Nate Monroe talks NE Florida

On a brand new State of Emergency, Peter Schorsch and Jared Moskowitz welcome Nate Monroe, columnist for the Florida Times-Union and probably the strongest voice in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida.

Topics include:

— Hurricane Ida hits New York hard; is climate change to blame?

— Working for FEMA is tough; lots of turnover and burnout. In Florida, the Division of Emergency Management lost 40 staff members in the past 9 months.

— Adrian Lukis exits as Ron DeSantis’ Chief of Staff. Who will replace him? What does the Governor need for the job?

— Jared talks about DeSantis’ habit of burning through staff. What are the optics, and how will it play out politically (if at all)?

— Have DeSantis’ critics (and the media) pushed him too far? He may have taken the hits personally; his pushback is doubling down politically.

— Nate says the media has built DeSantis’ political character; but he’s embraced criticism and turned it into “media gold.”

— Contrasting the COVID-19 coverage between Florida and New York. Perhaps the media should have been a little harder on Andrew Cuomo (versus DeSantis) about his pandemic response.

— Florida is a microcosm for the nation, and the lessons of high-profile out-of-state Democrats (like Cuomo and Gavin Newsome) should be a cautionary tale. Peter says the national media doesn’t quite grasp the nuance of Florida politics.

— On the 2022 Governor’s race, a look at the distinctive styles (and appeal) of Charlie Crist and Nikki Fried.

— Is there another Democrat in the wings who could change the equation? And who would DeSantis prefer to run against?

— Doing what needs to be done in the Governor’s race.

— Nate talks about the biggest, underreported issue in Jacksonville, including a federal investigation.

— How DeSantis was seen as Northeast Florida Congressman, and his current relationship with Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.

— The political force of Casey DeSantis, and how will she play out on the campaign trail (in Florida and beyond).

— Jared (with an honorary doctorate) gives rapid-fire grades to the main players in Florida politics. Who moved up, or down? What issues are holding them back?

— Peter talks about the best (and worst) thing about DeSantis.

— A parting shout-out to Rich Templin.