Bacon donuts, ’22 candidates and bourbon

Readers have questions and I have answers

It’s been a while since we’ve done a Q&A session. And you people have a lot of Q’s — wondering how jury duty has changed in the pandemic, who might run for governor in 2022 and the best way to consume bourbon and doughnuts. (Not together … though I’m not judging.)

I got summoned for jury duty. What’s it like these days? Is it a super-spreader event? T.R.

The 9th Circuit Court of Orange and Osceola says it’s trying hard to make sure it’s not. They’re calling about half as many potential jurors. Seating in the jury boxes has been rearranged to allow for distancing. Temperature checks and masks are required to enter the courthouse. The circuit’s jury guru, Karen Levey, also says sanitation is on steroids and notes the Florida Supreme Court issued an order to allow those with serious COVID concerns to reschedule.

How is the bacon-maple doughnut at The Salty? Mike

Bacony, mapley and doughnutty. (Mike’s talking about the new Audubon Park doughnut shop that all the hip kids are lining up to sample.) That one wasn’t my first choice. I prefer the coconut. But my pastor recommended it, so that was basically an order from God. And it was better than I expected. My recommendation: Heat it up a tad. It’s like eating French toast and bacon in one super-sugary bite. Then check your glucose levels.

Why have we lost our minds as a country? Jeremy

Twitter.

What are the chances of Democrats defeating Gov. Ron DeSantis next election? K.D.

Anything’s possible. But history isn’t in the Dems’ favor. Florida Democrats haven’t unseated a Republican for statewide office in three decades — since “Golden Girls” was on TV, troops were in the Gulf War and Republican Gov. Bob Martinez doomed his own prospects by supporting a proposed tax increase on a number of professional services.

Do you think Anna Eskamani will run for governor? Al

Quite possibly. Asked this week, the Democratic legislator from Orlando said she’s “seriously considering it” and that she hopes the prospect makes lobbyists nervous.

Can she beat DeSantis? Al

OK, Al, that’s two questions. As I mentioned, Florida Dems have

generally struggled of late. And Eskamani, 30, is young, still building statewide name ID and is uber-progressive in a state recently voting red. But she’s also a talented speaker, a ridiculously hard worker and knows more about policy than most legislators I’ve watched. (I’ve seen her school GOP legislators on their own bills.) A few years ago, I would’ve said: No way. Today, maybe. Heck, I thought Democrat Andrew Gillum had no chance, and he only lost to DeSantis by 0.4%. Eskamani has many of Gillum’s strengths but without his ethical baggage.

How does a state whose voter rolls lean Democratic keep electing Republicans? Mark

Hey Mark, remember when I mentioned “ethical baggage” about 25 words ago? In the last governor’s

race, Democrats decided to make their nominee a guy who was tied up in an active FBI investigation at the time. Republicans couldn’t have been happier.

What politician who you’ve covered are you most excited to no longer be in office? Lee

Trick question, Lee. Many of the worst ones in Florida not only get re-elected, they get promoted.

What is the difference between a street, road, lane, way, boulevard, avenue?

Kimbra

A “road” can be anything that connects two points. A “way” is a small street off a road. A “lane” is a narrow road, often in a rural area. “Boulevards” usually have medians. “Streets” and “avenues” often run perpendicular to each other with buildings or trees on each side. Oh, and everything I just told you? It’s not necessarily true. They’re guidelines.

And sometimes debatable. Heck, there’s a “parkway” in Winter Park that has no park and runs all of three blocks.

I remember a state rep who was opposed to government health care but wanted to “try it out” for himself a few years ago. Is he still “trying it out”? Doug.

That’s Brevard Republican Randy Fine. In 2016, Politico discovered the millionaire lawmaker who had described government health care as “a disaster” had signed up to take advantage of the state’s own (generous and heavily subsidized) plan offered to part-time legislators. Fine claimed he wanted “to understand what government health insurance is like” and “broaden his perspective.” How noble. I asked Fine this week if he was still broadening his perspective. He hasn’t responded yet. So I’ll file a public records request, and we can get back to this one later.

Any news on moving the state capital to some place Floridians actually live? I remember reading about this but felt like legislators want to avoid regular citizens. B. Sessions

Well, regular citizens rarely carry around $10,000 campaign checks. Years ago, there was talk of moving the capital to Orlando. It makes geographical sense. Tallahassee isn’t convenient to anything other than southwest Georgia and the Apalachee Bay. But the idea is pretty dead in the water, since relocating the state capital would cost approximately $1 bajillion dollars.

What was that bourbon you once mentioned that everyone drooled over? Alan

Col. E. H. Taylor small batch. Over a single cube. Better than doughnuts.