Politics
Ashley Moody formally files to run for her U.S. Senate seat in 2026
U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody has formally filed as a candidate seeking another two years in the Senate in 2026.
The Plant City Republican submitted her statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. Meanwhile, a political committee that supported Moody’s two successful runs for Florida Attorney General has emptied its coffers and donated nearly $3.85 million to a state committee.
Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Moody in January to replace former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio after his confirmation as Secretary of State. Moody will hold the seat until the 2026 election, which will determine who serves the remaining two years of Rubio’s term.
In filing for the federal office, Moody established Moody For Florida as her principal campaign committee. The moves formally make the recent Senate appointee a candidate for federal office for the first time.
The committee was formed in January, but takes on new significance now that Moody has filed her candidacy and designated that as her official committee.
A joint fundraising account, the Ashley Moody Victory Fund, was also created in January. That committee can raise funds alongside Florida Leads, a leadership committee also established in connection with Moody’s candidacy, and with the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the fundraising arm for Senate Republicans.
Tampa political accountant Kirsten Quick of Crosby Ottenhoff Group has been named as the committee’s official Treasurer and custodian of records for all the Moody-connected committees. All those committees are keeping deposits at the Chain Bridge Bank in McLean, Virginia.
As Moody turns her attention to her run for federal office, Friends of Ashley Moody, a state committee that supported her previous runs for state office, formally disbanded on Feb. 18. Before doing so, the committee contributed almost $3.85 million to the Protect Florida PAC.
Like Friends of Ashley Moody, the committee is chaired by Melanie Bonanno with Rich Heitmeyer serving as Treasurer.
While the Friends account at one point seemed poised to support a potential run for Governor for Moody, it could not support a campaign for federal office.
Notably, the Protect Florida committee, which was formed in 2023, must focus on state and local races in Florida. Moody had previously filed paperwork allowing her to solicit donations for the Protect Florida committee but withdrew that in January following her Senate appointment. But a website for the committee still says it is associated with Moody.
Expenditures reported by Protect Florida include $17,500 spent with Tallahassee firm Image Management on media consulting and advertising. They also show $5,000 spent with Seneca Strategies, a Virginia firm founded by Tucker Obenshain, who previously worked with DeSantis’ presidential campaign.
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Politics
Carlos Giménez says sanctions will prevent Cuba from selling doctors ‘like cattle to the highest bidder’
Carlos Giménez, America’s only Cuban-born Congressman, is a big fan of new sanctions Secretary of State Marco Rubio just announced.
“I applaud President (Donald) Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for combatting the murderous dictatorship in Communist Cuba, (which) must be held accountable for its countless crimes against humanity including human trafficking and forced labor,” Giménez said in a statement.
“We know Cuban doctors are sold like cattle to the highest bidder and subjected to inhospitable, slave-like conditions — and this new (State Department) policy is a step in the right direction to prevent the regime in Havana from profiting from their perverse modern-day slavery scheme. I look forward to continuing working with Secretary Rubio and President Trump to enforce a policy that isolates the Castro regime and assists the Cuban people in their struggle for freedom.”
Rubio confirmed new restrictions on Cuban officials involved in labor-export programs that send medical care from the island nation to other countries, including U.S. adversaries. But the Cuban-born and -trained doctors sent abroad frequently work under inhumane treatment, low or withheld wages, oppressive conditions and restrictive agreements that generate income for the Cuban regime, which benefits from these agreements diplomatically.
Former President Joe Biden’s administration imposed sanctions on third parties in other countries that help coordinate Cuban work brigades.
The new sanctions, Rubio said Tuesday, target “current or former Cuban government officials, and other individuals, including foreign government officials, who are believed to be responsible for, or involved in, the Cuban labor export program, particularly Cuba’s overseas medical missions.”
The immediate family members of those sanctioned may also be penalized with visa restrictions.
The announcement from Rubio — who made history as the first Cuban American Florida House Speaker, U.S. Senator and Secretary of State — comes just over a month after Trump reversed an unpopular decision Biden made in mid-January to remove Cuba as a federally recognized state sponsor of terrorism.
Giménez is among the strictest Cuba hawks in Washington alongside Rubio and fellow Republican U.S. Reps. Mario Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar. Last year, he led an inquiry into a much-criticized tour Cuban officials took of security areas at Miami International Airport.
In late January, Giménez joined the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institute. He said he’d work to ensure that “Hispanic, Cuban American, and Cuban exile experiences are accurately portrayed and represented in the Smithsonian Institute’s collection.”
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Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
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Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Gov. Ron DeSantis is shuffling agency heads following former Chief of Staff James Uthmeier’s ascension to Attorney General.
Soon after Uthmeier’s appointment to succeed U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, DeSantis plucked Jason Weida to fill the vacant Chief of Staff slot, which in turn created an opening at the top of the Agency for Health Care Administration, which oversees the state’s Medicaid program and tens of thousands of health care facilities.
The ripple effect continued Tuesday when the Governor announced Department of Children and Families Secretary Shevaun Harris would be tagging in for Weida. Harris’ new role isn’t so new — before she took the lead role at DCF in early 2021, Harris spent 15 years working at AHCA, culminating with a stint as Acting Secretary.
Harris’ slot at DCF, meanwhile, will be filled by Taylor Hatch, the Secretary of Florida’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities. Hatch previously worked as a Deputy Secretary at DCF.
Hatch’s background included working as the Director of Legislative Affairs for the Department of Management Services, the state’s real estate manager, and director of workforce services at the Department of Economic Opportunity.
DeSantis did announce who would succeed Hatch at DCF, so there may be another domino or two left in the chain.
Evening Reads
—“The 34 most unhinged lines from Donald Trump’s CPAC speech” via Chris Cillizza of So What
—”The election just ended and we already have a new Michael Wolff book” via Nicolas Niarchos of The New York Times
—”Some GOP lawmakers start to call out DOGE — carefully” via Hannah Knowles, Marianna Sotomayor and Mariana Alfaro
—”Nearly 40% of contracts canceled by Elon Musk’s DOGE are expected to produce no savings” via Ryan J. Foley of The Associated Press
—“Russia’s withering economy is tricky place to do deals — even for Donald Trump” via Georgi Kantchev and Joe Wallace of The Wall Street Journal
—”Why the Trump administration is publicly supporting an alleged human trafficker” via Aja Romano of Vox
—“‘Forced labor’: Marco Rubio expands sanctions on Cuba’s doctor program” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—”Message to Byron Donalds? Casey DeSantis warns ‘Republican-lite squishes’ could set back Florida” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics
—”With no Medicaid expansion on horizon Florida lawmakers take on scope battles (again)” via Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix
—”Goodbye to baseball’s most anachronistic rule” via Steve Rushin of The Atlantic
Quote of the Day
“With the left and the special interests wanting to impose their will … or squishes wanting to go Republican light by continuing to spend on massive boondoggles and not implementing the will of the people, Florida could very easily revert back to a purple state.”
— First Lady Casey DeSantis, possibly swiping at U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.
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.
Order a round of Purple Rains — the tastiest purple and white cocktail we know of — for the advancement team at Florida Poly, which was just named a Fulbright Top Producing Institution.
Florida Gaming Control Commission served Bad Bets to a stack of illegal gambling businesses from the Space Coast to the west coast.
Prep a Welcome Home for Shevaun Harris, who is returning to AHCA, where she worked for 15 years, including as Acting Secretary, before leading DCF.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Gators travel to Georgia
The Florida Gators travel to Athens to face the Georgia Bulldogs tonight (7 p.m. ET, SEC Network) as Florida continues its march toward a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
The Gators (24-3, 11-3 SEC) dropped a spot in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll, sliding back from #2 to #3 despite beating LSU on the road 79-65 for the program’s sixth straight win. Florida may have something to prove.
They will also have one of their top players returning. Alex Condon missed the last three games with an ankle injury. He is expected to play against Georgia. Condon averages 10.6 points per game and leads the Gators with 7.8 rebounds per game and 1.4 blocks per contest.
Tonight’s game is the second meeting between the rivals this year. On Jan. 25, Florida hammered Georgia 89-59 in Gainesville. Walter Clayton Jr. led Florida with 17 points in the game.
After tonight’s game, Florida faces three more SEC teams before the postseason: 12th-ranked Texas A&M, #6 Alabama, and Ole Miss. The March 1 Texas A&M game will be featured as ESPN’s College GameDay will broadcast from Gainesville all day.
ESPN’s most recent projection lists Florida as the #1 seed in the West Region. The Gators last earned a top seed in 2014. They made the Final Four that season.
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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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