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

First Shot

With five years left on the clock, the Florida Chamber Foundation rolled out a “halftime” report on the Florida 2030 Blueprint, highlighting two goals already met ahead of schedule while acknowledging work remains elsewhere.

Florida Chamber Vice President of Research Keith Richard framed the exercise, unveiled at the Future of Florida Forum, as a quick-turn audit built with input from trustees, agency leaders and community partners. A fuller report is due this Fall.

Bank of America Market Executive Doug Davidson, who chaired the Halftime Task Force, said Florida has already cleared two of its 2030 targets: leading the nation in new business startups and cementing its brand as the best place to “live, work, do business and visit.”

“In 2024, we had more people move here, visit here, relocate a business here, and move income permanently to the state of Florida. … People are choosing Florida,” Davidson said.

On the scoreboard side, Davidson outlined areas “on track,” with more than 60% of residents having a high-value postsecondary education and 95% of each high school class expected to graduate on time.

But he didn’t sugarcoat the gaps: progress on kindergarten readiness, eighth-grade reading and math, and especially housing, aren’t chugging along at the same pace.

“We have some work to do,” Davidson said.

Karen Moore, founder of The Moore Agency and the incoming Foundation Chair, made clear the stakes for Florida employers, telling the crowd of business leaders that a dearth of affordable housing and access to child care is already causing some families not to plant roots in the Sunshine State.

Affordable and attainable housing has been a nagging issue throughout the state, especially in major metros, that policymakers have worked to address.

Florida’s twice-updated Live Local Act, a cornerstone of Kathleen Passidomo’s Senate presidency, is delivering affordable units and faster approvals. But analyses show it’s falling short for the “missing middle,” defined as households that earn too much to qualify for affordable housing subsidies but not enough to comfortably pay market rents in their area.

Lawmakers will undoubtedly address the issue again in the 2026 Legislative Session. Already, Sens. Don Gaetz and Rosalind Osgood have filed legislation to, among other things, facilitate homeowners building accessory dwellings. The assumption is that a resultant burst in housing supply would lead to lower rents.

Both panelists stressed that facts on the ground have shifted faster than expected since the Blueprint was first unveiled in the late 2010s. Some of the changes wrought by the global pandemic are clear: remote work, telehealth, automation and more have moved forward at breakneck speed.

But while the pandemic accelerated innovation in some areas, it also stalled progress in others, particularly in education, where achievement gaps are neither unique to Florida nor fully understood, yet altogether undeniable.

Moore said that it will take “tens of thousands” of people, including business leaders, working in concert to fulfill the goals outlined in the 2030 Blueprint. But the action plan boils down to two words: “educate and engage.”

Evening Reads

—”Republicans grapple with voter frustration over rising health care premiums” via Joey Cappelletti and Ali Swenson of The Associated Press

—”How Jack Smith’s strongest case against Donald Trump collapsed” via Aaron C. Davis and Carol D. Leonnig of The Washington Post

—”My quest to find the East Wing rubble” via Nancy Walecki of The Atlantic

—”Step by step, how China seized control of critical minerals” via Keith Bradsher of The New York Times

—”The GOP’s antisemitism crisis” via Zack Beauchamp of Vox

—”How Zohran Mamdani’s Brooklyn became the heart of the Democrats’ civil war” via Joshua Chaffin of The Wall Street Journal

—”OpenAI says hundreds of thousands of ChatGPT users may show signs of manic or psychotic crisis every week” via Louise Matsakis of WIRED

—”It ain’t pretty, but Florida needs to focus on wastewater infrastructure, Byron Donalds says” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics

—”Why are people drawn to Boca Raton? A professor’s quest for answers” via Abigail Hasebroock of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—”Did Hillsborough actually overspend by $279 million, as DOGE claims?” via Kirby Wilson of the Tampa Bay Times

Quote of the Day

“If you’re not growing, you’re dying — and that’s no different for Florida.”

— U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, during remarks at the Future of Florida Forum.

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.

Pour a Nature Nurture for Sen. Gayle Harrell and Rep. John Snyder, who picked up 2025 State Parks Champion Awards from the Florida Wildlife Federation.

U.S Rep. Byron Donalds says without investment in wastewater infrastructure, Floridians may need to get used to drinking Trash Cocktails.

The Florida Chamber Foundation gets a Golden Ladder for outlining the steps to grow the state economy to No. 10 worldwide.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Magic travel to Philly to face unbeaten Sixers

The Orlando Magic face the 76ers in Philadelphia tonight, looking to hand the Sixers their first loss of the season (7 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Network – Florida).

Orlando (1-2) opened the season with a win over in-state rivals Miami before falling at home to the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls. Orlando’s loss to Chicago on Saturday saw the Magic make only three of 24 3-point shots. Paolo Banchero scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but made only a third of his shots in the loss. 

Through three games, forward Franz Wagner has led the Magic in scoring, averaging 22.7 points per game, three points per game more than Banchero. Last season, Orlando finished 41-41 —the best record in the Southeast Division —but still landed in the play-in tournament for the playoffs. The Magic beat Atlanta and entered the playoffs as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, and lost to the Boston Celtics in five games.

Philadelphia (2-0) opened the season with a one-point win over the Celtics in Boston, then followed it up with a four-point victory at home against the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday. Quintin Grimes’ 3-pointer with 14 seconds left broke a tie, and his 24 points helped lead the 76ers to the victory. 

Guard Tyrese Maxey has been the scoring star for Philadelphia. He dropped 40 points on opening night, then added 28 points and nine assists on Saturday.

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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.