Last Call for 3.3.26 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida

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

We don’t want the day to get away from us without wishing a happy birthday to Ron LaFace, co-founder of Capital City Consulting, and Katie Wiles of Continental Strategy.

First Shot

The Legislature has officially sent the 2026 Farm Bill to the Governor’s desk.

The House on Tuesday passed SB 290 in a 94-10 vote, clearing the final hurdle for the wide-ranging Agriculture Department priority measure. The bill now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“The Florida Legislature passing the 2026 Florida Farm Bill is a major victory for Florida farmers and Florida families,” said Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. “… the 2026 Florida Farm Bill supports the people who feed our state and our nation while also strengthening public safety and defending our rural lands and natural resources. Together, we’re strengthening the backbone of Florida’s economy and ensuring our state remains a place where freedom, family, and farmers can thrive.”

House sponsor Rep. Danny Alvarez added, “When you focus on Florida, freedom, and our farmers, you’re on the right path, and that’s exactly what the 2026 Farm Bill delivers.”

Sponsored in the Senate by Keith Truenow and carried in the House by Alvarez, the nearly 40-page package touches everything from land use and biosolids regulation to veterinary workforce development and local government pre-emption.

Among its most closely watched provisions is language prohibiting counties and municipalities from restricting the use of gasoline-powered farm or landscape equipment or treating it differently than electric alternatives — a measure backed by industry groups wary of what they describe as a patchwork of local mandates.

In a March 3 statement, the Florida Nursery, Growers & Landscape Association praised passage of the bill, calling the equipment preemption a “landmark provision.”

“This legislation is a win for every landscape professional in Florida,” said Tal Coley, chief executive officer of FNGLA. “The choice of equipment should belong to consumers, not local governments. SB 290 prevents a patchwork of local mandates that would have raised costs, disrupted operations and placed an unfair burden on businesses that are already working hard to serve their communities. We are grateful to Commissioner Simpson, Reps. Alvarez and Johnson, and Sen. Truenow, for their support of our industry and Florida’s consumers.”

Beyond equipment policy, the bill revises state conservation land procedures by directing the Department of Environmental Protection to evaluate whether certain state-owned parcels are suitable for agriculture and, if so, authorizing their surplus with conservation easements attached.

It also phases out the land application of lower-grade biosolids, eventually limiting use to Class AA material — the highest treatment standard under Florida law — to reduce the risk of contaminants reaching groundwater and surface waters.

Notably absent from the final version is earlier language that would have expanded the state’s agricultural disparagement statute. That proposal was stripped after pushback in Committee.

If signed, most provisions of SB 290 will take effect July 1.

Evening Reads

—”State Dept. scrambles to aid stranded Americans amid attacks, airport closures” via Adam Taylor, Dan Lamothe and Sammy Westfall of The Washington Post

—“Operation Epic Fury was built in Tampa” via Katelyn Ferral of the Tampa Bay Times

—“The legality, or illegality, of killing a foreign leader, explained” via Charlie Savage of The New York Times

—”Donald Trump opens the Pandora’s Box of assassination” via Tim Naftali of The Atlantic

—”How journalists are reporting from Iran with no internet” via Mahmoud Aslan of WIRED

—”The casino-fication of war” via Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby and Noel Sims of Popular Information

—”A billionaire, a scientist, and a secret in the Florida Everglades” via Michael Adno of Rolling Stone

—“‘Blue Ribbon’ development bill narrowly survives Senate Committee vote” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix

 —“Five bills struggling as Session nears end” via Ana Goñi-Lessan of News Service of Florida

—“House passes foreign influence bill as Jenna Persons-Mulicka tacks on surrogacy limits” via Jesse Mendoza of Florida Politics

—”Vertiport bill flies through House floor vote with unanimous support” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics

Quote of the Day

“I believe the Blue Ribbon policy has merit and should be thoughtfully considered, but not today and not this Session.”

— Sen. Kathleen Passidomo, ahead of a potential nail-biter Senate vote for the Blue Ribbon Projects bill.

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.

Hopefully, an Arctic Mouthwash will stave off the cavities because the Senate is saying no to dental therapists.

Rep. Leonard Spencer gets a Landing Gear for carrying a bill welcoming flying vertiports to unanimous approval in the House.

Raise a Farewell to Rep. Angie Nixon, who said her goodbyes to her House colleagues as she embarks on a campaign for the U.S. Senate.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Lightning face Wild in Minnesota

The first-place Tampa Bay Lightning look to end a brief two-game losing streak as they travel to Minnesota to face the Wild tonight (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT).

Tampa Bay (38-16-4) leads the Atlantic Division by four points over Buffalo and trails Carolina by two points for the top spot in the Eastern Conference standings. The Lightning won their first game back after the Olympic break to extend their winning streak to six straight, but have since lost the last two games, falling 5-4 at Carolina and 6-2 at home to Buffalo. 

Tampa Bay has put together winning streaks of five, seven, eleven, and six games this season. Those stretches have helped to overcome a 1-6 start to the season.

Right winger Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 95 points, third best in the NHL. Kucherov has 64 assists this season, second only to Edmonton’s Connor McDavid. Kucherov is trying to become the seventh man to win three straight Art Ross Trophies for the most points in the league. The other players to have accomplished the feat include Gordie Howe, Phil Esposito, Guy Lafleur, Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, and McDavid, who won the three years before Kucherov’s last two. The trophy was first awarded in 1948.

Minnesota (35-16-10) is in third place in the Central Division. With just over 20 games remaining for most teams, playoff positioning is coming into focus. If the playoffs started today, Tampa Bay would be the second seed in the East and Minnesota would be the number three seed in the West.

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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.