This week’s biggest Winners & Losers

Miami-Dade County has launched an effort to completely revamp a 17-acre section of downtown Miami, with one official calling it “probably the largest development project the county has put together.” And given that it’s in her district, it’s a huge deal for County Commissioner Eileen Higgins, who called the proposed development “very exciting.” The project could end up being a $10 billion investment and take well over a decade to complete – but assuming it goes forward as planned, the ribbon-cutting will be worth the wait for Higgins and other local officials.

The governor’s former press secretary has now been made his campaign’s rapid response director … er, whatever that means. She tweeted that the gloves are now off, but they’ve been off for a while, haven’t they? Expect even more of the unfiltered, full-throttle attack mode that she trademarked in the press office. Those painting this as a demotion miss the point. In terms of furthering DeSantis’ reelection, Pushaw is right where she needs to be.

What Ron wants, Ron gets. Another of the governor’s picks is but one step closer to a top state government position. Rodrigues, a longtime lawmaker who’s not seeking reelection to the state Senate, was one of only two applicants selected to interview before the State University System’s Board of Governors search panel to replace outgoing Chancellor Marshall Criser. Assuming Rodrigues, an Estero Republican, gets the nod, he’ll be in place to further oversee DeSantis’ retooling of the state’s public universities.

An administrative law judge is siding with the Broward County School Board in its firing of Alvarez, a science teacher who refused to follow his school district’s COVID-19 mask mandate. He also was accused of not maintaining a distance of six feet from others. The ruling concluded Alvarez “engaged in gross insubordination by continued, intentional failure to obey numerous direct orders, reasonable in nature and given by and with proper authority.” Let it be noted, however, that conservatives have inveighed against mandates throughout the pandemic.

In the wake of Hurricane Michael in 2018, crews were hired to clean up debris – but at least one company cleaned up in another way, according to the feds. GAC Contractors, in part run by the well-liked and well-connected former House Speaker Allan Bense, is now accused of bilking “millions of dollars” from local governments in Bay County, including sending out crews that failed to do any actual work. Others cleaned up sites for various local politicians instead, reports say. It’s an unexpected development for Bense, who didn’t provide a comment to the Panama City News Herald for its story on the investigation.

For a second time, the St. Petersburg City Council voted down a proposal to put rent control on the ballot for a public vote. The proposal, enthusiastically backed by outspoken tenant advocates, was championed by Councilwoman Deborah Figgs-Sanders, who saw it fail on a 5-3 vote. One challenge she faced is that the city attorney’s office said the vote didn’t follow the proper process. Maybe the third time’s a charm – although a rent control measure already died in committee earlier this year.