Is Florida’s economy flourishing or is it struggling at the back of the pack?

[Ballotpedia]( [View this email in your browser]( [The Daily Brew]( We fact-checked.  In a recent campaign video, Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris King characterized the state as being "at the back of the pack" in major economic indicators, claiming, "Of the 10 most populated states in the country, Florida is last in wages, income, and per capita GDP." According to Gov. Rick Scott (R) and members of his administration, the state has flourished under his tenure. For example, a press release from the state’s Department of Economic Opportunity claimed, "Florida’s strong workforce and business-friendly environment allow our state’s economy to flourish. I am proud to see our state’s job growth rate soar past our nation’s other large states." Who is correct about Florida's economy? [Read our fact check]( Share on:   [Facebook](   [Twitter](     SCOTUS hears cell phone privacy case Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded the first week of its two-week argument sitting for December by hearing arguments in Carpenter v. United States, an appeal of a judgment of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  Based on information obtained from a suspect's cell phone, which was surrendered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) by the suspect, the FBI arrested Timothy Ivory Carpenter and Timothy Michael Sanders. The information from the cell phone provided the FBI's basis to petition for judicial orders under the Stored Communications Act (SCA) to obtain call and cell phone location data held by Carpenter's and Sanders' cellular service providers. The SCA did not require the government to show probable cause or to obtain a warrant in order to obtain the data. The FBI received the orders and arrested Carpenter and Sanders, in part, on the basis of the location data provided by the cell phone providers. Carpenter and Sanders moved to suppress the data before trial, which a federal district court denied. Both were convicted of multiple federal charges. A three-judge panel of the Sixth Circuit upheld the convictions, holding that the use of the cell phone location data did not constitute a search under the Fourth Amendment and, no warrant was required in order to use the data.   The case has been seen by many as an important case for digital privacy rights. [Learn more]( →   Low number of recalls and low success rate in 2017  An effort to recall Jake Speed from his position on the School District of Onalaska Board of Education in Wisconsin was approved at the ballot on November 28. His recall was the last scheduled school board recall Ballotpedia identified for 2017. With 22 recalls targeting 50 board members, 2017 had the lowest number of school board recalls since 2013. It also had the lowest success rate (6 percent) since Ballotpedia started tracking these figures a decade ago. Success rates are calculated by dividing the number of recalled officials by the total number of officials who were targeted for recall. As of November 27, Ballotpedia tracked 235 recall attempts or elections against 321 elected officials in 2017. Of the 60 elected officials who faced recall elections, 32 officials were recalled, for a rate of 53.3 percent. This is lower than the 56.3 percent rate for 2016 recalls and the 64.5 percent rate for 2015 recalls. [Show more]( →   The Heart of the Primaries Ballotpedia will be covering the 2018 elections like we never have before. In addition to our continued comprehensive coverage of congressional and state elections, we will now bring you to the frontlines of primary battles. Witness intraparty conflict as Democrats and Republicans compete to make it onto the general election ballot. Sign up today for our weekly update on primary battles and receive the first issue on January 15. [Subscribe]( →   Ballotpedia depends on the support of our readers. The Lucy Burns Institute, publisher of Ballotpedia, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law. Donations to the Lucy Burns Institute or Ballotpedia do not support any candidates or campaigns. [Donate Securely Online]( Decide which emails you want from Ballotpedia. [Unsubscribe]( or [adjust your preferences]( →   [Facebook](   [Twitter](