Last Call for 1.26.26 – 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

A wide-ranging “medical freedom” proposal touching on childhood vaccinations, public health authority, and access to ivermectin advanced through the Senate Health Policy Committee following prolonged debate and notable opposition from within the Republican caucus.

SB 1756, sponsored by Sen. Clay Yarborough, would expand school-entry immunization exemptions to include conscience-based objections and require the Department of Health to make exemption forms publicly available. The bill also limits the Surgeon General’s authority during public health emergencies, clarifying that the state’s top health official would not be allowed to order vaccinations.

The provision that drew the most scrutiny would require health care practitioners to provide parents who choose to vaccinate their children with state-approved materials outlining the risks, benefits, safety, and efficacy of each vaccine and obtain a signed acknowledgment before administering shots. Parents opting out of vaccinations, however, would not be subject to a comparable education or acknowledgment requirement.

That imbalance triggered repeated questions from Sen. Gayle Harrell, who pressed the sponsor on why informed-consent requirements in the proposal — framed as a parental rights bill — would apply only to parents on one side of the fence.

Yarborough defended the language, saying it mirrors existing religious exemption practices. He argued the measure strikes a balance by adding transparency for vaccinations without erecting barriers to parental choice.

The bill also authorizes pharmacists to dispense ivermectin to adults without a prescription, provided written information is given, and grants pharmacists immunity from civil and criminal liability when acting in good faith. Harrell raised concerns about safety, oversight, and the precedent set by allowing pharmacists to dispense prescription medications without physician involvement.

Public testimony on the bill ran largely in opposition, with speakers warning of potential public health consequences, reduced protections for immunocompromised children, and limits on the state’s ability to respond to disease outbreaks.

That aligns with recent polling by McLaughlin & Associates, which found that nearly four in five likely Florida voters support keeping current vaccine requirements as is, compared with just 17% who support a rewrite in line with SB 1756.

Despite the heated debate and a tranche of speaker cards, the Committee voted in favor of the bill. Health Policy was the first of three stops for SB 1756, which now heads to the Appropriations Committee. A similar bill in the House, HB 917, by Rep. Jeff Holcomb, awaits its first hearing in the Health Professions & Programs Subcommittee.

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Lawmakers and pro-immigrant advocates are set to speak out Tuesday, one year after policies advanced by the Trump and DeSantis administrations reshaped Florida’s approach to immigration enforcement

The event will feature remarks from Democratic Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith and Democratic Reps. Angie Nixon, Rep. Dotie Joseph and Tessa Petit alongside Florida Immigrant Coalition Executive Director Tessa Petit and an impacted community member.

According to a news release, speakers will outline legislation up for consideration this Session aimed at protecting immigrants, including the VISIBLE Act.

The legislation (SB 316/HB 419), sponsored by Smith and Nixon, would prohibit immigration officers from wearing masks and require them to have a clearly visible ID while on duty. The requirement is being pitched amid a spike in immigration enforcement across the U.S., and shortly after two killings in as many weeks by immigration officers deployed to Minnesota.

“This is a fight for the soul of this country and for the values that make America and Florida truly great. We know that many Floridians are witnessing firsthand the erosion of people’s rights. Because this may start with the ‘other’, the immigrant, but that is just the beginning,” Petit said.

“If we don’t make a stand now, we will lose our democracy. The legislation proposed by our champion lawmakers, like the VISIBLE Act, the Prosperity Act, and the In-State Tuition bill, is a testament to the knowledge that while some are busy destroying our shared communities, others know what is right and are doing right by all of us.”

The event is scheduled for Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in the Fourth Floor Rotunda of the Capitol.

Evening Reads

—“The main driver of Donald Trump’s bad polling” via Ian Ward of POLITICO

—”The American city that found itself at war with the U.S. government” via Joshua Chaffin and Michelle Hackman of The Wall Street Journal

—”The battle for Minneapolis” via Emily Witt of The New Yorker

—”Watching America unravel in Minneapolis” via Charles Homans of The New York Times

—”The killing of Alex Pretti is a grim turning point” via Zack Beauchamp of Vox

—”Redditors are mounting a resistance against ICE” via Kat Tenbarge of WIRED

—“Ron DeSantis blames Minnesota officials for immigration turmoil there” via Anthony Man of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—”Ileana Garcia blasts Trump admin’s ‘distorting, politicizing’ of Minneapolis shooting” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics

—”Bad candy: 80% of sweets tested have elevated levels of arsenic, DeSantises say” via Christine Sexton of Florida Politics

—“Ben Albritton under observation for blood clot in lung, ‘in good spirits’” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

Quote of the Day

“There’s plenty of dirt, unfortunately, to uncover.”

— Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, on elevated levels of arsenic the state Department of Health found in candy.

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.

Sen. Tom Leek is one step closer to a Shovel Ready after the Government Oversight and Accountability Committee voted unanimously to advance a bill that would affirm St. Johns County as the site of a future Florida Museum of Black History.

What better way to prep for Tampa’s impending pirate raid — better known as Gasparilla — than with the ultimate high seas staple: Grog.

Assuming his doctors OK it, Senate President Ben Albritton could use a Get Well Soon as he recovers from a small blood clot in his lung.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Magic seek revenge on Cavaliers

The Orlando Magic visit Cleveland to face the Cavaliers in a matchup of teams jockeying for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference (7 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Network – Florida, Peacock).

Orlando (23-21) is in eighth place in the conference standings. If the season ended today, the Magic would be in the play-in tournament and would need to win their way into the main playoff bracket. 

The Magic have lost three straight games, including a 119-105 home defeat to the Cavaliers on Saturday. In that game, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points, including 27 after halftime. Paolo Banchero led the Magic with 27 points. Orlando played the game without leading scorer Franz Wagner, who missed a second straight contest with an ankle injury.

Cleveland (27-20) sits in fifth in the conference on the strength of a three-game winning streak. The Cavaliers beat the Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings, and Magic and have won five of the last six games overall. 

After tonight, the two teams will play twice more. On Mar. 11, the Magic are scheduled to host the Cavaliers with a return match in Cleveland on Mar. 24.

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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.