State Senator Annette Taddeo jumped into the Democratic primary race for governor this week, saying she is the candidate who can excite voters in her party’s bid to oust Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis next year.
Taddeo’s senate district is in Miami-Dade County and she believes she has what it takes to galvanize Hispanic voters and appeal to progressives, as Democrats struggle to regain a foothold in Florida.
Taddeo told reporters earlier this week that Gov. DeSantis’ political ambitions have led him to become out of touch with Floridians. Taddeo grew up in Colombia and joined the Florida Senate in a 2017 special election. She was re-elected to the Senate in 2018.
Guests:
- State Senator Annette Taddeo
- Manny Diaz, Chairperson of Florida Democrats
Special legislative session
Gov. Ron DeSantis called for a special legislative session to push back against federal government vaccine mandates.
The move comes as the Biden administration is preparing a rule requiring employees of companies with 100 workers or more to be vaccinated against COVID-19, or get tested weekly. The president already requires members of the military, federal contractors and federal employees to receive the vaccine.
DeSantis says Florida can’t wait until the 20-22 legislative session, which begins in January, to “strengthen” state laws banning vaccine and mask mandates.
Democrats question the governor’s motivations for calling for this special session. State Representative Anna Eskamani, who represents a part of Orange County, calls the governor’s announcement a political ploy:
Guests:
- Mary Ellen Klas, Capital Bureau Chief, Miami Herald
- Tim Gibbons, Editor, Jacksonville Business Journal
Gov. DeSantis visits JAXPORT
Dozens of cargo ships are lined up in the waters off Southern California. It has been one of the pinch-points of global trade that has helped fuel inflation and fed worries about missing presents over the upcoming holidays. DeSantis visited JAXPORT earlier this week to encourage ships off the Pacific coast to reroute to Jacksonville.
Guests:
- Eric Green, CEO JAXPORT
- Michael Rubin, President & CEO, Florida Ports Council
- Tim Gibbons, Editor, Jacksonville Business Journal
Florida Roundup Associate Producer Katherine Hobbs can be reached at khobbs@wjct.org or on Twitter at @KatherineGHobbs.
