Good Wednesday morning.

The daily rundown — Between Monday and Tuesday, the number of Florida coronavirus cases increased by 9,806 (0.6 percent), to 1,589,087; active hospitalizations decreased by 85 (1.1 percent), to 7,363; deaths rose by 162 (nearly 0.7 percent), to 24,436.

Happening today — a Florida man comes home.

Just a little paperwork — President Donald Trump is set to arrive in Palm Beach fresh off a late-night flurry of commutations and pardons. South Florida eye doctor Salomon Melgen got mercy, as did rapper Lil’ Wayne (whose pardon for a Miami-related gun charge was championed by NFL Hall-of-Fame cornerback Deion Sanders), Miami developer Bob Zangrillo and kinda, sorta former Florida man Steve Bannon.

A sought-after move — Hours before the pardons, the Trump administration granted deferred enforced departure to Venezuelan nationals for the next 18 months, a move long sought after by Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who argued it was wrong to force Venezuelans to return home while Nicolas Maduro remains in power. “The Trump Administration has taken a significant and much-needed step to help Venezuelan nationals residing in the U.S.,” Rubio said in a statement.

What’s next — After these final moments of a presidency, now the story turns to Trump’s arrival in South Florida, where several of his family members are also supposed to relocate. There is the running drama of whether he’s allowed to live at Mar-a-Lago permanently. Oh yes, there’s still the resolution of impeachment proceedings, the prospect of a 2024 campaign (if it’s allowed), the talk of his own media empire, the looming debt in his business operations and the will-she or won’t-she speculation surrounding an Ivanka Trump political career.

Still here — So the media coverage of Trump won’t stop. And Trump’s influence in Florida — where many Republicans have stood by the president even in the aftermath of the U.S. Capitol riots — appears to still be intact. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose candidacy was elevated by a well-timed Trump endorsement in 2018, is up for re-election next year and his campaign will likely become a referendum on Trumpism if Democrats have their way. Trump has traded the metaphorical swamp of D.C. for the real swamps of Florida, and its mosquitoes, humidity, traffic jams, and of course, the ubiquitous Florida man and Florida woman. Home sweet home.

— WHERE'S RON? — Nothing official announced for Gov. Ron DeSantis.

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LATE NIGHT ACTION — “Trump pardons dozens, including Steve Bannon, as he exits White House,” by POLITICO’s Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney: Trump’s wave of clemency included a broad range of beneficiaries, from nonviolent drug offenders sentenced to lengthy jail terms, to the man whose relationship with Russian spy Maria Butina ignited a Washington firestorm, to the wealthy doctor accused of paying bribes to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.). The grants of clemency mark an extended run of post-election pardons and commutations that have skewed heavily toward protecting or rewarding Trump’s political allies.

— “‘Like a ghost' in the White House: The last days of the Trump presidency,” by POLITICO’s Anita Kumar, Gabby Orr and Meridith McGraw

PROTECTION — “Trump grants Venezuelans temporary legal status on his way out,” by POLITICO’s Sabrina Rodriguez: President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he will offer Venezuelan exiles protection from deportation, a move he has considered for years but refused to do until his last full day in office. Trump is using the little-known Deferred Enforced Departure program, or DED, to offer temporary legal status to Venezuelans fleeing the humanitarian crisis brought on by Nicolás Maduro’s regime. DED, similar to Temporary Protected Status or TPS, protects recipients from deportation and allows them to get work permits….Florida Republicans, such as Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, have long pushed for the Trump administration to offer temporary legal status to Venezuelans given the dire situation in the South American country. It was also long sold as a way to build more good will with South Florida’s Venezuelan community. Despite not granting TPS for Venezuelans, Trump — with his campaign's anti-socialist messaging — won in Doral, home to the largest Venezuelan community in the United States, posting significant gains from 2016.

A NEW HOME ADDRESS — “Trump’s ‘American carnage’ presidency will end in Palm Beach on Wednesday,” by Palm Beach Post’s Antonio Fins: “The ‘American carnage’ that is the end of the Trump presidency is slated to careen to a historic end Wednesday at Mar-a-Lago. President Trump is scheduled to arrive in Palm Beach and likely spend his final hour or so as president at the club that served as the Southern White House during his one-term administration. He will be just the sixth American president not to attend the swearing-in ceremony for his predecessor.”

— “‘They want to welcome him home.’ MAGA fans expect ‘a lot of emotion’ during Trump’s Palm Beach arrival,” by Sun Sentinel’s Skyler Swisher and Anthony Man

— “Trump will find ‘both love and hate’ in Florida as he begins post-presidential life,” by Miami Herald’s David Smiley and Francesca Chambers

NOT WELCOME — “Trump Jr., Guilfoyle moving in? Admirals Cove residents not thrilled with the idea,” by Palm Beach Post’s Christine Stapleton and Alexandra Clough: “Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle are planning to spend millions of dollars on two luxurious waterfront homes in Admirals Cove, an exclusive gated community in Jupiter. But like Trump's father is seeing in Palm Beach, some would-be neighbors in Admirals Cove also don't want a Trump in their neighborhood. When word spread that the couple had contracts to purchase the two homes on adjacent lots in the community, about 30 residents contacted Peter Moore, general manager of the property owners association. "About half have concerns about safety," Moore said. "The others have political concerns with what's happened in the last couple of weeks."

FORMER STATE HOUSE CANDIDATE — “Gabriel Garcia, Miami Proud Boys member, ex-GOP candidate, arrested for role in Capitol mob,” by Miami Herald’s David Ovalle and Jay Weaver: “A Miami member of the extremist Proud Boys group who once ran unsuccessfully for elected office was arrested early Tuesday on allegations he took part in the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol. Gabriel Garcia made his first appearance in federal court Tuesday as a criminal complaint against him was unsealed. He is being charged with engaging in acts of civil disorder, entering restricted grounds and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. According to a criminal complaint, Garcia, 40, recorded and uploaded a series of Facebook videos of himself inside the Capitol along with others in the mob. “We just went ahead and stormed the Capitol. It’s about to get ugly,” he says in the video."

On the ballot last year — “Last year, Garcia ran for Florida House District 116 as a Trump backer. He described himself as a 'lifelong, loyal Republican' in challenging incumbent Daniel Perez. Garcia’s candidacy was promoted by a political committee that has attacked Perez, also a Republican, while receiving $400,000 raised by outgoing Republican House Speaker Jose Oliva.”

‘I AM ANGRY BEYOND WORDS’ — “Polk deputy texted coworker about plan to kill feds after U.S. Capitol riot, sheriff says,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Monivette Cordeiro and Katie Rice: "A Polk County deputy sheriff was arrested Tuesday after he was accused of threatening a mass shooting against federal officials following the riot at the U.S. Capitol this month. The day of the riot, 29-year-old Peter Heneen made the threats in Facebook messages he sent to a fellow deputy, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Screenshots of the messages provided by the agency show Heneen talked about shooting 'the feds' in retaliation for Capitol police shooting insurrectionists, adding there was a ‘[n]eed to make the streets of DC run red with the blood of these tyrants.’ During a press conference Tuesday, Polk Sheriff Grady Judd said Heneen, who worked with the Sheriff’s Office for more than six years, was suspended pending his termination. ‘As you can see, I am angry beyond words,’ Judd said. ‘... You can’t police the society if you don’t first police yourself.’”

— “2 Florida men arrested by FBI in US Capitol breach probe,” by Associated Press

— "Trump commutes 40-year sentence of Clearwater Ponzi scheme operator,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Tracey McManus

— “In appeal, lawyers for ex-U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown stress ousted juror’s religious freedom,” by Florida Times-Union’s Steve Patterson

GAETZ V. SIMPSON? — How’s this for firing the starting gun for 2022? Rep. Matt Gaetz, the firebrand ally of President Donald Trump, made it clear on Tuesday that he has no plans to mount a primary challenge against Sen. Marco Rubio even though Rubio has earned the ire of some Trump followers. In response to a Sun Sentinel story about those urging him to run, Gaetz tweeted out “I have no interest in running against Marco Rubio for U.S. Senate.” But then the Northwest Florida Republican added, “In 2022 the only statewide position I would consider running for in the current political climate is Commissioner of Agriculture.”

Name recognition — This is a bit of revealing take since Commissioner Nikki Fried is a Democrat contemplating running for governor. Meanwhile, GOP Senate President Wilton Simpson is considered a likely candidate for the Cabinet post. That doesn’t seem to matter to Gaetz, who criticized Simpson last year during a legislative battle over an immigration bill pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. A tweet responding to Gaetz’s that said “Paging @Wilton Simpson” drew a retort from Gaetz: “Paging who? (Asking for 98 percent of Floridians).” Gaetz later added to his Twitter thread by saying “Florida needs an agriculture commissioner who doesn’t support illegal immigration. Regardless of political party.” He also said the state needs a commissioner who is a strong Second Amendment supporter. (The department oversees Florida’s concealed weapons program.)

New discoveries — It is worth noting here that Gaetz recently got engaged to Ginger Luckey, a California financial analyst who works at Apeel, a company that is working on ways to reduce food waste by helping keep produce from spoiling. When asked about his tweets about running for agriculture commissioner, Gaetz responded in a text that “I have a newfound interest in agriculture.”

219 DAYS LATER — “Florida auditors find a few dead people and felons voting,” by POLITICO’s Gary Fineout: State auditors are raising questions about how good a job Florida election officials are doing to remove dead people, felons and those with duplicate registrations from the voter rolls. Auditors said they found four examples of a dead person voting — including in one instance of a dead person casting a vote by mail 219 days after the recorded date of death. They also found eight examples where it appeared convicted felons were able to vote, although three of those voters had their voting rights restored.

A blip? — Auditors said they didn't find “any widespread irregularities” or “pervasive errors.” Most of time period covered by the audit — 2017 through May 2019 — was when the administration of then-Gov. Rick Scott was in charge. Still, the details could be a bit embarrassing after an election cycle that saw Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Republicans brag about how well Florida administered the 2020 election. Secretary of State Laurel Lee said in a statement that “we take our responsibility to Florida’s voters seriously, including our obligation to ensure the accuracy of the voter rolls.”

IT STARTS — “DeSantis criticizes Biden’s vaccine plan as ‘big mistake,’ ‘not necessary,’” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower: Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t impressed with President-elect Joe Biden’s plan to enlist the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help with the nation’s vaccine rollout. During a news conference in Cape Coral on Tuesday, DeSantis said Biden’s plan to use federal disaster agency and the National Guard to build COVID-19 vaccine clinics across the country would be a ‘big mistake.’ ‘I saw some of this stuff Biden’s putting out, that he’s going to create these FEMA camps, I can tell you, that’s not necessary in Florida,’ he said. ‘All we need is more vaccine. Just get us more vaccine.’”

...SPEAKING OF — The Fifty: "Biden’s Covid fight meets a big test: Red-state politics," by POLITICO's Joanne Kenen and Rachel Roubein: Joe Biden has promised to unite the states to vanquish the coronavirus. And he may have a narrow opening as increasingly contagious forms of Covid spread. Even more patients will crowd hospitals as the more-transmissible variants take hold. More will die. The U.S. death toll passed 400,000 Tuesday; incoming White House chief of staff Ron Klain has bluntly pointed out that it will likely top a half million within weeks... About a dozen red-state governors have vowed to defy any effort to mandate statewide face coverings, saying it should remain a personal choice or up to local communities.

I.D. PLEASE — “Jackson Health now requiring proof of U.S. residency to get COVID-19 vaccine,” by Miami Herald’s Bianca Padro Ocasio: "Florida’s largest public hospital system, Jackson Health System, is now requiring proof of U.S. residency for patients who want to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, a change in policy that follows angry backlash from frustrated Miami-Dade residents. Anyone who wants to get vaccinated against COVID-19 at Jackson hospitals must show a U.S. government-issued photo ID with their date of birth, including a driver’s license or a U.S. passport."

MEANWHILE — “Florida writing guidelines to ward off vaccine tourism,” by POLITICO’s Arek Sarkissian: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is finalizing guidelines meant to stop tourists from flocking to the state in search of a Covid-19 vaccine, an early outcome of the state’s decision to expand eligibility to everyone over the age of 64. What happened: DeSantis said at a news conference Tuesday that the state’s federally-governed allotment of the vaccine will be reserved for Florida residents responding aggressively to the growing problems for the first time since the shots arrived in Florida more than a month ago. The governor said he’s drawing up a plan to ensure that shots go in the arms of Florida residents older than 64 years old.

AND THEN THERE’S THIS — “Florida Surgeon General Rivkees says state vaccine is ‘supply limited,’” by News Service of Florida’s Christine Sexton: “As Gov. Ron DeSantis barnstorms the state announcing new COVID-19 vaccination sites, a top health-care adviser acknowledged Tuesday on a phone call with hospital officials that Florida is in a ‘supply-limited situation.’ Surgeon General Scott Rivkees said in the statewide phone call that he does not know when additional ‘first doses’ of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be sent to the state or how many doses would be in a potential future delivery. ‘At the present time, we are in pretty much a supply-limited situation,’ Rivkees said. ‘So, as more vaccine becomes available, we will be able to determine when we can send more vaccines out to hospitals for community vaccination.’”

ON YOUR RADAR — “Concern grows in Florida over more contagious COVID strain,” by Associated Press’ Bobby Caina Calvan: “As Florida officials ramped up vaccinations against the coronavirus, concern spread Tuesday over a new, more contagious variant that could be gaining a foothold in the third-most populous U.S. state. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Florida had 46 confirmed cases of the more transmissible strain of COVID-19 as of Sunday, eclipsing California with 40 confirmed cases at last count. The strain was first detected in the United Kingdom in December and has begun spreading globally.”

— “Freedom Tower turns amber to honor 400k COVID deaths in U.S. as part of national tribute,” by Miami Herald’s Carli Teproff

— “Gov. DeSantis announces expanded Publix vaccinations throughout Florida,” by Fort Myers News-Press’ Frank Gluck

— “Mayor Curry says vaccine scarcity could halt vaccinations at city-run sites after Thursday,” by Florida Times-Union’s David Bauerlein

‘THOSE KIDS DIDN’T MAKE IT HOME THAT DAY’ — “QAnon-promoting congresswoman claimed Stoneman Douglas massacre was a ‘false flag’ operation,” by Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man: “U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican QAnon conspiracy promoter, wrote on Facebook that the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School massacre was a ‘false flag’ operation. Her claim, from 2018, was unearthed and reported by Media Matters, a left-leaning news site that focuses on conservative media.”

Swift reaction — “Jared Moskowitz said Greene should either quit in disgrace over the comments or visit the site of the massacre. 'You should resign or in the alternative get on a plane (wear a mask) and come to my city #parkland and visit @MSDHighSchool,' he wrote on Twitter, suggesting that Greene talk to [Fred] Guttenberg and other family members who lost loved ones. ‘Then go to the grave sites. Those kids didn’t make it home that day. I was there.’”

ALL IT TOOK WAS A SHORTFALL — “Push to collect online sales tax could get bipartisan boost,” by POLITICO’s Matt Dixon: A long-running push to require online retailers to automatically collect Florida sales taxes could get a boost of momentum this session as Florida faces a nearly $3 billion budget gap. This year’s proposal is getting early bipartisan love as lawmakers begin the initial committee meetings for the 2021 legislative session. The bill, FL SB50 (21R), is once again being sponsored in the Senate by Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican who also chairs the Florida GOP.

— “Don Sutton passes away at 75: ‘He was Pensacola’s first superstar athlete,’” by Pensacola News Journal’s Eric J. Wallace: “A trailblazer in Pensacola sports has passed away. Don Sutton, a Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and arguably Pensacola's first national sports star, has passed away at age 75, according to his son, Daron Sutton. Sutton shared news of his father's passing via his personal Twitter account on Tuesday afternoon, stating Don died in his sleep the previous night….Sutton briefly attended Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City before pursuing a career in the MLB, where he became one of the most accomplished pitchers in Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves history in a career spanning 1966-1988. Sutton was a four-time All-Star and the MLB's ERA leader in 1980. He won 324 career games and is seventh on the MLB's career strikeout list with 3,254.”

BIRTHDAYS: Rick Oppenheim, CEO and senior counselor at RB Oppenheim Associates ... J.D. Hicks with J.D. Hicks & Associates ... Former state Rep. Al Jacquet

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