Florida once had the most robust sunshine law in the country, but politicians have chipped away at it for years. They always have their reasons, but it usually means one thing — they’d prefer to conduct the people’s business in secret.
Otherwise, people ask them all sorts of icky questions they don’t want to answer.
The latest example of that is the apparent impending hire of U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse to be the next President at the University of Florida (UF).
Yes, the appointment is controversial because, among other things, Sasse opposed same-sex marriage. He’s a traditionalist on that front and believes everyone else should be too.
You ever notice that when some people don’t like or understand something, they want to ban it?
But it’s not so much that Sasse could be UF’s next leader; it’s more about how the search committee went about its work. A new Florida law allowed the committee to shield the names of another dozen applicants. However, once the finalists are chosen, the committee is supposed to release those names.
Well, imagine this: the committee said Sasse was the only finalist.
Hence, his was the only name announced to the public.
Outgoing Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes believes that is wrong. And Brandes ought to know since he co-sponsored the bill in the Legislature.
“My intent in proposing the public records exemption was that they would always propose multiple candidates,” Brandes told the Tampa Bay Times. “The goal was to get to finalists, not announce who the person was as the only finalist.”
Announcing the finalists would at least allow everyone to compare the merits of each person.
However, doing it the way UF did is the search committee members’ smug way of saying, “trust us.”
That’s a surefire way to make sure no one trusts them. It also puts Sasse behind the eight ball from the start, assuming he is formally approved.
UF just did its next President a huge disservice.
Now, it’s on to our weekly game of winners and losers.
Winners
Honorable mention: Bill Nelson. The NASA Administrator took a justified victory lap after the agency’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft slammed into Dimorphos, its harmless target asteroid, which changed the big rock’s course.
As NASA noted, “This marks humanity’s first time purposely changing the motion of a celestial object and the first full-scale demonstration of asteroid deflection technology.”
Sure, the mission sounded like something out of a science fiction movie, but I don’t think the idea of a killer asteroid targeting Earth is far-fetched. Just ask the dinosaurs.
“All of us have a responsibility to protect our home planet. After all, it’s the only one we have,” Nelson said.
“This mission shows that NASA is trying to be ready for whatever the universe throws at us. NASA has proven we are serious as a defender of the planet. This is a watershed moment for planetary defense and all of humanity, demonstrating commitment from NASA’s exceptional team and partners from around the world.”
Almost (but not quite) biggest winner: Social Security recipients. They learned that next year’s checks would be 8.7% larger, an average of $140 per month.
That’s the good news. However, let’s keep that a secret from U.S. Sen. Rick Scott since he’d like to sunset (read: abolish) Social Security within five years.
The reason it’s not the biggest winner is because the increased payments result from inflation, making everything more expensive. But administrators say seniors will still come out ahead.
“Medicare premiums are going down, and Social Security benefits are going up in 2023, which will give seniors more peace of mind and breathing room,” Acting Commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi said.
“This year’s substantial Social Security cost-of-living adjustment is the first time in over a decade that Medicare premiums are not rising and shows that we can provide more support to older Americans who count on the benefits they have earned.”
The biggest winner: Lee County schools. They’re getting off the deck after the gut punch from Hurricane Ian.
WINK News in Fort Myers reported Lee County school officials plan to open 28 schools starting Monday. Another 38 schools could open on Wednesday.
Elementary school teacher Rachelle Resendes said it is a major step toward recovery.
“It’s been about two weeks, and we’re looking forward to it, you know, that return to stability? I think a lot of our families need it,” she said.
“I know we all do. You know, it’s great to get back in here today and see everyone together again, just sharing stories and supporting one another.”
Teachers are encouraged in the first couple of days to ease students back into the routine. Instead of diving into lesson plans, they want students to share stories about what they went through and realize they’re back in a safe place.
School buildings must meet several requirements before reopening. That includes air quality, safe water, power, air conditioning, fire alarms and speaker systems.
Losers
Dishonorable mention: Rick Scott. As the old saying goes, in for a penny, in for a pound. And Florida’s junior U.S. Senator is all in on a bad hand named Herschel Walker.
Scott joined U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Oklahoma in Georgia for a rally called Huddle with Herschel. His mission was to support a candidate facing all sorts of salacious allegations.
“If you want to vote for a man who believes America is a great country, a man who has overcome great adversity, a man who wants to bring the people of Georgia together, and a man who believes our best days can be ahead of us,” Scott said, “well, then you should vote for the next U.S. Senator from the great state of Georgia: Herschel Walker.”
You know about the scandals engulfing Walker’s campaign, but if you need a refresher, you can click here. The attacks seem to have impacted what remains a tight race.
In standing by Walker, Scott and other GOP lawmakers essentially are saying his female accusers are liars. That’s risky business at a time when the women’s vote can make or break a candidate.
Almost (but not quite) biggest loser: Joseph Ladapo. Twitter briefly blocked, but then restored, a post by Florida’s Surgeon General related to the COVID-19 vaccine.
The top doc in the state is, to say the least, a vaccine skeptic. And when he tweeted about an alleged high number of cardiac-related deaths among men aged 18-39 who take the mRNA vaccine, Twitter turned thumbs-down.
“Our current misleading information policies cover: synthetic and manipulated media, COVID-19 and civic integrity,” Twitter said after blocking Ladapo’s tweet. “If we determine a Tweet contains misleading or disputed information per our policies that could lead to harm, we may add a label to the content to provide context and additional information.”
Bryan Griffin, the Press Secretary for DeSantis, called the action “an unacceptable and Orwellian move for narrative over fact.”
Most medical professionals agree the vaccine is safe and effective.
“It looks to me like this is politics driving science,” Daniel Salmon, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at Johns Hopkins University, told POLITICO in response. “And the result is you get terrible science.”
The biggest loser: Florida shrimpers. The industry suffered cataclysmic damage from Hurricane Ian, leading some to wonder about the future of a Florida staple.
More than two dozen shrimp boats were badly damaged or destroyed during the storm, thrown out of the water onto wharves and houses.
“There’s 300 people who work for us, and all of them are out of a job right now. I’m sure they’d rather just mow all this stuff down and build a giant condo here, but we’re not going to give up,” shrimper Jesse Clapham told PBS.
Clapham manages the fleet for a large seafood company in Fort Myers Beach. He said the company generates $10 million annually in shrimp.
Other companies report similarly dire situations.
Damaged boats are only part of the problem. Even after repairs, it’s uncertain whether experienced crews will be there to operate them. And the high price of diesel fuel had already cut deeply into shrimpers’ bottom lines.
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