By Michael Moline | Editor in Chief
“People are tired of Democrats that are just the same. People are tired of folks who don’t represent their values. For the last six years, I’ve worked incredibly hard to make sure that I’ve represented the values of people not just in the district, but also the people of the state of Florida as well.” — state Rep. Michelle Rayner
Democrats Michelle Rayner and Fentrice Driskell are running in an open primary in state Senate District 16. (Photos via Florida House)
Driskell is term limited out of the state House after four years as leader of the Democratic Caucus. Rayner is an ardent progressive who bucked some in her party by helping Republicans pass restrictions on social media use by minors. The winner will serve a Tampa Bay state Senate seat because no Republican filed for the office. Rayner has been endorsed by a solid bloc of House Democratic caucus members. Still, Driskell says, “The leadership experience that I have leading this caucus and being someone who has led the fight against the extremism wrought by Ron DeSantis and the Trump administration. I’m ready to serve Day One.”
The Naples Republican is embracing culture war scare tactics against Jolly, saying “he believes in transgender surgeries for our kids. He believes that boys should be in women sports, and that is not what the people of Florida want.” (For the record, almost no one wants to perform surgery on minors, and enforcing a trans athlete ban threatens the privacy of cis- and trans girls alike.) Jolly notes that Donalds spent $25 million on an anti-trans ad that “doesn’t once mention Trump’s economy, doesn’t once mention the cost of housing or healthcare, or the cost of food or gas.” The attack, he says “is shameful. What kind of leader divides people?”
The Deferred Retirement Option Program allows public employees who have maxed out their traditional retirement benefits but don’t want to quit their jobs to qualify for a lump sum payout after as much as 10 years. Nearly 31,000 people participate. Florida TaxWatch, a business-backed government watchdog, worries these payouts are eating into operating budgets for state agencies and schools and want the Legislature to consider changes next year. “When contribution rates rise, those increases translate into higher public expenditures, which can require higher taxes and fees or cuts to services,” said Jeff Kottkamp, TaxWatch president and CEO.
MORE FROM THE PHOENIX
Thanks for reading Today on the Phoenix. Did you know our weekend digest is also free? Sign up here. And if you enjoyed today’s edition, please forward to a friend. Increasing our readership helps us cover more news.