Last Call for 1.15.26 – 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.

First Shot

House leaders are casting the opening days of the 2026 Legislative Session as an early win, pointing to a slate of bills approved in the chamber’s first week touching on workforce rules, public safety, health care, and civil liability.

“From protecting Florida jobs and improving health care outcomes to strengthening public safety and standing up for families, the Florida House hit the ground running,” House Speaker Daniel Perez said.

“These bills reflect our shared mission: to govern responsibly, solve real problems, and deliver meaningful results for Floridians. This productive first week set the tone for a Session focused on common-sense solutions and accountability.”

Among the priorities House Republicans are highlighting are proposals to tighten employment verification requirements, expand who can seek damages in wrongful death and medical negligence cases through a revived version of the so-called “Free Kill” repeal, and increase oversight of nursing education programs.

Lawmakers also advanced legislation aimed at improving pediatric readiness in hospital emergency departments, as well as a controversial measure that would roll back the post-Parkland law blocking adults under 21 from purchasing long guns. The long gun bill does not have a Senate companion.

The House news release said the chamber will “continue advancing legislation throughout the Session that reflects conservative principles, protects taxpayers, and improves the quality of life for all Floridians.”

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The James Madison Institute announced that U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody will be on hand as the general reception speaker for its 2026 Naples Annual Dinner.

The event is scheduled for LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort in Naples and will include a private meet-and-greet and photo opportunity for sponsors and VIP ticket holders beginning at 5 p.m., followed by a reception with Moody at 5:30 p.m. Dinner is set for 6:30 p.m., with formal programming running from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The evening will also include appearances by conservative commentator Scott Jennings and other featured guests promoted by the organization. Additional details about tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available through the institute.

Evening Reads

—”Donald Trump is going to have a hard time winning on Iran” via Mac William Bishop of Rolling Stone

—”Marco Rubio won; liberty lost” via Missy Ryan and Vivian Salama of The Atlantic

—”Why ICE can kill with impunity” via Lila Hassan of WIRED

—“ICE is becoming politically toxic — and fast” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—”Machado’s Nobel gamble: A peace offering to win over a wary Trump” via Michael Birnbaum and María Luisa Paúl of The Washington Post

—”Leading prediction firms share a commonality: Donald Trump Jr.” via Sharon LaFraniere of The New York Times

—”The wild card group that could scramble America’s political alliances” via Katherine Kelaidis of Vox

—”Jamie Dimon seemed to have Trump figured out — until this week” via Alexander Saeedy, AnnaMaria Andriotis, Emily Glazer and Brian Schwartz of The Wall Street Journal

—“Proposal to gradually end property taxes advances in House committee” via Mitch Perry of the Florida Phoenix

—”‘Parkland learned this the hard way:’ Victim’s parents decry Florida bill to lower gun-buying age” via Angie DiMichelle of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Quote of the Day

“Constitutionally, in America, we deserve access to the courts. There should be no exceptions to that.”

— Fort Pierce Republican Rep. Dana Trabulsy, as the “Free Kill” repeal passed the full House.

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.

Scandal-plagued U.S. Rep. Cory Mills gets a Pink Flamingo for helping shift his seat from “Solid Republican” to “Lean Republican” in The Cook Political Report’s latest ratings.

Order a Burn Baby Burn for Bridget Ziegler, whose ICE proposal could lead to Democrats taking full control of the Sarasota County School Board later this year.

Send the House a round of Raise To The Fraise for approving Rep. Fiona McFarland’s bill upping Florida’s current sovereign immunity caps.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Gators face Vanderbilt in key SEC contest

Florida faces Vanderbilt in a matchup of ranked SEC teams on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Gators (12-5, 3-1 in SEC) are coming off three consecutive conference wins. Florida topped No. 18 Georgia, No. 21 Tennessee, and Oklahoma after losing to Missouri to open conference play. Now, it’s the 10th-ranked Commodores.

Against Oklahoma on Tuesday night, Florida, ranked 19th in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll, got 21 points from Thomas Haugh and 19 points and 12 rebounds from Rueben Chinyelu in a 96-79 victory. The Gators’ strong frontcourt play has helped the team win seven of the last eight games after losing to two top-5 teams, Duke and Connecticut.

Vanderbilt (16-1, 3-1 in SEC) was undefeated until an 80-64 loss at Texas on Wednesday night. The Commodores made just 36.7% of their shots in the game, including missing nine of 10 3-point attempts in the second half. 

The defending national champions have not been as dominant as the team that breezed through the NCAA tournament last season, but the pieces are starting to work together as conference play unfolds. After Saturday’s game, Florida has only three games remaining against teams who are currently ranked: Alabama on Feb. 1, Georgia on Feb. 11, and Arkansas on Feb 28. 

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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.