By Kimberly Leonard

THE BUZZ — Vice President Kamala Harris will visit Florida International University in Miami today for a moderated conversation as part of her “Fight for Our Freedoms” college tour to attract young voters. The visit coincides with a Miami Shores fundraiser for the Biden Victory Fund joint fundraising committee.

Journalists watch Ron Desantis during the second 2024 Republican presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 27, 2023. | Philip Cheung for POLITICO

Good morning and welcome to Thursday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis faced far more direct attacks during last night’s Republican primary debate than he did a month ago — not just from his GOP rivals but from Fox Business debate moderators.

Former U.N Ambassador Nikki Haley dug at DeSantis for having once called Russia’s invasion of Ukraine a “territorial dispute” and on the topic of fracking (context: Florida voters banned offshore drilling in certain areas in 2018 through a ballot measure, and DeSantis ran for governor on a promise to ban fracking in his state).

When asked about Florida’s controversial standards for African American history curriculum — which said enslaved people developed skills that could be used for their personal benefit — Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) responded “there is not a redeeming quality in slavery” and said DeSantis “should have just taken the sentence out.”

It didn't stop there.

Former Vice President Mike Pence hit DeSantis on spending in Florida after he boasted about cutting taxes and vetoing spending. Florida, like many states, benefitted from an influx of federal dollars when Congress passed coronavirus relief measures. DeSantis didn’t have an opportunity for rebuttal because of a commercial break.

DeSantis also faced a tough question on health care from Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney. He was asked to explain whether voters could trust him on the issue given that Florida has a higher rate of people without health insurance than the national average.

One of the largest reasons is that the governor hasn’t leveraged a part of the Affordable Care Act that would allow low-income people to access Medicaid. The program is funded jointly by the federal government and states so people who can't afford to pay for health care can receive it at little or no cost to them. Many Republican officials oppose the Affordable Act for political reasons, and also don't want adults to get Medicaid on the basis of income alone versus other considerations such as disability status.

In his response, DeSantis referred to Medicaid as “welfare" and boasted about Florida's low unemployment. “We're not going to be like California and have massive numbers of people on government programs without work requirements,” he said.

The issue likely wouldn't be something that former President Donald Trump, who tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act, would bash DeSantis over — but it is a topic already providing fodder for Democrats. Trump notably did not attend last night's debate.

DeSantis, however, also hit back, especially against Trump, saying during his first chance to speak that Trump was “missing in action” and should have debated. He blamed the former president for high federal spending that contributed to inflation and said Trump should be prepared to defend the comments he made calling a six-week abortion ban a “terrible thing.” Speaking with Sean Hannity after the debate, he challenged Trump to debate him on on one.

By the end of the night, DeSantis had amassed the most time speaking.

Whether DeSantis' debate performance will change the trajectory of the race is yet to be seen, since Trump still leads the pack by double-digits in polling.

— WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is fundraising in California. He’ll be interviewed by Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer on Fox News Channel’s America’s Newsroom in the 10 a.m. ET hour.

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MAY IT PLEASE THE COURT — The ongoing saga over the suspension of Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren has taken an unexpected turn.

Four prominent Florida legal figures — including the state’s last Democratic attorney general — contend that Warren’s replacement picked by DeSantis is not in the position legally. And they have written a letter to the chief judge in that judicial circuit that asserts because the state attorney post is vacant, then Chief Judge Christopher Sabella can put someone else in the job under Florida law.

“Accordingly, as the Chief Judge of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Your Honor has the 'full power' to appoint an acting state attorney to carry out the constitutional duties of that office,” states the letter. “We respectfully request Your Honor appoint an acting state attorney for the period of State Attorney Warren’s suspension.”

The letter was signed by former Attorney General Bob Butterworth, former Florida Supreme Court Justice Peggy Quince, Martha Barnett, the former president of the American Bar Association and Barry Richard, the well-known attorney who represented President George W. Bush in the 2000 recount fight and is married to state Rep. Allison Tant (D-Tallahassee).

DeSantis suspended Warren from his post in August 2022 for several reasons, including a pledge the elected prosecutor made to not enforce certain laws such as the state’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy without exceptions for rape or incest.

Warren challenged the suspension in federal court, and while a judge ruled that the suspension violated Florida law, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle also concluded he had no power to reinstate Warren. Warren has appealed that decision and is awaiting a ruling from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The argument being made to Sabella, who was first appointed to the bench by former Gov. Jeb Bush, is that because DeSantis’ suspension has been ruled unlawful, his appointment of Susan Lopez, a former judge, is not allowed. “The governor has no authority to appoint an acting state attorney where the suspension exceeded his constitutional authority,” the Sept. 26 letter states.

It’s not clear if Sabella has yet seen the letter. A spokesperson for the 13th Judicial Circuit did not return a request for comment

— Gary Fineout

RESISTANCE — “In the last month, Jacksonville has become ‘ground zero’ for resistance to DeSantis’ policies,” by the Miami Herald’s C. Isaiah Smalls II: “Over the past month, Jacksonville has been home to various acts of defiance against DeSantis in the aftermath of the senseless killing of Angela Michelle Carr, Jerrald Gallion, and Anolt Joseph Laguerre Jr. As Desantis continues to pass policies that attempt to whitewash Black history education, influence how Floridians are allowed to discusses racism and redraw congressional maps, Jacksonville has become a place where the conversation on how to push back has grown louder.”

ORLANDO AREA PERKS — “DeSantis’ tourism district replaces Disney perks with $3,000 stipend,” by the Orlando Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher: This is a tripling of the initial offer, and employees for the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will be able to use the money at any business in the area — not just at Walt Disney World. The board for the district also approved a $190 million budget for 2024.

FORT MYERS FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 29: Boats are pushed up on a causeway after Hurricane Ian passed through the area on September 29, 2022 in Fort Myers, Florida. The hurricane brought high winds, storm surge and rain to the area causing severe damage. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images) | Getty Images

THIS WEEK MARKS ONE YEAR SINCE HURRICANE IAN — 6 people died by suicide in the aftermath and experts fear more, writes the Tampa Bay Times. The deaths highlight the need for mental-health services to be built into hurricane response efforts. “Last year, Florida ranked 49th in the nation for access to mental health care, according to the nonprofit Mental Health America, which considered measures such as affordability and availability of clinicians.”

NO FOLLOW THROUGH — “DeSantis’ office pledged to investigate bid-rigging case. It didn’t get far,” by the Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower: The inspector general’s office pledged last year to look into allegations in which the Department of Education funneled millions of dollars to a client with political connections. The Tampa Bay Times obtained 124 pages of records showing that Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel never interviewed anyone involved in the scandal and instead referred it back to the Department of Education’s IG, which also never reviewed the case.

DAY 2 OF TRIAL — “Redistricting testimony focuses on parameters that favor Black voters in elections,” by the Miami Herald’s Andrew Pantazi 

SOARING PRICES — “Canteen prices rise in Florida prisons, impacting inmates and their loved ones,” by Florida Phoenix’s Mitch Perry: “For inmates in Florida prisons, prices have gone up even higher [than inflation] when it comes to purchasing food, drinks, health aids, toiletries and other goods at the canteen, or commissary, of the institutions they’re housed in.”

PROPERTY INSURANCE — “Citizens Insurance looks ahead toward ‘depopulation’ to decrease policy count,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders: “Citizens President and CEO Tim Cerio said Wednesday that Citizens is now forecasting it will have about 1.3 million policies at the end of 2023, after earlier estimates of 1.5 million to 1.7 million policies … Cerio pointed to what is known as a “depopulation” effort aimed at shifting policies from Citizens to private insurers. Also, Florida has not had any property-insurer insolvencies since early this year. In the past, some customers of insolvent insurers have turned to Citizens for coverage.”

INVESTIGATION — “Condo Wars: Boards can use defamation laws to stifle dissent,” by the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Brittany Wallman: The investigation found that “condo and homeowner associations regularly use Florida’s defamation laws to silence critics. The laws were written to allow a victim to recover financial damages from someone who spreads lies about them and harms their reputation … residents who suspect wrongdoing speak up at their own peril.”

SHAKE IT OFF — “Jimmy Patronis criticizes IRS, says feds could be targeting Taylor Swift fans,” by WPTV: “A federal law change in 2021 requires ticketing platforms like Ticketmaster to give the IRS personal information on users who sold tickets … Patronis said President Joe Biden's ‘Taylor tax’ unfairly punishes ‘Swifties’ who bought tickets and made a profit of $600 or more from their resell.”

SHOWDOWN — “The Matt Gaetz shutdown: Florida's MAGA congressman central to federal spending battle,” by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune’s Zac Anderson: “Gaetz frames the spending showdown as necessary to rein in the exploding national debt and put the nation on a sustainable financial footing, but critics call it a political stunt that ignores the realities of divided government and will inflict unnecessary pain.”

MORE SPEAKERS AT THE FREEDOM SUMMIT — The Republican Party of Florida has confirmed another presidential candidates for its Freedom Summit in Kissimmee, Fla., on Nov. 4: entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.

COME BACK — “Calls mount for DeSantis to visit New Hampshire more amid wavering support,” by ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Kelsey Walsh and Hannah Demissie: “Overall, he has spent at least eight days campaigning in the state since he launched his presidential run in late May, according to an ABC News calculation of public candidate events — less than Ramaswamy's 16 and Haley's 13 in the same span.”

FIN-TASTIC — “These Florida shark taggers are scientists — and also drag queens. It’s a fierce crew, by the Miami Herald’s Alex Harris: “The event combines flashy acts from local drag queens with a day on Biscayne Bay with some of Miami’s top shark scientists, catching, tagging and releasing sharks as a fundraiser for queer youth in South Florida.”

BIRTHDAYS: Republican Party of Florida executive director Helen Aguirre Ferré … former Rep. Curt Clawson

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