Last Call for 10.8.25 – 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

Attorney General James Uthmeier has been added to the speaker lineup for this month’s Future of Florida Forum (F3), where he’ll discuss efforts to strengthen Florida’s legal climate and preserve recent lawsuit abuse reforms.

Uthmeier’s appearance adds to the lengthy list of speakers confirmed for the Florida Chamber of Commerce’s marquee annual gathering, set for Oct. 27-28 in Orlando. The event brings together business leaders, policymakers, and educators to chart Florida’s economic trajectory and assess progress on the Chamber’s Florida 2030 Blueprint.

Uthmeier’s session will address the question, “What will it take to make Florida’s legal climate the best in the nation?”

The addition comes on the same day President Donald Trump officially endorsed Uthmeier for a full term as Attorney General, calling him an “America First Warrior” and praising his record of “keeping Florida safe.”

“James Uthmeier is a strong conservative fighter and prosecutor, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement — he will not let you down,” Trump posted Wednesday.

The endorsement likely cements Uthmeier’s path to the GOP nomination, closing the door on speculation that House Speaker Daniel Perez might enter the race.

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Uthmeier as Attorney General in February following Ashley Moody’s move to the U.S. Senate. A former Chief of Staff and General Counsel to the Governor, Uthmeier is the only major Republican in the race and is expected to face former Sen. José Javier Rodríguez in the General Election.

The 2025 Future of Florida Forum will feature discussions on workforce development, infrastructure, and Florida’s growing innovation economy, along with a “halftime” assessment of the state’s long-term Blueprint goals. Registration is available online.

Evening Reads

—“Pete Hegseth’s sprawling hunt for Charlie Kirk critics spans nearly 300 investigations” via Noah Robertson and Tara Copp of The Washington Post

—“Inside the Capitol, a heated spat over the shutdown and Jeffrey Epstein” via Annie Karni of The New York Times

—“Before Donald Trump ordered in troops, federal officers called Portland protests ‘low energy’” via Hamed Aleaziz, Adam Goldman and Anna Griffin of The New York Times

—“Who gets health care subsidies under the Affordable Care Act” via Anna Wilde Mathews and Sabrina Saddiqui of The Wall Street Journal

—“Are Trump’s voters turning against him?” via Christian Paz of Vox

—“Trumpworld’s least favorite Cabinet secretaries” via Jake Lahut of WIRED

—“Trump endorses ‘America First Warrior’ James Uthmeier, likely closing door on Primary challenge” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

—“Florida allows open carry of guns, so Publix will too, workers say” via Susannah Bryan and Cristóbal Reyes of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

—“Florida lawmaker wants every university to rename roads after Charlie Kirk” via Steven Walker of the Orlando Sentinel

—“Retiring Boomers, increasing wages create budget challenges for legislators” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics

Quote of the Day

“We’ve been talking about it for years, and now it’s right in our forecast period.”

— State economist Amy Baker, on the budget implications of Florida’s graying population.

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 budget writers will be sipping on Shades of Gray while they reconcile rising wages and an aging population.

Serve Rep. Tom Fabricio a Dynamite for refiling his bill to deliver relief to homeowners whose properties were damaged by blast mining.

Skip the orange juice, Florida welcome centers need to update to a Death in the Afternoon now that “Free Kill State of Florida” billboards are going up on the border.

Breakthrough Insights

Tune In

Heat continue preseason

With two weeks until the regular season tips off, the Miami Heat host the San Antonio Spurs in a preseason game tonight (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV).

Miami has lost each of the first two preseason games, although the projected starters have played limited minutes in each game. In the last preseason game, a 103-93 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, forward Andrew Wiggins and center Bam Adebayo each played just 16 minutes while Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell did not play at all.

The Heat finished last season with a 46-36 record, earning the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Miami was swept out of the postseason by the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. 

The offseason was fairly quiet for Miami. The team acquired guard Normal Powell from the Los Angeles Clippers. The Heat also drafted point guard Kasparas Jakucionis. The Lithuanian played one season in college at Illinois. He has not played in either of the team’s first two preseason games because of a wrist injury.

One of the early standouts in the preseason has been second-year center Kel’el Ware. As a rookie, Ware averaged 9.3 points per game, but against Milwaukee, Ware scored 18 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra has been pushing Ware to be more impactful this season.

The Heat will face the Orlando Magic in the preseason for the second time on Sunday. The Florida rivals will face one another to tip off the regular season on Oct. 22.

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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.