Good morning and welcome to the final Playbook of 2023. Happy holidays!

Its leaders used to work for Donald Trump when he was president. Now, they’re opening an office in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ backyard in Tallahassee.

The think tank America First Policy Institute launched a Florida chapter in November. America First president and CEO Brooke Rollins told Playbook that Florida is already a model for conservative governance, but the new chapter wants to “make it better and continue to help Florida model for the country what fighting for freedom looks like under an America-First banner.”

To do that, America First selected as co-chair former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has longstanding relationships with lawmakers and staff. Bondi, who was one of Trump’s lawyers during his first impeachment trial and led a pro-Trump super PAC, already works with America First as co-chair of its law and justice division focusing on human trafficking and drug-related crimes. When the national think tank launched in 2021, Bondi said, its founders “started calling all of us — all of their friends” with “different forms of expertise in their respective fields.”

Many were also Trump alumni. Rollins, who was Trump’s acting domestic adviser, describes America First as a “free market, liberty, freedom-oriented policy organization” but insists it’s nonpartisan, citing her experience working with Democrats on criminal justice and foster-care reform. Other chapters are in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and California, with a goal to eventually expand to every state.

It’s unclear how receptive the DeSantis administration will be to a group with such deep connections to the former president. The rivalry between Trump and DeSantis has turned nasty over the last year, with the former president regularly attacking the governor for perceived disloyalty and DeSantis denying that Trump ever helped his political career.

America First has mainly been meeting with the Legislature, yet many of its aims align with DeSantis, who held tremendous sway among lawmakers after his decisive 2022 reelection victory. The group asserts it has been part of 60 legislative wins during the last two Florida sessions through its sister lobbying shop America First Works. It counts among its victories the anti-diversity, equity and inclusion language in a law (HB 931) that prohibits colleges and universities from requiring signed statements in support of DEI.

It also supported a law (HB 1423) allowing the state to revoke business licenses when minors enter facilities with an “adult live performance,” introduced by GOP Rep. Randy Fine, a DeSantis-turned-Trump ally. The law is widely viewed as targeting drag shows. And ahead of the 2024 session, the group is meeting with Fine to work on measures against antisemitism.

The organization has its eye on other policies to cut taxes and regulations, and held more than 50 meetings with legislators and staff, Rollins said. The rest of the Florida team are co-chair Omeed Malik, a financier; Florida state director Kevin Cabrera, Miami-Dade County commissioner; and director of state strategy and engagement Jon Shiner.

As a charitable organization, America First can’t engage in campaign activities. The Trump campaign also recently distanced itself from policies conservative outside groups were pushing for a Trump second term. America First has held events at Trump properties, including Mar-a-Lago, and Rollins credited Trump with “leading a moment in our country” and having “brought Republicans back” to former President Abraham Lincoln’s principles of “free men, free labor and American greatness.”

But Trump isn’t the only one describing his record as “America First.” In a September interview with ABC News, DeSantis said he’d delivered on “America-First” policies “more than I think anybody in the country.”

When asked directly whether DeSantis himself embodied the “America First” agenda, Rollins avoided answering, calling it “an agenda for all Americans” and “for anyone that leads and fights for and espouses these policy issues.”

— WHERE’S RON? Gov. DeSantis will join the Conservative Review Podcast with Daniel Horowitz then he’s attending events in New Hampshire as a guest of Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting him. DeSantis will be campaigning in Iowa over the weekend.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off next week and the week after for the holidays but back to our normal schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

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TEST FOR CAPITAL PUNISHMENT EXPANSION — State Attorney Bill Gladson in Lake County will be seeking the death penalty against a defendant, Joseph Giampa, who has been indicted for raping a young girl and taping it.

The case may mark the first instance in which a prosecutor is seeking capital punishment under an expansion passed during the last session, to allow such crimes to be eligible for the death penalty. DeSantis posted on X last night that the move had his “full support.” If convicted, the defendant’s case is likely to face multiple, lengthy appeals and constitutional challenges given that the Supreme Court ruled previously that executing someone convicted of rape constituted “cruel and unusual punishment.”

DRUG IMPORT UPDATE — “Federal officials are expected to decide by Jan. 5 whether to approve a Florida plan to import cheaper prescription drugs from Canada, state Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Jason Weida told a House panel Thursday,” per News Service of Florida.

IG INVESTIGATION — Probe launched into Florida’s affordable housing agency, reports POLITICO’s Gary Fineout. The investigation by DeSantis’ top watchdog will include looking at allegations asserted by the former executive director in a scathing resignation letter.

The probe by the chief inspector general comes at a time when the Florida Housing Finance Corporation is responsible for carrying out an ambitious and costly affordable housing agenda pushed into law earlier this year by Senate President Kathleen Passidomo.

REDISTRICTING — The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to speed up its consideration of a lawsuit challenging the congressional map pushed by DeSantis. A lower court ruled that the map, which dismantled the North Florida seat of Rep. Al Lawson, violated constitutional standards approved by voters and ran counter to a state Supreme Court ruling that led to the district’s creation. But the First District Court of Appeal overturned the decision, arguing in part that it wasn’t bound by previous Supreme Court rulings.

Attorneys for both sides of the legal fight tried to bypass the appeals court and go straight to the state Supreme Court but judges on the First DCA nixed that. Saying it was urgent to resolve the litigation, Black Voters Matter and the other groups suing the state asked the high court this week to require all jurisdictional briefs on the case to be filed by Dec. 29. The court on Thursday granted the motion in a one-paragraph decision.

— Gary Fineout

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD — “A battle over birds: Bills filed to make flamingo the official state bird of Florida,” reports James Call of USA TODAY Network – Florida. “The pink-feathered creature entered the ring this week to join the Florida scrub jay in an effort to strip the northern mockingbird of the designation as official bird of the State of Florida.”

DO OVER — ‘Fruit from a poison tree’: FAU ordered to restart presidential search, reports POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury. The Board of Governors over the state university system voted unanimously to scrap the Florida Atlantic University search after determining certain aspects violated Florida’s open records law in a consequential decision set to shape the future of the school. With critics claiming the search was halted to install a political spoil — a GOP state lawmaker who says DeSantis tried to install him — the state board attempted to swat away those concerns while taking action.

AND THEN THERE WERE SEVEN — Eight Republicans paid fees and filled out paperwork to qualify for the Florida GOP presidential primary, but North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum won’t be on the March 19 ballot. Burgum — who has suspended his campaign — requested that state election officials remove his name ahead of this week’s deadline. The seven candidates who will be on the ballot: Ryan Binkley, Chris Christie, DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy and Trump.

The Trump campaign has repeatedly mocked DeSantis ahead of this week’s withdrawal deadline by saying he will be soundly rejected by Florida Republicans in March. Steve Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said earlier this week that “at this rate, the entire DeSanctus name will be tainted from ever running for political office ever again.”

— Gary Fineout

SUNDAY — The Republican Party of Florida’s 40-member executive board is meeting in Orlando to consider its next steps after news leaked that the group’s chair, Christian Ziegler, is under investigation following allegations of sexual assault. Ziegler refuses to resign and maintains he is innocent, though he admitted to police he had consensual sex with the woman and his wife, Bridget Ziegler, admitted that the three of them had sex together a year ago.

Top elected officials including DeSantis have called on Ziegler to step down, but it’s not clear that the GOP’s rules will allow for his ouster. The group is considering suspending Ziegler without pay and may need to launch an investigation before they could work to have him removed from his post. It’s not clear when police will close the criminal investigation.

Ed Shoemaker, one of the executive committee members who won’t be able to attend Sunday’s meeting because of Christmas travel plans, wants Ziegler to resign from his post and said the state party should “take action to dismiss him as chair immediately” if he doesn’t. He said the non-criminal admissions that have emerged were enough to convince him.

“Both Christian and Bridget are leaders and role models in the areas of protection of children and family values, lynch pins of Republican morals, values and campaign talking points,” he wrote to colleagues in a message he shared with Playbook. “Is that really your suggestion of who should be leading our party, its campaign efforts, its fundraising and the presidential election effort?”

Florida Politics’ Jacob Ogles reported that Ziegler asked the party for a $2 million payout to resign, but Ziegler told the Washington Post in a text that the buyout report was “100 percent not true.”

FLORIDA DEMS WANT VENEZUELA SANCTIONS BACK — Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried met with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado during a panel yesterday, after Venezuela’s high court suspended last month’s primary election results. The actions have cast doubt over President Nicolás Maduro’s agreement with the Biden administration to hold free and fair elections in exchange for lifting oil sanctions.

“As long as Maduro refuses to abide by the terms of the Barbados agreement, we will call for President Biden to reimpose sanctions and penalties against his corrupt regime,” Fried said. “The people of Venezuela deserve to decide their future in free and fair elections.”

ON THE ROAD — “DeSantis will be joined by a trio of top conservatives on the campaign trail in Iowa in the next few days as he continues his push to mobilize Hawkeye State voters to caucus for him next month,” reports Fox News’ Andrew Mark Miller. “Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) a longtime friend of DeSantis, is set to appear with the GOP presidential candidate on Saturday for a 2nd Amendment Town Hall in Johnston, Iowa. Additionally, DeSantis will be joined by Massie’s GOP colleague Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) in Iowa on Monday through Wednesday.”

SENATE INVESTIGATION — “The head of Florida’s large state-created insurer called it a ‘bit infuriating’ that a U.S. Senate committee recently demanded that Citizens Property turn over information about its ability to pay claims,” reports Florida Politics’ Christine Jordan Sexton. “Tim Cerio, the Citizens CEO, told those assembled at the 2023 Florida Chamber Insurance Summit that ‘you can speculate’ on why the request was made. He then added, ‘The bottom line is we are going to respond. We are going to be professional.’”

DESANTIS ON IMPEACHMENT — The governor called the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden “long overdue” and “warranted” when asked about it yesterday on the Doug Wagner Show.

BIRTHDAYS: Former Florida Democratic Party chair Terrie Rizzo ... Gabriel Groisman, attorney and former mayor of Bal Harbour … (Dec. 18) Rep. Bill Posey ... U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz ... John Thrasher, former Florida House speaker and former Florida State University president. … Stephanie Smith with Tampa Electric … Former Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas … Bradley Gerber, director at Golin Public Relations … (Dec. 20) State Rep. Kelly Skidmore ... University of Miami President Julio Frenk … (Dec. 21) Erin Isaac … (Dec. 23) Former State Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto ... Anne Gannon, Palm Beach County Tax Collector and former legislator ... Tallahassee Democrat’s Christopher Cann … (Dec. 24) Barney Bishop … (Dec. 25) Former Gov. Bob Martinez ... Logan Lewkow, director of communications at Florida Sheriffs Association … (Dec. 27) Michelle Ubben, president and partner Sachs Media Group … (Dec. 28) Ana Navarro ... former State Rep. Nicholas Duran ... (Dec. 29) Former Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera … Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala … (Dec. 31) Former State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith ... Jennifer Fennell with CoreMessage… (Jan. 1) Brian Crowley, former political journalist ... Geoffrey Becker, director state government affairs at Medtronic ... Ted Bridis, University of Florida … (Jan. 2) Former U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler