Last Call for 10.28.25 – 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.

First Shot

As artificial intelligence continues to transform business and daily life, The Moore Agency is reminding Florida’s business community that the human touch is indispensable.

The Tallahassee-based communications firm unveiled its 2026 M.Cast Trends Report at the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s Future of Florida Forum, which brings together the state’s top business and policy leaders to map Florida’s long-term economic strategy.

The report identifies seven trends shaping how businesses compete and communicate and underscores a paradox: as technology becomes smarter and more pervasive, success increasingly depends on distinctly human qualities such as authenticity, restraint, community, and ethical accountability.

“In times of rapid disruption, anticipating change is essential to staying relevant and ready to lead,” said Terrie Ard, President and COO of Moore. “Organizations that understand these shifts before the market does will turn foresight into measurable competitive advantage.”

The top highlight: AI is “disappearing.” Not failing, the report states, but succeeding so thoroughly it’s “becoming invisible infrastructure” in the same vein as email and the internet itself.

The report also notes that there’s such a thing as being too perfect, and as AI algorithms approach a sort of sterile flawlessness, brands are finding “strategic imperfection” is an asset. Likewise, consumers crave authenticity and community ecosystems with peer validation — something that AI can neither provide nor convincingly fake.

The report, crafted in collaboration with Moore’s partners, fleshes out four other trends expected to shape 2026 and provides businesses with a blueprint for integrating them into their business and marketing plans.

“The 2026 M.Cast Trends Report is a testament to our leaders’ foresight and rigor, and I know it will help organizations turn early signals into clear, actionable strategy,” Moore founder and CEO Karen Moore said. “I’m energized by how these insights will help decision makers move with confidence, not guesswork.”

Evening Reads

—“The 21 cringiest lines from Karine Jean-Pierre’s car-crash New Yorker interview” via Chris Cillizza of So What

—”Donald Trump’s feud with Colombian leader threatens U.S. antidrug efforts” via Edward Wong, Julie Turkewitz and Eric Schmitt of The New York Times

—”These corporations stopped worrying about democracy and bought Trump a ballroom” via Judd Legum and Rebecca Crosby of Popular Information

—”In Florida Chamber speech, James Uthmeier says his No. 1 goal is prosecuting child predators” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics

—”Stephen Ross: Florida has the ingredients for greatness, it just needs a game plan” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics

—”Education leaders weigh in on AI at Future of Florida Forum” via Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics

—”Florida’s ‘anti-communism’ curriculum criticized as ‘propaganda’ by experts” via Steven Walker of the Orlando Sentinel

—”Private Islamic schools under fire from Florida Cabinet received millions in taxpayer dollars” via Liv Caputo of the Florida Phoenix

—”Seagrass is key to Tampa Bay’s health. It’s getting planted on Tampa Electric property” via Anthony Nicotera of the Tampa Bay Times

—”We spent the night shift with the repo man, who is busier than ever” via Scott Calvert of The Wall Street Journal

Quote of the Day

“We’ve talked a lot about the roadway to 2030, and that roadway is being paved in a distinctly red shade of asphalt.”

— Florida Chamber Director of Data Research & Analytics Alex Coelho, on the state’s Republican shift.

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.

Florida taxpayers would be ordering Top Shelf Cocktails if they hadn’t been overpaying for overdose reversal drugs to the tune of $4.5 million.

Poo Drivers haven’t been banned in Palm Beach County yet, but they might be if Donald Trump and Xi Jinping hold a summit at Mar-a-Lago.

Sen. Lori Berman gets a Big Shield Potion for renewing her fight to provide stronger protections for victims of domestic and dating violence.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Panthers host Ducks

The Florida Panthers host the Anaheim Ducks tonight as the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions try to crawl over the .500 mark.

Florida, 5-5, started the season with three consecutive victories before losing the first four games of a five-game road trip. Last time out, the Panthers beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 behind goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s 50th career shutout. It was the first loss of the season for the Golden Knights.

Bobrovsky was the 33rd goalie in NHL history to reach the 50 shutout mark.

The Panthers have played well at home, winning four of five at Amerant Bank Arena. Last season, Florida won 27 of 41 home games.

Left winger Brad Marchand leads the Panthers with five goals and six assists this season. The 37-year-old joined the Panthers in March in a trade from the Boston Bruins. In 33 regular and postseason games last season, Marchand scored 12 goals and added 12 assists, helping the Panthers to the championship.

The Ducks have opened the season with four wins in eight games. Tonight’s game will be their fifth straight on the road. They lost at Tampa Bay on Saturday, 4-3. Troy Terry, Jacob Trouba, and Ryan Poehling scored for Anaheim.

After tonight’s game, the Panthers welcome the Dallas Stars to town on Sunday before traveling across the country for a rematch with the Ducks on Nov. 4.

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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.