Florida in Five: A hard-fought issue in Florida is riding on the presidential race

Five stories to read from the past week in Florida politics.

Photo credit: U.S. Department of Agriculture

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Welcome to another installment of Florida in Five: Five* stories you need to read from the past week in Florida politics.

The most brutish move of the year in Florida politics came when Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican leaders in the Legislature bowed to pressure from the construction and agriculture industries and approved a new state law that protects companies that won’t provide drinking water for employees working outside in extreme heat.

Known as House Bill 433, the legislation arose in response to an effort in Miami to enact what would have been the nation’s first county-level heat-safety rule. That local rule would have required many businesses with lots of outdoor workers in Florida’s largest county to implement basic precautions against heat illness, like ensuring their employees have access to clean drinking water and get periodic breaks in the shade.

But the new state law — which was literally written by big-business lobbyists — makes it illegal for Miami or any other local community in Florida to impose such a rule.

That’s not necessarily the end of the story, though. Because the Biden administration has proposed a national heat-safety standard that could end up providing many of the same protections for outdoor workers.

The first-of-its-kind federal rule could go into effect next year — depending that is, on the results of the presidential race.

Vice President Kamala Harris, who has supported stronger heat-safety enforcement, is likely to push forward with the new federal rule if she is elected in November. But there is “near-certainty that it would be abandoned” if former President Donald Trump takes back the presidency, according to The Washington Post.

It’s yet another reminder of how much is riding on a race for the White House that is basically a jump ball right now.

And while that’s an example of local politics going national, we also saw national politics get local last week — when Trump thrust himself into a Florida county commission race.

He did so by endorsing Michael Barnett, a commissioner in Palm Beach County who was appointed to the post last year by Ron DeSantis. Barnett, the former chair of the Palm Beach County Republican Party, is now running for re-election against Joel Flores, a Democrat and former mayor of Greenacres.

Trump’s attention comes in part from the fact that he lives in Palm Beach County. But it also underscores the stakes in this particular local election — which will likely decide which party comes away from the November elections with control of one of Florida’s largest local governments.

Just a couple more reasons to Make A Plan To Vote.

*To paraphrase Barbossa, five is more what you’d call a guideline than an actual rule.

Only the patsies paid a price

This Florida ‘ghost candidates’ scandal puts the entire utility sector on trial (Floodlight)

See also: Republican operative admits paying Artiles for opo research on trial’s first day (Miami Herald)

See also: Ghost candidate in Artiles trial: ‘I’m ashamed. I needed the money.’ (Miami Herald) ($)

Redemption arc or grasp for relevance?

New College of Florida spending called into question (Florida Phoenix)

Election watch

Circuit Court Judge Jeff Ashton paid qualifying fee 18 days after deadline  (VoxPopuli)

See also: Two Florida Moms, One Congressional Seat and the Future of MAGA (New York Times) ($)

See also: Battleground House Republican dodges how she’ll vote on Florida’s abortion amendment (Politico)

Backdoor union-busting

Trojan Hearse? A Right-Wing Think Tank Aims to Abolish the Miami-Dade Teachers' Union (Miami New Times)

Rules for thee but not for me

Critics see DeSantis double-standard in Florida abortion petition case (Tampa Bay Times) ($)

See also: Florida Doctors Describe Dystopic Horrors as DeSantis Tries to Tank Abortion Measure (Rolling Stone) ($)

See also: Abortion Bans Have Delayed Emergency Medical Care. In Georgia, Experts Say This Mother’s Death Was Preventable. (ProPublica)

Plus: Something to watch

Climate change a hot topic as hurricane season ramps up, should voters be concerned? (Facing South Florida)

Perspectives

Handing Florida state forest to a golf course builder is another DeSantis deal (Florida Phoenix)

Firing FDEP whistleblower compounds dumb plans (Tallahassee Democrat) ($)

Corcoran's New College crack-up: 7 reasons the BoG should deny his $15M - mostly in his own words (Public Enemy Number 1)