Politics
Last Call for 3.6.25 – 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.
Ed. Note — Sunburn is taking the night off and will return to your inboxes on Monday morning as we get over Peter’s ” bad hip day” (he is recovering nicely, by the way). Thanks for your readership and support. Stay safe!
First Shot
The Florida Chamber of Commerce supports Republican Nathan Boyles in the Special Election for House District 3.
“While Florida continues its growth and economic momentum, we need strong leadership committed to championing the policies necessary to further Florida’s global competitiveness, job creation, and a vibrant quality of life,” Chamber CEO Mark Wilson said.
“The Florida Chamber has put forth a strategic plan to make Florida a top 10 global economy by 2030, as well as create 1.45 million net new jobs, and we trust Nathan Boyles will help keep us on a pathway to get there as a member of the Florida House.”
Boyles is running to replace former state Rep. Joel Rudman, who left office to run unsuccessfully for Congress.
The HD 3 race is one of two legislative Special Primary Elections scheduled for April 1, with General Elections slated for June 10.
Boyles has run and won office before. He’s a former Okaloosa County Commissioner and a small-business owner.
“Throughout the past two decades, my wife and I have built and grown multiple successful small businesses in our Northwest Florida community,” Boyles said. “Having the support of the Florida Chamber of Commerce highlights my career as an entrepreneur and I look forward to partnering with them in Tallahassee to continue to build Florida’s strong workforce and champion economic opportunity.”
The Chamber endorsement comes the same day former Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis also offered his support for Boyles, calling him an “America First fighter.”
___
Nearly a month after the proverbial dust settled around whether she could return to the Legislature’s upper chamber, Rep. Debbie Mayfield is adding the Sunshine State’s chief business advocacy organization to her list of supporters.
The Florida Chamber officially backs Mayfield’s bid for Senate District 19, describing her as a “stalwart defender of free enterprise” who fights “against job-killing regulations.”
“Rep. Debbie Mayfield is committed to Florida’s future and will continue to work to help Florida maintain a pro-jobs climate and safeguard the strength of our growing economy,” Wilson said.
“She has proven through her years of service to the people of Brevard County that she is focused on job creation and furthering economic opportunity for all Floridians.”
Mayfield is one of four Republicans competing in an April 1 Primary for the SD 19 seat, which Brevard Republican Sen. Randy Fine is vacating at the end of this month to run for Congress.
“I’m proud to have the support of the Florida Chamber of Commerce,” Mayfield said in a statement. “They represent Florida’s brightest companies and job creators. Working together with President Trump and our Governor, we can expand Florida’s record-breaking job growth into the future.”
Other Republicans in the race include Marcie Adkins, Mark Lightner and former Melbourne City Council member Tim Thomas.
Evening Reads
—“Donald Trump prepares order dismantling the Education Department” via Cory Turner of NPR
—”Trump grants one-month tariff reprieve to some goods from Mexico, Canada” via Mary Beth Sheridan, Michael Birnbaum and Abha Bhattarai of The Washington Post
—”Trump raids will now target migrant families who entered the U.S. with their children” via Julia Ainsley of NBC News
—”10 Democrats join with Republicans to censure Rep. Al Green for Trump speech protest” via Veronica Stracqualursi, Sarah Ferris and Annie Grayer of CNN
—”Ron DeSantis wants to repeal the red flag law. What is it?” via Romy Ellenbogen of the Tampa Bay Times
—”DeSantis warns Byron Donalds about missing votes. He missed plenty in 2018.” Via Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times
—”Florida is cracking down on Spring Break ‘chaos and mayhem,’ Gov. DeSantis says” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics
—”Andrew Tate says he plans to live in Florida despite ‘hee haw’ over return to U.S. soil amid overseas charges” via Michael Ruiz of Fox News
—”The horrendous norovirus is hitting Florida hard. How to protect yourself.” via Cindy Krischer Goodman South Florida Sun-Sentinel
—”With ‘Sesame Street’ searching for a new home, Sesame Workshop undergoes layoffs” via Alex Weprin of The Hollywood Reporter
Quote of the Day
“The process has been taken over by out-of-state fraudsters looking to make a quick buck and by special interests intent on buying their way into our constitution.”
— Jenna Persons-Mulicka on her bill making it more difficult to put constitutional amendments on the ballot.
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.
While Ron DeSantis seeks to repeal parts of Rick Scott’s 2018 gun safety law, he can start with a fresh Red Flag.
As the Senate advances the end of a unique Florida law that prevents some exonerees from receiving recompense, looks like a great time for a round of Repeal Days (on us).
Since Peter is recovering from surgery, perhaps a Painkiller (or three) is in order. Be well, friend!
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Gators close out regular season on Saturday
Saturday marks the final day of college basketball’s regular season and the last chance for the Florida Gators to bolster their resume before the SEC tournament. The Gators host Ole Miss on Senior Night in Gainesville on Saturday (6 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Florida (26-4, 13-4 SEC) is coming off a 99-94 win at #7 Alabama on Wednesday. Sophomore forward Alex Condon scored a career-high 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the 5th-ranked Gators won for the eighth time in the last nine games. It was the second time this season the Gators beat a top 10 team on the road and the victory clinched the second seed in the conference tournament.
So, what does Florida have to gain on Saturday? With a win, Florida would almost certainly clinch a number one seed in the NCAA tournament. Before the win over Alabama, ESPN’s bracketology projected Florida as a #2 seed. Auburn, Duke, Tennessee, and Houston were projected as the #1 seeds.
But Tennessee lost at Ole Miss, likely bumping them from the top line and opening the door for the Gators to earn a top seed in a region.
Florida earned a top seed in 2007 and won the national championship. In 2014, Florida again was a #1 seed and advanced to the Final Four before losing to Connecticut. The Gators have not played in the NCAA Tournament since 2021.
___
Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
Post Views: 0
The gubernatorial candidate also discussed youthful transgressions in the interview with Lara Trump.
Let the healing begin.
That’s the big takeaway from U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds‘ interview Saturday night on Fox News.
The Naples Republican told Lara Trump that he’d be collaborative with the Legislature, a meaningful comment given the arm twisting from the Governor’s Office and national media surrogates about legislative “RINOs” and “Republican-lite squishes” surrounding the immigration legislation passed after a series of Special Sessions earlier this year.
“We saw some of the stuff in the Legislature, and I don’t really want to get too deep in it,” Donalds told the daughter-in-law of the President who endorsed him, by way of prioritizing “setting the example of how we’re going to have the cordial conversations that are necessary.”
Beyond that, Donalds had a message for those allied with likely gubernatorial candidate First Lady Casey DeSantis who might want to push oppo against him.
“I’m not going to be intimidated. I know what I’ve done wrong in my life,” Donalds told Trump.
He noted a youthful arrest for marijuana possession and a no contest plea for theft before he was old enough to drink, before previewing how he intends to frame that as the beginning of a redemption narrative.
“I made a lot of mistakes when I was young. But you know, when I was a youth leader, we would tell the children in a youth group that when you mess up, you make up, but you never give up. And I never gave up on myself,” Donalds said.
He then offered a message to his would be critics.
“So to people who want to dig up dirt and throw it at me, I say, I’m not going anywhere, I’m going to be right here. And I think that if you can go through life being better than you were the day before, then nobody can do anything to you.”
Post Views: 0
Yarborough’s bill has three committee stops before a full Senate hearing. Similar legislation has been filed in the House.
Sen. Clay Yarborough’s proposal for new requirements on teachers accused of crimes and the school districts that hire them is the fulfillment of a promise made last year.
SB 1374 would impose reporting requirements and mandate the removal of teachers accused of a wide variety of crimes detailed in Florida Statute. These include grooming behaviors.
Teachers and administrators would be required to self-report the accusations within 48 hours of arrest, and would also be compelled to report convictions and rulings for any offense except a minor traffic violation in the same timeframe.
Districts would have to remove the teachers from classrooms within 24 hours of the notification.
Yarborough was inspired to file this bill by a series of incidents in his native Jacksonville, where the Douglas Anderson School of the Arts had a number of teachers who flouted laws and community standards.
In a letter last year to Acting Superintendent Dana Krisnar, the School Board and Jacksonville General Counsel Michael Fackler, he expressed “serious concerns about the immediate safety” of students at Douglas Anderson in the wake of an arrest of a teacher over a “sexual incident” covered in the local press.
“The fact that the district was aware of this and allowed the teacher to remain in direct proximity with students and chose not to inform parents until last week is beyond comprehension,” Yarborough wrote.
This legislative proposal is an attempt to get state guardrails on a situation neglected by locals.
The bill notes that the “self-report is not considered an admission of guilt and is not admissible for any purpose in any proceeding, civil or criminal, administrative or judicial, investigatory or adjudicatory.” So it’s not a presumption of guilt. But it’s a recognition of the gravity of the charges.
Yarborough’s bill has three committee stops before a full Senate hearing. Similar legislation has been filed in the House.
Post Views: 0
A Jacksonville Republican member of the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Caucus says he and his constituents want to know more about what’s being cut amid the Elon Musk group’s breakneck pace.
“I have constituents sort of concerned about the cuts as well. But I think part of what’s going on is DOGE is moving so fast that it’s got people’s heads spinning,” said Rep. John Rutherford. “In fact, I want more information about what’s going to happen before it happens. They’re moving so fast.
Rutherford is among the Congressional Republicans who have resisted calls to hold town halls, saying they present “an opportunity for a mob to act out in front of media.” So his constituent concerns are coming from smaller group settings.
Yet it’s notable that his comments, made Friday on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal,” stop short of previous full-throated endorsements of the DOGE mission.
“Musk is not acting on his own, nor does he have complete authority over anything, including the Department of Government Efficiency. Musk is carrying out the orders given to him from President Donald Trump to clean up the waste, fraud, and abuse that have plagued the federal government for far too long,” Rutherford said last month.
During the same C-SPAN hit Friday, Rutherford acknowledged that Trump has the ultimate authority to cut executive branch functions, and defended those moves to reduce “bloat” in the government, particularly given that previous President Joe Biden hired people in what the Congressman called a “willy-nilly” way.
“He has the duty and the power … and the responsibility,” he argued.
As First Coast News reports, DOGE cuts look likely to impact Rutherford’s district with some notable cuts.
The Charles E. Bennett Federal Building, which is considered an “anchor institution” by Downtown Vision, was listed among 440 structures that could be sold. Internal Revenue Service, Department of Labor, and Housing and Urban Development functions are among those that could be removed from the city as a result.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District is also vacating its offices on the Southbank.
Post Views: 0
Byron Donalds promises ‘cordial conversations’ with Legislature as Governor
Bill Belichick’s Girlfriend Jordon Hudson Shares Photo From Anniversary Dinner
Dana White Greets Andrew and Tristan Tate at Power Slap Event, Welcomes Them to U.S.A.
-
Entertainment8 years agoThe final 6 ‘Game of Thrones’ episodes might feel like a full season
-
Entertainment8 years ago
Mod turns ‘Counter-Strike’ into a ‘Tekken’ clone with fighting chickens
-
Politics8 years ago
Congress rolls out ‘Better Deal,’ new economic agenda
-
Entertainment8 years ago
New Season 8 Walking Dead trailer flashes forward in time
-
Tech8 years ago
Microsoft Paint is finally dead, and the world Is a better place
-
Tech8 years ago
Hulu hires Google marketing veteran Kelly Campbell as CMO
-
Tech8 years ago
Ford’s 2018 Mustang GT can do 0-to-60 mph in under 4 seconds
-
Politics8 years ago
Illinois’ financial crisis could bring the state to a halt