Happy 150th birthday, Orlando!

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced a yearlong celebration Tuesday to honor the City Beautiful’s upcoming July 31 anniversary. The party plans include public art, a new history exhibit and free admission into two popular downtown area attractions.

Starting in April, the Orange County Regional History Center will feature a special Orlando exhibit.

“The exhibit will showcase 150 unique items donated by local individuals and organizations, offering a window into the city’s rich history,” the city said in a press release.

Also expect art displays around the city.

“Later this summer, the Changing Face of Orlando: A Sesquicentennial Celebration public art exhibition will feature a striking visual comparison of historical photographs paired with their modern-day counterparts, illustrating the city’s remarkable transformation over the past 150 years,” the city said.

The 150th anniversary celebration grand finale will be a citywide service event. The city will also offer free admission to Leu Gardens, the botanical museum owned by the city, and the Mennello Museum of American Art.

The city is launching a website for residents to learn more or share their own thoughts.

“The City of Orlando invites all residents, businesses, and organizations to join in the celebration,” the press release said. “Opportunities to participate include hosting events, offering special anniversary promotions, sharing personal Orlando stories on social media, and contributing historical anecdotes and photos to the city’s digital history board.”

Today, Orlando is famous for its theme parks but has also hosted major sporting events, including the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, and developed a reputation as a great foodie town. Thousands also come to check out the community’s theater scene.

“From its humble beginnings as a small frontier town in 1875, Orlando has grown into a vibrant and diverse community,” the city said in the press release. “With over 300,000 residents calling Orlando home, our community offers something for everyone.”

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

First Shot

In a significant shake-up in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ inner circle, Jason Weida, the current head of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), will be named as the Governor’s new Chief of Staff.

First reported by Gary Fineout of POLITICO, the move comes as James Uthmeier, a longtime DeSantis confidant, prepares to become Florida’s Attorney General. Florida Politics suggested Weida was the top pick Saturday in Takeaways from Tallahassee.

Weida, an attorney who worked as an assistant federal prosecutor, has been at the helm of AHCA since 2022. His agency oversees Florida’s massive $35 billion Medicaid program, giving him a deep understanding of the state’s health care landscape. During President Donald Trump’s first term, he was also floated for a high-ranking federal appointment.

On Tuesday, the Governor’s office began informing top aides about the impending change. Uthmeier’s anticipated appointment as Attorney General drives his departure. This position opened after DeSantis appointed Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate following Marco Rubio’s move to Secretary of State.

Uthmeier has been DeSantis’ Chief of Staff since October 2021. He briefly stepped aside to manage his struggling presidential campaign in 2023. After DeSantis withdrew from the race following a poor showing in Iowa, Uthmeier returned to his role.

The exact timeline for Weida and Uthmeier’s transitions remains unconfirmed, but sources indicate the moves will occur soon. This marks DeSantis’ fourth appointment to Chief of Staff.

Stay tuned to Florida Politics for updates as this story develops.

Evening Reads

—“Inside the chaotic run-up to Donald Trump’s tariff U-turn” via Gavin Bade, Ryan Felton and Chip Cutter of The Wall Street Journal

—“Federal layoffs ‘likely’ if too few employees choose to quit, memo says” via Faiz Siddiqui, Emily Davies and Lisa Rein of The Washington Post

—“20,000 federal workers take ‘buyout’ so far, official says” via Marc Caputo of Axios

—“Inside Trump and Elon Musk’s clumsy, ‘exhausting’ hunt for leakers” via Asawin Suebsaeng and Andrew Perez of Rolling Stone

—”Musk’s X becomes weapon in government cost-cutting ” via Kate Conger of The New York Times

—”The ‘rapid unscheduled disassembly’ of the United States government” via Charlie Warzel of The Atlantic

—“Senate Democrats delay Pam Bondi confirmation, vote now expected Wednesday” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics

—“Trump’s Justice Department forces out FBI’s top agent in Miami” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics

—“New report puts Ben Sasse’s spending scandal at UF under the microscope” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics

—“‘Petty, retaliatory’: One South Florida lawmaker punished, another promoted in wake of state immigration bill fight” via Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—“Florida’s iconic corals aren’t having babies anymore. Scientists are alarmed.” via Benji Jones of Vox

—”In bipartisan vote, Miami-Dade County Commission urges Trump to keep TPS for migrants” via Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald

Quote of the Day

“… the public purpose of such a salary is not readily apparent.”

— The recurring theme of the Florida Auditor General’s preliminary report on UF’s spending under Ben Sasse.

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.

Citizens CEO Tim Cerio thinks the insurer of last resort can get its policy count down to a manageable level over the next two years — we’re crossing our fingers and ordering him a Knock On Wood.

DeSantis gets a Double Down for recommending another $3 million in state funding for Florida Gaming Control Commission investigations.

If you’re passing through Orlando, do your duty and order a Birthday Cake Martini to help the City Beautiful celebrate its 150th birthday.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Seminoles try to end skid vs. Notre Dame tonight

Florida State looks to snap a four-game losing streak when the Seminoles host Notre Dame at the Donald Tucker Center tonight (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network).

Florida State (13-9, 4-7 ACC) dropped a one-point game at Boston College on Saturday on a game-winning three-pointer. FSU led the entire second half until the final bucket. The Seminoles are 11th in the ACC standings, tied with three other teams. 

With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Noles must finish in the top 15 of the 18-team conference. The bottom three teams, Boston College and North Carolina State, have at least two games to make up on the rest of the field, so Florida State is probably safe. However, seeding in the tournament can dramatically change the task of advancing. FSU will likely need to win the conference tournament to earn a berth in the NCAA tournament. 

The bottom six seeds play first-round games, with seeds five through eight entering the second round. For Florida State to earn a top-eight seed, they must jump at least three teams ahead of them. One of those teams is Notre Dame (10-11, 4-6). A win tonight by the Seminoles would substantially help their cause. 

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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.

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Gregory Tony’s ethics woes that have plagued his tenure as Broward’s top law enforcement officer for years could finally reach something of a conclusion this week.

The Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) is scheduled to rule Thursday on a judge’s urging that Tony, the county’s Sheriff since 2019, be reprimanded for failing to disclose a prior driver’s license suspension.

Administrative Judge Robert Kilbride said in May that Tony should be placed on an 18-month probationary status, reprimanded in writing and compelled to undergo ethics training. The recommendation came about a month after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) called on Kilbride to suspend Tony’s law enforcement certification for six months, followed by a year’s probation.

The CJSTC’s agenda for the Thursday meeting has the item concerning Tony under “exception to recommended order,” which likely refers to a formal written objection to Kilbride’s proposed punishment.

At issue was that Tony did not disclose when he was applying for a driver’s license in Florida that his driver’s licenses had been suspended in Pennsylvania in 1998.

A 2022 FDLE complaint said Tony failed to report the suspension in several subsequent applications between 2007 and 2019, when Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed him Sheriff.

FDLE Assistant General Counsel Andrew Digby wrote that Tony violated the public trust, calling the Sheriff’s falsehoods “an act involving moral turpitude” by an official who “is inherently held to a higher standard.”

Tony has repeatedly denied he intentionally withheld the information.

“On my driver’s license applications, I’ve said ‘yes’ a few times (and) omitted and missed one or two here and there,” he acknowledged during a 2022 radio show.

Additionally that year, the Florida Commission on Ethics found probable cause that Tony used his office corruptly when he failed to disclose on official documents that he was arrested as a minor for killing a man.

The panel determined Tony did not tell the whole truth during the hiring process for his employment with the Coral Springs Police Department, when completing a notarized form submitted to the FDLE while serving as Sheriff, and when applying to renew his driver’s license while serving as a law enforcement officer.

The driver’s license case is the first to reach a ruling stage. The process began in July 2023 after Dean Register, FDLE’s Director of Criminal Justice Professionalism, filed a complaint against Tony for allegedly making false statements eight times while applying for a driver’s license.

The homicide disclosure case, meanwhile, began in September 2022. Tony was found not guilty of murder after witnesses failed to testify. But later, he signed an FDLE affidavit asserting, under oath, that he’d never had any criminal records sealed or expunged. His juvenile court records for the shooting had been sealed.

Tony, a Democrat, comfortably won re-election in November with a two-thirds share of the vote, easily outpacing Independent Party candidate Charles Whatley for a second four-year term.

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