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Batter up: Ron DeSantis pays homage to baseball past in new fundraising pitch

Long before entering politics, Gov. Ron DeSantis was an accomplished baseball player. He learned the game in the Sunshine State, complete with a trip to the Little League World Series. DeSantis would eventually take the diamond for Yale University.

DeSantis is in a different field of play now, standing in the batter’s box at press conferences most days, as pitch after pitch comes in from the situational hurlers of the Florida media.

In a new promotional effort for his re-election campaign, the Governor yet again turns the tables on his adversaries in the working press, and uses the baseball motif to frame the narrative and, perhaps, to cull more donations for what has been a dynamic fundraising push thus far for the re-election bid.

The digital spot begins with an announcer voice: “The corporate media’s been throwing curveballs all day long, but they can’t get anything past this batter.”

Gov. DeSantis plans to OK $100M housing relief for ‘hometown heroes’

Florida will soon make it easier for “hometown heroes” like teachers and first responders to buy a home.

Speaking in Cape Coral on Monday, Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters he would approve $100 million for front-line workers in critical professions as part of a new Hometown Hero Housing Program within the Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC). The Legislature approved that funding within the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1.

The program will help what the Governor’s Office called “essential community workers” in 50 professions who are first-time, income-qualified homebuyers with down payment and closing cost assistance to purchase a primary residence in the communities they serve.

“If they want to recruit a police officer to work, say, for Cape Coral Police Department, it really matters if they can afford to have a home here and live in the community and shop in the same stores, to go to (grocery stores) and see everybody,” DeSantis said.

Senate moves on property insurance bills as insurers, trial lawyers clash

The Senate advanced two bills Monday aimed at reducing costs for property insurance companies and eventually driving down rates for homeowners, but only after hours of fierce debate between insurers and trial lawyer groups.

The Senate Appropriations Committee passed SB 2D and SB 4D, as the groups blamed each other for rising rates and litigation costs.

“This is a problem that is getting worse,” said Sen. Jim Boyd, a Sarasota Republican who is sponsoring both bills. “Homeowners are suffering increasing premium rates and the markets are dropping and carriers are fewer than they were before.”

The main bill, SB 2D, contains several provisions aimed at reducing litigation costs and claim losses for insurers: limiting attorneys fee multipliers to “rare and exceptional” cases, installing an optional roof deductible for up to 2% of the home and requiring contractors soliciting customers to tell consumers the penalty for filing a fraudulent claim against an insurer. Lawyers for contractors who receive an assignment of benefits contract wouldn’t be able to receive “one-way” fees under the bill, and “bad faith” lawsuits could only proceed of an insurer was shown to break a contract.

Florida gas prices ease a bit but still hanging around $4.50 a gallon

Gas prices eased just a bit over the weekend, entering the new week at $4.48 per gallon, three cents lower than the new record set last week.

Nonetheless, drivers can expect the most expensive Memorial Day weekend gasoline in history next weekend, AAA — The Auto Club Group cautioned Monday morning.

“Even though pump prices have moved slightly lower, gas prices on Memorial Day are still forecast to be the holiday’s most expensive yet,” AAA spokesman Mark Jenkins said in a news release.

“A combination of tightening global supplies and strengthening demand are the main culprits behind this unprecedented pain at the pump. Unfortunately, there doesn’t appear to be a quick end in sight. Gas prices are likely to continue fluctuating throughout the summer and remain well above year-ago levels.”