candidates. Both ran campaigns prioritizing residents’ safety, quality of life and preserving the character of the small municipality of about 6,000, which spans two islands off the coasts of North Miami and Bal Harbour in Miami-Dade County. Shagalov works as Chief Commercial Officer for a retail luxury goods and jewelry company. He emphasized sustaining Bay Harbor Islands’ small-town character, strengthening public safety and investing in programs to make living locally more pleasurable. — Lauren Book is on the move! Today, the Walk heads to The Villages, spanning multiple counties as walkers of all ages come together to raise awareness and support prevention education. Follow along, watch LIVE, or register to walk at LaurensKidsWalk.org!

Situational awareness   —@SenRickScott: The SAVE America Act NEEDS to get passed. NO MORE EXCUSES. We need to do whatever it takes to SECURE our elections and SAVE our country. Only AMERICANS should be voting in AMERICAN elections! —@GWKruse: If you’re keeping score at home, the number of airports renamed is beating the number of constitutionally-required budgets passed by a score of 2-0 this session in Tallahassee. Keep up the great work! —@TWeyant: "Gary, what do you want" Things @fineout hears from @GovRonDeSantis and me. Tweet, tweet: —@CultureCrave: Marvel Studios was reportedly hit hard in the Disney layoffs today • Nearly the entire visual development team was let go — many there for over a decade • Only a skeleton crew remains in place to coordinate hiring on a per-project basis • Disney overall is laying off 1,000+ employees

Top story   The Legislature is preparing for a potential delay on a redistricting Special Session. That’s according to a top House lawmaker and a legislative staffer close to the process. Additionally, there appears to be little process on negotiating a state budget. Legislative leaders said Gov. Ron DeSantis, who in January called the Special Session on congressional redistricting scheduled for April 20, has not produced any preliminary maps just a week ahead of the Session. DeSantis previously said he wanted Commerce Secretary Alex Kelly — who was DeSantis’ Deputy Chief of Staff in 2022 and drew Florida’s current congressional map — to craft new lines before the 2026 Midterms. No drafts have been released since then, though. Ron DeSantis is 'seriously considering delaying' the Special Session. Punchbowl News reported that DeSantis may be concerned about a redistricting vote scheduled in Virginia on April 21 on a referendum about a new map there. The Democrat-controlled state wants to toss its current cartography in favor of a map where Democrats would be favored in 10 of 11 congressional districts. According to Punchbowl’s Ally Mutnick, DeSantis is “seriously considering delaying” the Special Session to see how that vote turns out. While DeSantis has insisted redistricting must occur to address past and expected court opinions changing guidelines on minority representation, President Donald Trump has pushed Republican-controlled states to draw new maps to maximize GOP gains in the House in the Midterms. Notably, DeSantis has urged lawmakers to anticipate a judicial ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, potentially on Friday, that could upend decades of precedent on interpretation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That could mean the end of minority-majority districts, such as those in South Florida represented by Democratic U.S. Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Frederica Wilson. Of note, the Legislature, pre-DeSantis, crafted congressional maps on its own. But the Senate this year has yet to even name a redistricting Committee, and a House Committee stopped meeting after DeSantis called the Special Session. But beyond redistricting drama, budget negotiations between the House and Senate are still going nowhere weeks after the end of the Regular Session. When Florida Politics asked a staffer if it’s safe to plan travel for next Tuesday, the answer from a legislative leader was, “Next Tuesday is safe. The Tuesday after that is safe. All the Tuesdays in May are probably safe.” —“DeSantis says Legislature should drive redistricting, acknowledges potential delays in mapmaking” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics

2026   “Byron, Erika Donalds outline vision for ‘ruthlessly efficient’ government, AI-powered education in Florida” via Frank Kopylov of Florida’s Voice News — Byron Donalds said Florida’s technology now exists to make government function with the speed of private business, if leaders have the will to implement it. “The thing that gets me happy that you can’t really talk about on the trail is ruthlessly efficient government,” he said. “Can’t talk about it publicly. It’s not going on Fox News, but that’s the stuff that excites me.” Erika Donalds, who spent nearly two decades in finance overseeing IT systems and software conversions, described AI’s potential in education as a tool for both teacher support and parental empowerment. She said AI could provide every teacher with the equivalent of multiple teaching assistants. Byron Donalds says the tech exists to make government 'ruthlessly efficient.' Latest Katie Miller Podcast features the Donalds — Katie Miller’s latest podcast episode, out tonight, features U.S. Rep. Donalds opening up about his closest friendships in politics as he continues his run for Governor. “I’m gonna get some people in trouble,” Donalds joked before naming Reps. Beth Van Duyne, Kat Cammack and Rich McCormick among his closest friends on Capitol Hill. Crossing party lines, he added that his closest Democrat remains former state Rep. Bobby DuBose, calling their relationship a “genuine friendship” despite past floor fights in Tallahassee. “I root for him and for his family,” Donalds said. Paul Renner to outline ‘affordability plan’ in Jax campaign event — Former House Speaker Renner is set to continue his “Affordability Now Tour” on Wednesday with a Jacksonville stop where he plans to roll out what his campaign is calling a detailed “Florida First Affordability Plan.” The gubernatorial candidate’s roundtable event at the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront will include “local business owners, homeowners and community stakeholders.” The issues on the agenda: “the continued lack of meaningful property tax reform, skyrocketing utility bills, persistent insurance premiums, and the increasing cost of healthcare and cost of living.”

Elections   “NRCC puts Jared Moskowitz, Darren Soto on blast for votes against tax cuts ahead of filing day” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — House Republicans put two Florida Democrats on blast for voting against tax cuts with ads hitting just as voters file returns. The National Republican Congressional Committee launched paid video ad campaigns against U.S. Reps. Moskowitz and Soto, both Democratic incumbents on a list of targets in this year’s Midterms. “This tax day, remember who made it worse,” a narrator states over images of voters thumbing through financial paperwork. The 30-second spot then cuts to Trump signing the One Big Beautiful Bill, which made expiring taxes from his first term permanent and implemented policies like no federal tax on tips or overtime. The ads highlight that both Democrats voted against the tax package. The NRCC is seizing on the timing of the Jared Moskowitz's and Darren Soto's tax votes in new ads “Bale Dalton calls on Cory Mills to resign” via Mitch Perry of Florida Phoenix — Dalton, the Democrat running in Florida’s 7th Congressional District in north Central Florida against GOP incumbent Mills, is calling on Mills to resign. Mills has been under investigation by the House Ethics Committee since November regarding allegations of sexual misconduct, dating violence, campaign finance violations, and misuse of congressional resources. “Cory Mills is clearly unfit for office and should be removed,” Dalton said. “He’s an arms dealer sitting on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he faces campaign finance violations and an ethics investigation, and he had a restraining order issued against him for being a danger to a Florida woman 19 years his junior. Any one of these should be disqualifying for a job as serious as a U.S. Representative. Scott Singer campaign launches first ad of 2026 GOP Primary — Republican Singer launched his campaign's first digital ad in the race to represent Florida’s 23rd District in Congress. The ad highlights Singer as “an accomplished America First Mayor who worked with Trump and his administration and strengthened ties with law enforcement to keep Boca Raton a safe city.” Singer was elected Mayor in 2018 and re-elected twice. He also led efforts to partner with industry and education providers for better mobility solutions, new schools, and improved safety, while increasing accountability by streamlining and cutting red tape. You can watch the full ad here. “Michael Carbonara posts $2.5M, targets Debbie Wasserman Schultz seat” via Florida Politics — Carbonara is making a serious run at one of Florida’s most entrenched incumbents, and his latest fundraising report suggests the race for the 25th Congressional District is one to watch. On Monday, Carbonara announced he raised $2,526,427 for his campaign against Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. That’s about $800,000 more than his end-of-year total and more than any other challenger has raised against the longtime South Florida Democrat in the 2024 election cycle. “This marks the beginning of the end of Debbie’s multi-decade-long hold over her constituents,” Carbonara said. “Congressional District 25 is overdue for new leadership to finally answer the call to action, when it comes to representing the people’s interests, and today I carry a lot of honor and gratitude for those who have supported the campaign.” Marcus Herman qualifies for HD 31 by petition — Republican candidate Herman has collected enough petitions to qualify for Brevard-based House District 31. To qualify by petition, Florida law requires candidates to collect and submit signed petition forms that amount to 1% or more of the registered voters in the district. In HD 31, 1,279 signed petition forms were required. “Our campaign is powered by real, face‑to‑face conversations, meeting voters at their doors, in their neighborhoods, and throughout the community. We didn’t send out a single petition mailer, and we’re proud to have officially qualified for the August Primary through the petition process,” Herman said. HD 31 is currently represented by House Majority Leader Tyler Sirois, who is term-limited. The central Brevard District is safely Republican. “Vicki Lopez laps Miami-Dade Commission challenger more than 8 times in Q1 fundraising” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — Miami-Dade County Commissioner Lopez flexed her fundraising might in the first quarter of 2026, stacking nearly $589,000 toward keeping her District 5 seat — more than eight times as much as her lone challenger. Between Jan. 1 and March 31, Lopez received about $179,200 through her campaign account and another $409,400 through her state-level political committee, Common Sense Government. The haul was the most of any Miami-Dade Commission candidate last quarter. She also spent about $25,000 on accounting fees, staffing, printing, bank fees, donation-processing fees and a $1,000 contribution to the re-election campaign of Miami-Dade School Board Vice Chair Monica Colucci. Since being appointed to the District 5 seat by her County Commission peers in mid-November, Lopez has amassed $727,000. With carry-over funds in her PC from prior cycles, she had $840,500 heading into April.

Statewide   “Florida unemployment rate higher than national rate for first time in nearly 5 years” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics — Florida’s unemployment rate climbed to 4.5% in January, pushing Florida’s rate higher than the national rate for the first time in nearly five years. FloridaCommerce, the state’s economic development bureau, released the January unemployment report this month. The agency’s regular monthly reports were disrupted by the government shutdown in October through early November, and the bureau has been slowly returning to publishing regular data. The January rate is up by 0.2 percentage points from December’s figure of 4.3% in the Sunshine State. “There were 499,000 jobless Floridians out of a labor force of 11.12 million. The U.S. seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 4.3% in January,” a FloridaCommerce news release said. “Wildfire season could be one of the worst in history” via James Call of USA Today Network — Florida Forest Service officials said the number of fires and acreage burnt in the first three months of 2026 are on pace to challenge the “Florida Firestorm” season, when several thousand wildfires scorched 500,000 acres statewide. “Florida is experiencing widespread drought conditions like we have not seen in years, and forecasts show the next few months could be extremely active,” Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said during a wildfire briefing in Hillsborough County, where there have been two fires this month. The Florida Forest Service, which fights wildfires, is under Simpson’s supervision. This year could outpace the 'Florida Firestorm,' Wilton Simpson said. “Florida to allow ‘Winter gas’ to be sold in Summer to ease prices at pump” via the News Service Of Florida — Florida is following the federal government’s move to allow Winter gas to be sold in the Summer. There might not be much relief at the pump for Sunshine State drivers, though, because very little Winter gas, known as E15 gasoline, is sold in the state. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued an emergency rule to extend the period for retailers to sell E-15 gas. Starting May 1, gas stations can sell the gas for 90 days. The federal Environmental Protection Agency issued its emergency order March 25 giving states the option of selling the E15 gas in the Summer months.

D.C. matters   “Mike Johnson says it’s time to expel Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, but he’s unsure on Cory Mills” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — House Speaker Johnson says the House should expel U.S. Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick, but declined to say the same about U.S. Rep. Mills. As a bipartisan group of lawmakers looks to push out multiple members with ethical violations, the Republican Speaker said the process has played out enough to know that Cherfilus-McCormick, a Miramar Democrat, must go. “I have been a jealous guardian of due process around here,” Johnson said. “I do think, certainly on Cherfilus-McCormick, the Ethics Committee has gone through all of its processes, and they found some alarming facts. I think the facts are indisputable at this point.” An adjudicatory panel last month found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of 25 charges that she violated House rules. Mike Johnson says it's time for Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to go, but the jury is still out on Cory Mills. “Defense, feds jointly ask judge to move Cherfilus-McCormick criminal trial to February 2027” via David Lyons of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Defense lawyers and prosecutors jointly asked a Miami federal Judge to delay the fraud trial against Congresswoman Cherlius-McCormick and three co-defendants until early February 2027, citing voluminous discovery that has yet to be reviewed, according to a motion filed with the court. The Congresswoman, who represents large portions of Broward and Palm Beach counties, had been scheduled to stand trial during the two-week period starting next Monday. Last November, a federal grand jury in Miami handed up an indictment accusing her and three others of stealing $5 million in federal disaster funds, laundering the money, and using it to support her 2021 congressional campaign. “U.S. eases bank sanctions amid Venezuela's economic woes” via Marc Caputo of Axios — The Trump administration is easing sanctions on Venezuela's state-run financial system to try to boost the country's economy amid protests by public workers demanding higher pay. Venezuela's government-run bank and other large financial institutions can now begin legally using U.S. currency, directly receive billions of dollars in oil sales and reenter the U.S.-controlled global financial system to help its damaged economy. The action by the U.S. Treasury is also intended to help spur oil-sector development in Venezuela and stabilize the new government of acting President Delcy Rodriguez. “Trump turns against ‘unacceptable’ Giorgia Meloni” via Hannah Roberts of POLITICO — Trump branded Italian Prime Minister Meloni as “unacceptable” and complained she was “no longer the same person,” a day after she criticized his attack on Pope Leo XIV. In a phone interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Trump said he was “shocked by her. I thought she was brave, but I was wrong.” Asked about Meloni’s comments on Monday — where she branded Trump’s attack on Pope Leo XIV as unacceptable — the U.S. president retorted: “It’s her who’s unacceptable, because she doesn’t care if Iran has a nuclear weapon and would blow up Italy in two minutes if it had the chance.”

Local: S. FL   “Defense lawyer rips star witness at David Rivera’s trial over nearly $5M side deal” via Jay Weaver of the Miami Herald — When former Congressman Rivera paid about $5 million to a Miami businessman for helping him land a $50 million consulting contract with the U.S. subsidiary of Venezuela’s national oil company, they sealed their side deal in two marketing agreements. But at Rivera’s federal trial on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent for Venezuela, the government’s star witness, Hugo Perera, admitted that one of their agreements was altered and submitted to his bank so that he could withdraw a series of payments from Rivera. The revised agreement between Rivera’s company, Interamerican Consulting, and Perera’s firm, PG & Associates, was effective from May 24, 2016, to May 24, 2018, according to court records. David Rivera's legal team tore into governments star witness as the case continues in court. Image via AP. “Effort to recall Miami-Dade Mayor misses reporting deadline, violates state law with TV ad” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — An effort to recall Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava appears to have violated Florida law by missing a state-mandated reporting deadline and omitting key disclaimer language in a TV ad laden with AI slop. Levine Cava’s political adviser, in turn, has since filed a cease and desist letter to the station airing the ad. State fines are likely for the delinquent financial report. In mid-January, Miami-Dade Clerk Juan Fernandez-Barquin approved a recall petition against Levine Cava started by conservative media personality Alex Otaola, one of five challengers Levine Cava trounced in 2024. Funding for the recall push was to come primarily from Recall Cava, a political committee Otaola set up in October. “Lubby Navarro pleads guilty to stealing $100K from school district, off to prison” via Grethel Aguila and Milena Malaver of the Miami Herald — A former Miami-Dade School Board member will serve more than one year in state prison after pleading guilty to spending up to $100,000 on her district-issued credit cards for luxury trips, secret tracking devices and fake pregnancy bellies. Navarro, 50, had a neutral expression as she entered a guilty plea to one count of grand theft. Following her prison sentence, Navarro will have to complete three years of probation, during which she is barred from serving in public office. She must also pay back the entirety of the fleeced funds, or about $101,000. “Broward Schools kick off plan to replace cities’ police with their own officers” via Scott Travis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — The Broward School District expects to start replacing school police officers from local cities with ones from its own police force next school year, in a move designed to save money and bring a more consistent law enforcement presence in local schools. Three cities — Fort Lauderdale, Margate and Hallandale Beach — received letters saying the District plans to no longer use their school resource officers during the next school year. Margate officers would be replaced by District officers in August, while most schools in Fort Lauderdale and Hallandale Beach would be replaced in January 2027, District officials said. The District also plans to use fewer officers from the Coconut Creek Police Department, although these officers won’t be cut entirely. “Palm Beach County rejects Boynton Beach bid to absorb 15 homes” via Mike Diamond of the Palm Beach Post — Apparently, the annexation truce between Boynton Beach and Palm Beach County is over. This time, County Commissioners unanimously voted to reject the city's request to annex 15 homes near Federal Highway, despite a staff recommendation urging approval. The 4.6-acre parcel is on the north side of Palmer Road and is part of the Bamboo Lane Enclave. “This (the vote against annexation) was a real spit in the face,” said Dan Dugger, Boynton Beach City Manager. “We worked with county staff to get this through, and the Commissioners turned around and voted 7-0 to kill this. "It was not right, and, one way or another, these properties will become part of Boynton Beach.”

Local: C. FL   “Florida’s first hyperscale data center could be thwarted by new water rule” via Romy Ellenbogen and Emily L. Mahoney of the Tampa Bay Times — A real estate developer’s plan to build Florida’s first hyperscale data center — taking up more than 1,300 acres of land in Polk County — is humming along despite misgivings by some locals. Earlier this month, the planning commission for the small town of Fort Meade, about 40 minutes southeast of Lakeland, voted unanimously to approve a 20-year agreement with the developer on the project, a Maryland company called Stonebridge. A development agreement between Stonebridge’s company, Fort Meade LLC, and the city says that the data center could use up to 50,000 gallons of city water per day. A plan for hyper scale data center in Polk County is still humming along for now. “Maxwell Frost endorses Victor Torres in Orange County Commission race” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics — U.S. Rep Frost is endorsing Torres for Orange County Commission. “I’m proud to endorse him in this race. He’s a working-class people’s champion. He’s going to fight for the people that make Orange County in Orlando the beautiful place it is,” Frost said in a new video message standing arm-in-arm with Torres. Torres said Frost’s endorsement gives his campaign another boost heading into August’s election. “I’m honored to have Congressman Frost’s support,” Torres said in a statement. “Maxwell understands what it means to fight for working people and to lead with purpose.” “Orange County Public Schools to cut 200 district-level positions” via Steven Walker of the Orlando Sentinel — Orange County Public Schools will cut more than 200 district-level administrator positions as it grapples with the impacts of declining enrollment, an OCPS deputy superintendent said in a sobering email recently sent to staff. The district lost thousands of students this school year, will close seven schools this summer as a result and expects enrollment to drop by another 10,000 pupils in the next five years. Now OCPS is implementing 3% cuts across all district departments, “resulting in the elimination of more than 200 positions,” because of enrollment-based funding losses and to avoid eliminating teaching positions, Deputy Superintendent Jose Martinez wrote to staff Sunday. “We are navigating a period of significant financial constraint, and there are no painless paths through it,” Martinez wrote. “Marion County authorities break up major cyberfraud operation” via Drew Dixon of Florida Politics — Attorney General James Uthmeier says investigators have broken up a cyberfraud operation that bilked a senior citizen out of $450,000. Uthmeier in a news conference detailed an investigation that found an online scam where the victim lost that money “in a matter of weeks.” Uthmeier added that as the Marion County Sheriff’s Office looked into the case involving online dating websites, they found a “digital wallet” that accounted for a substantial number of rip-offs through cryptocurrency. “We were able to identify over $5.4 million related to people that were scammed through these dating websites,” Uthmeier said. “Most of these Floridians, we’re going to get their money back.” Uthmeier said he was surprised at the breadth of the cyberfraud operation that involved victims in Florida and Massachusetts.

Local: TB   “Charlie Crist floats ‘Rays for Bucs’ swap between St. Pete and Tampa” via Brendan Farrington for Florida Politics — With hopes dwindling that the Tampa Bay Rays will remain in St. Petersburg, former Gov. Crist has an idea to keep major league sports in the city: Convince the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to move across the bay. It might sound crazy at first. The Bucs have played in Tampa since its first season in 1976 and have been at Raymond James Stadium since 1998. But Crist, a former Congressman who is expected to run for St. Pete Mayor, notes that the team’s stadium lease is up in 2028, so there may be an opportunity. Charlie Crist is floating a Bucs-Rays swap. “Country Thunder moving to Clearwater from St. Pete Beach after controversy” via Chris Tisch of the Tampa Bay Times — The Country Thunder music festival will move to Coachman Park in Clearwater after controversy erupted over its previous location on the sands of St. Pete Beach. Clearwater city officials said that “all approvals (have been) secured and the path (is) fully clear for the three-day festival,” which will be May 8-10. “We are excited to introduce country music fans to beautiful waterfront Coachman Park and to be the new location for Country Thunder,” said Clearwater City Manager Jennifer Poirrier in the news release. ”There’s a lot that goes into expediting event preparations and moving a festival 30 days before it is scheduled and we have been working around the clock with Country Thunder officials to ensure we deliver a great festival experience for ticketholders and the artists." Flashback >>> “‘Country Thunder’ is no friend of sea turtles — or following protocol” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics

Local: N. FL   “JEA pays big for natural gas plant but doesn't yet have state approval” via David Bauerlein of The Florida Times-Union — JEA is on the hook for a hefty deposit for a planned natural gas plant that the board approved last August even though the state Public Service Commission had not approved construction of the plant and might not greenlight it, according to testimony during a meeting of a special City Council investigative committee. JEA is in the process of seeking permission from the commission to build the natural gas plant on the Northside. JEA could eat the deposit if the PSC doesn't green light the project. “It took city and county partnership to build Bay Center. Can they do it again?” via Jim Little of the Pensacola News Journal — Escambia County has the ability to fund upgrades to the arena itself, but what is needed is a convention and other multi-use space to make the Bay Center a true civic center complex. Executing that vision — an estimated $189 million spend — will take another partnership between Pensacola and Escambia County. The last time the city and county tried to partner on a major project—revitalization of the old Baptist Hospital—ended with Escambia County backing off from a $2 million pledge for the demolition of the Baptist Hospital and ultimately not participating at all. “Leon schools face $30 million deficit without sales tax extension” via Alaijah Cross of the Tallahassee Democrat — If Leon County voters don't approve the school district's half-penny sales tax extension which covers construction, maintenance and transportation, the district could be looking at a deficit of about $30 million next school year. Superintendent Rocky Hanna said the board will have to approve the ballot language for the initiative by May and send it to Leon County commissioners for approval to add it to the Nov. 3 ballot. "I would never take anything for granted and we need to approach this like it's the inception," Hanna told the board during an agenda preview meeting.

Top opinion   “The parable of the President” via David A. Graham of The Atlantic — Many people get the Sunday scaries, but most of them are not a sitting President facing self-inflicted global chaos and the growing possibility of a bruising Midterm Election. What feels like a weekly social-media crashout from the President usually starts some time on Sunday and continues into the early hours of the next morning. Given the failure of negotiations with Iran, the likelihood of elevated gas prices for months, and the resounding defeat of Trump’s ally and role model Viktor Orbán in Hungary, Trump had plenty of fuel for a freakout. But the most notable subject in this week’s edition was Pope Leo XIV, who has been critical of Trump’s attack on Venezuela and war in Iran. Pope Leo XIV is the latest target of Donald Trump's criticism. Image via AP.

More opinions   “Trump’s latest meltdown” via Tom Nichols of The Atlantic — This weekend, Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV, presented himself as Jesus Christ, and then jabbed at his phone until dawn. No one can say for sure what is causing the President’s bizarre behavior. Perhaps Trump’s narcissistic insistence that he is always successful in everything he undertakes is feeling the sting and strain of multiple public failures. But whatever is driving this decline in Trump’s self-control, Americans must not shrug off the President’s latest implosion. They should recover their ability to be outraged; more to the point, they must demand that their elected representatives ask questions about the course of the war and whether Trump still has the capacity to fulfill his constitutional duty as Commander in Chief. “Trump ditched hearts and minds in the Iran War” via Missy Ryan of The Atlantic — This war is America’s first major conflict of the post-counterinsurgent era, one that poses a test of how the U.S. military will perform in conflicts among states that are expected to dominate the future. What consideration will be given to hearts and minds in those wars? Initially, the President appeared stirred to action by Iranians’ protests against the regime; he promised protestors support as they demanded greater freedom. But Trump’s aspirations for ending the Islamic Republic’s repressive rule didn’t last. His focus became defeating Iran’s military, preventing its nuclear-weapons development, degrading its missile capabilities, and potentially taking its oil. As for Iran’s people, Trump proposed leaving them without electricity, drinking water, and the ability to travel. “Anna Paulina Luna a warrior for justice against her congressional colleagues’ wrongdoing” via Peter Schorsch of Florida Politics — U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell are both voluntarily stepping down from Congress after each faced sex scandals, and that’s thanks in no small part to the efforts of Luna. Their voluntary resignations, offered in rapid succession Monday, mean expulsion votes won’t happen. And there was one member of Congress in particular who made sure inappropriate conduct didn’t go unaddressed: Luna. Plenty of people called on both men to resign. But Luna called for Gonzales to resign before most, and long before accusations surfaced about Swalwell. That’s significant because, unlike Swalwell, Luna and Gonzales are both Republicans. That means she called on him to resign despite the impacts it would have on a narrowly divided House.

Instagram of the day

Happy birthday   Happy birthday to comms pro (and still one of our favorite Instagrammers) Cory Tilley. ___ Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Daniel Dean, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, and Drew Wilson.

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