We’ve got a lot of turf to trod today, including a look at campaign tactics that backfired in the Orlando elections, hidden public records and yet another controversy involving Florida’s unelected attorney general.
But first, several readers asked how they can help neighbors in need as the political stalemate in Washington D.C. threatens to have a devastating impact in Florida where many people work low-wage jobs and one in eight residents rely on the federal government’s SNAP food program.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has said he won’t follow the lead of other states that have tapped emergency funds to help the nearly 3 million Floridians who rely on the program. But many rank-and-file Floridians want to help and have been wondering how they can best do so.
Well, because Central Florida has historically had so many people working low-paying jobs that leave them still struggling to make ends meet, we have one the largest and most effective food–distribution nonprofits in the country. And the folks at Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida could use your help.
Chief Development Officer Greg Higgerson said requests for help are flooding in, searches on the nonprofit’s website are up 300% and that the 870 community food banks that Second Harvest helps stock across seven counties “are telling us that they cannot possibly answer their phone messages quickly enough.”
The best way you can help is with donations at FeedHopeNow.org where every $10 donated provides up to 40 meals and where you can also get details on organizing a food drive.
Eric Gray, the CEO of the Christian Service Center for the Homeless, agreed that Second Harvest is the most effective option for widespread food distribution and said residents, churches and community groups can ban together to bolster their impact.
Gray also suggested that employers who know their own workers rely on SNAP might consider stepping up with gift cards.
Higgerson said local charities are revving up, but also stressed that they face a mountainous challenge. “For every meal that our local charitable food organizations are able to provide, the SNAP program provides nine meals,” he said. “There is simply no realistic way for us to ramp up or scale to replace that amount of food disappearing from the tables of families with kids, seniors, veterans, and others who are affected.”
Get more information at www.FeedHopeNow.org.
DeSantis dismisses calls to declare emergency over Florida SNAP benefits
Terrible campaigning
On the local election scene, the award for worst campaign strategy goes to the Florida Republicans, who sent out a mailer on behalf of incumbent city Orlando council member Jim Gray, reminding voters that Gray was a Republican … in a heavily Democratic city.
This was like reminding a room full of vegans that a local slaughterhouse owner was running for office. Just strategically stupid.
Plus, the race is theoretically nonpartisan. So while the victor, Navy vet Tom Keen, talked about community issues, Gray was fielding questions about a mailer that was dripping with anti-LGBTQ sentiment.
Those kind of ugly tactics may work in Florida at large, but not in the City Beautiful.
As a result, Gray — who’d served in office for 13 years while largely eschewing partisan politics and being previously re-elected with ease — was unceremoniously tossed. Gray received only 31% of the vote Tuesday, suggesting he not only turned off Democrats but also the unaffiliated voters who made up the biggest chunk in the district.
Politician for hire?
If you didn’t catch it, Sentinel reporter Jeff Schweers had an eye-opening story in Sunday’s newspaper about how the GrayRobinson law firm in Orlando temporarily hired DeSantis’ then-chief of staff (and now attorney general) James Uthmeier back in 2023.
Uthmeier’s brief tenure at GrayRobinson raises potential ethical issues
Many companies would love to put the governor’s chief of staff on their payroll — especially companies eager to score contracts from the state. GrayRobinson has made $140 million from the state over the past five years alone.
The cozy relationship raises obvious ethical questions. But it also highlighted another ongoing issue — this state’s frequent funneling of money to politically connected law firms, often through no-bid contracts and often spent on lawsuits the state knew it was going to lose.
This is why many governments and public agencies hire talented in-house legal counsel. It doesn’t work for every case. But when it does, it’s cheaper and more effective. (Imagine how many staff lawyers you could hire for $140 million.) Admittedly, though, it’s not as desirable for those interested in filling or gorging at the taxpayer-funded trough.
Hidden records
Speaking of spending, I wanted to end by sharing an update on Florida’s ongoing refusal to provide public records about how many tax dollars it spent on the governor’s campaign against rainbow-colored crosswalks and how those decisions were made.
Back in late August, the Orlando Sentinel requested work orders, procurement documents, safety reports and more. Competent and transparent government officials should’ve been able to start producing some of those basic documents within 48 hours. Yet it’s now November, and DeSantis’ Department of Transportation is still dragging its feet, having yet to produce a single record, including documents that might reveal whether any of the spending was competitively bid and whether the state deleted any social media posts it previously made touting colorful crosswalks as extra safe.
We’ve got our lawyers involved and will ultimately get those records. It’s the law. But you should know how the lengths to which this administration is willing to go to keep you from seeing how your tax dollars are being spent and how those decisions are being made.
Maxwell: DOGE this! Florida DOT hides crosswalk crackdown records