Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.

First Shot

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds’ bid for Governor is expanding its coalition network with the launch of a Faith Leaders Coalition.

The coalition includes clergy members, faith-based nonprofit leaders, and community figures who organize worship, volunteer efforts, and religious outreach across the state. Campaign officials said 65 Florida faith leaders have already signed on, with plans for weekly prayer calls led by rotating members of the group.

“God calls us to pray for our leaders. This is not about politics,” said Pastor Jearlyn Dennie, founder of She Leads Florida. “It is about standing in the gap and covering Byron Donalds’ leadership in prayer as we seek God’s best for our state of Florida.”

Another supporter, Anthony Verdugo, founder of the Florida Christian Family Coalition, framed the effort as both spiritual and civic.

“We are called to pray for our leaders, and Congressman Byron Donalds is a fearless leader who shares our values and needs our prayers,” Verdugo said. “In order for Florida to continue succeeding, common sense values of faith, family, and freedom must be reflected at the highest levels of state government in order to serve the public good.”

Verdugo added that policy decisions affect communities statewide, including houses of worship, and said the coalition exists “to lift up Florida in prayer and support for a leader who shares and practices our values.”

The Faith Leaders Coalition follows the campaign’s earlier rollout of a Veterans for Byron Coalition, which is co-chaired by elected officials who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, and Navy JAG.

Donalds’ campaign has emphasized its momentum in both fundraising and endorsements.

He has secured backing from President Donald Trump, Elon Musk, a majority of the Florida House Republican Caucus, multiple Sheriffs, 17 members of Florida’s congressional delegation, U.S. House Leadership, and conservative leaders at the state and national levels.

Evening Reads

—“Donald Trump taps Yale doctor who pushed unproven COVID treatment to lead U.S. cancer effort” via Ariana Eunjung Cha of The Washington Post

—”Trump dangles cash payments to buoy voters’ views of the economy” via Tony Romm and Andrew Duehren of The New York Times

—“Trump is already lining up his 2026 fall guy” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—”Frustrated GOP centrists back ACA vote, siding with House Democrats” via Siobhan Hughes of The Wall Street Journal

—“Congressional seats, even the safe ones, don’t come cheap” via Emily Goodin of Open Secrets

—“The DOJ’s messy effort to prosecute George Soros” via Tessa Stuart of Rolling Stone

—”The 2,000-year-old debate that reveals AI’s biggest problem” via Sigal Samuel of Vox

—”DEI died this year. Maybe it was supposed to” via Jason Parham of WIRED

—”Poll: Jerry Demings, David Jolly are tied, but concerns remain about nominating another former Republican” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics

—”Trackers, AI translators, pepper spray: Cabinet approves cops’ immigration requests” via Liv Caputo of the Florida Phoenix

Quote of the Day

“Almost every local government we have reviewed … has shown zero fiscal restraint.”

— CFO Blaise Ingoglia, introducing his priority legislation for the 2026 Session.

Put it on the Tab

Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.

Send a Spyglass to the University of Florida’s new committee charged with conducting a national search for the school’s next leader.

The Democratic Primary for Governor remains neck-and-neck, but the spread changes once respondents are given a Déjà Vu.

Bob Buckhorn gets a Next Chapter for his mayoral campaign’s focus on growth and infrastructure.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

USF concludes season with unusual bowl game scenario

The USF team that beat Florida and spent time in the polls will conclude the season in the Cure Bowl against Old Dominion, but with some key pieces missing (5 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Neither head coach Alex Golesh nor quarterback Byrum Brown will serve in the roles they manned during the season. Golesh took the head coaching job at Auburn and will not coach the Bulls in the game. Brown is sitting out the game and will instead serve as a coach for the team. After discussions with new Bulls coach Brian Hartline, Brown agreed it was best to sit out the game. He is likely to enter the transfer portal and seek a new start elsewhere.

On the other side, Old Dominion quarterback Colton Joseph also will not play. He announced his intentions to transfer when the portal opens on Jan. 2.

The game is a microcosm of some of the problems with college football. The diminishing importance of bowl games outside the College Football Playoff and the increased portability of players via the transfer portal make the postseason a different animal than it was in the past. 

In any event, the game presents an opportunity for both teams to pursue a 10-win season. USF has not won double-digit games since 2017, while Old Dominion has only one such season in program history, 2016.

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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.