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Florida Republicans hail Venezuela strike, Democrats question process

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Amid the Donald Trump administration announcing military action in Venezuela and the removal of leader Nicolás Maduro, Sunshine State Republicans hail the move while Democrats are more circumspect.

“A new day is here for Venezuela and Latin America. The United States and our hemisphere are safer because of President Trump’s leadership. God bless America and God bless the people of Venezuela,” said Sen. Rick Scott.

“Today’s action, ordered by President Trump, is what decisive leadership truly looks like. Our country has faced an unprecedented national security threat from the illegitimate Maduro regime. Unabetted for years, Maduro has sent drugs into our country, killing an untold number of Americans, kidnapped innocent Americans, flooded our country with violent cartel members from Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles, while destabilizing regional security. The regime has also allied itself with America’s enemies, Iran, China, Russia, Cuba, Hezbollah, and Hamas. It is utterly irresponsible behavior to continue; it puts our country’s security in jeopardy. While others dithered, President Trump recognized this threat for what it is and acted with resolve,” said U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.

“Maduro used foreign terrorist organizations to traffic deadly drugs and violence into our country, killing countless Americans. He was one of the largest narco-traffickers in the world and a threat to our national security. This morning, he was captured. This is “Peace Through Strength.” Justice will be served,” promised U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.

“Maduro’s narco-dictatorship has ENDED. The narcoterrorist who poisoned our children, exported crime to our neighborhoods through the Tren de Aragua, and turned Venezuela into a State of terror will now face the justice of the United States. This is a direct message to the Venezuelan military: the decisive moment has arrived. History will judge your actions. Stand with the Venezuelan people, respect the mandate expressed at the ballot boxes on July 28, 2024, and guarantee a peaceful and immediate transfer of power.,” said U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar.

U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez lauded Trump “for changing the course of history in our hemisphere.”

“Our country, and the world, are safer because of President Trump’s leadership, resolve, and willingness to confront evil head-on,” Gimenez added, saying the action was “this hemisphere’s equivalent of the Fall of the Berlin Wall” and “the beginning of the end for narco-terrorist regimes that have terrorized their people, flooded our communities with deadly drugs, and destabilized the Americas.”

“The United States of America is safer today because of the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and the bravery and heroism of the American Military which again proved itself the best in the world. Best news of the night: no American casualties, a narco-terrorist Dictator in custody, and a country pacified. Trust Trump,” urged U.S. Rep. Randy Fine.

““The operation carried out last night capturing Nicolas Maduro is another win by President Trump to protect our homeland and clean up the backyard of the United States, which began on January 20, 2025. Drug lords and terrorists will no longer operate freely in our hemisphere and drugs and illegals will not flow into our country. Thank God, the American military is positioned off American shores, to protect the people of the United States of America,” said U.S. Rep. Brian Mast.

Republicans are on board in Congress, but at least one Democrat so far wonders why the administration proceeded without Legislative backing.

“Capturing the murderous Dictator Maduro is a major step towards a #VenezuelaLibre. Now there must be concerted efforts to ensure the democratically elected Edmundo Gonzalez is seated as the rightful new president. Trump’s failure to seek Congressional approval for these strikes raises serious questions about the legality of the mission. The Administration made multiple false promises that it would not invade Venezuela without Congressional consent. Congress must now conduct extensive hearings on the attack and all efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela,” said Rep. Darren Soto.

Similar divisions played out among Florida state legislators commenting on the action.

“Today, President (Trump) took decisive action to bring peace & security to our hemisphere & strike a major blow against drug cartels who profit off the death & destruction of American lives. I’m thankful to all the US personnel for their bravery & dedication to freedom,” said House Speaker Daniel Perez.

Rep. Angie Nixon noted that while Maduro’s presidency was “illegitimate,” she said that when the U.S. “rushes to strike without transparency, without following the law, and with no regard for the Venezuelan and American lives that can be lost, this makes us no different than those we claim the People of Venezuela need protection from.”

“Thank you President (Trump) for taking action to protect the safety of U.S. citizens by eliminating the dangerous narco-terrorist Maduro regime in Venezuela! We salute the bravery of our U.S. forces who executed this mission with courage,” the Republican Party of Florida said.



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Ben Albritton, following Gov. DeSantis’ lead, wants wait-and-see approach with congressional redistricting

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January 7, 2026

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Senate President Ben Albritton said the upper chamber of the Legislature isn’t moving yet on congressional redistricting. But he is working with Gov. Ron DeSantis while closely following court developments.

“As I’ve previously stated, there is no ongoing work regarding mid-decade redistricting taking place in the Senate at this time,” Albritton said in a memo to all Florida Senate members. “I’ll continue to monitor legal developments and will keep you updated.”

He sent the message the same day DeSantis proclaimed a Special Session on redistricting, effective April 20.

That incidentally is just four days before the expected qualification day for federal candidates, but DeSantis’ proclamation also moved qualifying week for congressional contenders to June 8 through 12, the same as candidates for the Florida Legislature.

As timing goes, DeSantis has always eyed Spring for drawing new cartography. But that has put him on a different page with House Speaker Daniel Perez, who already appointed a House Redistricting Committee that has held two meetings in hopes of crafting a map during the regular Legislative Session.

Perez earlier this week told Florida Politics, “Members can expect the process will unfold thoughtfully, deliberately and transparently.” His office offered no further comment after the Governor issued his call for a Special Session. Perez spokesperson Amelia Englehart said she was informed of the coming proclamation on Wednesday morning.

DeSantis has cited a pending U.S. Supreme Court case from Louisiana that could provide more explicit guidance on the redistricting process.

Albritton signaled he supports patience and wants to follow the Governor’s lead on the process.

“The Governor stated the Legislature should wait as long as feasible before redrawing Florida’s congressional district boundaries in order to take advantage of any further guidance from the United States Supreme Court,” Albritton wrote.

In the meantime, he urged lawmakers to be careful about any public statements about the process.

“Senators should be aware that in prior cycles, significant litigation has followed passage of new maps. The Florida Supreme Court has previously limited the scope of legislative privilege when it comes to redistricting,” he wrote.

“Sitting legislators may be compelled to produce records or be subject to questioning under oath about conversations with colleagues, with legislative staff, or with outside parties who may attempt to persuade the Legislature to pass maps that favor or disfavor a political party or incumbent.”

On the Democratic side, Senate Minority Leader Lori Berman on Wednesday blasted DeSantis’ mid-decade redistricting push as “clearly illegal.”



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Last Call for 1.7.26 – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida

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4 hours ago

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January 7, 2026

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

First Shot

One week into 2026, and it’s already time to check a “car wreck” off the list.

On Wednesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a Special Session to redraw Florida’s congressional map — and strongly suggested it won’t be the last time lawmakers are summoned back to Tallahassee this year.

The redistricting Session is set to convene at noon on April 20 and adjourn by the end of that week, with a narrowly tailored agenda: produce a new congressional map and set aside money to defend it in court.

The timing is no accident.

DeSantis says he’s waiting on an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision that could upend minority-protected districts nationwide, a ruling he argues may clear the way for Florida to revisit lines he believes are “malapportioned.”

The Governor has already credited his current map, which produced a 20-8 split in the state’s U.S. House delegation, with delivering Republicans the majority and hinted that population shifts justify an even redder redraw.

But before lawmakers can pack up their maps, they may be asked to return to tee up a ballot proposal to eliminate homestead property taxes.

DeSantis said the Regular Session’s 60-day sprint may be the wrong venue for an issue he believes needs singular focus and clean language to survive Election Day.

Flipping the table also aligns with the Governor’s growing frustration with how the Legislature, particularly the House, has handled the proposal so far. He has said the multi-question “some, all, or none” approach represents an attempt to “kill anything on property taxes.”

Translation: the Governor wants this done his way, and he’s more than willing to flex his authority to make sure lawmakers get the message.

Evening Reads

—”South Florida takes center stage in U.S. politics after Nicolás Maduro’s capture” via Patricia Mazzei of The New York Times

—“Marco Rubio offers threefold plan for future of Venezuela, including release of political prisoners” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics

—“U.S. vows to control Venezuela oil sales ‘indefinitely’” via Evan Halper of The Washington Post

—“The wrath of Stephen Miller” via Ashley Parker, Michael Scherer, and Nick Miroff of The Atlantic

—”Venezuela is the first big test for the Pentagon’s influencer press corps — and it’s failing” via Makena Kelly of WIRED

—“How the Minnesota fraud scandal could upend American child care” via Anna North of Vox

—”DOJ admits it has still not released 99% of Jeffrey Epstein files, violating law” via Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby of Popular Information

—“Why I cover Donald Trump the way I do” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—”Florida failed to give due process to thousands kicked off Medicaid, court finds” via Christopher O’Donnell of the Tampa Bay Times

—”Anti-vax discrimination, behind-the-counter ivermectin access bill filed in the House” via Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix

Quote of the Day

“No matter what pretext the Governor offers for mid-decade redistricting — and he has offered nearly half a dozen in an attempt to find one that sticks — what he wants the Legislature to do is clearly illegal.”

— Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, on DeSantis’ call for a redistricting 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.

The Judicial Nominating Commission delivered six names to succeed Charles T. Canady on the Supreme Court, but the Governor will serve only one of them a Backbone.

According to new analyses, our neighbors to the north could use a Canadian Punch as they brace for a right hook from Florida’s housing market.

Glades-area mental health and literacy advocacy groups are enjoying a Sugar Pop after the region’s biggest economic engine shipped over a burst of cash.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Injury-riddled Magic face Nets

The Orlando Magic can take a step up in the standings as they face the Brooklyn Nets tonight (7:30 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Network – Florida)

Despite leading the Southeast Division, the Magic (20-17) are in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. The top six teams in each conference earn automatic playoff spots, while teams seven through 10 must qualify through a play-in format.

Orlando sits 7.5 games out of first place in the conference but just a half game behind both the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cleveland Cavaliers, so an Orlando win tonight could shake up the standings.

The Magic are coming off a 120-112 loss at the Washington Wizards. Orlando nearly overcame a 26-point deficit before falling.

Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero, Orlando’s two leading scorers, have both missed significant time this season. Banchero missed 10 games in November and early December with a groin injury. He returned on Dec. 5 only to see Wagner go down with an injury two days later. Wagner has missed the last 23 games for Orlando. If both can stay on the floor together in the season’s second half, Orlando can be a dangerous team.

Brooklyn (11-22) has struggled this season and ranks 13th among 15 Eastern Conference teams.

After tonight’s game, the Magic return home for six straight games at home starting with a matchup with the 76ers on Friday.

___

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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Lori Berman blasts Gov. DeSantis’ redistricting push as ‘clearly illegal,’ citing 2010 amendment

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5 hours ago

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January 7, 2026

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Gov. Ron DeSantis’ just-announced confirmation that he will pursue mid-decade redistricting through a Special Session drew a swift rebuke from Senate Democratic Leader Lori Berman, who argued such a move would violate the Florida Constitution.

Berman, a Boca Raton lawyer, pointed to the Fair Districts Amendment, which 63% of voters approved in 2010 to ban partisan or discriminatory gerrymandering. The amendment requires fair, compact, voter-respecting legislative districts. That’s the antithesis of what DeSantis and other GOP policymakers are proposing, Berman said.

“No matter what pretext the Governor offers for mid-decade redistricting — and he has offered nearly half a dozen in an attempt to find one that sticks — what he wants the Legislature to do is clearly illegal,” Berman said in a statement Tuesday, shortly after DeSantis said he’ll reconvene lawmakers on the matter in April.

“Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment strictly prohibits any maps from being drawn for partisan reasons, and regardless of any bluster from the Governor’s office, the only reason we’re having this unprecedented conversation about drawing new maps is because Donald Trump demanded it.”

Trump’s administration began calling for redistricting in mid-2025 to give Republicans a better chance to flip Democrat-held seats by the 2026 Midterms. Efforts to follow through on the President’s demands are now playing out in one form or another across 15 states, including Missouri, Ohio and Texas, while Democrat-led states like California and New York are weighing retaliatory or defensive redistricting moves.

Florida already has a 20-8 Republican advantage in its congressional delegation through maps the Governor’s Office drew based on 2020 Census data, which DeSantis called “flawed” in October. That same month, he said his proposed “political gerrymandering” is “likely” to survive court challenges, since the U.S. Constitution “says nothing” about it.

But the Florida Constitution does. The Fair Districts Amendment, added to Section 20, Article III, states: “No apportionment plan or individual district shall be drawn with the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent; and districts shall not be drawn with the intent or result of denying or abridging the equal opportunity of racial or language minorities to participate in the political process or to diminish their ability to elect representatives of their choice; and districts shall consist of contiguous territory.”

DeSantis said Florida is awaiting a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on a case concerning Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which has been used to draw majority-minority congressional districts almost exclusively led by Democrats.

The Court’s 2019 ruling on Rucho v. Common Cause provided that while partisan gerrymandering may be “incompatible with democratic principles,” there is no clear, manageable legal standard for federal courts to determine when partisan line-drawing goes too far.

However, the court did leave the door open for challenges under state constitutions and state courts, noting that states are free to adopt anti-gerrymandering rules — such as Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment — and enforce them independently of federal courts.

A majority of Florida’s electorate opposes mid-decade redistricting, according to polling Common Cause commissioned late last year, which found 55% of voters are against political parties changing district boundaries mid-decade. That included 62% of Democrats, 60% of third- and no-party voters, and a plurality (45%) of Republicans.

“An overwhelming majority of Floridians voted in favor of the Fair Districts Amendment and their voices must be respected,” Berman said. “The redistricting process is meant to serve the people, not the politicians.”

The Florida Democratic Party and League of Women Voters of Florida expressed similar disdain for the redistricting push, calling it “a desperate attempt to rig the system” and “an affront to Florida voters,” respectively.



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