Hello and welcome to Monday.

The wire — Sen. Rick Scott — who is in charge of getting Republicans elected to the U.S. Senate in 2022 — continues to walk that fine line when it comes to dealing with a certain Florida resident.

Bucking Trump — Scott went on national television Sunday and acknowledged that President Joe Biden was “duly elected” and also said the National Republican Senatorial Committee will back Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski in her re-election bid. Of course, both of these answers put Scott in the position of being somewhat crosswise with former President Donald Trump.

Why ask me? — Trump has continued to press baseless allegations about 2020 election fraud. It’s worth noting that Scott himself voted against certifying the results from Pennsylvania after the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. But when pressed about how Trump has refused to concede last year’s election, Scott told NBC’s Chuck Todd “I think you would have to ask Donald Trump.” He also danced around a question about why so few Republicans believe that Biden was legitimately elected.

On the other hand — It was a fascinating back and forth because as Scott makes these comments, he and other Republicans continue to rely on Trump to help with their fundraising efforts aimed at taking back the Senate. Scott also acknowledged that “I think you'd be foolish not to want and accept Donald Trump's endorsement” but then added “you're going to win not because somebody endorses you.”

Disconnect? — Then there was this comment during the interview: “Democrats are focused on Donald Trump. Americans are focused on the future.” Scott then added: “We're going to win in '22 because we're going to talk about issues. We're not going to talk about the last election.” For what it’s worth: Back in Scott’s home state, local GOP groups are calling for an audit and recount of the 2020 election. Trump ally Roger Stone is pressing the issue with Ron DeSantis and went on television in Miami to raise questions about the last election. And the former president keeps pressing the issue in comments issued from Mar-a-Lago. So it goes.

— WHERE'S RON? — Gov. DeSantis is scheduled to hold a press conference in Zephyrhills with Senate President Wilton SImpson and House Speaker Chris Sprowls.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for Playbook? Get in touch: [email protected]

THE MESSAGE — “Rick Scott to GOP hopefuls: Get Trump’s support, but go beyond that," by POLITICO’s Annie Bryan: Florida Sen. Rick Scott signaled Sunday morning that GOP candidates should vie for an endorsement from former President Donald Trump ahead of the 2022 midterms — but that his endorsement is not enough to win. “You'd be foolish not to want and accept Donald Trump's endorsement,” he told host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press,“ ”but you’re going to win not because somebody endorses you.”

— “Defying Trump, Scott backs McConnell and Murkowski, tiptoes around false claims about election fraud,” by Washington Post’s Amy B. Wang

WHAT’S IN YOUR WALLET? — “The $30 billion woman: Megadonor Miriam Adelson leaps back into politics,” by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: Despite her husband’s death, Adelson plans to dole out big checks and be an influential player shaping the future of the party, which over the past decade has reaped more than a half-billion dollars of the family’s fortune.

Familiar names on the list — According to a person familiar with the talks, the list of figures Adelson met with this week included House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Rick Scott, who are helping to guide the party’s midterm efforts. She also huddled with a group of Republicans regarded as potential presidential hopefuls in 2024: former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Vice President Mike Pence, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

PUSHING BACK — The Democratic Governors Association is insisting that it is not writing off Florida during the 2022 elections despite the ongoing rightward tilt of the state as well as Gov. Ron DeSantis’s substantial fundraising advantage and the Republican surge in voter registration. POLITICO on Friday reported how that the DGA is expected to have a smaller footprint in the state next year. But in a statement issued on Friday, DGA executive director Noam Lee said: “Florida is a competitive battleground state in 2022. Gov. DeSantis is vulnerable and defeating him is a priority for the DGA. We’ve already started investing in Florida and are working with our candidates to ensure we have what it takes to take on DeSantis next fall. We’ve beaten GOP incumbents in tough states like Scott Walker, Pat McCrory, and Matt Bevin — and we are deploying the same strategy now in Florida. Any reports and anonymous quotes that say Florida is not in play or that the DGA is not interested are just flat wrong.”

STONE ZONE — “Roger Stone threatens to run for Florida governor unless Ron DeSantis pledges to serve out 2nd term if he reelected,” by CBS Miami’s Jim DeFede: “Roger Stone is threatening to run for governor in Florida if Ron DeSantis doesn’t pledge to serve all four years in office if he’s reelected. Stone told CBS4’s Jim DeFede he would run as a Libertarian or some other third-party candidate to siphon votes away from DeSantis and cost him reelection. ‘Look, I have no illusions about my ability to become elected governor of Florida. That’s not the point here. I believe that Gov. DeSantis, assuming he’s going to run for reelection, should pledge to the people of Florida that he will fill out all four years of a second term,’ said Stone. ‘What I don’t want to see is for him to be reelected and then immediately abandon Florida to run off and run for president, particularly if he’s running against Donald Trump.’”

VIVA LAS VEGAS — “GOP candidates pitch themselves to Republican Jewish Coalition," by Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Steve Sebelius: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who claimed he was in charge of “the freest state in America,” touted his state’s influx of new residents, which he attributed not only to low taxes but of a hands-off government policy. DeSantis said he’d signed legislation banning so-called ballot harvesting, in which people who are not related to a voter collect ballots for submission to elections offices and prohibited mass mailings of absentee ballots to voters. He denounced the teaching of “critical race theory” in Florida schools. ‘We are not spending taxpayer dollars to teach our kids to hate our country or hate each other. That is not happening,’ he said.”

CLEARED — “DeSantis’ office doesn’t have to testify in lawsuit over controversial election law, judge says,” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Saunders: “A federal judge has shielded seven Republican lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office from having to testify about a controversial new elections law — including testifying about any involvement by the governor’s office in trying to block three University of Florida professors from serving as expert witnesses. Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker released a 22-page decision Thursday that quashed subpoenas issued by attorneys for groups challenging the constitutionality of the law, SB 90, which the Republican-controlled Legislature passed in April.”

MEANWHILE — “University of Florida reverses on professors testifying against DeSantis-backed voting bill,” by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: University President Kent Fuchs said in a statement Friday that he asked the school’s Conflict of Interest Office to reverse its decision barring professors from providing expert testimony in legal challenges involving the state regardless of personal compensation — as long as they are not using school time or resources. Fuchs’ statement marks a major turnabout from the university, which had faced a nationwide blowback since the news broke last week that the flagship Florida university sought to prevent the academics from testifying.

AND THIS HAPPENED — “UF professors file federal lawsuit alleging ‘stifling of faculty speech,’” by Tampa Bay Times’ Divya Kumar: “Three University of Florida professors who were barred from testifying in a lawsuit against the state’s new voting law filed a federal lawsuit Friday alleging their First Amendment rights were violated and asking the court to strike down the school policy that led to a ‘stifling of faculty speech against the state.’”

— “How a Florida university system ‘stacked’ with mega-donors became ‘blatantly political,’” by USA Today Network-Florida’s Jeffrey Schweers

— “UF faced with thorny — and old — questions about political meddling,” by Tampa Bay Times’ Lawrence Mower

THE COUNT ISN’T OVER YET — “As recount ends, only 5 votes separate Cherfilus-McCormick and Holness. Hundreds of ballots arrived late,” by Sun Sentinel’s Anthony Man and Brooke Baitinger: “After hours of recounting ballots by machine and by hand, under the hyper-vigilant eyes of teams of prominent election attorneys, the ultra-close South Florida congressional race between Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and Dale Holness remained far too close to call. A final outcome won’t come for a week — 10 days after Election Day — at the earliest.”

— “Val Demings, Nikki Fried to headline Hillsborough Democratic Party’s fundraiser," by Tampa Bay Times’ William March

The daily rundown — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there were 1,610 Covid-19 infections on Friday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 1,577 hospital beds were being used in the state for Covid-19 patients.

THE TOLL — “The cost of the pandemic: How Tampa Bay lost billions from COVID-19," by Tampa Bay Times’ Jay Cridlin and Ian Hodgson: “Restaurants closed. Friends lost jobs. Events got canceled. The Super Bowl wasn’t quite as super, even with Tom Brady and the Bucs hosting and winning at home. ‘It’s absolutely fair to say we’ve lost billions of dollars,’ said Rick Homans, former president and CEO of the Tampa Bay Partnership, a nonprofit coalition of business leaders. ‘Our economy virtually shut down for months, many parts of it. You could head out on the streets and see it.’ And that’s on a macro scale. Zoom in, and the impact is more acute.”

SHUTTING DOWN — “Florida to close half its monoclonal antibody sites,” by WFLA’s Evan Donovan: "Florida is closing half its monoclonal antibody therapy sites, forcing COVID-19 patients to seek free treatment at state-run sites further away or go to nearby hospitals and medical centers where the treatment can be costly. Amid a sharp decline in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in Florida, at least 12 of the state’s 25 sites are slated to close less than three months after Gov. Ron DeSantis opened the first site in Jacksonville on August 12."

NOTCHING A WIN — “School boards lose mask challenge against Florida Department of Health rule,” by POLITICO’s Andrew Atterbury: “An administrative law judge on Friday upheld a contentious Florida Department of Health rule that outlaws local mask mandates for students, dealing a blow to school boards that are fighting the DeSantis administration’s Covid-19 policies. In a 25-page order, the judge determined the rule requiring schools to let parents opt their children out of any local masking requirements is not unsafe for students, and that state officials followed the law when crafting the measure.”

— “California’s COVID-19 case rate now twice Florida’s,” by San Jose Mercury News’ John Woolfolk

SO ABOUT THAT SPECIAL SESSION — Gov. Ron DeSantis surprised top Republicans in the Florida Legislature when he told them he was calling them back for a special session dedicated to bills dealing with everything from vaccine mandates to the Parents Bill of Rights. But here we are with a week to go and not a single bill has emerged. Word is that discussions and bill drafting are underway but it remains telling that there’s no legislation yet. The logistics of a special session are always complicated, but you can’t schedule one if you don’t have the bills hammered out. Still, DeSantis has scheduled a Monday press conference with legislative leaders, so maybe some more details will finally emerge.

What the governor wants — There is one other thing to keep an eye on as well. The special session call issued by DeSantis does not directly mention stripping Covid-19 liability protections from businesses that insist on vaccines for their employees. Yet the governor himself insisted during a press conference last Thursday that was something he expected legislators to consider. For what it’s worth, it requires a supermajority vote to add any legislation to the special session that’s not outlined in the call. The call does say legislators should consider “robust enforcement” to ensure employees are not discriminated against. Let’s see where this lands.

WHAT’S THE OVER/UNDER? — "‘I’m confounded’: Florida sports betting deal comes under court scrutiny," by News Service of Florida’s Dara Kam: “A Washington, D.C.-based judge harshly chastised lawyers for the Biden administration Friday for failing to be prepared to answer questions about whether a deal that gives the Seminole Tribe of Florida control over sports betting in the state violates federal law. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich gave the U.S. Department of Justice until Tuesday to explain whether a sports-betting provision in the deal between the Seminoles and the state is in keeping with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, or IGRA, which lays out the framework for tribal gambling.”

ONE-STOP SHOPPING — Five Republican House members — along with one candidate — are holding a joint fundraiser early evening on Dec. 1 at The Georgia Street House for both their re-election campaigns and their political committees. An invitation obtained by Playbook lists Reps. Alex Andrade, Dave Borrero, Brad Drake, Mike Giallombardo and Randy Maggard as holding the event. Also listed: Shane Abbott, a candidate for House District 5.

But at the same time — State Sen. Danny Burgess will be holding a fundraiser at the Governor’s Club for his re-election campaign and political committee. The invitation also lists Senate President Wilton Simpson and Sen. Kathleen Passidomo as hosts.

‘THESE ARE YOUR BEACHES’— “A turtle, a pool and the fight to save Puerto Rico’s beaches," by The New York Times’ Patricia Mazzei: “But the endangered hawksbill had wandered onto the site of a swimming pool being built so close to the ocean’s edge that a swimmer could practically step from the pool into the waves. A photo of the struggling turtle, its front flippers digging out of the sand, turned this summer into a symbol of defiance for Puerto Ricans alarmed at what is happening to their beloved coast. Erosion and overdevelopment threaten Puerto Rico’s beautiful beaches. On an island that has struggled with bankruptcy, crumbling infrastructure and the emigration of a substantial part of its population, the pristine sand and abundant wildlife that have made Puerto Rico’s beaches famous around the world are both a point of pride and an important tourism draw.”

— “Ocoee remembers 101 years since 1920 massacre with motorcycle honor ride, ceremony,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Cristóbal Reyes

— “Miami mayors go to Scotland to talk about cities’ roles in combating climate change,” by Miami Herald’s Joey Flechas

— “Video showing man burning items in Pulse memorial, foundation seeks helps finding him,” by Orlando Sentinel’s Leslie Postal

— “High wind delays SpaceX homecoming after 6 months aloft,” by The Associated Press’ Marcia Dunn

BIRTHDAYS: Frank Jimenez, general counsel for Raytheon Technologies ... Steve Sauls, former vice president for Florida International University

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Florida has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Sunshine State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness amongst this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: [email protected]