Florida state parks now legally protected from commercial development
The act, which will take effect in July, prevents developers from constructing hotels, golf courses or other commercial enterprises in any of Florida's 175 state parks.
Pinellas County Democratic Rep. Lindsay Cross, who also is an environmental scientist, posted to social media Friday that the act establishes "protections for all 175 state parks against commercial development," and also thanked "everyone who fought for this bill, and who stood up to preserve our home."
Republican Rep. Peggy Gossett-Seidman, Highland Beach, called the passage of the act a "bipartisan, bicameral legislative victory," on her X account Thursday, and then quoted "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss to close her post with "I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues."
The new law came after a backlash caused by a purported plan proposed by the state in 2024 and allegedly leaked by the Florida Wildlife Federation to allow commercial development at nine different state parks. All future developments are not completely banned but will instead need to be conservation-minded, and support nature-friendly activities such as camping, hiking and kayaking.
The Florida Wildlife Federation posted a note of appreciation to its website Thursday, with thanks given to the Florida Senate and House "for their unanimous support of this legislation every step of the way," and it called the law "a massive win for wildlife, outdoor spaces, and future generations who will get to experience Florida's natural wonders just as they should be: wild and natural."
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San Francisco Chronicle
20 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
MAGA faithful cheer Trump for pausing Ukraine weapons after bristling at Iran strikes
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is getting praise from his most ardent supporters for withholding some weapons from Ukraine after they recently questioned the Republican leader's commitment to keeping the U.S. out of foreign conflicts. This week's announcement pausing deliveries of key air defense missiles, precision-guided artillery and other equipment to Ukraine comes just a few weeks after Trump ordered the U.S. military to carry out strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Bombing those sites in Iran had some hardcore supporters of the "Make America Great Again" movement openly questioning whether Trump was betraying his vow to keep America out of 'stupid wars" as he inserted the U.S. military into Israel's conflict with Tehran. With the Ukraine pause, which affects a crucial resupply of Patriot missiles, Trump is sending the message to his most enthusiastic backers that he is committed to following through on his campaign pledge to wind down American support for Ukraine's efforts to repel Russia, a conflict he has repeatedly described as a costly boondoggle for U.S. taxpayers. 'The choice was this: either prioritize equipping our own troops with a munition in short supply (and which was used to defend U.S. troops last week) or provide them to a country where there are limited U.S. interests,' Dan Caldwell, who was ousted as a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, posted on X. Caldwell publicly worried before the Iran strikes that U.S. involvement could incite a major war and ultimately cost American lives. Far-right influencer Jack Posobiec, another ardent MAGA backer, warned as Trump weighed whether to carry out strikes on Iran last month that such a move 'would disastrously split the Trump coalition." Both the White House and the Pentagon have justified the move as being consistent with Trump's campaign pledge to limit U.S. involvement in foreign wars. 'The president was elected on an America first platform to put America first,' Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said. At the same time, the decision is stirring anxiety among those in the more hawkish wing of the Republican Party. Many are flummoxed by Trump's halting the flow of U.S. arms just as Russia accelerates its unrelenting assault on Ukraine. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican who hails from a district that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024, wrote to Trump and the Pentagon on Wednesday expressing 'serious concern' about the decision and requesting an emergency briefing. 'We can't let (Russian President Vladimir) Putin prevail now. President Trump knows that too and it's why he's been advocating for peace,' Rep. Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, wrote on X. 'Now is the time to show Putin we mean business. And that starts with ensuring Ukraine has the weapons Congress authorized to pressure Putin to the negotiating table.' Trump spoke by phone with Putin on Thursday, the sixth call between the leaders since Trump's return to office. The leaders discussed Iran, Ukraine and other issues but did not specifically address the suspension of some U.S. weapons shipments to Ukraine, according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser. Zelenskyy said in Denmark after meeting with major European Union backers that he hopes to talk to Trump in the coming days about the suspension. The administration says it is part of global review of the U.S. stockpile and is a necessary audit after sending nearly $70 billion in arms to Ukraine since Putin launched the war on Ukraine in February 2022. The pause was coordinated by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby. Colby, before taking his position, spoke publicly about the need to focus U.S. strategy more on China, widely seen as the United States' biggest economic and military competitor. At his Senate confirmation hearing in March, he said the U.S. doesn't have a 'multi-war military.' 'This is the restrainers like Colby flexing their muscle and saying, 'Hey, the Pacific is more important,'' said retired Navy Adm. Mark Montgomery, an analyst at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Backers of a more restrained U.S. foreign policy say the move is necessary, given an unsettled Middle East, rising challenges in Asia and the stress placed on the U.S. defense industrial complex after more than three years of war in Ukraine. 'You're really coming up to the point where continuing to provide aid to Ukraine is putting at risk the U.S. ability to operate in future crises,' said Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior fellow and director of military analysis at Defense Priorities. 'And you don't know when those crises are going to happen."
Politico
25 minutes ago
- Politico
Burr racking up pharma clients
With Bernie Becker, Daniel Lippman PROGRAMMING NOTE: We'll be off tomorrow for the holiday but will be back in your inboxes on Monday. BURR SIGNS ANOTHER PHARMA CLIENT: Former Senate HELP ranker Richard Burr has pulled in yet another new lobbying client from the pharmaceuticals world. The Republican, who's now at DLA Piper and fresh off his two-year 'cooling off' period for lobbying Congress, began working for biopharmaceutical company Biogen at the beginning of June, per a newly filed disclosure. — The firm is lobbying for Biogen on a slew of issues related to the drug industry, including Medicare and Medicaid policy, drug pricing and supply chains, FDA policies, patents and intellectual property, tariffs and tax policy. — Burr has been racking up new pharma clients this year. Since January, he's registered to lobby for the marquee brand name drug lobby PhRMA, the biopharmaceuticals lobby Biotechnology Innovation Organization, the drugmaker Novartis and the medical devices industry group AdvaMed, which was already a DLA Piper client. MORE NEW BUSINESS: Staying in the drug industry, Ozempic and Wegovy manufacturer Novo Nordisk hired Ballard Partners last month to lobby on drug regulations. Ballard is the third new outside firm that Novo has retained this year as the company builds out its bench of hired guns with ties to the Trump administration, which is preparing to single out extraordinarily popular weight-loss drugs like Novo's in its push to link U.S. drug prices to those paid abroad. — Ballard has also registered to lobby for the Binational Softwood Lumber Council amid a Commerce Department review of duties on Canadian softwood lumber. — Tiffany & Co., Fiskars Corporation and Atlas Holdings have also brought on new tariff lobbying help. The iconic jeweler retained Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld last month, while household goods maker Fiskars hired K&L Gates. Atlas, a manufacturing and distribution conglomerate, tapped Fierce Government Affairs to monitor tariff issues as well as Commerce's Section 232 steel probe. — Meanwhile Coca-Cola United, a Birmingham based bottler for the beverage giant, has hired Crossroads Strategies to work on issues related to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, beverage labeling, and the upcoming release of new dietary guidelines. TGIT and welcome to PI. It's a good thing many of you who doubted the megabill's July Fourth deadline didn't put any money on it. (We hope!) Drop me a line to let me know what comes next for you: Add me on Signal at caitlinoprysko.17, email me at coprysko@ and be sure to follow me on X: @caitlinoprysko. WHAT ASAE LOBBIED ON: In Wednesday's newsletter we noted that ASAE — The Center for Association Leadership, the trade association for trade association executives, retained Saunders Global Diplomacy starting on April 1 to lobby on megabill provisions related to nonprofits' tax-exempt status. — The firm's work for ASAE revolved around engaging destination management organizations — such as local tourism boards — with the organization's tax coalition at the grassroots level, according to spokesperson Chris Vest. POKER FACE: Poker players and other gamblers and gambling advocates have quickly and loudly made their objections known to a particular chunk of the megabill — especially on social media, Bernie reports. That provision would hike taxes on gamblers, essentially by allowing them to deduct 90 percent of their losses instead of the current 100 percent. — Practitioners have said the new rules could leave gamblers paying taxes even in years when they have a net loss, and pro players said it might force more business to less-regulated offshore games. — Gaming advocates said they're aware of the issue and had been working the Hill, but the reconciliation bill is now headed to President Donald Trump's desk without any changes to the bill text. 'We've let it be known to our friends on the Hill that our sport is generated by the people that play the horses,' Tom Rooney, the head of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and a former congressman from Florida, told Thoroughbred Daily News. — Rooney added that his group was talking with other advocates like the American Gaming Association on the matter — even as he acknowledged on Wednesday that it would be tough to get the provision changed so late in the game. — The change builds on language from the 2017 GOP tax law that was set to expire. But instead of a clean extension, one source closely following the situation told Bernie that the new gambling language was necessary to comply with the procedural rules governing the reconciliation process and Senate Republicans' decision to use current policy baseline to permanently extend the 2017 tax cuts. IF YOU MISSED IT WEDNESDAY: Another new provision tucked into the bill amid overnight haggling would create a new tax break 'for a specific kind of coal company that stands to benefit a GOP senator who had expressed reservations about the bill's Medicaid cuts,' Sludge's Donald Shaw writes. — The provision would make metallurgical coal eligible for an advanced manufacturing production credit first established by the Inflation Reduction Act to boost domestic production of critical minerals. The 2.5 percent tax credit 'is a relatively modest tax benefit compared to other provisions in the bill, [but] it could still save millions of dollars annually for large met coal producers.' — 'Jim Justice, West Virginia's freshman U.S. senator, happens to own tens of millions of dollars worth of stock in a family company called Bluestone Resources that has been increasingly shifting its business from thermal coal production to met coal in recent years, with industry analysts expecting the company to begin focusing on met coal production exclusively.' — Despite warning that he could withhold support for the reconciliation bill depending on the final version's Medicaid provisions, Justice ultimately voted for the package, and his office 'highlighted the met coal provision on his website, saying it 'will have a significant impact on Southern West Virginia.'' ANNALS OF DARK MONEY: The dark money network seeded by conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo has been 'quietly bankrolling the anti-abortion movement into its next phase, giving more cash than ever,' according to tax filings obtained by NOTUS' Taylor Giorno and Oriana González report. — 'In the two years after the 2022 Supreme Court opinion striking down the federal right to abortion, The Concord Fund, a dark money group, has poured more than $37.3 million into anti-abortion groups and efforts. Nearly $22.4 million of that went out between July 2023 and June 2024, according to the Concord Fund's most recent Form 990.' — 'The Concord Fund, which is almost entirely funded by another Leo-run nonprofit, has significantly upped its financial stake in the anti-abortion fight since the fall of Roe v. Wade. During the ten years between July 2012 and June 2022, The Concord Fund gave anti-abortion groups $16.9 million. That amount more than doubled in just two years following the Dobbs decision, according to a NOTUS analysis of annual tax filings available on ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.' — 'The deluge of Concord Fund money has gone to several groups engaged in state and federal efforts to restrict access to mifepristone, a longstanding fight for anti-abortion advocates that gained new life in the wake of the ruling.' THE CURIOUS CASE OF A PURPORTED BIO MEMO: 'A memo that purports to summarize a meeting held by members of a leading biotech trade group suggests deep concern about health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s stance on vaccines, and describes him as a 'direct threat to public health,'' per Stat News' Allison DeAngelis and Elaine Chen. — The four-page memo first appeared on the website of a think tank that has opposed Covid-19 restrictions, which said an anonymous whistleblower provided the document. It 'purportedly details topics of conversation at an April 3 meeting of a vaccine policy committee of the trade group BIO, in which attendees discussed anxieties about Kennedy's positions on vaccines and strategies to engage with more conservative influencers,' Stat News writes. — The document also 'includes an apparent quote from someone in attendance: 'it is time to go to The Hill and lobby that it is time for RFK Jr to go.'' — But 'BIO told STAT that the memo was not produced by the organization and does not reflect its plans.' A spokesperson for the group told Stat that 'we have never seen or heard of this document and it certainly does not accurately represent the spirit, strategy, or mission of BIO's work.' BIO dismissed the memo's mention of potential leadership changes at HHS as 'completely inaccurate.' — 'A source familiar with the matter said a meeting of a BIO working group did occur, and the document describes sentiments among company representatives in attendance. Another source stated that BIO has been trying to work with the administration, though there may be some members that want the group to take a harder stance against Kennedy.' Jobs report — OpenAI is building out its D.C. team with Joe Larson as vice president for government, Chad Tucker on the government affairs team and John McCarrick as head of global energy policy. Tucker previously was at AT&T. McCarrick is a Trump energy policy and GOP campaign alum. — Parker Butler and Lauren Kapp have launched Luminary Strategies, a digital and creative agency that includes running social media accounts for prominent political names. They previously were behind the Kamala HQ accounts as director of digital rapid response and head of TikTok, respectively, on the Harris campaign. — Bryn McDonough is joining TechNet as counsel and director of federal policy and government relations. She previously was chief of staff in the office of the deputy DHS secretary in the Biden administration. — Lilia Dashevsky has founded Emet Strategies, a brand management, crisis, and communications consultancy for nonprofit and corporate clients. She was previously a senior vice president and democracy practice lead at CLYDE. — Adam Szubin has joined Covington's national security practice as of counsel. He previously was of counsel at Sullivan & Cromwell, and is a Treasury Department alum. — Rolando Cantu will be an associate on the paid team at Precision Strategies. He previously was a digital advertising strategist at the DNC. New Joint Fundraisers Blunt Rochester Alsobrooks Victory Fund (Sens. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Anglea Alsobrooks, I Got Your Back PAC, ALSOPAC) Hurd Begich Victory Fund (Reps. Jeff Hurd, Nick Begich) MERRIN VICTORY COMMITTEE (Derek Merrin for Congress, Glass City PAC) Team Williams (Walleye PAC, Josh Williams for Ohio) New PACs AMPLIFY PROGRESS PAC (Hybrid PAC) Field Team 6, Inc. (Super PAC) True Valor PAC (Super PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Proman Ag Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Tiffany & Co. Ballard Partners: Binational Softwood Lumber Council Ballard Partners: Novo Nordisk Inc. Canfield Consulting, LLC: General Atomics Capitol Resources, LLC: Rajant Corporation Continental Strategy, LLC: Grupo Aldecasa Continental Strategy, LLC: Marfrig Global Foods S.A. Continental Strategy, LLC: Workiva Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Albacore Ocean Systems, LLC Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Cgi Federal Inc. Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. Crossroads Strategies, LLC: Goel Investments, LLC Dla Piper LLP (US): Biogen, Inc. Dutko Government Relations: Advanced Mobile Solutions Dutko Government Relations: American Home Furnishings Alliance Dutko Government Relations: Apprenticeships For America, Inc. Dutko Government Relations: Armorworks Dutko Government Relations: Baker Engineering, Inc. Dutko Government Relations: California Workforce Association Dutko Government Relations: Carbon Sic Technologies, Inc. Dutko Government Relations: C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Erl Federal Consultants, LLC: Consumer Reports, Inc. Fierce Government Relations: Atlas Frm LLC (D/B/A Atlas Holdings LLC) Fierce Government Relations: Cultural Care Au Pair K&L Gates, LLP: Fiskars Brands, Inc. K&L Gates, LLP: Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc. K&L Gates, LLP: Seafood Harvesters Of America K&L Gates, LLP: Vantage Specialty Chemicals, Inc. Metrea LLC: Metrea LLC Miller Strategies, LLC: General Motors LLC Monument Advocacy: Aware Ragnar Group LLC: Corvias Rubin, Turnbull & Associates: Chartwell Rubin, Turnbull & Associates: Hello Heart Rubin, Turnbull & Associates: Weston Solutions, Inc. Venn Strategies: Freedom And Faith Defense Project Venture Government Strategies, LLC (Fka Hobart Hallaway & Quayle Ventures, LLC): Aeva, Inc. Venture Government Strategies, LLC (Fka Hobart Hallaway & Quayle Ventures, LLC): Netjets Services, Inc. Womble Bond Dickinson US LLP: Nipro Holdings America New Lobbying Terminations Corcoran Street Group: Craxel, Inc. Corcoran Street Group: Triangle Donovan Strategies LLC: Elegant Stitches Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Accenture Federal Services LLC Dutko Worldwide, LLC: Pattern Inc. Eventide Strategies: The Wildlife Society Invariant LLC: Coalition For Safe And Secure Technology Invariant LLC: National Oilseed Processors Association Republic Consulting, LLC: Certo Aerospace Ltd. Republic Consulting, LLC: Gravity Diagnostics Skladany Consulting LLC: Kasich Company, LLC On Behalf Of Schottenstein Stores Corporation Supernal, LLC (Fka Genesis Air Mobility): Supernal, LLC (Fka Genesis Air Mobility) Washington Strategic Consulting: New Jersey Hospital Association
Politico
35 minutes ago
- Politico
Planned Parenthood pledges to sue Trump administration over megabill provision cutting funding
Speaker Mike Johnson is potentially just a couple of hours away from sending Donald Trump his 'big, beautiful bill,' defying expectations about whether he could meet the president's arbitrary but unwavering July 4 deadline. After it appeared to be derailed late Wednesday by hard-right holdouts, Republicans advanced the bill around 3:30 a.m. and were set to vote on final passage as early as 6 a.m. During the all-nighter, GOP leaders kept the procedural vote open for almost six hours as they worked to flip 12 votes. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) was the lone Republican to vote 'no' at the end. Things looked dire until around the 2 a.m. hour, when Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise returned to the House floor saying they had the votes. Not long after, the speaker was seen talking, laughing and what appeared to be praying with some of the House Freedom Caucus holdouts. How did they get there? Holdouts say they've secured commitments from the White House on a variety of topics, especially on how the megabill is implemented. But House Republicans described the hours of talks as more of a venting session for the hard-liners. 'It was more just expression of concerns and priorities that are shared by the administration,' said one person granted anonymity to relay the conversations. The holdouts said earlier Wednesday they were discussing future legislative opportunities, including a second reconciliation package, and the possibility of executive branch moves to address aspects of the bill they don't think go far enough. There was some tough love, too. Several MAGA-world figures including longtime Trump aide Jason Miller and Trump's 2024 co-campaign manager Chris LaCivita threatened the Republican holdouts on social media. Trump, who'd been privately helping Johnson press them all day, piled on pressure in a series of increasingly irritated missives. 'RIDICULOUS!!!' he fired off at 12:45 a.m. as the bill was in limbo. The mood among House Republicans is that they're likely to pass the bill later this morning. 'I do so deeply desire to have just [a] normal Congress, but it doesn't happen anymore,' Johnson said around 1:30 a.m. 'I don't want to make history, but we're forced into these situations.' What else we're watching: — New E&C subcommittee chair: Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) is in line to be announced today as the next chair of the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, according three people granted anonymity to discuss the plan. 'There's a good possibility,' E&C Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) said Wednesday when asked if Griffith would get the post. 'We're announcing tomorrow though.' — Race for DHS chair: Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) has entered the race to lead the House Homeland Security Committee. After Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.) announced his retirement, Gimenez sent a letter to the GOP Steering Committee on Tuesday notifying of his intent to run for the seat. Meredith Lee Hill, David Lim, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco contributed to this report.
