Florida Playbook Gary Fineout and Matt Dixon’s must-read briefing on what’s hot, crazy or shady about politics in the Sunshine State. Sign up for POLITICO Florida Playbook Email Most Recent Issue Archives About Us Editors Joseph J. Schatz Angela Greiling Keane Lorraine Woellert Reporters Matt Dixon Bruce Ritchie Alexandra Glorioso Arek Sarkissian Andrew Atterbury Gary Fineout More Florida Articles Coronavirus impact on farm labor broadens push for federal action ‘It’s a sh– sandwich’: Republicans rage as Florida becomes a nightmare for Trump Google wielding its vast troves of phone-tracking data in virus fight Banks warn of chaotic launch of small business lending program Hospitals begin jockeying over $100B coronavirus fund Follow Us Gov. Ron DeSantis | Getty Images ‘It’s a sh– sandwich’: Republicans rage as Florida becomes a nightmare for Trump By GARY FINEOUT and MARC CAPUTO 04/03/2020 05:02 AM EDT Share on Facebook Share on Twitter TALLAHASSEE — The staggering unemployment exploding on President Donald Trump’s watch would worry any incumbent running for reelection, but troubles in Florida are injecting an added dose of fear into a jittery GOP. Already anxious about Trump’s chances in the nation’s biggest swing state, Republicans now are dealing with thousands of unemployed workers unable to navigate the Florida system to apply for help. And the blowback is directed straight at Trump’s top allies in the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott . Advertisement Privately, Republicans admit that the $77.9 million system that is now failing Florida workers is doing exactly what Scott designed it to do — lower the state’s reported number of jobless claims after the great recession. “It’s a sh– sandwich, and it was designed that way by Scott,” said one DeSantis advisor. “It wasn’t about saving money. It was about making it harder for people to get […]
