Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 10.22.26 — Burnin’ today: Rodríguez & Uthmeier, Hope Florida, DeSantis, Donalds & Jolly, Amendment 3, AI & Maxwell Frost

Grab a cup of joe and take your morning front-row seat for all things Florida politics ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

From: Extensive Media Enterprises Good Thursday morning. Ed. Note: Florida Politics is experiencing continued technical issues with our images; please excuse today's Sunburn. Click any image placeholder to view it. Thanks for being a loyal Sunburn reader, and we will see you tomorrow. Stay safe! ___ Breaking overnight — “Florida Republicans drop lawsuit seeking to block Hope Florida attack ads” via Gary Fineout of POLITICO — The Republican Party of Florida abruptly withdrew its lawsuit seeking to block Democratic television ads criticizing Attorney General James Uthmeier over the Hope Florida scandal. The retreat followed a judge’s refusal to grant an emergency injunction and an appeals court’s rejection of Uthmeier’s separate attempt to stop the ads. Republicans declared victory, arguing the lawsuit was moot because the disputed commercial stopped airing. Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried accused Republicans of attempting to silence criticism and announced new digital ads targeting Uthmeier and Sen. Ashley Moody. The controversy centers on $10 million from a state settlement that flowed through the Hope Florida Foundation into political efforts opposing marijuana legalization, prompting investigations and escalating partisan accusations. ___ Sunrise Consulting Group has added Jorge Altuna as a government affairs coordinator. Altuna will support the firm’s legislative advocacy, client relations, strategic communications and government affairs operations. His portfolio includes policy research, tracking legislation and state budget developments, preparing briefing materials and helping clients follow activity in Tallahassee. Jorge Altuna brings fresh legislative experience to Sunrise Consulting Group. The Tallahassee learning curve just got shorter. He will also assist with appropriations requests and legislative initiatives while coordinating outreach, meetings and other operational needs for the firm’s government affairs team. Altuna comes to Sunrise after serving as Orange County Government’s UCF Legislative Scholar during the 2025 Legislative Session. In that role, he researched and tracked more than 50 bills each week, prepared policy reports for County leaders and supported the County’s intergovernmental affairs work. “He caught on to the process immediately, providing insightful analysis on the bills and issues we assigned to him and was a major contributor to the reports sent back to County personnel,” said Mark Jeffries, Orange County Government’s legislative administrator. “He was tireless and relentlessly helpful. He has impressive political instincts, and I think he’s going to be very successful in this business. Sunrise was smart to snap him up.” Rep. Robin Bartleman, under whom Altuna served as a legislative intern, said, “Jorge has always shown a genuine desire to make a difference. I could not be prouder to see him begin his career at Sunrise Consulting Group. I know this is just the beginning of a very bright future.” ___ Michael Worley, founder and CEO of MDW Communications, has launched a website that tracks the money in Florida's 2026 federal races. FECTracker.com, an MDW Research project, compiles campaign fundraising, super PAC spending for and against candidates, and coordinated party spending for all 29 General Election contests, the 28 U.S. House seats and the U.S. Senate race. It ranks the top fundraisers and the candidates facing the most opposition spending. A map shows each District's race. Worley founded the Fort Lauderdale firm in 2011. It handles digital and direct mail for Florida Democrats, including Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, and U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz. MDW won four Pollie Awards in 2026. ___ Broward County’s childcare gaps are straining family budgets and the workforce local businesses depend on, according to a new Florida Chamber Foundation report. Of the 2,449 parents and caregivers surveyed, 63% identified cost as the biggest barrier to finding care, while 39% cited limited availability or waitlists. Another 846 said childcare availability had affected their ability to work or attend school. The Chamber’s Broward County Early Learning Landscape Analysis and Roadmap, developed with Broward Workshop and the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County, makes an economic development case for addressing those problems. Broward childcare costs put family budgets and workforce plans through the same stress test. Nearly one-third of the 998 early educators surveyed said they seriously considered leaving the field in the past year, while 33% reported working a second job. “If we fix early learning, we fix 1,000 other things,” said Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson. “Strengthening childcare is an investment in today’s workforce and tomorrow’s talent pipeline.” Only 45% of Broward kindergartners met the readiness benchmark in 2025. Among public-school kindergartners, 58% completed Voluntary Pre-kindergarten, compared with 30% not found in state VPK records. Cost remains an obstacle. Full-time infant care runs roughly $10,000 to $15,600 a year; more than half of surveyed parents receive no financial assistance, and 40% were unaware help was available. The roadmap encourages employers to consider family-friendly scheduling and childcare benefits, support scholarships and explore the Florida Child Care Tax Credit. It also calls for increased School Readiness funding, higher provider reimbursement rates and investment in the early learning workforce.

Situational awareness   Tweet, tweet: —@JacobOgles: Just spoke with GOP pol who says entire ticket may be hurt by @FloridaGOP's losing suit against TV stations over Hope Fla ads. "Stupid. Self-centered. Self-destructive." Worries it hurts CFO and congressional candidates statewide. Even hurts Uthmeier, who the suit aimed to help. —@Fineout: After initially saying he would not campaign on the passage of Amendment 3, Gov. (Ron) DeSantis is now getting engaged on the prop tax overhaul. He held a telehall with GOP voters earlier this week. He's now doing a roundtable on it in Miami-Dade Tweet, tweet: —@KalshiPolitics: NEW ALL-TIME HIGH: Jared Moskowitz has an 89% chance to win the FL-25 House race

Days until   Mandatory General early voting begins — 2; Meta’s new political and issue ad freeze begins — 5; General Election — 12; ‘Godzilla Minus Zero’ premieres — 15; ‘Wild Horse Nine’ premieres — 15; Florida Automated Vehicles Summit — 20; 'Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol' starring Johnny Depp premieres — 22; 'Paper Tiger' starring Adam Driver premieres — 22; Joe Biden’s memoir, ‘Promise Me, America’ is released — 26; New legislator training sessions — 26; Senate convenes for general organization and selection of officers — 26; ‘Madden’ premieres — 27; ‘The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping’ premieres — 29; 'Blade Runner 2099' premieres on Prime Video — 34; ‘The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth,’ with Brad Pitt, directed by David Fincher and written by Quentin Tarantino, premieres in IMAX — 34; Committee Week #1 — 39; ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ premieres — 57; ‘Dune: Part 3,’ directed by Denis Villeneuve, premieres — 57; 'Six Kings Slam 2026' begins — 66; Committee Week #2 — 74; Committee Week #3 — 81; 'Ahsoka' season 2 premieres — 90; College Football Playoff national championship game in Las Vegas — 95; Committee Week #4 — 102; The 2027 Florida State Fair begins — 105; 'Remain,' directed by M. Night Shyamalan, premieres — 106; Grammys — 108; Committee Week #5 — 109; Super Bowl LXI — 115; Committee Week #6 — 116; Opening day of the 2027 Regular Legislative Session — 131; Tampa Mayoral Election — 131; ‘The Thomas Crown Affair,’ directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan premieres — 134; Jacksonville First Election — 138; Oscars — 143; Miami Marlins Opening Day/Home Opener — vs. New York Mets — 154; Tampa Bay Rays Opening Day/Home Opener — vs. Baltimore Orioles — 154; Democratic Mayors Association 2027 annual summit in Miami begins — 174; Jacksonville General Election — 208; 'Star Wars: Starfighter' premieres — 218; ‘Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse’ premieres — 239; Citrus Series — Tampa Bay Rays at Miami Marlins — 267; 'The Bluey Movie' premieres — 288; Citrus Series — Miami Marlins at Tampa Bay Rays — 323; ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ premieres — 421; 2028 South Carolina Democratic Presidential Primary — 457; College Football Playoff national championship game in New Orleans — 459; 2028 Nevada Presidential Primary — 467; 2028 New Hampshire Democratic Presidential Primary — 474; 2028 New Mexico Democratic Presidential Primary — 481; ‘The Batman Part II’ premieres — 484; 2028 Michigan Democratic Presidential Primary — 488; 2028 Virginia Democratic Presidential Primary — 495; Oscars — 500; 'X-Men' premieres — 561; ‘Miami Vice '85’ reboot premieres — 575; ‘Lilo & Stitch 2’ premieres — 582; 'Days of Thunder' sequel with Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway premieres — 589; ‘Incredibles 3’ premieres — 603; 2028 Los Angeles Olympics Opening Ceremony — 631; 'Ghost Rider' premieres — 645; 2028 U.S. Presidential Election — 747; ‘Black Panther 3’ directed by Ryan Coogler premieres — 785; College Football Playoff national championship game in Tampa — 823; ‘Avatar 4’ premieres — 1,156; ‘Avatar 5’ premieres — 1,884.

Top story   “José Javier Rodríguez edges James Uthmeier despite Republican turnout advantage” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics — Democrat Rodríguez holds a narrow lead over Republican Uthmeier in new campaign-commissioned polling, despite a turnout model favoring Republicans. SEA Polling & Strategic Design places Rodríguez ahead 35% to 34%, within the survey’s 3.5-point margin of error. The poll assumes a 10-point Republican turnout advantage, with Republicans at 44% of likely voters, Democrats at 34%, and others at 22%. Rodríguez leads 36% to 32% along the Interstate 4 corridor, where Trump prevailed by eight points in 2024. José Javier Rodríguez and James Uthmeier are in a tight race, with many undecided voters watching. Non-Cuban Latino voters favor Rodríguez by 57% to 18%. Democratic voters also report greater enthusiasm, with 77% describing themselves as substantially more motivated than in previous Midterms, compared with 57% of Republicans. Name recognition remains challenging for Uthmeier. Fifty-six percent of respondents do not recognize his name, while 16% view him unfavorably and 13% favorably. Rodríguez also commands stronger party support, 72% to Uthmeier’s 61%. The Democrat continues to emphasize crime, consumer costs and public corruption, particularly Uthmeier’s involvement in the Hope Florida controversy. Uthmeier maintains the arrangement was legal and calls the renewed scrutiny politically motivated. Other recent surveys also suggest a competitive contest. St. Pete Polls previously showed Uthmeier leading 45% to 43%, while Change Research found a tie. SEA surveyed 805 likely voters Oct. 11-14, underscoring uncertainty before the Nov. 3 General Election.

Nat'l mood   “Democrats have a wide lead in our new poll as Trump slides” via Nate Cohn of The New York Times — The final New York Times/Siena University national poll of the 2026 Midterm campaign finds Democrats leading nationally by 11 percentage points, 52% to 41%, when likely voters were asked about the specific candidates for the House in their District. Eleven is a big number. No party has won the national vote by such a large margin since the Democrats did so in 2008. The most ominous finding for Republicans is President Donald Trump’s approval rating. It’s extraordinarily low and still dropping. It fell by another 3 points since the September poll, to 34% among registered voters and 36% among likely voters. Donald Trump faces another round of polling numbers that give both parties plenty to discuss. “Four top pollsters on what the polls are really saying” via Riya Misra of POLITICO — Trump’s approval rating has hit a record low. Democratic enthusiasm levels are off the charts. The party holds a clear edge on the generic congressional ballot question. By most measures, the polls point to something like a blue wave this November. For many, the question is whether they can be trusted. New ways to reach people, and new ways to account for the most elusive voters, are changing the game. Those corrections seem to have paid off; you may not realize it, but the polls largely nailed the past two Midterms. To explore questions about Midterm Election polls — and claims they might be overestimating Democratic support — we convened a roundtable of top pollsters. "Scammers are using politicians' names to steal your money ahead of Midterms" via Gabriel O. Rodriguez Cruz of Money — With the Midterm just weeks away, scammers are looking to cash in on Americans' political enthusiasm by impersonating candidates and their campaigns. The FBI released an alert Thursday warning that fraudsters could exploit the upcoming elections to trick voters into making fraudulent campaign donations, purchasing merchandise they'll never receive or handing over sensitive personal information. The FBI recommends being skeptical of unsolicited calls, texts, emails and surveys claiming to represent political candidates or organizations, especially those requesting money or personal information.

From: Extensive Media Enterprises

2026   Happening today — Florida Democratic Party Chair Fried holds a virtual call with reporters ahead of Trump’s Friday visit to Florida, hitting his economic policies and rising costs for Florida families: 11 a.m. Florida Democrats roll out 'It Was Your Money' Hope Florida ad — The Florida Democratic Party is launching a new Hope Florida ad one day after a judge refused the Republican Party of Florida's request to pull the Democrats' Hope Florida ads off the air. The spot, titled "It Was Your Money," uses a flowchart to trace how Attorney General Uthmeier directed $10 million from a Medicaid settlement to his own political committees, with help from U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody. "Florida Republicans have tried everything to keep voters from hearing about Hope Florida, from late-night lawsuits to threatening TV stations with prosecution. It hasn't worked, and it won't," said Fried. "James Uthmeier and Ashley Moody took $10 million meant for sick kids and turned it into a political slush fund. We're going to make sure every Floridian knows it before they cast a ballot." The ad runs in English and Spanish on digital platforms in targeted congressional districts statewide. Florida Democrats put the Hope Florida money trail front and center in a new campaign ad. RPOF ad hits David Jolly over ‘socialism’ remark — The Republican Party of Florida is out with a new ad, “David Jolly: Don’t Care,” built around a line from Jolly: “Republicans might call that socialism, but I don’t care.” The spot says Jolly’s agenda would undo DeSantis' lower-tax record, raise property taxes on Florida homeowners, add a “$1,000 hurricane tax” on property insurance, and leave less money for families and seniors and more for government. It closes on the DeSantis-endorsed Byron Donalds “fighting for lower taxes, lower insurance costs, and a Florida you can afford.” “David Jolly has told Floridians exactly who he is. He doesn’t care if you call it socialism, and he doesn’t care what it costs your family,” said Donalds campaign Communications Director Gates McGavick. “Byron Donalds will continue Governor DeSantis’s policies, cut taxes, and bring insurance costs down. Florida has a clear choice — Byron Donalds will be elected Governor on November 3rd.” To watch the ad, please click the image below: David Jolly becomes the focus of a Republican attack ad, with tax policy taking center stage. Happening today — Donalds continues his Defending the Florida Dream bus tour Thursday, with three stops across Central and Southwest Florida. Donalds joins Uthmeier at 8:30 a.m. at Yoder’s Restaurant, 3434 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota. At noon, Donalds appears with Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia at The Collective at Escape Brewing, 11495 Trinity Blvd., Trinity. The tour continues at 3:30 p.m. with Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd at the Old Polk County Courthouse, 100 E. Main St., Bartow, on the Central Avenue side. “Byron Donalds and Jolly campaigns make final South Florida voter appeals” via Faith Graham and Isabella Fernandez de Cueto of WSVN 7News — Florida’s gubernatorial campaigns made stops across South Florida as early voting began and Election Day approached. Republican Donalds’ running mate, Bryan Avila, appeared Wednesday at Islas Canarias in southwest Miami-Dade before heading to The Floridian in Fort Lauderdale on the campaign’s Defending the Florida Dream bus tour. Avila said the ticket is working to reach families, businesses, and communities statewide. Democrat Jolly also campaigned in the region, appearing Tuesday with former President Bill Clinton at a Pembroke Park gathering. The visits underscore both campaigns’ focus on South Florida voters in the final two weeks before the Nov. 3 General Election. The stops came as candidates and their surrogates increased public appearances and voter outreach. “Florida gubernatorial candidates embrace AI guardrails as voter concerns grow” via Austin Jenkins of State Affairs Florida — Artificial intelligence regulation is emerging as a bipartisan campaign issue, including in Florida’s Governor’s race. Donalds supports state oversight and wants to revive DeSantis’ proposed AI Bill of Rights. Jolly calls himself an AI optimist but favors safeguards for children, classroom protections and a moratorium on massive data centers. Nationally, a Reuters/Ipsos survey found 69% of adults favor stricter AI regulations, contrasting with Trump’s reliance on voluntary industry commitments. Attorney General candidates in several states also emphasize consumer protections and corporate accountability. Despite growing concern, voters still rank AI as a relatively low priority compared with other issues. “Ron DeSantis blasts Rodríguez over Hope Florida attack ad” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — DeSantis unleashed a blistering attack on Democratic Attorney General candidate Rodríguez, calling him a “major league dirtbag” and promising to ensure his defeat in November. The Governor objected to a Florida Democratic Party advertisement featuring First Lady Casey DeSantis holding a $10 million check tied to the Hope Florida Foundation. The money originated from a 2024 Medicaid settlement with Centene, and Democrats have made the controversy central to their campaign against Uthmeier, DeSantis’ former Chief of Staff. Speaking in Miami-Dade County, DeSantis also criticized Rodríguez’s service in the Biden administration and his past legislation targeting cash bail. He promised a “very stinging defeat” for Rodríguez. TO SEE MORE SUNBURN CLICK HERE